Servant x Service: First Impressions

[gallery columns="4" ids="14376,14377,14378,14379,14380,14381,14382,14383"]

A-1 Pictures and the author of Working!! team once again to bring us a workplace comedy.  A combination that might be successful a second time round.

It's widely accepted that bureaucracy is a thorn in the regular citizen's side.  Be it big government or, in this case, municipal wards stir up a lot of animosity against civil servants.  But what about those poor civil servants? What about their story and their exhaustive days of dealing with angry people?

That's the great thing about Servant x Service's basic plot; it's familiar and yet the flip in perspective allows for some great comedy.  It's a simple setting like the one in Working!! that works well and allows for plenty of comedy to arise from obvious situations.  The comedy itself doesn't try too hard or go to extremes, but rather it focuses on the characters and lets their quirks and personalities do all the work and with ample support from the setting.

Ultimately, the characters are the test of any comedy and Servant x Service's cast is a decent one.  Between the slightly crazy Yamagami (voiced by HanaKana), the carefree playboy Hasebe and the shy Miyoshi, the series has a lot to offer in terms of comedy situations.  With the first episode Yamagami and Hasebe took centre stage, whilst Miyoshi blended into the background and that's presumably the dynamic we should be expecting from future episodes.  Both Hasebe and Yamagami are the extroverted types - in the latter's case, it comes and goes - so it's only natural they take more of the attention.  Especially in Yamagami's case, now that she's been given a running gag involving her abbreviated name.  Which is not to say Miyoshi and the other supporting cast members won't have their own moments to shine, but rather the main comedy will come from one of these two.

So far the Summer 2013 season is turning out well, and Servant x Service has made it that much better.  Fans of working and fans of comedy anime should be happy with this series.  I know I am.

Servant x Service OP

[gallery columns="4" ids="14388,14389,14390,14391"]

What a great OP.  A nice use of CGI and some great stills of the characters combined with a catchy song.

Servant x Service ED

[gallery columns="4" ids="14384,14385,14386,14387"]

An ED that's all about the ladies.  Can't hate that, can you?