Servant x Service

Working is no easy task. In fact, getting by every single day with a job is something we all want especially in today's world of recession. With the current economy era, it's best to work hard and keep up with your job hoping you don't hear the two forbidden words known as 'you're fired!' For three certain newcomers, they've become new employees at a Health and Welfare Department of a certain government office at a certain city in Hokkaido. In Servant x Service, we get to see an insight look on what it's like to work in such an environment and their daily lives.

The series ... is based off of a 4-Koma of the same name written by Karino Takatsu. She is the same author who wrote Working!! Therefore, expect some similar themes. With A-1 Pictures behind the production, it's easy to get a similar vibe for both series. However, there are some more noticeable factors in Servant x Service that makes it enjoyable especially for those looking something refreshing to watch.

For starters, the series takes place in a working environment. However, it takes place at a government office so don't expect butlers, maids, or call-girls. Instead, expect professionals dressed in suits and ties along with a formal image of the business class. After all, these jobs require more skills than flipping burgers. Rather, it puts them into an environment where the employees have to work to ensure the better quality of the public.

As characters goes, we see a noticeable age range. Even by appearances, we can tell that the majority of the character cast consists of young adults or middle aged folks who already completed school through graduation, and are now working adults. In other words, they are now fully independent and no longer depends on their parents for support. However, what they do need is support from each other especially for the newcomers. A particular example is the main female protagonist Lucy (her name is too damn long so I'll just refer to her as Lucy). As one of the new comers, Lucy is the babyface. She is often the target of pranks but has the determination to work hard on her job. This is especially true in the beginning as she seems to struggle quite a bit in the working environment. Otherwise, we also got the other newcomers such as Yutaka Hasebe that is almost entirely the opposite of the Lucy's character. He is usually carefree and flirtatious while making awkward jobs out of nowhere. Hasebe is also one of the character that is hard to read because of his sarcastic nature. Nonetheless, it's clear to see that the two are contrasting characters. Finally, there's Saya Miyoshi, a newcomer with shy nature but a gentle personality that seems to create a sort of balance between the duo.

Perhaps one of the stronger dynamics and entertainment factor of Servant x Service revolves around the character interactions. Everyone seems to be so different and it's fun to see how their life is like at a working environment. Unlike at school, there's no homework, projects, or lectures. Instead, there's just work to be done that requires skill of their profession. However at many times, we see that some of the characters don't take their work at seriously as some others. Then, there's also some of that 'office romance' going on. This is especially true between co-workers Ichimiya and Chihaya. The noticeable factor though is that the female is the more dominant character here. Given Chihaya's straight forward personality, she brings out the more demanding side of a couple. Coupled by the fact that she loves to co-splay while off work, Chihaya makes the cutting edge of a co-worker. Oh and of course, romance can't be complete without drama so enter Ichimiya's little sister. Long story short, expect humorous drama in this series that can be somewhat awkward to watch.

The office environment that we picture and see in real life is expected to be filled with boredom. However, it is surprising that Servant x Service turns it into a more of an entertainment zone. For instance, there's a little supernatural twist added that comes as a small package of stuffed rabbit. Even with the supernatural element, it moves along the line of realism at many cases. Then, there's also fun to see how people really do work as social workers. At the same time though, this series may strike as repetitive. Most of us watching this show might be working already or at one point in our lives held a part-time or full-time job. In other works, Servant x Service might be a bothersome reminder of how work feels like especially if you just came home after a long day to watch this show. It could even be worse for people who doesn't have a job and struggling to obtain one in this tough economic world as of today.

The show has a lot of humor like I've mentioned before. Besides the absurdly long titles of each episode and some of the characters' names, there's also misunderstandings. These misunderstandings usually pokes at the relationships between the employees. Touko Ichimiya in particular often puts herself in the center of misunderstandings and it's almost non-sensual fun to watch her behave at a professional work area. Furthermore are setups to certain yet unexpected events at various points in the series. There's just this sense of parody going on that plays around the relationships between the various characters. Additionally, there's references of other familiar anime to spot here and there. Oh and don't forget the fun challenges at the end of each episode that requires a little brain power. At some points though, the humor might become a bit dry. While reality series such as The Office often pokes fun at popular culture, Servant x Service focuses more on its own dynamics that can be a bit stale. The comedy of this show sometimes feels like it's trying too hard as in a way that is almost forceful at times.

As artwork goes, the series is designed to look realistic in terms of the characters. All of them look simple with nothing too stand out. Besides the supernatural element, all the characters are dressed in a professional way. Lucy plays more of the role as Ms. Fanservice with her large breast size. Her innocence though is quite cute to watch given her fresh status as a new employee. Chihaya is also designed to look like the girlfriend with her aloof personality. Her cosplay designs brings out a different side of her though. The office itself looks ordinary also looks quite simple, realistic, and to the point as it should be.

The music and soundtrack is standard to its theme. However, the OP song “May I Help You?” is very noticeable with its montage and tone. The way some of the VA sings the song makes it even more catchy as it feels alive through their voices. Speaking voices, I give praise to both Lucy (Ai Kayano) and Chihaya (Aki Toyosaki) for their performance. Both of them stands out as the strengths that gives them a more realistic way of women at work. Touko's voice also turns sounds surprisingly real that fits with her tsundere like behavior. Voiced by Rumi Ookubo, her skills can be comparable to Rie Kugimiya, another famous VA well known for playing various characters of the tsundere nature.

Overall, Servant x Service is a decent watch and something to take notice at. Don't take the title the wrong way as it's not about a master and its servant. Rather, it's about how we see employees at work and what they do. Everything looks simple and it's fun to poke at how they behave between each other. If humor in a working environment is something you're looking for, then this show is definitely something that should be on your PTW. It doesn't have maids or a sword wielding woman like Working!! does but what it does have is a fun way of presenting the work environment. After a long day of work or school, this show would like to service you.

There is a recurring issue with many slice-of-life shows that predominantly feature comedy: a tendency to neglect clear development in the narrative. The result of this lack of plot progression is that the humour soon becomes repetitive and events that take place can become almost painfully predictable, particularly if this show focuses on a smaller cast of characters, or even a single character (yes WataMote, I am talking to you). Static characters and predictable gags are the bane of comedy, while surprise, suspense, anticipation and variation are the sugar that can make it oh-so-sweet.

