Working!!

I really really wish my workplace has loli girls, girls with swords, girls who punches men, manager who slacks off and an annoying girl who lives in the attic of our store (if we have one). I will have the most easiest money-making job ever.


[Story]: (?/10)
The show is set in a family restaurant named Wagnaria in the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido. Souta, a new employee in Wagnaria, now works part-time among the restaurant's high-spirited, mysterious, yet cool staffers.

Before I get on to my review, I will no longer rate the "Story" category when reviewing slice-of-life anime. Most slice-of-life animes out there basically has ... a non-existing plot so it's not fair to rate the story with a low score. My Overall rating will be mostly based on Enjoyment and Characters.

The story of the show is the main protagonist gets a new part-time job from a loli 17 year old girl who he has never met before. From there, he meets his co-workers who are all a bunch of weirdos but those weirdos are the reason why the show is funny in the first place.

Surprisingly, the show's fanservice is non-existent. There's absolutely no fanservice...in a slice of life show. I never thought this day would come. There was one hotspring episode but there was no scene of them going inside the hotspring and getting naked. It just time-skipped

I want to talk about the comedy of the show before I wrap this category up. The comedy is......decent but not great. The problem is it got too repetitive. For example, Inami constantly punches Saito because of her "disorder". This was funny for the first few episodes but it got too repetitive. I admit though, I was still laughing in the second half of the show when they were still using the joke but not as much as the first time I saw it.

I'm not saying the jokes were bad, however. Most of the jokes in the show were pretty funny like Houma constantly blackmailing his co-workers, Popura being made fun of because her size, Sota's creepy obsession, etc.
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[Art/Animation]: (8/10)
The visuals and animation of the show looks pretty decent. The character design looks average and the character expressions are f*cking glorious. The expressions that they make are hilarious.
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[Sound]: (7/10)
The soundtrack is fairly average to say the least. They weren't memorable to listen to nor were they forgettable. It's a decent soundtrack. Now for the OP and ED theme song.

The OP theme song is "SOMEONE ELSE" by Popura Taneshima, Mahiru Inami, and Yachiyo Todoroki and the ED theme songs are "Heart no Edge ni Idomou Go to Heart Edge" by Souta Takanashi, Jun Satou, and Souma Hiroomi and "Golden Day" by Mahiru Inami. The OP theme song is pretty catchy as hell. I mean, I don't love the song and there are times where I want to skip the OP but can't. It's very catchy and I sometimes hum the song. Someone needs to help me stop. I'm not a fan of male J-Pop band so hearing the 1st ED theme song makes me cringe. The 2nd ED theme song, however, is a lot better than the 1st ED theme song and it's unfortunate that it only played 1 episode.

The voice actors are....ehh, I guess they're ok. I didn't hate any of the VA's here. The VA that I love the most is Yamada's VA. I just love her voice when she acts all childish towards her co-workers.
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[Characters]: (8.5/10)
No.High.School.Students.Finally...Oh wait, most characters are high school students but what makes this different from other slice-of-life animes is the fact that the show doesn't take place in a high school setting. It takes place in a work-place environment. Just like most slice-of-life out there, the show relies on character interactions to move the plot...I mean, the show forward and for the show to have a comedy. When these characters get together, it can lead to funny situations. Not only that, but you also see minor character development. By watching the show from the first episode to the last episode, you will see some notable changes in the characters and these changes are very obvious when it comes to Inami.

Time to introduce the MAIN characters. First, we have Sota who is a lolicon but he said he's not because he also loves cute and small things like pets, those cute toys, and those little germ-like creatures..I forget what they were called. Then, we have Poplar who is a 17 year old teenage girl but she is somehow the height of a kid. This is why she gets made fun of most of the time. Then, we have Inami who is suffering from a phobia called "androphobia" and this is the first I knew of this phobia. Her phobia causes her to become scared of men and punch them if they get near her. Sato suffers the most because of her phobia. Apparently, her dad is an overprotective/pedophile/perverted asshole nd told lies to her daughter (back when she was just a kid) about men and how "scary" they were.

The rest of the female casts are Kyouko, Yamada and Yachiyo. Kyouka is the manager of the restaurant and all she does in the store is eat and be a lazy ass. Yamada is a character later introduced in the show and she is apparently "lost". More like she ran away because she probably finds her parents annoying or something. She now lives in the attic of the restaurant. Yachiyo is a girl who was constantly bullied back when she was a little kid, hence the reason why she carries a sword. She likes making food, particularly parfait, to Kyouko.

The rest of the male casts are Jun and Hiroomi. I'll skip Jun because there's nothing interesting about him. Hiroomi, on the other hand, is one of the most interesting characters in the show. The guy likes to blackmail his co-workers.
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[Enjoyment]: (7/10)
I'm a fan of slice-of-life animes but for whatever reason, I didn't enjoy this show that much when compared to other slice-of-life animes out there. By the time I'm writing this review, I haven't watched second season yet and I probably won't for a long time.
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[VERDICT]
"Working!!" is a decent slice-of-life anime. It's not particularly the best slice-of-life show but it is watchable. The show didn't have the best comedy out there but it still made me laugh despite the constant uses of the same joke. The character interactions is, honestly, the best part of the show but that's pretty much it.

