In 2004, novelist Ryu Murakami published "13-sai no Hello Work," a job guide for 13-year-olds, though most of the copies were bought by adults. The book did not offer practical advice, but rather job descriptions in all lines of work, from engineer to prostitute, in order to give readers an idea of what was actually out there in terms of employment. Ever since he shot to fame in the 1970s Murakami's reputation has been that of a playboy iconoclast, but starting in the late '90s he focused his intellect on economic issues, and the book was a means of stimulating young people's curiosity about the world of work.

TV Asahi is now about halfway through a dramatization of "13-sai no Hello Work" (Fri., 11:15 p.m.). Turning a nonfiction guide into a narrative-based comedy series requires imagination, if not nerve, but it's been done before. Woody Allen adapted the early '70s bestseller "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex" into a movie that was basically a series of comic skits premised on nothing more than chapter titles from the book.

Asahi's show isn't nearly as funny. Teppei Kogure (Masahiro Matsuoka) is a cop working in the public safety division. His job is to make sure minors don't smoke or drink or behave badly, but he wanted to be a detective, like his old acquaintance Takano, who rose to his position through real ability. Kogure, who's prone to impatience and hyperactivity, regrets that he never possessed enough self-discipline to form goals as a child.