Taking these factors into account, it is evident that Servant x Service ... is probably one of the best comedy anime of recent years, and one of the few I can work up the enthusiasm to follow on a weekly basis (unlike most other comedies of the Summer 2013 season, which, except WataMote, I dropped almost immediately). With a solid cast of simple, likeable characters with quirky personalities, this show is possibly one of the best ways to kill a few hours.

The episodes are typically split into 2 segments, each one depicting a smaller subplot, while also keeping the overarching narrative intact and ensuring genuine development (which is most evident in the primary "Lucy x Hasebe" romance and secondary "Chihaya x Ichimiya" subplot). This, along with the large cast, ensures that the humour is surprising and unpredictable. By telegraphing future plot points (known in film and TV as "planting causes for future effects"), a sense of anticipation develops that keeps you watching, as you find yourself keen to see how events will pan out. This is all a perfect example of how comedy in any medium is done.

Aesthetically, there isn't much to report. We have a largely conventional (but acceptable) art style, which flows well and ensures that character models are consistent and easy to watch. The opening is catchy, but it isn't a fine example of music, and the ending's a pretty easy-going and pleasant track. Voice acting is good (though we do get to hear Taketatsu Ayana as a tsundere-imouto, which has now been done about as many times as the sun setting in the evening, though I suspect this was deliberate).

So in the end, the otherwise mediocre Summer 2013 season produced a gem in an unlikely genre, as the oft-muddied comedy conventions get a well deserved polish. I can rarely claim to enjoy straight-comedies, but this is probably my favourite show of the past few years.

Do you miss that always fun show "Working !" ? or maybe you would like to light up your mood a little bit ? Or maybe you just want to have some good old laughs... If you can see yourself in any of the previous scenarios, Servant x Service or simply SxS is what you are looking for.

Servant x Service is simply the most "sitcomesque" like anime I've ever watched, it resembles a sitcom in various ways, and I will demostrate that in the lines below. ( By the way, if you do not know what is a sitcom, it stands for situational comedy, and ... it is a expression used to designate some american tv shows, like "Friends" and "How I Met Your Mother").

First of all, what is SxS about ? and how does every episode plays out ?

SxS tells the story of the interactions between co-workers of a ward office speciallized in health and welfare. It does not have a major plot, but instead it carries the episodes out based on two main points : occasional comics situations, and romantic (light-mooded may I add) interactions between the characters, which is basically the formula for most sitcoms nowadays.

Ok, but just because it is following a formula it does not mean it is good, how does the execution of such formula goes ?

It goes pretty smoothly actually. Here is where one of the main points of SxS shines, that is the characters (again, almost every sucessful sitcom is so because of good characters). The characters are reallly well put together, and their interactions is almost always hilarious or sweet.

But who are these so interesting characters ?

Well, the main cast consists of the megane big breasted Lucy Kimiko Akie Airi Shiori Rinne Yoshiho (...) Yamagami, a cheerful and innocent girl who has a passion for books and hates her abnormally long name.
Secondly we got Lucy's romance interest, the hilarious Hasebe, by far the best constructed character of the anime, he is usually too cheerful and careless, but we can say he is basically much more than meets the eyes.
We also got Chihaya, Myoshi and Ichimya as part of the main cast, all of them having great nuances to their personalities, do not be fooled by the first few episodes, they may seem as cliche one dimensional character but they are definetly not.
Through the whole anime the viewer is rewarded with hilarious situations between these characters every episode (it gets even better as the series progresses ) and the romance was a really good surpirse, it progressed extremely naturally,did not felt rushed at any point, and had perfect pacing... again it resembles any sucessful sitcom out there.
The rest of the characters, the supporting cast if you will, are ok. Here we can find a few annoying characters (yes I'm looking at you Touko), but some good ones as well... nothing that will stand out (for good or for bad), but then again, they are not supposed too... a sitcom is all about the main cast, and dragging the attention or screen time away from them would be foolish, luckly it appears the writers of SxS are well aware of that.

Allright, seems good, but what about the more tecnical parts of the anime ? how does the art and sound goes ?

Well in the art department SxS comes through as well, of course we are not talking about a Mecha-Eplosions-Gunfire anime, therefore no specially good effect is required. That being said, the quality of the "normal" part of the art (color pallete, drawings, etc) is pretty standarly good.
The character design does not stand out either (with the exception of lucy, but only because she fits in cliche design). I 'm not saying they are poorly designed, after all they are supposed to be normal working people, therefore we could not expect much unusal innovative design here.

As for the sound in the anime, again it does not stands out, but again it does not have to. The OP was the only catchy song in the whole anime, really great cheerfu song (thanks again mrs Toyosaki), the ED was sweet, but it didnt stand out much, and the SDT was nnot remarkable at all, once again it resembles a sitcom, trying its best not to drive attention away from the characters.

And there you have it, a sitcom in anime format. Personally I loved it, I always liked sitcoms and animes, puting them together was a terrific idea, but as any other genres out there some people will enjoy it and some wont.
Now all that is left is to ask yourself, "Will I like this ?", Remember all that I said above, this anime consists basically comedy oriented with a bit of light romance, with no major plot, dark themed stuff, or twists. If you think you'll dig it, I say go ahead, you will get a delightful, smile maker experience. If you dont, well there is always something else out there right ?

This is an office comedy. It stars a small cast of young adults (Lucy, Hasebe, Chihaya, Miyoshi, and Ichimiya) all with their own unique quirks. There's a bit of romance, but mostly office antics that keep the story moving at a steady pace until the end of its 13 episode run. Think of it as Japan's answer to The Office of England and North America. There will be characters that you look forward to watching, and some that irk you every time they're on screen. And of course it wouldn't be Japanese without a talking animal, which comes in the form of a stuffed bunny ... boss. They work in the social service sector, but the setting is really only a backdrop,
with the action of the characters amongst themselves being the plot driver. It's a good relatable scenario for anyone who would consider themselves affiliated with the josei genre, so if you're looking for a more mature comedy anime this would be a good choice.