[OVERALL]: (7.1/10)


Pros:
+Great Visuals and Animation
+Catchy Opening Soundtrack
+Great Character Interactions and Minor Character Development
+Decent Comedy
+Fanservice-Free show

Cons:
-Jokes gets repetitive

Review: Working!!

"Why is this rated a 7.82!? This anime is great!"

Story (7/10): Concerning of plot, the story has no framework. The anime just revolves many main characters and involves their everyday lives of 'working' in a restaurant. Besides that point, each of their personalities pale in comparison from each other. As a result their personalities mix in oddly well making their everyday lives pleasantly humorous to watch. If there was a framework to follow on however, it isn't until one of the the main character steps into play. Her androphobia, and the cause behind it. Androphobia is the fear of men and the fact of ... the matter is, she has to constantly have to deal with it with everyday life. Despite her fear of men, she works at Wagnaria where it is inevitable where there may be men at. With the help of main characters however, they push her to get over her fear of androphobia. Through hilarious trials and consequences, the main characters help her inch away out of her fear of men. Even though there may be a little to no plot, the anime is enjoyable to watch nevertheless.

Art (8/10): Like the name clearly states, A-1 Pictures. Nothing is better than A-1 really. The art direction for the opening theme coming into this anime is eye-catching and amusing to see. That can be said with the ending theme following of the anime. To mention, A-1 did a excellent job in catching every detail that it had to offer to the character designs to the scenery. With this particular anime being the based on a 4-koma manga, the animation is grand and the manga pales in comparison. That's all I have to say!

Sound (9/10): Ono Daisuke, Kamiya Hiroshi, and Fukuyama Jun are all in one place as they voice all the male main characters in the series. With that being the case, it is particularly interesting to hear their voices. Since they are known voicing many characters from all different series people all know and love. I can quite say all the voice actors did their voice roles well. Especially, when it came to one of the main heroines, Taneshima. To mention, her voice is irresistibly cute. For the music however, the opening coming into this can compare to opening themes such as Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu and Nicjijou. Catchy and up-lifting. For the the ending theme however, the ending theme is soothingly jazzy hearing all the male 'seiyuu' mentioned above sing the ending theme at each episode which was a highlight of this anime. The music was one of its strong points as it created a 'fun atmosphere' for this anime to watch.

Character (9/10): The character lineup was definitely bizarre and large in comparison to some anime. Not to mention that one character looked like Sanji out of One Piece. It refreshing to see some characters were not being used out of the anime trope. However, there were a few characters that used the anime trope, but weren't overused to the point it became a nuisance. They were original as each of them had a quirk or trademark to remember them by. The large lineup and the liveliness of the characters is also one of its strong points making the anime enjoyable to watch.

Enjoyment: (7/10): Managed to binge-watch this anime throughout one go. It's easy and fun to watch since it's a refreshing anime to watch. There wasn't a boring moment when it came to this anime. Definitely humorous and laughed out loud.

OVERALL: (8/10): Season two will be on a look out since this was a refreshing anime to watch. Despite the story, the characters and how they interact with each other in their everyday life is amusing. Each character and their own little quirky personalities are rememberable despite having so many characters. It's what this makes this anime look forward to. The art direction from A-1 Pictures could not have been better as the character designs and scenery had little to none flaws at all. With Ono Daisuke, Kamiya Hiroshi and Fukuyama Jun singing karaoke at the end at each episode and the comedic relief this anime comes out with is relaxing. Overall, this anime is perfect if done with watching a favorite anime, having a bad day, or have an anime to watch on the weekend! Definitely recommend this anime to watch!

RAW SCORE: 7.8/8.0

OVERALL SCORE: 8.0/10.0

Working!! is a slice of life anime. And like most every anime, it would be most fitting to throw a "bizarre" somewhere in that description. So Working!! is a "bizarre" slice of life anime. It follows a small, somewhat dysfunctional group of characters running a restaurant together. Each with their own little quirky personality.

The big idea with this show is the plot never really goes anywhere. We simply get taken through some time at the restaraunt. And that's fine. No one says there needs to be a big developed plot. One of my favourite anime (School Rumble) has hardly any closure in it's story ... for 2 full seasons! But without some grander goal, the job of entertaining and captivating the viewer is on the dialogue and interactions of the characters. And this is where I run into my problems with Working!!

As I said, everyone's got their little quirk. There's the lolicon, the loli, the irrational fear, the deceivingly kind, the calm and collected, the... well you get my point. It's literally a shmorgusboard (that is totally how you spell that word) of archetypes all crammed into one dysfunctional restaurant. But surprisingly, despite what seems like an effort to appeal to all audiences, they manage to fit everyone together fairly well.

So where do I have a problem with Working!! if they do everything well?

This anime is just filler to me. It's just a bunch of episodes which are fairly amusing, and I know if I watch it I'd laugh and enjoy it. But I found it really hard to motivate myself to watch all of it. It just doesn't provide that kind of drive, and is (in my opinion) difficult to marathon, despite only being a half series. The comedy is textbook, so much so that anyone who's watched their fair share of anime can predict the plays before they happen. Some of the jokes get repeated a bit too often, and lose their punch (even the punches lose their punch, baha! You'll get that if you watch it).

