Servant x Service – 03
One shouldn’t smooth out one’s kouhai’s hair.
Servant x Service continues to make the mundane life of working in an office funny. The only problem with the show so far was the overbearing presence of Touko in the second episode, but would that be the start of a trend, or just an introductory overexposure?
Yamagami-san on Point
Lots of pointing going on
Well, we didn’t get much of Touko this week, but we did get a lot more of Yamagami-san. She experiences one of those rare occurrences that can strike fear into everyone at the office: A wardrobe malfunction. Specifically, she breaks her bra hook. The last one, too, since she’d already broken the other ones. Mortified at the thought of the others finding out, she tries to do what she can to minimize the effect, but this is Yamagami, and what do most people notice about her? Yeah, that’s right. So it’s not anything like a secret even if she tries to hide it with the ugly uniform blazer. Chihaya and Miyoshi figure out that she must have broken the hook, and actually have a plan to help fix it, but don’t want to bring it up because they don’t want to embarrass Yamagami. Hasebe notices right away, and gets punched by Ichimiya for his outburst about it. Finally, Hasebe comes up with the solution: Yamagami should go home because she’s obviously not feeling well. Everyone else joins in to buffalo her into going home to change clothes and rest.
Hasebe’s Harassment and Help
An actual good move from Ichimiya
Some of the interactions between Yamagami and Hasebe are turning into amusing running gags. Hasebe’s constant efforts to get her email address, Yamagami’s obliviousness to Hasebe’s sexual and general harassment, focusing instead on her relief that her usual hangups aren’t what he notices. But we also see that Hasebe has talents at being a civil servant: dealing with kids and irate clients, learning sign language because it will help some people, coming up with solutions to problems. When he actually works, he does a good job.
One of the bigger fears I think everyone had about Servant x Service was that it wouldn’t have the ability to keep going, that it would just be about the quirks of the characters. We can see that most of the humor does have to do with the characters and their reactions to odd happenings, but there’s not any sign of them running out of material for laughs yet. And with just one Touko scene this week, it kept her amount of TSUN to an acceptable level.
This was just about right for Touko
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: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
So what letter is she? F? G? H?
Must be hard for her to shop for new ones. I would assume the (female) clerks will feel pissed at her.
mfw it’s so rare to see even a C here.And Hasebe is still an awesome guy despite his antics. Slacking off most of the time but dependable when needed. He still didn’t get Lucy’s address. Blame the ahoge. It’s very distracting. And Touko should just stay like that or at least have little screentime as possible. I don’t have a problem with her though but ehh.
Great episode and still enjoying the heck out of this.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Not that it’s a direct response to you, belatkuro, but since it’s the big issue in the show, and since I’ve been talking to some other friends about bra sizes lately (yes, actually I really have), I’ll see if I can enlighten some things (and some people will already know this). One thing to remember about bra sizes is that cups are relative to the band size (the part that goes around the chest), not an absolute thing. Another thing to realize is that due to a bit of cheapness / ‘economizing’ on the part of bra makers decades ago, they came up with something called “sister sizes”, where instead of having to stock all cup sizes from A to F, say, for all band sizes, they said “Oh, well, if you’re big, you can just go up a band size and use a smaller cup.” This has led to decades of women wearing the wrong size, and suffering various consequences due to it. It is not uncommon for women to wear bras that are two band sizes too big, and two cup sizes ‘small’ for this very reason (Ladies, you should go get a professional fitting! Try a high end department store, they frequently do a better job, or a specialized boutique, but they have expensive merchandise which you might feel obliged to buy).
So a lot of Lucy’s issue is that she’s very slight, which will bring the cup size up. But I would imagine that anyone working in a store would be happy to help her as much as they could. The biggest problem is that Lucy herself is so self-conscious about it.
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
Wow, you really did your research! Holy cow…
And yeah, the clerks in high end department stores are really good at fitting bras. And they go out and find the right bra while you wait in the changing room. They don’t get angry because they know that when a customer gets a bra (or three, four, ect) they’ll ring that person up and get a commission on how much they sold. So Lucy’s size wouldn’t be a problem, although the clerk would have to work a bit harder to find the best bra size possible.