Story

My opinion of the story is that is a light enjoyable plot that never gets too serious. It deals with relatable office scenarios that anyone in the service sector will know, as well as a couple relationship woes (that aren't as relatable). It has a steady pace that never has too many deep catalysts, and is typically resolved within the 20 minute period of each episode. So don't expect too much depth. You might be surprised by how admirable some of the characters are given certain scenarios, so at least to a degree you'll find yourself excited to see how the characters function within the plot. The comedy of course is effective, you'll find yourself laughing on multiple occasions, but probably not a whole lot. It had moments, but not monumentally hilarious ones. I guess that's a part of what Japanese comedy is, some things just don't translate over. That said, it is still a office romance comedy at heart. The story gets an 7.5 out of 10. Not stellar, but certainly enjoyable.

Characters

As I mentioned earlier, all the characters are quirky and interesting. My personal favourite was Chihaya, but I think the effectiveness of this show is how everyone will like someone different for different reasons. Briefly, Lucy is the nerdy, coming out of her shell character that ends up being the prime love interest. Hasebe is the endearing slacker who spends the whole season trying to win Lucy over. Miyoshi is a quiet somewhat closeted person who ends up in the toughest situations. Chihaya is the otaku seamstress who has a fiery personality and Ichimiya is the hopeless naive supervisor who is whipped by his younger sister. There are other minor characters of little interest, but what makes this anime strong is the banter among them. Their quirks offer interesting situations with some unpredictable outcomes. The characters get an 8.5 out of 10. Likeable, interesting, and well-developed, you'll find yourself wanting more from them after the 13th episode.

Presentation

Lastly the presentation should be addressed, because I feel this is another facet to this anime that made it effective. The opening and ending songs are both catchy, and I found myself looking forward to hearing them each week. The voice actors are all really effective, with prominent seiyu such as Suzuki, Tatsuhisa which I recognized from some of my top animes including Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. The art is spectacular in the opening, but somewhat lack luster in the show itself. Sometimes it's great, other times it feels kind of cheaply done. I don't expect very much from a comedy slice-of-life series, but coming off of Working! there was already enough fanbase to warrant a bit more work on the animation end in my opinion. The manga has a similarly low budget look to it, so I guess there's not tons to work off of here. Either way, I was a little disappointed. However, all in all the presentation gets a 7.5 out of 10. There were strong points of the presentation that made up for the weaknesses in others, giving it this solid score.

Final Thoughts

For the josei genre there is a disparagingly large void of animes to keep a young woman watching shows that relate to her. Servant x Service will help to shrink that void, even if just a little, as it is truly a seinen/josei series. Appealing to both the sexes there's something for everyone, and I would recommend this series to anyone looking for a good watch or read. Compiling the score, Servant x Service gets a final score of 7.8 out of 10. For a comedy/romance it does a good job of keeping you entertained, and will leave you wanting more by its finale. Luckily the manga exists that can remedy that for anyone looking to get some more of Lucy x Hasebe! It's still an ongoing manga so expect more in the future, and while you're waiting, watch the show.

The story revolves around the daily lives of employees in a government office building in the fictional city of Mitsuba, Hokkaido.

Errr... Yeah that’s pretty much it really. I first started watching this when i started my first full time job in the summer last year and this show came in at the right time and I was hoping to have something to relate to in my new and exciting career. What was to follow would be a boring, tedious and exhausting show much like my job. So let’s get cracking.

Story:
So we are introduced to our main characters Lucy Kimiko Akie Airi Shiori Rinne ... Yoshiho Ayano Tomika Chitose Sanae Mikiko Ichika... Yamagami. By the way that is just the name of our main heroine. Let’s call her Lucy for short. Yutaka Hasebe and Saya Miyoshi who are all starting their first day working as civil servants.

The major problem with the series is that there is only so much you can make out of an office/work life anime. The characters are supposed to be the ones giving depth to the show regardless of its boring premise. If strong, well developed and comedic characters are present then the show could be more enjoyable. Unfortunately that’s not the case here. The show has no general direction and stuff is thrown into the mix in hopes of making it better. I.e. an introvert boss that controls a robotic rabbit.

The end result is awful and really it’s not the shows fault. I should have seen it coming, a show about office life. How in any way is it possible to make it entertaining? Well… ‘The office’ and ‘The U.S office’ come to mind.


Characters:
Lucy is the shy and low guarded bookworm who has a clear motive as to why she became a civil servant in the first place. TO TAKE REVENGE ON THE MAN WHO GAVE HER THAT NAME… no seriously. Lucy hates the long name given to her and wants to find out who permitted this name; rather than talk to her parents about why they wanted to give her this long title. I also heard that’s its possible to apply for a name change… Not off to a good start Lucy. Her reasons for working as a civil servant are ludicrous and to be honest it’s just petty which makes her character salty and unlikeable.

Yutaka Hasebe is a more outgoing, happy-go-lucky guy who is rather competent at what he does due to a long history of his family working as civil servants. He is a bit of a wannabe player who asks girls for their e-mails… maybe player was the wrong word here. He seems to be a genuinely nice guy who cares about his friends and colleagues, proven in the case where he stops his drunken friend from dragging Saya around. I don’t particularly like him as a person as his personality can be irritating and he does seem like a passive aggressive person.

The last is Saya who is the less spoken character which reflects upon her personality. She gets less screen time than the other afro mentioned, but to be honest nothing really comes of it. While she is a nice lady, respectable and level headed she can be quite bland. That pretty much sums up her character.

Art:
The art is rather simple and nothing extraordinary and it’s probably one of the better points about this show. Considering it’s from A1 pictures the studio that created works such as Sword art online, Togainu no chi, Blue exorcist and others, (I can’t believe they made this crap) animation was never a problem.

Sound:
The soundtrack wasn’t great. It had this whacky and upbeat kind of tone which isn’t really suited to my music tastes.

Final verdict:
I did not like Servant x Service. This is one of the shows that I can straight out say it was boring and not worth your time. To be honest I’ll be surprised if there’s a big following of this series. I would not recommend this to anyone. Even those working office jobs will be left scratching their heads like I was.

Better recommendations would be:
Hataraku Maou-sama! an anime about the devil working part time in McDonalds. Contains more fantasy elements.

Golden time. Which a romance/comedy based in college. Contains more drama elements than Servant x Service.