Honestly, the show itself is fine. And I don't feel bland is the appropriate adjective for Working!!, as it is genuinely entertaining. It's just a bit mundane is all.

That being said, you could devote ~280 minutes of your life to far worse than Working!!

Ok I'll admit it, I was quick to judge. I didn't like the first episode because it felt like it was going to be a super heavy lolicon because of emphasis on Popura's shortness and Takanashi's love of well...children. I meandered through the first couple episodes, all grumbles and eye rolls.

Somewhere around episode 3 or 4 I started enjoying things, as other characters got involved, like Takanashi's family, which is great, and Inami in general, who I think is a great character. By episode 8, I was fully invested and loving it, forgetting all of my initial worries.

All in all I thought it ... was a good slice of life in the end, not earth-shattering, but fun to pass the time, with enough characters that you'll find at least one to like. A good filler show for chill summers.

Now here's an anime that really made me question... "What do I look for in an anime." Up until now... I have generally followed a simple rule of thumb that states, "Slice of life is generally terrible." And have stuck to that moral for quite a long time (with a few small exceptions). So I have really no idea what compelled me to watch a show that appeared to be, in all aspects, a 100% authentic slice of life, right down to the core. And watch it I did... After 3 or 4 episodes, it dawned on me that I was actually enjoying it. ... Stunned by this revelation, I decided to delve in a little deeper and see why I liked this particular anime; if perhaps I could actually enjoy slice of life.

So anyways... here's Working!!. As most any anime with this kind of standing goes, plot is pretty irrelevant. Its not trying to convey a moral or story, its just an anime that's meant to give us a good time, maybe a laugh, or some form of nostalgic feeling. What really matters is the characters... and whether you can a). be entertained by them or b). relate to them. For me, I was actually fairly refreshed with the characters of Working!!. They weren't exactly standout-ish characters, but they had a fairly original feeling about them (even though their general outline has been done before). I'll give you an example of what I mean. When I first saw Poplar (the short one) I immediatly said "She is going to have a inferiority complex, and every joke around her will be about how she is shorter than she should be". And lo and behold I was mostly right (although around about episode 8 this starts to change). But I was oddly amused with its approach in this field. Rather than making fun of the fact that she was short, it more made fun of the fact that she tried to be big. That may not seem like much... but it made a world of difference for me.

Almost every character in the show did this to me. To put it simply... they were fairly generic characters, but were put in a different light than they usually are portrayed as. Another example is the main? girl Inami. At first you think... bah its that girl... u know the one who hits the guy repeatedly for no real good reason. But, whats fairly different about Inami, is that she really doesn't want to hit men... she just does out of instinct. They even give a kinda okay explanation as to why she must hit men, and it helped me a lot in warming up to her character. All in all... the cast isn't going to be winning awards anytime soon... but I found them a much more able bunch than I first gave them credit for.

Hmmm.... well there's not much let to say after that long winded speech on characters. As I said, characterization is really the MOST important thing in this slice of life comedy. I can't really say if you'll find it funny or not, cause everyone has a pretty unique sense of comedy... But I personally found the jokes hit and miss. A lot of run on gags get going after a while, and it can get tiring, but it still gave me a couple chuckles every episode.

And that's my opinion on Working!!. Its not a spectacular, and you could easily hate it a lot more than I did... But for what its worth, I found it quite enjoyable, and it helped re-kindle a interest in anime that I thought was starting to die out. If you do watch it, at least give it a bit of a chance before you decide your opinion on it.

Oh and one final note, this is the ONLY anime where I have ever caught myself softly attempting to sing along with the opening... Its that annoyingly catchy.

A true slice-of-life anime, there's really not much plot but the interactions of the cast (though, they just seem to playing around instead of working) make it a enjoyable show.

My first impression was that the cast were trying too hard to be weird. Soon, I hardly notice that they were actually weird. The way they play around made me feel nostalgic about how my friends and I used to play around in high school. The banter, even if it's recurring, seem enjoyable enough.

I especially like the opening and the ending songs. It's so fun to sing along.

For the characters: they are generally enjoyable. I ... also thought Inami's violence are a bit too much, but it did provide a drive for a plot in the story.

I enjoyed it. I would probably rewatch it sometime in the future.

2010 Series Directed by Yoshimasa Hiraike
Co Produced by Aniplex and A-1 Pictures
Licensed by NIS America
Review from my POV (w/personal biases)
(Sp)oiler Lite

PROS/What I Liked:
+ The show gives a variety of characters, ranging from colorful-extreme when it comes to behavior and personality. Almost no one is normal
+ The situational humor really appealed to me
+ Visual gags and reaction shots play out well in certain context.
... + The important roles get the some exposition.

