Check-in Station Catchup Comedy Special pt2: Servant X Service eps 2-5

Servant X Service

Episode 2

A cute episode, where we get to learn a bit more about the employees.  For one, the rather bland Chihaya is a rabid cosplayer, and a temp worker who fervently supports both.  Basically, she does temp work so she can afford to cosplay and take the necessary days off.  It’s a tad weird, but i still find it admirable.  I’m more worried about the next time she comes face to face with Lucy’s boobs though.  I’m starting to get the feeling that she’s jealous of them, and will snatch them off Lucy’s chest given the right opportunity.

I think my favorite gag involving those two (and Hasebe) was when Chihaya tried to explain how cosplay didn’t necessarily have to involve being flamboyant.  She handled this by pointing out that even the plain outfit that Lucy is wearing could be considered a form of cosplay.  This freaks out Lucy, and when Hasebe notices, he tells her to stop cosplaying by taking off her clothers – for a split second she considered it!

BOOBS!  BOOBS EVERYWHERE!

Note: did anyone miss that little Vividred Operation cameo?  I thought that was pretty awesome.  Man, just another series that I have to finish.  Also, there’s no way any modern anime fan should miss the Precure reference.  Good lord franchise is everywhere!

Then there’s poor Saya, who is so good at listening to old people and their stories, that she’s constantly hounded by them.  it’s gotten to the point where she actively attempts to avoid them.  It’s pretty damn pitiful.

The second part of the episode introduces us to a young tsundere named Toko.  She’s apparently a “health and welfare nut” (didn’t know such a thing existed), and delights in testing the employees, especially the new ones.

Her first test on Hasebe goes HORRIBLY wrong, as the bastard is way too proficient at his job.  It’s the reason he has so much time for goofing off and breaks.  Plus it didn’t help that he started out their test by hitting on her!  The second test is on Saya.  And while you’d think that Toko would roll right over her, it’s one of the old ladies she has to listen to that saves her.  As old Ms. Tanaka gives her a good stern lecture on short skirts and other things.  And the third test is on Lucy, which lasts the least amount of time of all, thanks to Lucy’s ridiculous name.

All this just sends Toko into an absolute fury, as she chides each and everyone of them.  It’s actually the group’s idiot leader, Taishi (he has way too cool a name for such a loser) who is able to calm her down.  Appropriately, but weirdly he uses soft language and information pamphlets to calm her down.  everyone is amazed that he talks to her using her first name, she hugs him and that he talks about giving her money.  There’s some very weird thoughts going through people’s heads right now.  But in fact, Taishi is just her unreliable brother.

Hasebe inquires about how a high school girl got to get the way Toko is, and we get a story from Taishi about how things came to be.  Basically, the Ichimiyas were a very poor family, and Taishi was going to leave school early to find work.  Toko ends up looking into his place of employment and finds all sorts of useful information for government assistance, and chides him for not applying for any of it.  What Toko was really doing was looking after her older brother, encouraging him to not work, but study.  And then he could get a well paying job at the welfare office once he’d graduated.  and with this plan, her beloved brother would be able to stay at home with her a little bit longer.

AAAAAWWWWWWW!

It’s so loving and adorable.  But as Chihaya notices, it does cause a problem.  So she calls a meeting on how to deal with the massive distraction that is Toko.  She also wants to help Saya get over being such a push over.  The solution?  Kill two birds with one stone (or just kill Saya quickly) by getting her to tell Toko that she needs to give her brother and the office some space (heh heh, Office Space).  Though all this attempt does is illicit a tsundere response and violence.  Taishi has to step in and tell Toko not to come back anymore because her intense pressure keeps Saya from doing her job.  Toko walks away in a very sad slump.  But Saya actually gets the nerve to speak up and tells Toko that she can come back every two or three days.  And somehow everyone leaves the episode happy and satisfied, including me.

What an adorable episode!  It’s nice to see some heart show up in this show that does comedy so well.  Taishi is such a spineless loser that it’s nice to see that there’s some backbone in his family tree.

Episode 3

Hasebe!  Hasebe!  Hasebe!  This whole episode revolved around him not ever remembering to get Lucy’s email address.  Though I will say that Ichimiya being remotely competent was a big surprise.  My favorite gag was probably the one revolving around Lucy’s broken bra.  I could understand the guys being a little awkward, but for the life of me I don’t know why the girls couldn’t pull her aside and tell her he boobs were a bit… off.

Sorry I don’t have much to say about this episode, but I kinda lost my notes and don’t remember much beyond Lucy’s free hanging boobs, and Hasebe’s sexual harrassment mixed with good natured care.