Among those two you’ll find something better than servant x Service.

Thanks for reading guys, any feedback is welcome. Have a nice day!

Office comedies. Not very many people can think about this genre of comedy without thinking of heavy hitters like the two Offices (UK and US) and to a lesser extent, Parks and Recreation. Now, there seems to be a series that tries to take the office lives of Japanese civil servants and turn it into a comedy. Does it succeed? Let's find out.

Story: 7
The story of SxS is relatively episodic as it follows the various members of a staff of civil servants, as well as their crazy families and friends. Episodes range from a kidnapped boss to meeting the grandson of a talkative old ... lady among other things. There are no fight scenes, just brief bursts of comedy, as if the story was a string of 4 - komas (which I would imagine it might be since the series was originally a 4 - koma manga). That doesn't mean that the series doesn't flow. Quite the contrary, the series maintains a steady pace throughout (except the end, more on that latter) and the comedy comes at regular intervals. Comedy is usually up to the individual, but the series does a good job at covering a variety of audiences, allowing it to stretch past audience limitations that its highschool comedy counter parts suffer from.

It must be said though that the series seemed to rush at the end in terms of the romantic sub-plot. The problem with it is that it doesn't reach a satisfying conclusion. It wouldn't be necessarily a bad thing if it wasn't the central focus of the last few episodes but to not get a concrete ending after all the hinting and nudging in the right direction is a real shame.

Art 8
The animation is done by A-1 pictures and can be expected to be above average quality. The character designs are down to earth, as to be expected from an office comedy but with an anime twist. The opening has a nice surreal feeling to it, with odd imagery contrasting with the character's somewhat dull work environment.

Sound 7
The acting is solid, with the voices of Chihaya and the section manager taking the gold. There must be more weight given to such good performances since the show is a conversational one, so a good vocal cast is a necessity. On the flip side, BGMs aren't entirely remarkable and the ending doesn't do anything to help the series. That being said, the opening is catchy and captures the hectic nature of the lives of these particular people, which is a plus.

Character 8
Each main character has their own quirks that separates them from any apparent stereotypes they may bring to mind, making this cast a unique one. Lucy is a somewhat shy girl who loves to read but really hates her name. Miyoshi is the voice of reason but has a tendency to talk more than she needs to. Chihaya is a avid cosplayer that can spit acid with the best of them. Hasebe is a slacker that soon gets the hots for one of these females. The list continues. The side characters are decent as well, but if the side characters got some more character development (especially the section manger), this feature could've been an even bigger asset.

Some of these characters, you will hate. Others, you will love. Because of this polar nature, it comes down to personal preference. However, regardless of what others may say, these characters are anything but generic.

Enjoyment 8
Whether during lunch break or after school, dawn or midnight, SxS is sure to give a bellyful of laughs. While it may trip up on some of the more serious aspects it has, its wide range of comedy makes it enjoyable to almost any anime fan regardless of experience or age.

Overall 8
The story has enough laughs to make up for its hiccups. The art is clean and crisp, as to be expected from A-1 Pictures. Sound isn't a strong part of the series but its opening and vocal cast are very good. The characters each have a dash of uniqueness, making them relatable buffoons rather than cardboard cut outs with different colors.

Give this anime a chance and it'll be sure to serve you well.

I've watched this series not long ago and I realized I didn't make any comments in one of the best comedies out there despite the low ranking given from many users...

Story: The story follows the daily life of a group of people in the civil service department. Each one of them is assigned to different tasks and as the day passes they get to know each other working and that's where the fun begins. Since this series genre is classified as comedy/slice of life, there's not much attention to the plot which is what most people tend to avoid but that's a big ... mistake, as the story progresses the more you pay attention, the more you laugh and I must admit, sometimes is hysterically funny. For an office-environment type of anime and as an current office employee myself, this show excels my expectations.(10/10)

Animation: Same animation as Working!. A-1 pictures delivers a great art style again and it fits ServantxService well for what it is to. The budget for a comedy anime ain't that big to begin with so I guess this is fair enough.(8/10)

Character: Individually, the characters are quite unique and lovely. Starting from the stupid and cute Lucy, the slacker Hasebe, the charming/ passive Saya, the cosplayer Megumi and the clumsy supervisor Ichimiya, Each of them has its own personality and that's what make them interesting when they interact to each other. I like them a lot (10/10)

Music/Soundtrack: Not the biggest forte here but undoubtedly enjoyable to my ears, starting from the crazy opening song through the charming ending song. (8.5/10)

Final Thoughts:
This anime could be considered a Working! 2.0 since is more mature and it's got a better writing than its predecessor. The only reason I considered this a 'masterpiece' is due to personal preference(even though I know in a global scale it is not) and for the 'original' work setting established, not all the time you get to see that. Overall 10/10

Sevant x Service surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. I expected it to be your usual slice of life -- entertaining, but nothing special. However, while it may not have been the best show in existence, it was certainly worth the watch and I'm disappointed there isn't a second season.

Story: 7/10
The story was pretty average; a group of people working as civil servants and helping others. It focused on their relationships with each other without getting too overly dramatic, and to be frank, it was awfully cute. I especially enjoyed Hasebe and Lucy's relationship as the story progressed.

Art: 7/10
The art style was ... plain and simple, which is a good thing for sol's. There weren't really any intricate character designs, but each one was distinguishable.

Character: 8/10
I really enjoyed the characters in this show. There wasn't any extreme character development, but it was subtle enough to make a slight difference. Towards the end, most of them matured in some sort of way and their relationships with one another were much clearer than they were in the beginning.

Enjoyment: 9/10
I really enjoyed it, honestly. I'm not usually a fan of slice of life anime because they tend to bore me, but this one was quite entertaining. It had humor and romance and it was just a good show in general.

Overall: 8/10
I thought it was a really cute show and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's pacing was good and it didn't overdo anything. I recommend it if you're looking for a feel-good anime without much of a plot.

STORY
SxS is a simple slice-of-life comedy. It has its own unique setting with tons of hilarious moments and unexpected romance. Watching the characters develop and uncover certain truths about each other, makes this anime so much fun to watch.