CONS/What I disliked:
- Not a strong plot. This is a Slice-of-Life show after all
- It's cuteness can get overindulgent
- These characters aren't necessarily "flat", but they are just 2-Dimensional for the most part. Example (Sp) Inami never stops punching or Kyoko wont stop being excessively lazy , etc.
- (Sp) The last minute introduction of Maya Matsumoto caught me off guard and I still don't get why Yamada even exists. Not enough info about her and overall found her unappealing.
- No real resolution. It kinda just ends. (I'm not taking S2 into account)

Final Note:
Lighthearted is a good word to describe this show. This isn't a bad show by any means, but it doesn't try to aim for being great either.

Recommends:
Fans of the Slice-of Life Genre
People that like characters that look Kawaii as F***!!!

"A slice of life!" would completely explain this anime in a short and simple notation. It's basically about the antics of the employees of a certain family restaurant with having no particular plot whatsoever. It really gives that feel of life as a working student. Of course, watching people work for the next 30 minutes wouldn't be so exciting.... So how about this? We add an androphobic girl that can turn your face inside-out, a teenager who is obsessed with small things, a manager that doesn't do zilch, a shady person who knows everybody's secrets, a dumbfounded, lethal waitress that adores the manager, and a ... poor cook who's stuck in the friend zone, and a bunch of other weird characters, and mix them all in strange situations as they do their work at the same time. Sound good?

I honestly can't explain Working!! without mentioning the characters that make up the backbone of the entire anime. There isn't really much of a plot in Working!! So as a slice of life anime, it's a little strange. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed it. Although I did encounter some problems along the way.

As I said before, There isn't really a plot in this. It's just about well... people working. Sometimes the plot form the episodes connect, sometimes they don't. It's a pretty light anime, so don't expect any deep plot-lines. There are "action" scenes though... But their a little one-sided *chuckle*

The art was pretty decent as well. The character's were draw pretty well, though it's not really anything special.

The OPs and EDs were pretty good, but once again, not that great.

And last but not least, characters.
Working!! wouldn't be anything special if it wasn't for the characters. This is probably the only thing that separates it from other "working" anime. They are all most certainly unique and you will never have any trouble differentiating them either. The character development its done cleanly so there won't be that many confusing parts.

There is something that bothers me though. I don't know why, but I have this sort of loathing feeling for Takanashi. I really don't know why. He just gives me this strange, heavy sensation. Oh well, it's probably nothing.

All in all, this is a pretty fun anime. You will definitely not get enough of the crew's antics. I recommend this for those who want something light and smooth to watch.

***SPOILERS AHEAD*** (hahahahhaha, spoilers in SoL, hahahha)

What do you call occurrence whereas every single one of your side characters is more interesting than your main girl? It's called having shit taste so kill her off and focus on more interesting stuff you wanker.
That about sums up my initial thoughts after finishing Working!!. And now, let's go in deep, because stating the obvious is never enough.

This anime is 100% episodic without any underlying plot whatsoever - unless you mean to tell me that their "attempts" to "cure" Inami's "illness" can be considered underlying plot - meaning that there is no story. Every episode ... deals with different issues or whatever, some introducing new characters, butchering existing ones and so on. So I won't rant about the story mainly because there's literally nothing to rant about. Meh.

Art and sound were fair - not exceptional, just fair. There are some animation issues here and there but for the most part it was consistent in being above average. One that really stuck with me though happens in the last episode, near the beginning, when Inami is preparing for a "date". The mirror shot of her is so godawful I have a feeling 13y old intern animated it.

Sound is a tad bit worse than art overall, but it wasn't half-bad. Music is meh, opening and ending weren't particularly catching either, but voice actors held up their part so it's all fine and good.

Now that we moved from the shit I don't really care about, let's talk some characters. Mmm. Tasty.

First off we have Inami. I'm not one of the people who find abusive comedy funny, or abusive characters funny or interesting, so you can already tell this bitch didn't really sit well with me. I figured she would be the first girl to receive and arc, it would take like 3 episodes or something to resolve her issues, but god fucking no it had to take up the entire god fucking season. I mean, holy crap what the flying fuck? Her character is flat out not interesting, nor are her problems. First off, they're not represented in a serious matter so that you are given a chance to actually explore mentality of people with this illness, and when it comes to comedy it's just the same fucking joke over and over and over again. How many times can you find a guy getting punched in the face funny? Just how many fucking times?

She's literally my primary reason for disliking this show. Strip away her fucking illness and she's your everyday fucking wall. Instead of having thrown her into the background after resolving her "issues" within first 4 episodes, we're strung along for 13 episodes of this mayhem-bringing bitch that most people actually find TOLERABLE, FUNNY and INTERESTING. Why? Because she supposedly likes our MC or because she can't help but hit guys? What kind of a shitty ass excuse is that? I literally put more effort into my high school math than she did into "curing" her "illness". For 13 whole fucking episodes there is NO progress. No. Fucking. Progress. Watching her punch our MC, either due to her "illness" or "shyness" over and over again isn't fucking funny. It's just annoying, unnecessary and irrelevant. Instead of focusing onto the far superior side characters, who are better in virtually every aspect you can think of, this bitch takes so much screen time you begin to realize that there's no way that the writer isn't a heavy M. Take any, and I mean ANY side character who's gotten more than 30 seconds of screen time, and there would have been far more interesting to explore. Starting with other employees to MC's fucking sisters. Fuck. This. Type. Of. A. Character.

