Anime: Servant x Service

Review
I don't know from where you are, but opinion around public servants is widely negative around the globe. From Brazil to Japan, many are the countries where people see those who work on public facilities as lazy and whose only intention is to suck on the taxes paid by others. We have a large deal of political infights involving them, and neoliberal and social agendas often clash when it comes to public services and how to deal with them. It's a serious topic, one up for debate.

Servant x Service is a parody around it. This is a show about a group of recently recruited public servants in a random Welfare Section Ward in Japan and all their "struggles" during their worktime and sometimes in their days off too. It revolves around Lucy Yamagami, a clumsy big-breasted young woman who loves books and joined the ward in hopes she could find whoever allowed her parents to give her a ridiculous long name that started with Lucy (which is kinda of odd for the japanese). There she meets a cast of comical figures, learn how to do her job in some rare ocasions, and attempt to avoid the carefree and in love Hasebe Yutaka.

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1. Spot On
   The first thing you should know is that this is fuc*kn spot on. Although this clearly takes the side that label the public servants as lazy people, it does so by exploring the exact reasons why this view is so easily embraced by the population of many different countries. The "new" guy is already 8 years in the ward, you never see the boss on the desk and when he shows up he is a joke, there is that one guy who only wanders around doing nothing, and it shows how damn boring some bee-tasks can be. This does not only work to depict public service, though. As someone who experienced both public and private company jobs, many of those raised topics also do happen in private companies, which means the show can offer an additional spice to anyone who got an office job.
   
   THIS is a seinen
   I typically abhor the notion of age classification that exists in the industry, especially because most shows I've seen with the seinen tag are so fuck*n dumb and childish they tend to please more kids than whatever else, and some shows with the shounen tag can get to be uberly mature and critical. Yet, here I can finally see a point when it classifies this is a seinen. You may ask why, and I can quickly point one thing: if you haven't done an office job my friend, you will definetely not appreciate the smart inside jokes this show has, which amounts to basically its most important aspects in making it not simply another imbecile romantic comedy.
   
   The cast is superb
   As any slice-of-life, Servant x Service survives through it cast of comical parodies. Unfortunately, they are far too similar to some high-school templates, but considering the setting where they inhabit they can grow a bit out of it. The main couple is composed by Lucy, the clumsy and busty young woman who can never get a clue about the feelings of Hasebe, a genius guy who can do everything but prefers to wander around the ward and relax. You also get to know the third new recruit, Miyoshi, an absurdly average woman with a sharp tongue and a lack of motivation. Beyond those three are the other members of the ward, a high-school student who loves her brother (ergh, damn sick thing this is) and waste her free time annoying the staff, and a few people who comes to the ward.
   
   The jokes
   Servant x Service is, for the unexperienced, a simple slice-of-life around people doing shit in an office and rarely, and I mean RARELY, working. It also ends up as a romantic comedy with plenty of funny moments, yet far too common altogether to deserve praises. Beneath this husk of a generic show, however, there are plenty of smartly inserted jokes around office jobs, public service, and how people sees public servants in general. These sweet little moments are the funnier around, yet I can't see it being perceived by most who haven't gotten into the debate about this topic or haven't worked on a public ward or similar job themselves.
   
   The lazy Hasebe doing nothing, hidding in the bathroom, searching places to relax. The boss whose desk is empty in the first episodes only to be shown as a joke bunny who makes no damn difference in the ward. The fact Lucy got her ridiculous name approved due to the lack of attention of some random past worker. The random days off. The intruding girl who picks everyone attention to herself and makes it impossible for everyone to work. The old-lady who spends her entire day talking and sucking the life out of Miyoshi. Damn. These things, the way they are put here, and their subtely is outstandingly spot-on. The shows goes on this rythmn for all those 13 episodes, changing for the romantic comedy in the late part, yet still picking up nice jokes with decent frequency. If there's a mistake in there when comparing it to real life, it is the fact that people actually like the useless boss in the show, something completetly opposite in most real-life jobs. Beyond that, damn, these are cunning references and jokes, cunning indeed.
   
   A simple work
   Considering this is made by the newly popular A1-Pictures, the quality is not anything out of the norm. The character artwork is widely generic, perhaps too cute for what it tells, but fortunately not distracting. The background shots are decent, especially if you remember the entire series takes place in two or three locations. Animation-wise this is solid enough for what it needs to deliver, resorting to cartoonish smiles and faces to express the range of emotion the cast shows. For a comedy such as this, the job is more than enough. Sound-wise, however, Servant x Service shines. The voice-acting is a major player into turning things funny, the opening theme is a perfect fit, and the themes are neutral in a decent way.
   

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Comments
Servant x Service is a different show. I can't see many comedies around as smart and as funny as this one, but it does so by completely limiting its own audience. For an industry where most viewers are teens and young men and women, creating a show that could only be truly appreciated by people with a very specific set of jobs and background is a risky move.

