Story (6.88/10): Denki-gai's story is really what'd you expect in a show like this. As a slice of life show, the tone of the show is rather mellow, using comedy as its gateway for entertainment rather than a standard plot with rises, a climax, and an ending, thus following the lives of seven individuals and two outsiders as they work in an otaku store filled with manga, eros, and boxed anime sets, showing us that working at the place where your hobby is stored might not always be a good idea.
The plot is shown in a sort of 4-koma style where every episode features several minisodes about certain characters and their interactions both inside and outside the workplace. While this has been shown to be a time-tested formula of storytelling that has worked well for some anime such as Lucky Star and Nichijou, Denki-gai somehow lacks slightly on the flair and charm that it has in its storytelling. By no means is the storytelling bad, but while watching it, the show felt a little bland to me personally as a viewer as rather than using cunning wit and sharp tongues, the show uses over exaggerated scenes with crazy facial expressions, close-ups to make things look far more extreme and overall a more loud and crazy style of comedy.
Which also brings me to the central part for any given series similar to this, comedy. The comedy is varied. On one hand, some of the comedy scenes provide some decent laughs, making the show enjoyable. However, on the other hand, the show also has some scenes that were supposed to be funny, but rather fall flat, being more awkward more than anything else. In addition, the show also flip flips through different moods, showing a more focused scene centered around two characters and delving into one of three romantic subplots that go nowhere, then goes into an entirely different thing featuring a crazy day at work, then reverting into something involving alcohol, a more serious scene, or about girl power. The transitions aren't really very smooth from one scene to another but don't hinder the show much overall.
As for an ending, I have to give the show some props for how they ended the show. Normally I find it hard to see a good ending for a slice of life show since many shows following this sort of format haven't been able to find a decent ending due to the non-existent plot, usually as a result, becoming a more open ended ending that leads people to beg for more. Honestly, I can say the ending as far as I could see was quite ingenious because of how they made a scene where they referenced their own seiyuus. (Basically a cosplay picnic where every character dressed as their perspective voice actor's or actresses's past roles. It's true. Look them up.)
Overall, Denki-gai was an interesting watch. There were points in the show where it tried way to hard to be funny with its over-the-top comedy, as well as some awkward mood transitions from one scene to another, but overall, it did entertain.
Overview:
+ Good ending
+/- Mixed Comedy
- Awkward transitions from scenes
Characters (7.10/10): You can't have a slice-of life without good characters; it's a known fact. Characters can be even considered even more important than plot in slice of life shows due to the fact that the comedy and charm of the show can only be executed or be memorable through the use of the show's personalities. Denki-gai...has a mixed bag.
The show features seven very unique individuals as the main characters. Umi, Sensei, Hio, Sommelier, Kantoku, Fu-girl, and Kameko. What makes the characters unique first-hand are their names, seeing as how a good deal of them are called nicknames rather than actual names. Without going into too much detail, each of these characters are...unique. They each all have their own quirks and traits about them that make them each a character that has not been overtrouped or overused, which is a plus for the show. However, as a result of this, the characters don't get a lot of traits as a result, more or less resting on their more "unique" traits and make them more one note above anything else with the only exception being Kantoku in terms of character depth as he is shown several times to be more than just the manager of the store.
Aside from the main cast of seven, there are two other side characters that make occasional appearances. What's interesting to me is the fact that these so-called side characters actually get some backstory and a bit more explanation and exploration to their personality and why they do what they do, which always struck me as odd seeing as how the side characters become more interesting than the main ones.
Overall, the cast of Denki is rather mixed. On one hand, we do have some VERY unique personalities to the cast of only nine characters, but as a result of their unique traits, forces them to rely on those traits in order to sustain that unique quality, ending most of them up to be one-note characters above anything else.
Overview:
+ Unique non-trouped personalities
+/- Side characters are more interesting than main characters. (It should be the other way around.)
- Main characters stay with static personalities.
Art and Sound (7.00/10 and 6.22/10): The animation for the series is well...kinda meh. There're no real standout points for the series as everything is rather consistent visually and the style doesn't really stand out above other shows. The show utilizes a lot of crazy facial expressions to compliment its crazy and wacky comedy style, disfiguring their characters to suit the situation, and giving the characters a blush on their cheeks that make them look like they have a constant fever. Overall, the animation is decent, but nothing extraordinary.
The music is honestly not even worth the time to listen to. There aren't any standout tracks and everything is rather generic. They're all kinda meh.
Overview:
+/- Meh Aesthetics
Overall Enjoyment (6.88/10): When I first found this series, the first thing I thought of was Working!!, as the concept for the series was quite similar, what with the whole interaction with one's coworkers and possible interwork relationships due to romantic subplots. But as I continued watching the show became something more of an over the top exaggeration more than an actual slice of life. It wasn't particularly bad with how the show took this direction, but it wasn't as far as I could see, beneficial to the series.
Did I like this series?
In some ways, yes. The show's characters regardless of their one note flaws, are characters that don't particularly follow any sort of troupe. This gives a very fresh feeling for the show and even makes some of the subjective comedy somewhat easy to laugh to. In addition, the overall feel of the does give a very casual and non-serious tone, making it somewhat relaxing to watch to.
What didn't I like about this series?
The transitions inside each minisode in terms of mood were definitely a big issue as you laugh in one scene then have to become serious as you watch it without word or warning because some of the characters do get a bit serious at times. In addition, the comedy as I have mentioned before is a subjective style of comedy where it bounces off people in different ways. Some people are guaranteed to laugh at the antics of this show, and other may not.
Would I recommend this show?
That really depends on your taste. The show is definitely one of those turn off your brain shows because there aren't really any moments that really require you to think deeply. It's mostly just a show that you would want to sit down and watch in order to kill time. However if you're not a fan of ecchi humor, talking about eroge constantly, or romantic subplots, this show will not be for you. It's not the best show ever, but it does have some positive points.
Overall Score: 6.97/10