If you're gonna pretend like her problems are fucking serious, don't use her problems as fucking comedic relief moments in your shitty excuse of a story. And no, 9th episode did abso-fucking-loutely nothing for me. Yes, her father was a cunt, so what? In any sane world she wouldn't be working part-time in a fucking FAMILY restaurant - she'd be locked up in a fucking asylum because that's where she fucking belongs.

Now, most people will obviously rant about the side characters. Why? Because they're underdeveloped. And why are they underdeveloped? Because that bitch takes about every inch of screen time she can fucking take. Every single side characters they introduced fell right with me and, episode after fucking episode, I kept hoping they'd expand more on them, but why the fuck would they do that when they can focus their attention to the psychotic excuse of a fucking character.

As much as I ranted on about the show, I actually had a fun time with Working!!. As I said, my primary source of disdain is the main girl and each time when the show would focus on the interactions of side characters I had a blast. The reason, though, that I was never really able to get into them is because they virtually get 0 development and focus. The most you'll find here is a dude confessing to girl, which is then completely, and I mean COMPLETELY disregarded as the focus moves back onto our favorite psychotic failed-abortion.

If you love shows with abusive MC, kind of like Louise in ZnT, you'll have cum stains all over your monitor after you've finished watching this. If, on other hand, you'd at least want some kind of fucking development and seriousness regarding the "issue", you'll have lost all your hope halfway through.

ktxbai.

I’m always listen to interesting work stories from my buddies when we are playing Xbox.
There is no question that if you worked for Wagnaria that you’d have stories yourselves.
But they might not be fun stories with the set of characters that are working at this eatery.

The main draw of this anime has to be it’s characters.
You have your loli girl for the lolicons, your Yuri tease for you Yuri fans, and your Androphobia girl for the masochists.
The problem that resides in this show would be an inconclusive end game goal.

Some might say that the goal would be to survive the workplace, ... but that is negated by how “durable” our main character Takanshi is.
Some might say that the goal would be just to satisfy the lolicons with cuteness by Popura, but she takes a back seat to Inami.
The main concept of the show at the end is “trying” to cure Inami of her androphobia the same way you do with PTSD.

But just like with another review I made on Isshuukan Friends, there is no romance tag here.
So you shouldn’t go in with anticipation of a romance forming.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t any disappointment when there doesn’t.
Working does a great job with characterization but the show is deprived of any progression.
So with no progression or end game you are just left with a gag anime that is left up to how much you appreciate the comedy that they are doing.
Unfortunately I didn’t laugh as much as I wanted to. The funniest part of the show would actually be the opening video.
That is best part of the show.

Something that would have been nice that would fit into the plot would be that because of all the hectic things happening at the restaurant was there they were at risk of closing.
I mean how many plates broke in this show anyways, haha.
Instead we are given hints that the manager just extorts people for money.
Since she is a former delinquent but that isn’t enough to suffice for that.

So I am torn on giving this show a 6 or a 7.
The story is the lowest end here with the Sound and Art being the high end.
But is just an opening enough for me to consider this show above average? I think not. So I would have to rate this show a 6 out of 10.
The show has two more seasons to build on anything but the way this show ended doesn't give me any promise.

I'm just going to say this right now ; if you don't like or even hate the slice-of-life comedy genre, turn away right now, but to those that either don't mind it , or love it like me, than i'm sure you'll enjoy Working! ( or Wagnaria if you prefer that title)
NOTE : This is only a review for the first season and not the entire series. ( although I'd love to do that)

Story 7/10 - Being a slice-of-life anime , Working! really doesn't have the grandest of stories, but nonetheless it is a good story that does it's job of entertaining you well, ... and that is at least deserving of a 7-out-of-10 from me

Art 8/10 - One thing I do like about Working! is it's art style. mainly the character designs which are all pretty unique , apart from Sanji 2.0 , or rather Satou Jun. The environment is well done as well, although in this season the inside of the restaurant isn't very detailed

Sound 8/10 - I don't really have any complaints with the BGM of the series as it did it's job well enough. The REAL impressive part are the opening and ending themes which are both very catchy and are some of my favorites. The voice actors also do a fantastic job at voicing their characters as they made the characters all the more lovable, and none of the young female characters ever came off as annoying

Character 10/10 - The real powerhouse of this anime are the charcters, who, in their own right, are all very distinct,enjoyable,quirky, and fun to watch. Even the main male character , who you would think would be the "straight man" in this group of quirky characters , is quite quirky himself, which I found to be very entertaining

Enjoyment 9/10 - In all, Working! is a very funny and enjoyable anime , and also a great start to the series as a whole , as it introduces and develops the main characters that appear in the next two seasons

Overall - 9/10

*This review takes considerations of the 2nd and 3rd season*

This show heavily reminded me of the times I would watch some shows like Friends, Seinfeld, or Home Improvement back in the 90s.

This anime is a sitcom. It really is.

Our main cast is the staff of a restaurant, usually focusing around main lead and the eventual pairing he has with one of the other staff members.