CHARACTERS
This is the type of anime where you come to love all of the characters because of their flaws. (That's all I'm saying! I'm not going to spoil!)

ART/ ANIMATION
Perfect. It was kept simple, which is perfect for this type of anime. At first glance it may look like nothing special, but don't let that put you off, its a typical/great setting for a slice-of-life anime.

MUSIC
Neutral. The ... music was alright. The opening and ending songs didn't flow along with the episodes so it didn't really affect the anime in any way.

OVERALL 10/10
Loved it. I laughed my ass off. This has become one my favorite anime, thus the rating includes my personal bias. I recommend this to everyone as a must watch!

Good shows are less popular and low ranked on MAL-this is the case of servant x service.
The background of SxS is a government office where our main protagonists work. This anime is one of the very very few anime where we can see normal life style of normal people like us. It has no supernatural, fantasy, action, meaning less fighting and the story is quite paced. Romance is the main theme of SxS and it is matured kind of romance, not high school type, where boy is running after girl or vice versa. The episodes have gotten better and better as the series progressed.
Lucy ... Yamagami, Yutaka Hasebe and Saya Miyoshi are appointed at the welfare department of the city where Taishi Ichimiya, Megumi Chihaya also work there and are their senior. Lucy is a shy, short heighted girl with huge breast, and there are some running gags regarding her breasts all over the series. Her full name is very long and its kind of wired. Her aim is to become a city officer and to meet the guy who passed her name on birth certificate and take revenge. She was bullied by others due to the wired name all along her life. Later it was revealed that it was Hasebe’s father who passed her name on birth certificate. She is often clueless about the inner meaning of the conversations and a bookwarm. Hasebe, on the other hand, is carefree type of guy; slaking off is the thing he do normally, though he is outstanding when it comes to handling customers. His hobby is to collect as many email as possible from girls. Lucy-Hasebe love relation is the prime focus of SxS. There is another love couple, Ichimiya and Chihaya; but they want to keep it a secret from others. Ichimiya is the oldest in the group and he has a sister Toko. He has the responsibility to raise her sister. Toko is suffering from brother complex and she keeps an eye on him so that no other woman, other than her, gets close to her elder brother. Chihaya is a clam girl; she is also a cosplay artist and dress designer. Chihaya and Ichimiya are in relationship for 2 years, whenever chihaya feels bored, she visits Ichimiyas house, play with Toko. Their bond is very strong but they keep distance from each other during office hours so that no one can suspect them as love birds. Chihaya wants Ichimiya to be a cool dude, who can speak romantically with her but Ichimiya is completely different. Their romance is the most realistic in SxS, even they kissed each other. Miyoshiis a college graduate and Jouji Tanaka is a banker and also school friend of Hasebe. There are hints that they may become lover in future.
There isn’t a deep, meaningful story in SxS, but does it matter? You can laugh in every 2 minutes and the jokes are not repetitive. Movies, cartoons, television serials are all about enjoyment and SxS has 10/10 on this section. There is no aim or goal of the story but it has many sub plots which is the driving force of the episodes.
Art is pretty good; it fits perfectly to the characters. The facial expressions of different characters are outstanding; this is where SxS won my heart. Sound is excellent though I didn’t like the OP.
Overall, this anime is very enjoyable, a relaxing anime where the story is about normal people. Personally I love this kind of clam anime with nice ending. If you are into office romance then SxS is a must watching.
Thank you very much for reading the review.

Woriking. A Romcom(Romantic Comedy) show which occoured in a certain ward office. if you have watched anime called "Working!!" then it makes it more easier for me to explain what kind of show it is. This anime is almost similiar to a certain anime called "Working!!!"

The story was about three newcomers in the ward office; Hasabe, Yamagami and Miyoshi as the MC and that was when their life job started. The story was pretty much enjoyable and funny imo. There weren't really that much of a plot in the beginning. There were some introduction for new characters and digging up more into the character, to ... know better about the character. and later on around in the middle, there were some character development and it wasn't only occoured in one episode. The character development was already happening from the beginning and i really like how they made it that way while putting SoL and funny jokes in every episode.

The animation imo, was pretty good. well considering they were focusing more on the character development, characterization and jokes, i'm guessing, maybe not enough budget so i'm thinking that the animation looked a little bit derp sometimes but despite that, i still like it. Especially when it comes to the sweet scene they were still made it looked cute and sweet.

The BGM and Soundtrack were really good imo especially the OP song. Speaking about OP song, the animation visual in the OP was great imo. that was the reason why i thought the animation might be as good as the OP. the animation wasn't what i expected but i still like it. back to the Soundtrack, i think it was good. fit for the atmosphere imo. not that great but i think it was good enough for a Romcom show.

The characters were funny, just gonna be honest. and imo, the characters were a little bit similiar with the character from a certain anime called "Working!!" (For example : Miyoshi and Hasabe) either on looks and personality. The comedy wasn't generic at all imo, or more like recycle comedy. i don't think that was the kind of comedy because i laugh so hard when i saw the comedy in this anime. The even put comedy which involves jobs (civil service), and it wasn't that hard to understand imo.

Overall, it was a great show. really like how they executed the character development and characterization. it was sweet and cute imo. on the other side, it was an enjoyable show because of the comedy too. the plot sometimes were predictable but i still enjoy and like it despite that. 9/10

Sorry for bad english.
Hope my review can be helpful to you all.
Thanks. Have a nice day

Servant x Service

Servant x Service is about 3 newcomers and 2 of their seniors working as civil servants. Here we have the 3 newcomers who are kinda weird. We have Hasebe, a smart guy who is always slacking off and getting the email addresses of girls for no reason, Miyoshi, a young woman who is shy, and lastly, Lucy Kimiko Akie Airi Shiori Rinne Yoshiho Ayano Tomika Chitose Sanae Mikiko Ichika... Yamagami, a young woman with a ridiculously long name who plans to take revenge by saying 'something' to the guy responsible for her having this long name. Then we have their fellow senior coworker, ... Chihaya, a cosplay lover, and their supervisor Ichimya, who thinks of himself as a big failure in almost everything. Servant x Service is all about the weird and funny worklife of these funny characters.

