Servant x Service - Episode 13 (Completed)

Things seemed to be going so swimmingly at last between Hasebe and Yamagami... at least, they were until that revelation at the end of last week's penultimate episode of Servant x Service.

After announcing to his other co-workers (Lucy excluded, of course) that it was in fact Hasebe's father who signed off on her insane name, we get to dig a little into the reasons why - reasons which unfortunately mean that simply reassuring Hasebe that it isn't his fault fall upon deaf ears, as it was his father's worry about Hasebe junior suffering from a fever that caused him to be less than thorough in his work in the first place.

Of course, there's nothing to be done about the past, so the next question is how Hasebe should handle the situation.  Chihaya doesn't really have anything constructive to add here, but regardless she seems to be on the right track by assuming that any course of action will cause Lucy to hate him.  The trouble is, the unease and tension around the office in the wake of this information is only making things a whole lot worse, meaning that Hasebe is going to have to do something...

Luckily, this something takes us on to a rather sweet little ending mixed in with some of the show's typical humour - an innate knowledge of what to do with its cast and when for maximum comedy value.  The gags in this final episode really sum up Servant x Service as a whole - it isn't breaking new ground in terms of its comedy, and it's simply Working in a more grown-up setting in a lot of ways, but that doesn't diminish the fact that it's actually rather a lot of fun and more than capable of producing plenty of laughs, even from material that would otherwise be tired and boring when presented by a lesser series.  That some pretty typical humour can be given a fresh lease of life by a show like this is something akin to alchemy, but the result is a little bit of summer magic that I think I'm going to miss more than I'd care to admit.

Of course, Servant x Service will never leave me entirely - that bloody opening theme is going to be stuck in my head forever, I tell you.

Servant x Service - Episode 12

Lucy's big date is looming as this week's Servant x Service kicks off - but is her official clothing provider for said date Chihaya still going to be in a fit state to make her outfit?

With no shortage of cosplay outfit creation also on the go (and it seems that Chihaya is a fan of Attack on Titan amongst other things, incidentally), Chihaya is struggling to stay away let alone anything else, and thus she decides to take three days off work at short notice to complete her various masterpieces - a decision which gives Ichimiya something of a holiday of his own, although his decision to visit Chihaya at the end of her leave finds her in worse shape than he might have imagined.

Still, if nothing else Lucy's dress for her date is completed, and in spite of her initial embarrassment about wearing it she (belatedly) makes it to her date with Hasebe - and what a gentleman he is too, taking her where she might want to go, carrying her bags and looking out for her every step of the way.  In fact, so unlike his normal self does this seem to Lucy that she tries to do a runner - not the smartest idea in high heels, it has to be said.  With a family arrangement ultimately causing their date to be postponed before it plays out in full, Hasebe at least has a "rematch" to look forward to, but it seems that there's something else nagging away at him...

With a few laugh out loud exceptions, this is one of those episodes of Servant x Service which I'd label as "fun" rather than outright "hilarious"; the kind of episode that really cashes in on your love of its characters by putting them into amusing or otherwise pleasing situations that work organically and without too much effort at all.  Thankfully, the series has a lot of cash in its goodwill bank to provide just such instalments of pleasant fun, and with a little drama thrown in to spice up the series finale hopefully it can provide some more giggles to see us out next week.

Servant x Service - Episode 11

The stress of recent events surrounding Lucy have clearly taken their toll on Hasebe by the start of this week's Servant x Service, to the point where he vanishes from his workplace even more than is normal for this natural-born layabout.

But exactly where has Hasebe gone?  He's nowhere to be found in any of the usual haunts, but the section chief posits that he might be hanging out at a bazaar being held outside the building.  It seems like a smart enough observation, but then again it might just be that the chief wants to check out the bazaar for himself... either way, it somehow also leads to him vanishing as well, leaving Lucy to pick up the pieces and retrieve his adorable rabbit form which seems to have been procured by an adoring child.