Of course, each have their unique traits, habits, work ethics and ideas. Typical usage of the many character tropes we come to expect in anime.

But the charisma and interactions between characters is what makes this whole show an enjoyable roll of ... comedy. Mostly surrounding their job and working at the restaurant.

It differs in the sense that sitcoms usually have one episode as its own, whereas things will continue from episode to episode for about 4 of them. This does allow character progression and building.

It's great they have this too, because there are so many things that each person has that can't really be done up so simple and short.

Love at the work place. Dealing with customers. Balancing work and home. Trying to be professional but stay themselves at the same time.

It's the cast that makes it all fun. The plot points aren't heavy or critical, but they do allow characters to have some freedom in what they do.

I never tired of seeing them work on the issue of one of the staff have a phobia of men. Holy shit does it make me grin.

From season 1 to 3, we learn and get to love each character and their lives in and out of work. And yes, I'd say it gets better as it ages and it all resolves to the end too. Makes me sad I won't see more of it.

Hi if you are reading then you are probably questioning whether to watch this anime or not.....

If you are a person who likes to watch anime with no specific storyline or just laughs for good timely comedies then you are in for a great treat this anime will make you laugh so hard and you will surely want to watch it again.....

If you are a person who doesn't like to waste your time on an anime with no specific storyline or want more intense action then this is not for you better drop it before you even start the 1st episode....

Now for the ... people who want to watch I had rated the anime based on the enjoyment and fun I had watching the anime. I usually work for a long time and come home to just relax and have fun so I started watching this series on a whim but I had most fun in watching this anime.

Enjoyment : I'm starting with enjoyment because that is what drove me to write this review and like this anime. You are in for a world of laugh and surprise from comedy that has been derived from the premise of this series....

Story : Nothing much to say just the interaction of a part-timer with the people around him...

Art : All the characters are cute, lovely and very good art design which fits perfectly for the premise of this anime....

Sound : Right amount in the right time with right notes.... And the voice actors had done a great job in the portraying their characters which gives life to their specified characters......

Character : All the characters are interesting in one way or another. To be frank whole anime is filled with weirdos. All the female characters are powerful over the male leads in a particular aspect except for "Hiroomi Souma" he too has a kryptonite.... All the characters are well designed to form a great humor....

Overall the I had great amount of enjoyment over watching this anime...... If you had read my review till now then watch the anime and decide whether my review was helpful or not...... Have a nice day...

This will be a review of all the seasons, including the 14th episode (1 hour special) of the last season

I'll start off with saying this : i recommend this anime pretty much for everyone, i truly conciser it to be one of the best in the genre (whatever genre that is).

Now let's go down to why i consider it great, as well as why it got the score it did (around 8/10)

The "Working!!" series is a really fun and pleasant watch, unlike a lot of other anime there's pretty much never a dull or boring moment, pretty much all the characters are appealing and ... easy to relate to (the least appealing one for me was Minami, but that's before she developed as a character), the comedy is good and the romance actually makes progress, what's kind of rare in most anime from what i saw so far.

Now what's the bad, or rather mediocre part? Well, first off, the art. While its not bad, its not anything special as well, a solid 7 i'd say. The story? Almost nonexistent, most of the anime is about daily interactions and gags between the odd individuals in the show, and that's where most of the fun factor comes from. Other than that there's the fact its overall pretty mellow and smeared : the show is pretty much evenly spread out between light romance, light comedy, story and daily life, so while it almost always has something to entertain and interest you with, the focus on each of the elements is very light, so don't expect 'rolling on the floor' level comedy or amazing romance... Same goes for the other elements. They are there in moderation, and they are all pretty good, but not good enough to compete with shows dedicated to those elements specifically, rather the show's best point is bringing them all together to bring all the elements into a fun combo.

So, again, i recommend this to anyone, especially those who are looking for something "Fun" to watch, i think this anime is best described by that exact word.

お殴りしてもよろしいですか？

Working!! places high among my favorite anime. The show uses many kinds of humor, some more culture specific than others, and should appeal to many kinds of people. The characters interact in surprisingly believable ways considering how much the show focuses on humor.

Like many comedy anime, Working!! throws a group of characters together to create a situation for humor. However, in most cases, this effort seems labored and implausible. The approach is basically: 1. Create weirdos with the most extreme quirks you can. 2. Make up a reason for them to be stuck together. 3. Do a bunch of random stuff and hope some of ... it gets a laugh. Working!! doesn’t discard the formula. It just does the whole thing better. It uses characters more like real people instead of freaks you would only see in an anime. They come together as coworkers (much less contrived). The humor comes from their interactions, instead of whatever random events a mangaka decided to shoehorn them into so he could make his deadlines.

On that note, the characters drive the show. They make the story. Their flaws and insecurities create misunderstandings and humor. Frankly, I’ll be breaking this show down by character because I couldn’t come up with any other way to do it justice.

Takanashi Souta looks like he’ll become the main character, but he never really does. Living with three large, selfish sisters led him to obsess over their opposite: small, vulnerable, and cute things. He comes to Wagnaria when a tiny high school girl (Taneshima) approaches him about the job.

