Servant x Service Anime Review

Last season was full of great animes, and one of them was Servant x Service. By the mangaka that brought us Working!, Servant x Service is a more mature version of Working! featuring an older cast in a relatable workplace setting. Giving a little bit of comedy and a little bit of slice of life, it was an enjoyable watch each week. Keep reading if you want an in-depth review spoiler free! that looks at the highs and lows of the show.

Quick Synopsis

This is an office comedy. It stars a small cast of young adults (Lucy, Hasebe, Chihaya, Miyoshi, and Ichimiya) all with their own unique quirks. There's a bit of romance, but mostly office antics that keep the story moving at a steady pace until the end of its 13 episode run. Think of it as Japan's answer to The Office of England and North America. There will be characters that you look forward to watching, and some that irk you every time they're on screen. And of course it wouldn't be Japanese without a talking animal, which comes in the form of a stuffed bunny boss. They work in the social service sector, but the setting is really only a backdrop,
with the action of the characters amongst themselves being the plot driver. It's a good relatable scenario for anyone who would consider themselves affiliated with the josei genre, so if you're looking for a more mature comedy anime this would be a good choice.

Story

My opinion of the story is that is a light enjoyable plot that never gets too serious. It deals with relatable office scenarios that anyone in the service sector will know, as well as a couple relationship woes (that aren't as relatable). It has a steady pace that never has too many deep catalysts, and is typically resolved within the 20 minute period of each episode. So don't expect too much depth. You might be surprised by how admirable some of the characters are given certain scenarios, so at least to a degree you'll find yourself excited to see how the characters function within the plot. The comedy of course is effective, you'll find yourself laughing on multiple occasions, but probably not a whole lot. It had moments, but not monumentally hilarious ones. I guess that's a part of what Japanese comedy is, some things just don't translate over. That said, it is still a office romance comedy at heart. The story gets an 7.5 out of 10. Not stellar, but certainly enjoyable.

Characters

As I mentioned earlier, all the characters are quirky and interesting. My personal favourite was Chihaya, but I think the effectiveness of this show is how everyone will like someone different for different reasons. Briefly, Lucy is the nerdy, coming out of her shell character that ends up being the prime love interest. Hasebe is the endearing slacker who spends the whole season trying to win Lucy over. Miyoshi is a quiet somewhat closeted person who ends up in the toughest situations. Chihaya is the otaku seamstress who has a fiery personality and Ichimiya is the hopeless naive supervisor who is whipped by his younger sister. There are other minor characters of little interest, but what makes this anime strong is the banter among them. Their quirks offer interesting situations with some unpredictable outcomes. The characters get an 8.5 out of 10. Likeable, interesting, and well-developed, you'll find yourself wanting more from them after the 13th episode.

Presentation

Lastly the presentation should be addressed, because I feel this is another facet to this anime that made it effective. The opening and ending songs are both catchy, and I found myself looking forward to hearing them each week. The voice actors are all really effective, with prominent seiyu such as Suzuki, Tatsuhisa which I recognized from some of my top animes including Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. The art is spectacular in the opening, but somewhat lack luster in the show itself. Sometimes it's great, other times it feels kind of cheaply done. I don't expect very much from a comedy slice-of-life series, but coming off of Working! there was already enough fanbase to warrant a bit more work on the animation end in my opinion. The manga has a similarly low budget look to it, so I guess there's not tons to work off of here. Either way, I was a little disappointed. However, all in all the presentation gets a 7.5 out of 10. There were strong points of the presentation that made up for the weaknesses in others, giving it this solid score.

Final Thoughts

For the josei genre there is a disparagingly large void of animes to keep a young woman watching shows that relate to her. Servant x Service will help to shrink that void, even if just a little, as it is truly a seinen/josei series. Appealing to both the sexes there's something for everyone, and I would recommend this series to anyone looking for a good watch or read. Compiling the score, Servant x Service gets a final score of 7.8 out of 10. For a comedy/romance it does a good job of keeping you entertained, and will leave you wanting more by its finale. Luckily the manga exists that can remedy that for anyone looking to get some more of Lucy x Hasebe! It's still an ongoing manga so expect more in the future, and while you're waiting, watch the show.

I hope you found this review helpful, and I hope you return to Modern Josei for more josei reviews in the near future!