While the aftermath of this provides an opportunity for Lucy and Hasebe to straighten things out (if only for a moment before Lucy tramples all over his heart again), there's less reassurance available to Miyoshi has she has to face up to a meal with Tanaka.  Trying to spend her day off in town to take her mind off this might seem like a good idea, but when you end up bumping into everybody from your workplace and involving yourself in whatever issues they might have it can be rather exhausting.  In the wake of all this, it seems as if Miyoshi's "date" with Tanaka looks set to go the same, although he isn't so bad when he isn't talking incessantly about Hasebe.  Then again, anyone is easy to put up with once you've passed out from drinking alchohol.

Even when it's at its silliest (aka anything to do with the section chief), Servant x Service has certainly succeeded in setting out its stall as being fun by this point in time, and this episode is no different - it perhaps isn't the show at its funniest but it frequently does enough to put a smile on your face or give you a giggle here and there, which is really all you can ask for of a show like this as it continues to run its course in a mostly pleasing manner.

Servant x Service - Episode 10

Fed up of the status quo, Chihaya has made a brave decision - she's finally going to tell Toko about her relationship with Toko's brother.

Needless to say, this doesn't go well - not because Toko is distraught about it, but because she simply doesn't process what Chihaya is trying to tell her at all.  This doesn't come out of any lack of intelligence or an attempt to block out truth, but rather pure and simple tiredness.  But why is Toko going to lengths above and beyond what would be required to become a civil servant?  Does she have more grandiose career plans than previously thought by those around her?

Regardless, Chihaya's plan has gone awry, and although Miyoshi cheers her on while urging her to ensure she has no regrets, it seems that this choice of words might come back to haunt her as another encounter with Tanaka leaves her with regrets of her own - regrets about his regrets about him regretting things, to be precise.  Into this ever-swirling vortex of madness wanders Kanon, who kills some time while waiting for Toko by meandering around the ward office; perhaps she would have been better served spending that time with Toko herself, who is about to learn the best-kept secret of the office and its "mascot".

So ends another broadly light-hearted and amusing instalment of Servant x Service that somehow manages to be more than the sum of its parts - there's nothing all that interesting about its environment and the characters and situations within it are pretty thoroughly played out at this point, yet it's still funny (or at least somewhat amusing) most of the time.  I suppose that's more or less the definition of a good sitcom - it knows why it's funny and sticks to what it's good at without breaking the rules that define it too often, and although this makes for the kind of fare you might not remember a year or two down the line it sure is entertaining in the moment.

Servant x Service - Episode 9

Lucy may have her troubles, but it's Chihaya who is truly distracted as this week's Servant x Service begins.

Between the continued complexities of dealing with boyfriend Taishi and her various costume creating efforts that flit from cosplay through to figuring out what Lucy should wear on her date with Hasebe, she certainly has a lot on her plate, and with her relationship frustrations building taking Yamagami out shopping for a skirt seems like the best possible option.  With her low self-esteem and uncertainty however, Lucy isn't exactly the easiest girl in the world to shop for though, although a glimpse into Chihaya's past shows at least something of a kindred spirit in days gone by.

Later on, Miyoshi finally finds herself introduced to Hasebe's sister, which in turn allows her to be granted Kaoru's take on Jouji Tanaka's personality and his rather "unique" relationship with her brother - not that it really helps her impression of him much.  More importantly, Miyoshi almost causes a major incident via a sentence only half-heard by Hasebe which leaves him with the false impression that Lucy is now engaged - a thought that sends him into a major slump, to a point from which even the resolution of this misunderstanding doesn't particularly lighten his mood.  If that isn't love, I don't know what is...

Its second half may have wavered a little, but once again there was no shortage of laugh out loud moments in this week's instalment of Servant x Service - as well as establishing its characters, it feels as if the dialogue within the series has really picked up over the weeks to the point where it can churn out plenty of great comments and one-liners when required to keep the humour coming even when its plot points are arguably a little tired and almost lazy.  In other words, watching this series is as fun as ever, and when all else fails Yamagami's ahoge continues to dazzle as the summer season's most energetic on-screen performer.

Servant x Service - Episode 8

Lucy may still be feeling frustrated by her name, but it seems that her particular brand of troubles are as of nothing compared to some of those around her.

As Hasebe takes Yamagami out to eat yet again, it appears that Tanaka has taken more than a passing interest in these events, and he begins to hatch a plan which effectively involves all-but kidnapping Lucy so that he can not only spill the beans about his relationship with his friend-cum-enemy, but also in the hope of asking Yamagami out to steal her from Hasebe - a plan that would have worked a whole lot better had he not been drunk while attempting to do so, I would wager...