Well, moving on. This series is one of the best in the department of comedy. A brilliant piece of work, I must say. The beautiful artwork along with fabulous comedy made this anime simply great. If you want a great story, you might be disappointed because this particular anime doesn't have those great stories found in many animes. But once you start watching this, it won't be long before you find out that there is no need for a great storyline here. This anime is perfect just the way it is. I'm not saying that animes with a good story are bad or anything, Servant x Service could be much better with a good story but it's also fun to watch without those great fancy storylines. They did keep the events sort of in sequence and in the end, used those things to give the series a good ending.

Servant x Service is a great and fun to watch anime. It's just loaded with comedy. No scene was left to get too serious. Every scene was made funny one way or the other. A splendid job was done in keeping the mood light and funny. Even in scenes where characters were tense, depressed or serious, something was thrown in to keep things less serious and more funny. The amount of comedy this anime has is what makes it great.

Enjoying an anime clearly depends on how you look at it. If you ask me, I just loved almost everything about this anime. If you are a comedy lover, Servant x Service won't disappoint you. :-)

Servant x Service is a delightful and charming anime series that is often overlooked by viewers. The story follows a group of public servants who work in a government office, dealing with a variety of odd and humorous situations while also exploring themes of personal growth and romance.

One of the standout aspects of Servant x Service is its unique characters. Each of the main characters has their own quirks and personality traits that make them stand out, from the serious and organized Lucy to the overly-friendly and bubbly Saya. Their interactions with each other are often comedic and heartwarming, and viewers are sure to find ... themselves invested in their individual journeys as well as their group dynamic.

The series is also notable for its witty and clever writing. The humor is often lighthearted and silly, but there are also moments of heartfelt emotion that make the characters feel more relatable and genuine. The series does an excellent job of balancing its comedic and serious moments, making for a well-rounded and engaging viewing experience.

In terms of visuals, Servant x Service is relatively simple but effective. The character designs are cute and endearing, and the animation is smooth and consistent. The focus of the series is on the characters and their interactions, so the animation and visuals take a backseat to the story and writing.

Overall, Servant x Service is a charming and underrated anime series that deserves more attention from viewers. Its unique characters, clever writing, and heartfelt moments make for a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining viewing experience. If you're looking for a lighthearted and heartwarming anime series to watch, Servant x Service is definitely worth checking out.

There are as much slice of life comedy shows in anime as there are zubats in a cave that sometimes you just want to spray repel on yourself just to avoid those annoying repetitive ones. That's mainly because SoL (Slice of Life) stories are easier to manipulate the audience's attention because we can easily relate to it. Think about it, which would you imagine yourself easier: You as a normal high school student gaining a large horde of girls that like you for no reason at all or being a super powered hero that has a lot of girls liking him for no particular reason? ... Ok jokes aside, people tend to enjoy light hearted shows more than those deep developing plots (I'm not referring to cleavages here just sayin') but that also means that the gags and jokes that would make a show funny would turn out repetitive and boring. In even worse cases, they tend to overuse a certain gag that the story turns out pointless and dragged on, causing more viewers to be bored instead of it's original purpose of entertaining.

That's where we go to servant x service. The story is about a new civil servant named Yamagami Lucy (rest omitted lol) and her colleagues as they start out life as working adults in the civil service department. From there on, the show observes the happenings between work and personal relationships of each character.

Sounds boring right? That's where you're going to be wrong.

As common as the theme is (Working!!! already did this) the delivery of the story is splendid. Normally, SoL shows would have a very shallow story to give way to episodic events and the main focus would only be the main characters. SxS is not much different in terms of the focus but the story is a little bit (just a little bit) more deeper as you watch more episodes. Episodic as this show is, it also has a flowing story line which means that you really have to start watching the show in the proper order and not just skip episodes randomly to get the main idea. That's because there are certain plot twists in certain episodes that act as either for comedic reasons or for story development.

Now let's get to the characters. The characters in SxS are really likable. There are negative points about them but then, later in the introduction episode, the story would show you a good side of them that will make you forget their bad side. That's one of the good points about the show.

As for music and art style, they're generic as it gets. Nothing really to applaud but nothing to criticize either. Though, one of the enjoyments in this show is the expressions the ahoge (cowlick) of Yamagami makes whenever she's in a situation.

I've pretty much covered everything here so let's now move on to the best part of this show: The enjoyment.

This show is really fun. There's no episode that won't make you laugh at least once. The delivery of the gags (no matter how old and expected) is so natural. There's no forced gags here, and if there are they still have a little effect of fun for the audience.

But the best enjoyment of all that you can receive is the sublime romantic progression in this show. It's not uncommon for SoL comedy shows to include a little romance teaser just for laughs but SxS takes it to the degree where you'll be rooting for the guy to give his all.

And now this is something I'd like to specially mention. The ending.

Most SoL shows leave in an open ended ending that would make most people rage for a new season just because of plot holes. SxS, however, answered all the questions it presented from the previous episodes and delivers a very fun and refreshing ending (along with some slight romantic progression haha). SxS ended like a closed book but you'll still want a new season just to further continue observing the misadventures of the civil servants you've grown to like throughout the show.

And now for some final words. Yeah SoL shows are very common and most of them don't deviate from the norms but that doesn't mean that they don't have potential to be great. Even a zubat can become a crowbat if you give it proper training and love, right? (I'm just referring the training and love to the delivery of the story btw) Yes, they won't be able to compete with shows like Death Note and Code Geass but that's simply because they are in a different division. You can't pit a heavy weight boxer against a feather weight one after all. All in all, ServantxService doesn't really give much innovation in the SoL comedy genre but it's still enjoyable, fun, and interesting.

As in what bakuman has stated "A manga only needs to be interesting" then that means an anime also just needs to be interesting and that's what SxS did. Showing the normal lives of normal people in an interesting and refreshing way.

Servant x Service is another example of great characters creating great comedy using the most oddest setting I've seen yet, the health and welfare division of a government ward office in Hokkaido. With such an odd premise, I was extremely skeptical if they were gonna be able to execute a slice of life anime in an office setting and still be entertaining, especially after the influx of school-club-slice-of-life K-on copycats the last couple of years that couldn't deliver. However, Servant x Service was able to execute the comedy with flying colors, using mainly the awesome characters but also hilarious plot to create overall enjoyment that ... was consistent throughout the series, no matter which character they followed, where they followed them to, or what happened.