And feeling obliged to buy a bra… well, just don’t buy more than six. I’m pretty terrible at saying no to clerks, but I’ve managed to never buy more than four bras at once. The key phrase is “eh, it’s okay, but I’m not loving it.”
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Heh, like I said, it was a topic that came up recently, related to another woman’s back pain issues. And even buying four could get pricey at the boutique store prices of 60-80 dollars each. 🙂
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I continue to be baffled by how useful Hasebe despite him having the motivation of a sloth, the impulses of a deviant and being underhanded like a fox (Whoa! Too many analogies here). I think he should give up trying to get Lucy’s address. With some many chances blown, it’s just something that isn’t meant to be. 😉
Lucy has sparked something interesting. Just what size cup is she? From Hasebe’s reaction, it must be an unthinkable size. And does that ahoge have a mind of its own? Should could be a hidden relative to the Araragi family.
Ichimiya has some severe self esteem issues and it’s nothing short of a miracle that he lasted eight years with the way he is. He’s lucky that everyone including his sister believes in him.
This episode went along smoothly. Good review, Highway.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think it’s tough on Ichimiya because going from kouhai to senpai is a big change, especially for someone who’s been the kouhai for so long. It can be difficult to gather the confidence you need to be sure of yourself as you present to others.
I think Hasebe will probably keep trying to get Lucy’s email. Like he said, it just doesn’t feel right when he doesn’t have it.
And I can relate to Hasebe’s work ethic pretty well. There are times you want to do anything besides your actual job.
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
I was pleased to see that someone remembered bras have three hooks, although I would wonder if maybe Lucy would want to consider a new bra with more hooks. I know I’ve seen one out there… Just one though.
Hasabe needs to put his mind to getting Lucy’s email, considering he seems to be able to do anything when he puts his mind to it. He’s just casually going about trying, although he was a lot nicer this time around.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Actually, I was more surprised because my reaction was “What, only three?” I’m more used to the 2×3 or even 3×3 arrays of hooks…
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
I interpreted “hook” as the column, so like Lucy broke each size option of her bra. I’ve seen 1×3, though. Somewhere out there… Like on the really small bras.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Yeah, I agree that it was each of the 3 size options (columns) that she broke. And that’s kind of why I was surprised as well, cause usually the big sizes (which Lucy is) have the multiple rows. I think that’s also the reason for Chihaya’s internal monologue pause… 🙂
(Oh, I have seen bras for big ladies (both ways) with just one row of hooks, but they’re usually not intended to stay on very long, or in any sort of strenuous activity)
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
Or she just gets bras in her size. XD It might be difficult but that’s what the internet is for!
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
Yeah, I suppose the internet would be a good option for her, although I would wonder how many times what she gets ends up not fitting properly. (Returning that stuff is such a pain!)
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I think the key to Hasabe doing a great job when he does work is that by doing that rather than a half-hearted job he gets it done quickly giving him more time to goof-off. He’s kind of like Heinlein’s “The Man Who Was Too Lazy to Fail” in Time Enough for Love. Plus it gives him job security. If he was bad at his job as well as being a goof-off he’d probably get canned.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Not to digress into that story too much, I don’t really know how much it really compares. “David Lamb” thought very far ahead in his work avoidance (intentional placing in the cadet ranks, selecting the air branch of the Navy, etc.), and was never afraid of doing work. He just avoided what everyone called “honest work” (I’ve probably read Time Enough For Love 15 times 🙂 ). I think Hasebe doesn’t discriminate nearly that much. He does more what takes his fancy, and just makes up for it with his own sense of ‘balance’ and fairness.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
You raise a couple good points. Hasabe doesn’t think as far ahead as David Lamb nor is he as motivated. But then Hasabe didn’t grow up following behind a mule on a hardscrabble mountain farm. Even he probably would have found plenty of motivation to get away from that.