Tipped off by Miyoshi about what is transpiring Hasebe steps in to rescue Lucy and resolve the situation (mostly by repeatedly punching Tanaka, admittedly), bringing yet another round of profound thank yous from Yamagami.  Indeed, such is Lucy's attitude as he talks with Hasebe and tries to help him out with his own problems that the poor fellow is falling entirely head over heels for her to the point where he can barely function in the workplace - quite a feat for someone who typically barely functions in the workplace.  Still, even in this compromised state Hasebe isn't beyond putting together a perfect plan to get Lucy to go out on a date with him, even managing to rope Chihaya in on the act into the bargain.

It's perhaps telling as to how Servant x Service can ease itself along quite happily week on week when the show's post-credit moment of surrealism and a hilarious spot the difference contest are its comedy highlights - then again, it doesn't need to go all-out in terms of injecting humour into everything when it has a cast that everyone has warmed to so greatly.  Even if it isn't making me laugh very much, I still enjoy simply hanging out with its characters each week and watching the shifting sands of their various relationships.  It's exactly the same trick that Working pulled off so well, and although I'd still rate that show higher than this one it shouldn't obfuscate the fact that this is a whole lot of fun too.

Servant x Service - Episode 7

Considering the lack of attention from her boyfriend, it's little wonder that Chihaya is bored... so what better way to alleviate that boredom than by playing with Toko for a while?

Having proved that Toko is as clueless about games and cosplay as she is her brother, the relationship between Chihaya and Taishi comes under scrutiny in the office thanks to the section chief worrying that the two of them aren't getting along.  Thus, he hatches a plot to bring them closer together, which almost causes a major incident when Lucy catches them in a rather compromising position.  As even Toko's friends start to fathom the nature of Chihaya's relationship with her brother, said relationship continues to bump along in a decidedly unsatisfactory manner.

Speaking of relationships, Miyoshi finally comes face to face with Tanaka's much vaunted grandson, who is indeed as responsible and sensible as she suggested... at least, he is until he catches sight of Hasebe, which engages an entirely different side of him.  It seems that this pairing have a rather strange and long-standing rivalry going on (even if Chihaya puts their reactions down to something else entirely...) - not that any of this helps Miyoshi and her attempts to delicately avoid Tanaka's match-making.

Even as its situations and inter-character relationships become more ludicrous by the week, so Servant x Service's sense of fun manages to shine through to a sufficient extent to extract a few decent laughs and giggles along the way - heck, it even finds time to poke a little fun at Free during its "quiz".  For a show filled with rather a lot of nonsense (even more so than Working), it sure does know how to make its nonsense fun now that it's gotten over the early hurdles of setting up its characters and their interactions.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is probably the last you'll hear from me until Monday, as I'm off to Ayacon 2013.  See you on the other side!

Servant x Service - Episode 6

It's tough getting close to your work colleagues when you're the odd one out in so many ways.... particularly when those differences include being a stuffed rabbit.

Nonetheless, the section manager is determined to try and bridge the gap between himself and the young charges under his watch, and decides that the best way to do so is to spend some time watching them work while poised atop their shoulder.  Of course, no employee wants their boss watching their every move over that shoulder, rabbit or not, so it's fair to say that this attempt really isn't much of a success.

As the boss ponders how he can do more to ingratiate himself with his staff, those staff members have problems of their own - Ichimiya worries (needless, it ultimate proves) about whether his sister has any friends, and Miyoshi is enduring something of a slump that leads to her considering quitting the job completely.  On top of all this - and after managing to mortally wound Hasebe's self-confidence - she also has to deal with the constantly chattering "customer" Tanaka, who has now got it into her head that Miyoshi should really consider marrying her grandson, in a plot device which doubtless has some distance left to run...

This wraps up another mildly amusing and endearing episode of Servant x Service - the series is hardly a non-stop juggernaut of belly laughs, but it still manages to make me laugh or at least smile enough for me to be content that it's doing its job pretty well, and at this point its characters have bedded into the series pretty well while still keeping some secrets up their sleeves.  I honestly suspected that I might be bored of the series by now, but despite my assumptions it's managed to keep on trucking towards its half-way point.

