Sunday 4 September 2011

Working'!! - Episode 1

I may not have 'blogged about it, but I did finally get around to sitting down and watching Working!! (or Wagnaria!! to use its US release title) a few months back, thus leaving me suitably prepared for a second season of this slice of life comedy for the autumn - and whaddya know, we even get an early peek at the first episode thanks to a pre-air screening!

Overall, there really isn't a huge amount to say here as nothing at all has changed from the first season of the show, perhaps for the better - Katanashi... sorry, Takanashi... is still obsessed with cute things, Inami is still a major androphobe, Aoi is as clumsy as ever, Poplar hasn't grown an inch and so on.  In short, if you enjoyed the first season then there's probably little to assuage that enjoyment this time around, judging by this opening episode.


More specifically however, it's Poplar's height issues that take up a fair portion of this episode, as she becomes frustrated by Takansahi's constant references to her diminutive size - not that she really gets much support from her co-workers on this point, as they either indirectly tell her to grow up or poke even further fun at her.  That said, you can't help but think that for all his generally normal exterior, it might well be Takanashi himself who has the biggest problem out of anyone on Wagnaria's staff, as evidenced by his near complete break-down at the sight of a tiny bug being squished by Kyouko's clipboard.  For once, it seems that Inami's willingness to punch guys who get close to her comes in handy as it snaps Takanashi out of his "episode", although she gets quite the harsh treatment in response to her "assistance".

I'm not quite sure how it manages it when it's often short on traditional jokes or sketches, but there's a certain amount of fun and entertainment value that continues to pervade Working'!! even as we embarsk upon this second season.  My only real concern is whether it has the legs to last an entire second series without becoming repetitive - it certainly doesn't have anything new to add to its comedy arsenal judging by this first episode, and there's only so many times you can hear jokes about Poplar's size or Inami's violent reactions to anything male before it threatens to get old.  Oh well, that's something I can wax lyrical about further come October, when the series begins airing properly.

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