But both are taking what would be considered the easy path in life. It’s just that life was a lot harder in Lamb’s time than in Hasabe’s, so he had to work harder to avoid having to work really hard. And it’s actually too early to say that Hasabe hasn’t planned far ahead mapping out an easy path in life for himself. As a third generation civil servant he probably knows exactly when to apply himself to gain promotion. And in answering Touko’s question he’s shown that he has the relevant regulations memorized so any exams he needs to take for advancement will be a piece of cake.
I wasn’t trying to say they were the same, just that Hasabe made me think of Lamb. Hasabe isn’t afraid of work either as shown by how he has stepped up to help out when others are having problems with a customer. He just avoids it until a situation is becoming a problem, then steps up and quickly fixes it. If he was really trying to avoid work as much as he claims he is, that is when he’d go hide.
I think I’ve only read Time Enough for Love 3 times, so you’ve got me beat there. But I also have a 1973 edition, so I imagine I’ve got you beat in who read it first (showing my age here).
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
There are definitely some similarities between the two characters. And if Hasebe hasn’t planned out as far as David Lamb, he also doesn’t face the same kind of potential hardships and “honest work” that David Lamb did, between the farm, football, upperclassmen, the war, etc. But Hasebe is definitely avoiding the hardest of the work. 🙂
(for those who are wondering, we’re talking about a short story told by Lazarus Long in the retelling of his life for posterity, as described in Time Enough for Love)
I have the 1988 edition of the book, actually, and probably got it and first read it in about 1990 or 1991. I think I actually read my first *real* Heinlein book in summer of 1989, when I was working as the gate checker at the community pool. I had picked up Number of the Beast at a community flea market, and it was great… until they found the Dora, and I was then completely lost. Note to others: Read Time Enough for Love before anything else with Lazarus Long (even Methuselah’s Children!)! But you should give it a try.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
As a further aside, I pulled this book off the shelf and started reading it again last night, and decided that reading actual books sucks, and went and bought it for my Kindle…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I’d recommend reading Methuselah’s Children first. The events there happen earlier and it helps to know Woodrow Wilson Smith (Lazarus Long’s birth name) before he’s sprung upon you in Time Enough for Love. You’ll also have some idea why others take such an enormous interest in him at the beginning of that book and you’ll get the passing reference to a character who was important in Methuselah’s Children. But if you’re only going to read one, make it Time Enough for Love. It’s one of the best SF novels ever written.
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
The more I watched the episode, the more I ship YamagamiXHasebe. I never thought I would like it but watching them interact in this episode, they are perfect for each other!
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
When Hasabe is being nice, you mean. At the beginning he wasn’t being all that nice, but he got better through the episode.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
If not for him always trying to get her address, he’d fit more as the big brother type to Yamagami.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 88 comments
Can’t tell if Hasebe is a genius good guy or a perverted jerk.
But hey, less Touko is awesome. Much better if she doesn’t appear in the show ever. Best if she dies in a fire or get strike by lightning.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I actually thought having her be a more private pain in the neck for Ichimiya is probably a good thing. Enough to keep in mind that that’s what he has to look forward to at home, not enough to make us sick of her.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 88 comments
I want to see Ichimiya snap at her more than he did in episode 2.
POWUH: 800-899 and Flying Sage with 856 comments
Great discussion of lingerie and classic SF you guys have going. I read Metanorn to keep informed about these topics!
So far SxS is a pleasant show. I don’t think it has done anything to cross into greatness territory, but I like the basic setup. I hope they manage to keep more of the humor based upon the situation than pushing the characters as a source for comedy.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
We’re people with multivariable interests! Can’t just talk about anime *all* the time, right?
I don’t know if SxS will ever be a ‘great’ show, just like I don’t think Working!! is a ‘great’ show. But I think it’s got potential to be a very fun show, that is remembered fondly. And like you say, the basic setup is good, and they’re using the combination of the situation *with* the quirks of the characters as the driving force behind the comedy. It can’t just be the characters, because down that road lies flanderization. As long as they can come up with good situations to put them in, the show will continue to entertain.