Takanashi Sisters: Souta’s three older sisters cause him no end of trouble. One does nothing but drink and cling to him after her latest boyfriend rejects her. One works as a lawyer. She seems to live with the rest of the family after her personality led to divorce. The last one is a novelist, and she needs Souta to care for her constantly because she can hardly stand on her own legs, much less take care of herself. His younger sister is the reliable one. She works hard to support her brother (which is also worrying in ways you’ll need to watch the show to find out).

Taneshima Popura is short. She’s also naïve. She’ll do anything to grow, so the kitchen staffers love to feed her bad ideas. Souta dotes on her, always calling her small and cute and prompting pouty displeasure.

Inami Mahiru is the sweetest, gentlest girl you’ll ever meet. She’s shy, demure, and prone to girlish embarrassment. …as long as she doesn’t see a man. Her androphobia reaches unheard of extremes, often resulting in injuries and broken furniture.

Satou Jun works in the kitchen. He’s tall, and he looks a little rough, but he’s a nice guy. His usual no nonsense attitude conflicts with the manager’s eating habits. He’s also unlucky in love.

Souma Hiroomi works with Satou in the kitchen. Outside the kitchen, he only works when he feels like it. People often take over whatever he’s working on. (Watch the show to find out why.) He enjoys watching whatever interesting things happen to his coworkers.

(Manager) Shirafuji Kyouko eats constantly, and she's so bad at work she helps out by slacking off. She basically aged out of juvenile delinquency.

Todoroki Yachiyo carries a sword. For some reason, she’s completely oblivious to others’ reactions to it. She obsesses over the manager constantly, making her food from the company stores. She misses important things about her coworkers because she thinks so much about Kyouko.

Otoo Hyougo is a business manager. He comes around occasionally, but usually he’s off on personal business.

Matsumoto Maya is the normal one. Sort of.

As it is with all things, there is a certain stereotype that goes with each different type of anime out there today. Harems typically toss character out of the window, action/mecha often defy logic and the romance genre generally contains unrealistic scenarios for plot development. Not to say that this is a necessarily bad thing, of course; they serve their respective categories well. However it is true that an anime viewer usually goes into a type of show expecting something. Working!! both followed and diverged from this.

When it comes to the ... storytelling element of this show, it doesn't exactly shine, but that's fine. A show about part timers and their numerous exploits is bound to be lacking when it comes to plot, and in this case it actually becomes a selling point. The premise is just enough to set up the characters to have all the fun they possibly can at the workplace. There is no general cohesive plotline, just a real mish-mash of many moments among the characters.

The art also wasn't spectacular, but once again this is tolerable. For an anime that was released in 2010 with what was likely an initially low budget, the artists seem to have done their best. Character designs are not exactly innovative but they are diverse enough to keep the interest going. Not to mention that the second season of the anime offered an overhaul on the presentability with improved animation quality.

Now I'll come out and say this bluntly-the music in this anime is almost subpar. I am aware of the massive popularity with the first season's opening garnered, but beyond that sound is not used very often to accentuate high points in the show (as few as they are). All the OP does is set the tone for a bright and bubbly experience, but beyond that it does nothing.

Despite these inefficiencies, however, I still enjoyed the show, and that was due to the chemistry. As re-hashed as they may be, the workers of Working!! play off each other very well. Whether it be a running gag or a sudden punchline, the anime at least does a good job on delivering the comedic aspect of the show. Upon reflection, I found that the majority of the anime's humor relied heavily of a multitude of running gags; such as the boss's obsession with Yachio's parfait and a punching problem from a certain meek girl. However, this does not make them dull. Rather, it shows the quality of said gags since they can be used so often with continued success.

Overall, Working!! was an enjoyable but slightly flawed anime, though I can't really blame it due to its rather unspectacular premise. I feel that the creators did well considering what they had to work with. I give the show a 7/10 overall.

~Kurai Shiko

My first Impression of the show is as followed when i first watch episode 1
What, omg another slice of life? not my cuppa of tea.

However as time passes by, i became interested in the manga due to its excellent artwork and Square Enix producing it (O_o yeah its' presence did have some magic because I am a fan of Spiral.), and hence eventually watched the anime.

The story DOES not have an aim at first, nothing to accomplish but as it progress through, it finally shed some vague light to it regarding the cruel progress of time whereby the happy moments of the part-time job is ... short but sweet. Nevertheless, for a person who demands a solid storyline, this may just not be your ideal anime.

What really captivated my mind and heart about this anime is the character development which can be seen through Izami and Sota and its gags XD which are kinda funny as it is something that someone of my age can relate to. Working!! offers a genre different from the mainstream manga/anime which results to elation for some who are really bored from the "fighting and acquiring of new skills" such as Bleach and Naruto.

The bottom line is that this is a spectacular and a "getaway" anime for those who are bored and want something different. Although it may seem very short, I felt that 13 episodes are more than enough, since the author will eventually run out of gags and repetitions will cause it to lose its novelty. Working!! is a heartwarming anime which somehow relieves stress to young people with its liveliness and sarcastic jokes.

All in all, i truly enjoyed watching Working!! and somehow feel sad to finish it so quick.