Episode 4

We start this episode with a lot of attention on Lucy’s boobs – again!  With one character fixated on getting her too cosplay through some weird logic that involves possibly grabbing her boobs, or some other part of her, but preferably the boobs.  Then there’s Hasebe of course finding another way to sexually harass Lucy, this time by teaching her sign language as intimately as possible.  I, and the show, find it ironic that Chihaya ends up being the one to shoo Hasebe away and warn her about sexual harrassment.  After all, Chihaya’s the one who has actually been doing it most successfully.

Somehow, this situation help forms what Chihaya considers a rivalry.  Then again, maybe Hasebe’s initial thought of her possibly being a lesbian is less weird than the cosplay-centric reasons Chihaya actually harbors.  *sigh*  Strangely enough, this situation isn’t terribly unrealistic to me.  A story I care not to share….

This situation in turn causes Hasebe to contemplate (while slacking off again) what exactly Chihaya is getting at about them being rivals for Lucy.  And while he does that, who else shows up but Lucy again.  She’s literally everywhere in the office, just like Hasebe.  The only difference is that she’s always doing work, and he’s almost never involved in such.  Hasebe ends up convincing her to let him help with her task.  And at the end of it, Lucy strikes up a convo about him being popular with the laidies, at this point it’s cemented into my mind that she does like him.  She just doesn’t like his personality and work ethic.  It sounds strange, but it’s something rather common to people.  Just because you don’t particularly like or respect someone doesn’t mean you don’t find them attractive.  It can be a mutually exclusive situation for some people.  Now what kind of relationship that can lead to is a completely different story.  Though a relationship isn’t completely out of the question, as Hasebe takes their conversation as another opportunity to ask her out, to which she rejects in the most mouse-like fashion possible.  He takes the rejection easily and well, after all he’ll just try again later.  If anything, he’s a slacker, not a quitter.  Again something that sounds strange, but makes good sense if you think about it.  Just because you don’t want to start, doesn’t mean you don’t want to finish.

The situation gets weird when the two fools start obsessing over the situation, Lucy more so.  She can’t figure out whether Hasebe was being genuine or a playboy.  While Hasebe actually feels down about being turned down for the first time by a boring, normal girl.  When Lucy finds out that she may be the first person he’s actually done more than asked for a phone number or email address for, she gets even more frazzled.  Though everything strangely calms back down when the two meet on the roof of the building and hash things out.  In the end, Hasebe ends up getting her to go out to eat with him again.

I have a feeling that Hasebe’s some sort of evil genius.

Then there’s the scene with the section chief.  *sigh*  Does every show have to have some kind of cute mascot?  Well, I guess the manager isn’t really a cute mascot, he’s really a fifty year old man who’s incredibly shy.  But this whole situation is still embarrassing and weird.  That’s one situation that’s far beyond my experience.

Despite hoping to gloss over the section chief, it’s not possible.  It’s like a pandora’s box, he’ll surely be everywhere now.  Why do I think that?  Because now he’s actively trying to get to know his new employees by taking them out to drink with him and Taishi.  It takes some convincing, but everyone ends up going some place for light food and drinks.  Leaving the lightweight Lucy ironically in the hands of Hasebe at the end of the night.  Yes, I drunk and submissive Lucy in the arms of Hasebe, with no place to go but a love hotel for the night.  Oh lord, please don’t let there be date rape in my wonderful little grown up comedy.

Remember Hasebe, if she’s too drunk to say no, then she’s too drunk to say yes!

Episode 5

It’s comforting to know that fears of date rape were completely unfounded this episode.  Though, things still get a little kinky.

We find out that Hasebe has sister who looks very much like him and who likes to play jokes.  It turns out the love hotels dotting the area weren’t his only choice.  His sister Kaoru also lived nearby, so that’s where they stayed the night.  Of course Lucy is mortified, and she should be.

HER GIANT BOOBS RUINED THAT POOR GIRL’S HOODIE.  No zipper could survive that chest…

The early part of this episode was subdued, but a lot of fun!  Lucy gets hung up about all the help and good treatment she’s gotten from Hasebe and his sister, and ends up being indebted to him.  She then brings a gift to Kaoru, who takes the opportunity for mischief of her own.  She escorts her directly to Hasebe’s bachelor pad without notice, where we get to see exactly what he’s like when not trying to not work and woo women.  He wears glasses, and is a pretty nerdy shut-in when he wants to be.  Kaoru couldn’t possibly be having more fun  than even me watching this scene.  it’s true sibling mischief.  The best part may have been when Lucy saw one of his ero games, and it had a demon chick with huge boobs on it.  She clung to the belief that there was someone else like her out there in the world.  Even though that’s clearly a fictitious character.  Geez!  How big are her boobs?  And how rare is her bust in Japan?