Servant x Service - Episode 5

Waking up next to Hasebe after a night of drinking seems like the worst kind of nightmare, so imagine waking up next to Hasebe and finding out that it's a girl.  And that there are two Hasebes...

It;s this nightmare that we join Lucy in the midst of as this week's Servant x Service begins - thankfully, it turns out that the female Hasebe is in fact the sister of our favourite lecherous civil servant, as he'd rather kindly taken Lucy there to sleep off the after-effects of all that alcohol from the departmental night out.  This leaves Lucy feeling indebted to her co-worker once again, leading to her bringing sweets for both his sister and himself while seemingly completely ignorant to any of the tension that might normally arise from the situations she finds herself in.

Of course, Hasebe's actions puts him at the thick end of a telling-off from Ichimiya as he lectures his charge on the pitfalls of workplace relationships.  However, this is all reckoning without one rather massive secret - Taishi is actually dating Chihaya, a secret he's keeping from both his work colleagues and his sister.  Given his devotion to said sister, this isn't exactly the easiest relationship in the world, and given her table-flipping proclivities it's pretty clear who wears the trousers in this relationship... well, when she isn't wearing Touko's school uniform, at least...

For all of my initial doubts about this series, my enjoyment of Servant x Service is growing by the week - this episode made me laugh out loud a number of times, and a cast that I originally suspected might have limited value in terms of the show's longevity are proving me wrong each and every week.  Although it's most assuredly simply Working in a different setting in many ways, this is increasingly proving to be no bad thing, and I'm having a whole lot of fun watching this show... and if that isn't the point of a comedy such as this, what is?

Servant x Service - Episode 4

Never mind the pretenses of teaching her sign language, Hasebe seems to be getting rather close to Yamagami.  Could it be that he's trying to get.... her to cosplay?

Certainly, this is the concern of Chihaya, who has decided to not just hate Hasebe and accuse him of sexual harassment at every opportunity, but also to treat him as he rival - after all, surely it's her job to fit Lucy out and initiate her in the ways of cosplay?  Unfortunately for her however, it seems that nothing is going to stand in Hasebe's way, and it's a shock to all involved when he actually asks Yamagami out, even though he gets instantly rejected.

However, in spite of this rejection Lucy's stance towards her colleague seems to be softening somewhat, and before we know it they are going out for meals together after work - strictly as workmates, of course.  This revelation is but nothing to the real news that comes from this episode, as we're introduced to the group's section manager - a talking stuffed rabbit no less, who is impressively adorable for a curmudgeonly fifty-something it has to be said.  Both of these pieces of information come to the fore as a department night out leads to Lucy getting drunk on a cocktail, and (of course) ending up in a love hotel...

Although it's perhaps been rather quick to escalate some of its character relationships in the past couple of weeks, it's actually rather satifying to see Servant x Service making something of the interactions between its characters rather than letting their relationships stagnate and atrophy as per so many other anime series.  Having a stuffed rabbit as a boss may be stretching the show's credibility as a whole, but when said rabbit's mannerisms are so damn cute, and in the face of its other promising developments, I'm willing to give it a pass - not least because I now want a stuffed animal boss myself.  This episode may not have had as many laugh out loud moments, but the series as a whole is continuing to build up in an enjoyable way that is somehow winning me over more by the week.  Rather like Working did, now I think about it...

Servant x Service - Episode 3

Never mind his young charges, is their overseer Ichimiya up to the job?  Given the... err, "unique" qualities of those working under him, you can't really blame him for not being sure if he's proving to be a worthy supervisor when he's always seemingly usurped by them, especially given that he always has his little sister to worry about.

Elsewhere, Lucy finds herself having to contend with a "wardrobe malfunction" - an incident involving her bra hooks that simply can't be fixed.  Given her proportions, there's nothing for it but to carry on as though nothing has happened; the trouble is, her predicament is plain to see for everyone else in the office, even if nobody tell her they've noticed less she be upset by their attention being drawn to her chest, sensitive flower that she is.  Luckily, someone provides just the kind of out of the box thinking that you might not expect from a civil servant to help Lucy salvage a day of embarrassment without causing too much hassle or distress for anyone else involved.