I could use Working!! as an example, a show about people performing their jobs as well, but a show intended for a wide audience, for the common audience of the industry. There you have a group of teens working on a place most people visit with frequency. It uses exagerated comedy and the typical stuff to please the otaku audience, and because of that it is widely accepted. When you pick that same audience and put them in front of Servant x Service, they are bound to find it more boring. They won't get the jokes, they won't get the references, they won't appreciate the minor details that make the show one of the smartest comedies I've seen. I mean, how many people have actually walked into a public office? How many people have worked, or thought of working, as a public servant? How many people have actually real experience in an office job and watch anime? Yup, that's Servant x Service's intended audience, a rare bunch within the otaku community if I must say.

For these reasons I can't actually vouch for Servant x Service as a masterful work. It requires background. It doesn't inform its audience of what it is truly parodying. That's the deal with parodies, yes, but most parodies in this specific industry revolves around itself, such as Haruhi and Excel Saga, or around some idea surrounding a teenager.

Anyway, as someone who've worked a few years in a private company and around half a decade as a public servant, I can assure you that if you got a similar background, you will definetely experience one of the best comedies around. If not... well, perhaps if you have a knowledge about office jobs, if you have pictured yourself in these shoes, maybe you can also get the cunning and funny jokes that makes this an awesome piece of comedy.

While this series may sound like a version of Fate from a warrior's perspective, it actually is a very light, comedic parody of the white collar office environment. The show is about a group of three new hires working in a restaurant, er... public service ward; thank goodness it apparently is nothing like the DMV in good ol' USA. If you've watched Working, this is extremely similar in style and presentation; start with a really boring place and inject an interesting mix of characters. The final product is, in my opinion, not as funny nor as engaging as Working. While they most likely had to lighten the atmosphere (bunny anyone?) to prevent scaring away all potential viewers, I still think they could have made it a lot more realistic without losing any of the humor. Criticisms aside, this is a decent watch with a focused set of characters engaging in a bit of office drama and surviving lots of misunderstandings. This is a good watch for those who liked Working or those who want an overly-optimistic view of white collar work and office romance to aspire to after college.

Animation:
A-1 Studios, the same studio that animated Working, gives us a similar production for SxS. Though the drawing style is similar, the overall setting is a bit more drab; unfortunately, the ward can only replace energetic waitresses carrying plates of lovely, heart-decorated omurice with boring managers, cover sheets, and TPS reports. Expect average animation overall with somewhat bland backgrounds and average character detail. The coloring feels very similar to what was used in Working though the characters are drawn a bit different since it's not the same lead character designer.

As with Working, there is no action asside from occasional running. There are bits of ecchi, mostly with Lucy's cleavage, but this is used as more of a comic joke rather than a naughty camera.

Sound:
The series starts with a light, playful OP. The melody isn't terribly great but it definitely fits with the setting. The ED is likewise happy-go-lucky, though the singer's tonality is a bit too calming. Be warned that it will induce sleepiness if watched late enough. The BGM is extremely light and for the most part completely overshadowed by the dialogue.

Speaking of dialogue, expect a lot of it in this interaction-focused show. Ai Kayano stars as Lucy and definitely puts on a pretty good performance. She's supported by Mai Nakahara and Aki Toyosaki who also do a great job. Aki Toyosaki demonstrates great range and ability having just finished as Ai Astin in Kaminai.

Story:
The premise of the show is pretty similar to Working. It's mostly about the day to day life of new workers learning the ropes and becoming acquainted with their fellow coworkers. There's not much actual plot progression asside from Hasebe's attempts at winning Lucy's favor.

The show consists mostly of short segments where something comical occurs or a misunderstanding brews into a major event. Perhaps some of the comedy is lost in cultural differences, but I didn't find the series as fun overall as Working. Nonetheless, kudos regardless for making an interesting setting out of a pretty dull reality.

Character:
This is where Working really shined, and SxS likewise. The show is full of interesting, vibrant personalities. Whether you fancy the blasé antics of the lazy genius Hasebe, the innocent foolishness of Lucy, the kuudere Megumi who reminds me of Kuuko from Nyarko, or the slightly shy but caring nature of Saya you'll find something of interest here.

As in Working, expect a fairly concentrated but highly connected graph of interrelationships. The bro-con Touko reminds a bit too much of Oreimo but otherwise the relationships seem genuine. In fact, unlike in Working, you can actually expect some light romance.

Value:
The creator has given us a show about working in a family diner and now a show about working in an office. If this keeps up next we'll see a show about working in assembly lines in Shenzhen. Ramblings aside, this is yet another light, fluffy show to enjoy when time allows. Nothing huge happens plotwise so you'll either like the characters or move on to the next show after a few episodes.