Later, we end up getting into Taishi’s life.  Since Hasebe and him are having a conversation about workplace relationships, Hasebe of course brings up his clingy sister who’s always visiting their job.  And Taishi drops the bombshell that he actually actively has a girlfriend.  I’m with Hasebe in being surprised because, just like most of the office, I thought his sister was his entire life.  Gross as it sounds, as controlling and obsessed as she is, I expected them to eventually marry.  And this is where the cultural awareness comes in, Taishi mentions how he always loses his girlfriend before Christmas.  The reason?  It’s because his sister’s birthday is Christmas Eve.  Not to many of us Westerners, this doesn’t seem like a big deal, the only thing that sucks is that she probably gets less presents or attention than normal.  But it’s not the same in Japan.  Apparently Christmas is a bit of a romantic holiday for them over there.  So when Taishi chooses to help his sister celebrate over spending time with his girlfriend, they dump him.  I guess it’s kinda like choosing to hang out with your sister if her birthday was Valentine’s Day over going to dinner with your girlfriend.  This is a bit of a personal aside from me, but f*ck ’em!  My sister and I haven’t been on the best of terms our whole lives together, but if a chick leaves me because I want to spend time with my family first, then the p*ssy isn’t worth the effort.  My family is and will always be there for me.  You’re just a bimbo who wants attention, free food and some d*ck once a week.  Let us never meet again.  Once again, I’m just saying.  Sorry for the rant.  Let’s carry on.

Anyway, the atmosphere freezes when we see that Chihaya and Lucy have seen all this.  And made even more awkward when Chihaya mentions that she’s actually Taishi’s girlfriend.  Thank goodness that she was actually just playing a joke like Kaoru did at the beginning of the episode.  Hell, it was such a shocker that it even stopped the hiccups that had been plaguing Lucy for half the episode!

We’re then shown a scene outside of work where we see Taishi’s infamous sister, Toko going out to meet Saya of all people.  Turns out that Saya invited her.  How nice!  Then just as they leave we see Chihaya at Taishi’s door…  He calls her Megumi…

THEY ARE DATING!  HOLY SH*T-!  Curse you Servant X Service!  You got me again!

While Saya and Toko hang out and Saya straddles the impossibly thin line between doing what Toko wants and pissing her off, Taishi and M-Megumi are having one of their secret rendezvous.  Not the sexual kind mind you.  They’ve actually been going out for a year and are still hiding their relationship.  If that wasn’t bad enough, their conversations are still ridiculously awkward for a couple that’s been together as long as they’ve had.  Taishi is always apologizing, cringing and moping.  It amazes me that they’ve lasted this long.  I understand how they’ve gotten past the previously mentioned Christmas Eve barrier, she’s always cosplaying at a convention at that time.  but in terms of a normal relationship, there’s is clearly on the rocks.  It hurts to watch, because he clearly has a good (though rather weird) and attractive girlfriend, who at the very least is assertive and interesting.  But she clearly doesn’t want him to stay suffering the way he is forever.  It’s apparent.  Toko is still in the way, but it’s honestly Taishi’s fault here.  The only bit of sympathy I have for him is when Megumi puts on his sister’s uniform (you know how short those anime skirts are) and starts confronting him about his sister complex.  That had to be the most awkward boner for him, ever!

Good god!  What a fun episode!

The more I watch this show, the more I love it!  Plain and simple!  This is genuinely a quality comedy.  And though it’s not outrageously laugh out loud funny, nor constantly spewing gags at you like shows such as Nichijou or School Rumble, it still hits me sharp with wonderful jokes consistently!  It’s just a wonderful mix of slice-of-life and comedy elements.  In fact, it very much reminds me of a more grown up Azumanga Daioh, my favorite comedy of all-time.  It’s like that show grew up with me.  And I’m grateful.  I’ve wanted to see a fun and funny adult comedy like this for a long time.  And though the setting seemed boring and threatened to keep me from even trying it, my curiousity and desire to see something – anything outside a high school setting paid off big time in this show.  In a season full of wonderful comedies, Servant X Service threatens to take the lead the more it reveals to me!

After only five episodes, I can’t for the series to end before recommending to any and everybody I know who has the slightest interest in watching animation.  I think anyone could enjoy this show, but if you’ve worked a 9-5 job with quirky people before (and I don’t know anyone who hasn’t), then this show will hit home for you, hard!  I even have a friend who absolutely cares nothing for anime (I know, why do I even talk to that person, right?), and I will definitely show it to her!

On to the next episode!

Further Reading:

• Episode 1