Servant x Service – 02
VividOffice!
Time for more of the ‘action’ in your favorite health and welfare office! We had a promising start last week, and got a good introduction to the three main characters of the show. So will we learn some more about the other characters this week? Unfortunately, we might learn too much…
Are Otaku Everywhere?
Time for Gerbera Pink!
Talk about a surprising development. Of all the things that I would have expected Chihaya to be, an otaku and cosplayer wouldn’t be it. But she is, and even more, she’s so dedicated to it that she’s not actually a full-time employee, so that it’s easier for her to get time off for cosplay events. On top of that, she reads manga at the office. So does her obsession with Lucy’s boobs come from being a fan of anime and manga? Or is it just because they’re so ‘out there’?
I can definitely see Lucy in this, right?
But apparently they’re not as ‘out there’ as they could be, since Lucy’s apparently relieved when Chihaya estimates them at F with “Do they look that small? Thank goodness.” And it’s even funnier to me that Chihaya wants Lucy to cosplay as Rose Black, the most scantily clad (and flat as a board) of the Magical Flowers. I’m thinking that we’re almost certain to see this happen later in the series, maybe along with Miyoshi as Blue Hydrangea. But Chihaya’s greater role in the show was certainly welcomed this week.
And then…
A very little of this goes a really long way
And then Touko happened. I don’t know if my enjoyment of a show has ever been so squashed by the appearance of a single character. And I’m not even one who hates brocon imouto characters. I thought Yuuko in Sakurasou was hilarious. I don’t mind Kirino in OreImo. I watched all of Who is Imouto? I’m fine with imouto characters. But Touko is not just turned up to 11. She’s turned up to infinity. Grating, bossy, unlikeable, loud, tyrannical. How could this character been voiced by the same Ookubo Rumi who voiced ultra-cute (and quiet) Miniwa Tsumiki? She has a permanent angry mark. She terrorizes everyone (well, except the irrepressible Hasebe-kun). Miyoshi-san has to get rescued by Tanaka-obaa-san. And Lucy just gets her name criticized. Really, she’s a character I do not care for. I really hope that Touko isn’t too regular on the show. At least everyone else realizes what Touko’s real motivation is.
Let’s just keep Tanaka-0baa-san on the case
It really was almost two shows for me this week. The good show with Chihaya’s cosplay proclivities, Hasebe’s admitting to playing eroge, Miyoshi’s worry about doing her work was one part, but the bad show happened with Touko showing up. She really reminds me of another character I don’t like in a show that I do like: Minami-ke‘s Hosaka. They’re both characters that turn the whole show into them, sucking all the air out of the room, and making it a lot less interesting, when the main draw of the show is the interplay between all the characters. So if they’re going to continue having her in the show, I guess the best I can hope for is that they turn her down quite a few notches.
About Highway
Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I’ve heard of beer goggles, and yuri goggles, and I fancy a pair of LOLi pince-nez (for all discerning gentlemen), but cosplay goggle are now officially super awesome….I swear, I wore them to work the next day, and it made things soooooo much more interesting. If your loud, overbearing, obnoxious, unreasonable head chef is turning it up to 11, just imagine his as Rose Black…..and nothing else matters.
And yes, speaking of being turned up to 11, I rather welcomed the arrival of Touka-chan. She’s like every single thing that can go wrong all happening at once…with brocon. Ookubu Rumi has stretched her range, and I couldn’t be happier.
Just look at your boss next time….in sailor fuuku.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Usually, my boss ends up with Indiana Jones imagined cosplay, because he looks similar-ish to Harrison Ford. There are some other people that might get Blue Hydrangea, tho.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Chihaya as an undercover otaku raised the eyebrows quite high. For someone as emotionless as her, one wouldn’t think she’d be into that. I pegged her more as straight laced and always follows the rules, a more extreme version of Lucy and from what we can see, she’s as hopeless in cosplay as Hasebe is in hitting on random girls.
Nope, that’s pure and simple envy. There are things that people are just self conscious about and for girls, that turns out to be the size of their bust and Chihaya is pretty flat chested, even more so than Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou’s Kirihime in my opinion. Man, that’s gotta hurt the pride.
Things became a riot when Touko came to shake things up. The way she psychologically tore her brother apart in front of everyone made me think of OreImo’s Kirino and course these kinds of characters always turn out to be tsundere and little sisters and they love their brothers more than anything else. They’re so easy to read.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I did like her slipping into fugue state when she imagined about cosplaying. And I’m glad that Chihaya is more of a main character than a side character so far.
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
Agreed, it’s envy. Pure and simple. I can confirm that.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
I actually didn’t find it as surprising as all of you because I kinda knew Chihaya was into anime and possibly cosplaying because in the OP she held an anime magazine and in the ED she was sowing HEAPS of clothes 🙂
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
Why do I get the feeling I’m going to be Chihaya when I start working… My friends have suffered under my cosplay goggles many, many times in the past. So yeah, I love Chihaya. XD
Touko on the other hand…I don’t like her at all. Imouto who love their brothers that much annoy me to no end so I was tapping my fingers waiting for her to go away.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Chihaya reminded me a lot of what might happen if Genshiken’s Ohno had taken a different path.
I didn’t mind the broconning part. Heck, she’d be quite a lot better if she showed any actual love, instead of just tsun and whine.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I have no problem with Touko in this episode. It was funny to see how everyone in the office reacted to her appearance and how Obaa-san and Hasebe dealt with her and were able to best her. However, if she’s like that every time she appears then she will quickly become grating.
With the discovery of Chihaya’s cosplaying the other characters are starting to get fleshed out and we’re learning of their quirks. Everyone has those. However, I hope the other workers don’t turn out to just be a collection of quirks. Hopefully there’ll be some depth to them rather than just being one notes.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think the show’s rather promising with not just having a checklist of quirky things for each character. The things like Hasebe stepping up and providing the perfect answer to Touko’s question, Chihaya seeing a threat to the operation of the office in Miyoshi and trying to fix it (with a silly meeting), and Lucy having more hangups than names seem to indicate that there are places we haven’t been with these characters.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
I just find Touko plain annoying. She’s the image of a kid who needs a spanking to learn some manners. If Onii-chan would just get some courage and tell her off more often, it would probably do wonders for her behavior and for the well-being of the office.
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
Chihaya didn’t surprise me at all, probably because I’m similar to her. Acting straight-laced but really somewhere else in the mind. Although her “temp” status worries me that they’ll use that later to create drama when she leaves. I’m really hoping they avoid that because I’m liking Chihaya’s character so far.
I thought Touko was alright although what they did with her character could get old really quickly, but I think she agreed to only come every two or three days, so hopefully they stick to that verbal agreement and she only shows up for a couple of minutes every episode. But really, with her knowledge, she ought to go and actually try to write the welfare laws, rather than working in the welfare office.
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
doesn’t tanaka-oba-san remembers you of pinako from FMA or jaken from inuyasha?