For the second half of the episode we follow Hasebe, largely on account of his desire to learn Lucy's phone number to add to his collection.  The trouble is, he has a tendency to forget to ask for it whenever confronted with an opportunity to do so (not surprisingly considering the distractions that she packs.  I mean her hair, naturally), and no matter how many situations he manoeuvres himself into he never remembers until its too late.  Still, all of this does allow us to learn more about Hasebe and his many, many talents, alongside the fact that he's actually rather a nice guy when he isn't being a master of sexual harassment.

Perhaps now that we're familiar with the cast Servant x Service is beginning to warm up nicely, as this was by far the best episode of the series so far - it had enough variety in its scenarios and gags so as not to be too repetitive, and it had a handy stash of one-liners and comebacks to provide a decent number of laughs.  I still feel like it'll need to do more and more to shake things up as the series goes on, but for now things are looking up in terms of this series turning out to be a fun and entertaining little comedy series if it can continue in this vein.

Servant x Service - Episode 2

It's time to return to the office where no work gets done... no, not my office you cheeky buggers!

While Miyoshi continues to have problems in the form of incessantly chattering old ladies (to the point where she takes to hiding under the desk - a work tactic that I should perhaps try more often), we learn a little more about Chihaya.  More specifically, we learn that she's something of an otaku (because we have to have one of those in every anime, right?) with cosplaying proclivities, to the point where she's actually a temp so that she can wander off to events to cosplay on a whim.

While this is all good and well, an emergency soon presents itself to all present in the office - the appearance of Toko, a high school girl with a terrifying knowledge of the ins and outs of the welfare system, otherwise known as the kind of girl the Daily Mail would have a field day writing about.  While Toko's terrifying presence doesn't phase everyone - Hasebe almost literally has her number within minutes - it does prove to be a substantial disruption.  Although the true cause of her constant visits soon becomes clear thanks to her close relationship with Ichimiya, just how do the staff figure out a strategy to deal with her?

Overall, this second episode of Servant x Service really carried on where the first left off - it's pretty fun, it occasionally gets to the crux of the cause of some genuine office humour or despair, and there's a simple enjoyment to be found from watching it.  However, I do worry that there isn't enough depth to its scenario or characters to make the series work in the long-term - perhaps it can continue to build up its cast and their personalities as Wagnaria did, but it still feels like its core characters simply aren't as strong, which could prove to be a problem in the long run.  Hopefully I'm wrong and the series can find new directions to move in, but only time will tell for now.

Servant x Service - Episode 1

We've followed life in a family restaurant, but now A-1 Pictures are at it again with an adaptation of another Karino Takatsu manga, this time set in the heady world of a Japanese civil service office.

We come to this workplace via a trio of new hires to the office - Yamagami, a young woman out to get revenge for whoever accepted her birth certificate and its colourful cornucopia of name; Yutaka Hasabe, a work-shy womanising young man whose charms do have their uses when it comes to handling difficult customers (and there are plenty of those); and finally Saya Miyoshi, a first-time worker and former college graduate with a rather quiet and nervous disposition.

With initial introductions out of the way, Servant x Service's opening episode heads in all of the directions you might expect via its larger than life look at office work, allowing characters to say and do things you'd never be able to in a real office environment (like asking where the best places to hide and slack off are or running around chasing one another with paperwork) while having to deal with difficult customers and the tribulations and satisfaction that can come with that.

Although there isn't a lot to say about this first instalment beyond that, this isn't to say that it isn't entertaining - all of the above content provides a fair number of laugh out loud moments, and simply having an anime series set in an office at all is refreshing for those of us who are more familiar with such an environment than a school classroom.  The pressing question here is whether Servant x Service can run the course in a similar vein - at first glance, its characters don't have the same instant ability to win you over as Working's cast, and once the sheen of those fantastic opening credits dulls a little I wonder just how many jokes you can make about office life before it gets old.  After all, a lot of us know that working in an office soon gets repetitive and mundane, and at the end of the day which watch anime to escape from that situation, not revel in it further.  Still, for now Servant x Service has succeeded in well and truly tickling my funny bone to a sufficient degree, so I'm happy to wait and see if it can build on that positive start.