The story was quite enjoyable and I really loved how they tied everything together from beginning to end. The comedy was always consistent, and I'd laugh pretty loud at some of the antics of this creative cast of characters, no matter where they went, who they followed, or what happened. The story mainly focuses on Lucy but the anime developed all the characters quite well and maintained the comedy no matter which character they focused on using a fly-on-the-wall approach to the narration that actually worked quite well.

The art didn't seem to be anything special but was definitely well executed and the sound was pretty good. The opening and endings were probably the most interesting aspect to the art, using some live-action clips and clearly real-life photos with added cg and anime art. The music was really fun and light and I loved the opening, ending, and background music throughout the entire episodes. For some of the transitions and background they used what I think sounds like a recorder and bells, an excellent choice for establishing a very light and non-serious mood to the series. I also found the opening song to be really clear at conveying the craziness of a busy workplace as well as the comical theme of the series.

Besides the opening and ending art, I really liked the background colors used in the scenes as well as the character colors because it went with the light humorous mood that was present throughout the series. You couldn't really take any of the characters seriously except for maybe Miyoshi and Ichimiya due to their less eccentric personalities compared to the rest of the characters. The rest of them all had their strange quirks like the cowlick, squinty eyes, or wardrobe that set them apart.

Besides the music the voice actors were simply outstanding and are probably the main success of the comedy in this series. The characterizations for Hasabe, Lucy, Miyoshi- all of the voices in general were just perfect. They all had their own style and quirks that matched their personality. Without such amazing voice acting their personalities wouldn't have come through as well and the comedy would've suffered. I found all the characters cute and it's really hard not to fall in love with their special quirks. Hasabe had his constant slacking and talked with such an amazing monotonenasal-sounding voice that just clashed superbly with his smile with closed eyes. Lucy- you just gotta love her innocence, clumsiness, and cuteness but above all her cowlick and glasses. =) The only character I can't really put in words but loved was Chihaya. She's got a sorta diminutive quiet look to her that so contrasts her personality it really makes the things that come out of her mouth that more outrageous. They made her voice quiet but it clashed so much with the things she said as well as her enthusiasm for cosplay costumes. xD

Overall though this series was really good. I'm glad to see that slice of life comedies even as what might seem as repetitive and boring as the workplace can still be hilarious in that repetition and when done with the right characters, right cast, and with decent art and story, makes for a highly enjoyable series that does slice of life comedy right.

I can only imagine there being so much hilariousness occurring in an office for public services. Yes, Yamagami’s breast size is definitely noticed, but it’s not the driving point of the series, to my relief. The characters made every work day exciting by just being themselves. I found myself having to hold back my laughter while I was watching in my room late at night. Who knew adults could have so much fun at work?

Despite my skepticism at first, I liked how the anime started out. The viewer rides on the coattails of the three newbies who arrive for their first day working as civil ... servants. For people who haven’t been to the public office often, they can see the characters go about their work here. Civil servants direct others to windows where workers have information on registration forms for marriage, baby names, and other social services. There also seems to be a window where a worker listens to someone’s problems. Even if all the silliness in this show were real, I wouldn’t mind working here for the stability and neatness.

It doesn’t get more specific on that, though. Obviously there’s a lot of paperwork involved. Organization is key for these public services. What are they filling in? What are they arranging? Eh, that’s not so important anyway. All there is to know is that most of the main characters are fairly competent in their work despite being newcomers; the main problems that come along are the interpersonal relationships between coworkers and problematic people that arrive for help.

It’s not just the side characters that are a little wacky, though. The main ones have their own quirks.

For example, the black-haired top-heavy glasses-wearing woman Yamagami-san is a dependable worker, but took a job as a civil servant for one of the weirdest reasons: she wants to find the man responsible for approving her insanely long name on her birth certificate. Never mind that her parents were the ones indecisive enough to give her so many names. The man who approved the form probably didn’t even check it properly enough!

Hasebe is a tall and lanky brown-haired goofball who manages to do his work extremely well and slack off at the same time. Though this type of character can’t possibly exist in reality, it’s quite comical to see one being so multi-talented and yet also lazy. Additionally he has a habit of getting girls’ email addresses just to collect them, but setting that aside, I was continually amazed by his abilities in the office.

Last but not least, there’s a nervous college graduate named Miyoshi who wants to do the best she can at her first job. She’s a sweetheart and puts up with more than she needs to because she’s kind, but she will stand up for herself and others if need be. Her character didn’t shine as much as the others, but I still like the kind of person she is.

As you can see, this cast of characters in Servant x Service really makes the show. Yamagami’s dumb innocence and denseness is typical of characters in other anime but was really cute to see in an adult. She’s also a very hard worker, so I admire that. Hasebe’s carefree personality and jovial attitude really contrasts with the rest of the office, so he’s good comedic relief and it’s funny to see him bother others. It’s also humorous to see Miyoshi in sticky situations where she’s helpless and can only stay at her post because that’s her job. There’s no end to all the work in public office.

Aside from the everyday hassles of being a civil servant, the protagonists have to deal with their own little issues which almost always leak into their work atmosphere. There was the awkwardness of keeping a secret, Yamagami’s perpetual insecurity about her long name, another coworker’s obsession with cosplaying, and much more. The situations that occur in Servant x Service are not highly unrealistic, but certainly ridiculous at times. There was only one part that I had an issue with, but otherwise every scenario made me giggle.

What’s curious about the artwork is that all the characters look pretty young despite being adults. However, since everyone has a youngish face, it’s consistent in their world and is adorable. There was nothing too fancy about the way people were drawn, though; it was quite simple but not too much.

I didn’t find the animation to be any different from typical slice of life anime as well. There were jarring cuts to shocked faces which emphasized surprise very well. Frequently expressions of glee and happiness were accompanied by little flowers and mini suns that obviously set the mood. A show like Servant x Service didn’t need any overly complicated animations.

Ah, and the soundtrack. To be honest, I found it quite average. They used the right kind of music at each time, like easy-listening tracks at during their quiet times in the office, absurdly silly tracks during ridiculous moments, and so on.