When you're cycling through anime looking for something to watch. A lot of you might just skim and pass over Working!!. I looked it over quite a few times and always went on to something else. This ended up turning into one of my favorite Slice-of-life/Comedies.

Story - "Synopsis"
Basically a high school senpai named "Popura" who looks like an elementary school student invites "Souta" to work at a restaurant with her. The story develops slowly over time. It's more or less a comedy not concentrated on the story, but the characters instead. So I gave the story a bit lower score then most everything else ... because it doesn't sound interesting. But, the other categories makes up for that.

Art -
The art is normal. Not great, not bad. To be honest I really like it and think it's very good. The characters are drawn to my liking. No characters except maybe one of Souta's sisters is ecchi. Very good anime in this aspect.

Sound -
The opening and ending aren't bad at all. Better then most of the anime out there.

Character -
This is where this anime shines. The character development even for the side characters of the anime play a big part.

Inami, Mahiru
A 17 year old high school girl who has androphobia (scared of men) and beats the hell out of them when she is around them. She is forced to work with Souta and they start to develop a excruciating bond with each other.

Takanashi, Souta
A 16 year old who is highly addicted to cute things and kids under the age of 12. Popura is the only exception to this category. He doesn't hold back with opinions and adapts very quickly to his surroundings.

Satou, Jun
A 20 year old who has a very strong love from Yachiyo. He is very intimidating and often picks on Popura whenever something goes wrong or aggravates him. (usually to do with Yachiyo)

Todoroki, Yachiyo
A 20 year old who carries around a katana on her side and usually scares the customers she greets at the tables. For the most part she is normal unless it comes to protecting the manager Kyouko.

Souma, Hiroomi
A chef and man of mystery. He knows everything about everyone but, no one knows much about him.

Shirafuji, Kyouko
A manager who doesn't know or do much. She is very dependent on the people around her. She comes off as very intimidating as well. She is part of a type of gang.

Yamada, Aoi
A girl who says she is 16 because Souta is 16, She is mysterious and is said to have run away from home. She often screws up and can never do much right.

Enjoyment -
I laugh a lot and I find this anime very enjoyable. Each episode brings something a bit new and unique to the table. I also like to watch the relationships develop between the characters. Certain parts can have you laughing out loud.

Overall -
One of the best Slice-of-life/Comedies out there. Don't pass it up. I didn't elaborate on things in this review specifically so I don't ruin the amazing feeling this anime can give off while your watching it. Give it a chance and enjoy it. :)

This is a hidden gem.

I think my tastes are very diferent rom the average MAL user, but I really liked it.

This is 100% comedy, no plot, the characters are very simple and yet their interactions are fun to watch, even if most of the times it's so predictable. Totally unrealistic, not trying to tell a complex story, just plain funny. All the characters have some peculiarity, and the story is consistent in its inconsistency.

Maybe not a masterpiece, but definitely good. And for once, it's good to see something that's not set in a high school.

There is even space for some workplace romance, never going too ... deep, but the selling point is its sit-com punchline-based humor without the canned laughter.

This anime is a lot.

Okay, so Working!! Where do I begin? Well, it's got charm, that's for sure. I really love the art style, though I didn't know that I would at first. There are times where it could be a little more intriguing-- mostly as far as environments and backgrounds go-- but the character designs were nice. The sound as well was a great companion to the anime itself.

That's stuff's boring, though. The story was... right, so this is the kind of anime where there isn't really a story, if that makes sense? There are developments with the characters, but for the most ... part, you're just hanging out with them episode to episode. While I'm talking about character developments, I actually really liked the way this anime did that. I felt like I could sense changes in the characters episode to episode without the plot having to directly address it. It was like their actual characteristics were being tweaked behind the scenes each episode, so it happened really gradually.

However, unfortunately, as I've said, this anime is a lot to deal with-- and that's mostly because of the characters. I get that the gimmick with this anime is that each and every character is weird and quirky and unique, but damn, calm the hell down. It's honestly really annoying to have to watch an anime where probably one character out of all of them can be described as "typical." Unique characters are great, but in an anime where every freakin' character is supposed to be special, none of them are.

Despite that, though, a few of the characters' personalities were really fun at times, and there's even a couple of characters that I really love. I got used to the chaos about halfway through and ended up enjoying the watching experience more than I was expecting. I think this anime and its characters are an acquired taste, but it kind of sneaked up on me. One moment I was wondering if anything would ever feel normal about this anime and the next I was super invested in the characters' relationships with each other and what would happen next. So, clearly, it was fun to watch. The humor with this anime as well is done really well. I think that's the one thing that benefits from the characters' strange personalities; it makes the humor special.

So, yeah. Kind of a hard one to review. If I had to change anything that wouldn't completely alter the premise of the show and its characters, it would probably be to include more serious moments or plots with all of the characters. I'd like to see something more dramatic happen that causes the humorous banter to stop for an episode just so I could get a taste of something different with the characters. It would peak my interest a lot more, I think. If you liked Blend S, especially, I think you'll most likely enjoy this anime as well. I'm invested enough to keep going, so I'll see you at season 2!