The OP really spoke for itself, though. I was a little perturbed at how jolly it was, but it does well to indicate that the following anime is a comedy. It’s spunky, poppy, and could be annoying if you’re not into high-pitched girls singing along to the accompaniment of a peppy piano.

I’m quite disappointed that this anime doesn’t have a second season. The ending is indeed a good one, but the story could be expanded in order to talk more about a certain shipping. However, I laughed a whole lot and watched this series in two-episode bursts. Office humor is appealing to me, especially since I’m the age in which I should be working. Office romance is definitely enjoyable as well. Without a doubt, I’m going to pick up the manga and see how the rest of the story goes.

This anime is truly a masterpiece and heavily underrated! I love how it had both comedy and a storyline, I couldn’t help laughing and anticipating the next episode when I watched it. I also loved how all the characters were different and funny in their own way, especially when they kept accusing each other of being dumb but they were just as dumb as each other. And Hasabe’s attempts at flirting were definitely smooth towards Lucy. It had a wholesome romance involved and I enjoyed every minute of it. This kind of office comedy/romance might not be for everyone, but those who enjoy a good ... laugh with a good storyline would definitely enjoy this anime. Absolutely loved Servant x Service!

Well, I saw this anime for only one reason: Same author as Working!!, one of my top comedy animes, and let me say, I really liked it.

I´ll go over some things that I really enjoyed about this anime, without spoilering too much, so here I go:

1) To begin with let´s talk about the opening. Visuals were great, the song was spot-on with the visuals and the spoilers where minimun, that is not found on every opening, for example OP 12 of Bleach, with good song and visuals, but with all the spoilers you can get under 1:30. This three points make a great OP what ... it is: great, like for example Noragami or Tokyo Ghoul, anime wich I have not seen yet but almost did because of the Opening.

2) The characters in general. At the begining, after reading the summary, I was thinking the characters would be a lot more exagerated, and I was glad to see not so crazy characters that had actual development on the series. Something worth noticing about the characters is that they had a pretty balanced screen time, just like Working, wich is a big plus on my eyes

3) The relationships. Maybe this will be a little spoilery, so feel free to skip it. On the first couple of episodes I was foreseeing that Lucy would fall for Hasabe, but I was pleased to see that it was the other way around, and it actually made him develop as a character quite a bit. On the other hand, the ship between Chihaya and Ichimiya was quite wierd for me at the begining. I though "Well, if he´s got a Tsundere imouto, why whould he need a Kuudere girlfriend?". Little by little it grew on me, but it was still kinda wierd.

4) The plot, if you can call it that way. It was what I was specting, taking into acount that it´s similar to Working!!, so it was not a let down at all. I found it spot on.

I can only find a couple of things I disliked/didn´t liked that much about the anime overall. First the character of Tanaka. It´s not that I hated him or something, because his character was made hate-able on pourpose, but he was to similar to Yamada Kirio from... well, Working. The thing I didn´t like was that the bothering character was basically the same but grown up. The other thing I disliked was that the art reminded me was a little far from what I expected it to be, but it was good overall, so it´s more like a neutral thing.

TL;DR: This is an anime worth watching if you´re looking for a little bit of japanesse humour (not like ususal moedies) and you already saw Working!!. I´ll be waiting for a S2 :D

Servant x Service is not that good, but it certainly is not bad either. It is a good breather after a heavy plot-filled series.

It is truly a slice-of-life anime, with a story that does not seem to have any direction. But the interaction of the cast is enjoyable enough to sit through 12 episodes. I do not have much say in it, the comedy is enjoyable normal.

In terms of art, there is only one thing I found really annoying for the whole series--Tohko's permanent angry mark. It was not funny and necessary at all if they were trying to portray her as Tsundere, we ... all got that, no need to put it there for all the time.

Overall, it was not as memorable as slice-of-life series like Minami-ke, but it was okay.

I love SoL animes, but this one... This one is something that you can't just miss. Talking about something so not amazing is what makes it so amazing, so unique... A friend's recommendation on "Working!!", from the same author, made me excited for it!

{STORY - 10/10}

An anime about work may seem boring at first, but SxS really changes that concept and proves us the opposite. Focusing on an uncommon theme, it shows a bit of civil servants' routine at office, with some comedy and even romantic situations.

Three novices at the "Health and Welfare" section are introduced. First episodes aren't promising at all, but it begins ... showing its huge potential after some time and everyone's personal life takes place on some particular episodes. Mostly authentical.

{ART - 8/10}

Overall art hasn't amazed me, it's quite simple on every aspect. Maybe that was supposed to match the mature enviroment and the adult characters... Suitable. But what called my attention was the opening. That has to be the most creative sequence I've ever saw! All the movement, the nice "real x anime" combination and a lot of references to a "busy day at work" deserves to be praised!

{SOUND - 9/10}

"May I Help You?", performed by the three main female characters' voice actresses, introduces each episode with very quick rhythmics and lyrics about SxS' focus: the daily routine of an office employee. "Hachimitsu Tokidoki", used on credits, represents the end of a business day, as it describes some usual moments of relaxation, like a bath, being performed only by Ai Kayano.

{CHARACTER - 8/10}

SxS features few, but each one has its own working manner, representing common types of employees. Lucy, slow and distracted, is the main piece, as the plot turns around her. Miyoshi is that kind that undeniably hears what citizens have to say, eventhough she doesn't like it... Chihaya, quiet but menacing, it the most serious amoung everone, ignoring the fact that she loves cosplaying and making costumes.

As for male characters, we have Ichimiya, who is an unxeperient senior, incapable of being sensible. His role is to guide all novices during their activities. Hasebe, unconcerned, makes a huge presence after some episodes. He always tries to run away from his duties and have a calm and sweet aura, due to his relaxed personality.

{ENJOYMENT - 8/10}

It's different, pretty original. Involving a theme like that is daring. Still, adding comedy and romance improved SxS' experience, making it way more pleasurable. It tries to makes us understand that having a job isn't exactly based upon a dull, boring routine...

{OVERALL - 9/10}

Working, with a small touch of fun. That's how it should be, right? SxS is a way to show that being an adult who has an office job can still be happy with that and live with a smile on his face. There are awkward, embarrassing and even insane moments, as it takes the "work" definition to the next level!