Servant x Service - 3

"Neglect, Safety of the Workplace, Personal Safety"

Just what kind of monstrous size are we talking here, Lucy?!

For all of you who were wondering about the delay this week, it seems Servant x Service is undergoing broadcast changes, so this week’s episode was released yesterday while next week’s will broadcast on Friday. I have no idea what the final word is on whether or not this is temporary, but meta is as meta does, so onto what really matters!

After last week’s imouto hurricane, I was a bit worried that Touko would be stealing the show from this point on. Luckily that wasn’t really the case, and though she’s present here too, my favorite parts of this episode are definitely thanks to Lucy and Hasebe, and especially due to their chemistry together. Lucy is really fun to watch; she’s that somewhat stereotypical ditz who’s always trying to be serious, but that doesn’t make her any less charming. Coupled with Hasebe’s inappropriate but earnest personality, she’s even more of a blast to laugh at, especially when she goes around doing things as hilariously as she does. Whether it’s bra hooks that break in the middle of work (Sweet Hylia, she got to go home with that? I wish), her huge fear of thunder, or her ability to brush Hasebe’s sexual harrassment off like it never happened, this is good comedic material all around.

Even more interesting, if somewhat off, is Hasebe himself. I’m constantly on the fence between calling him a jerk and a genuinely good (but opportunistic) guy, and I can see the sparks between him and Lucy so obviously it’s almost an insult to my intelligence. He’s still that guy you can’t help but hate at work for being so awesome (c’mon, ventriloquism and sign language and unexpected thoughtfulness/head patting??) but he’s also definitely more interested in Lucy than in just her email address, especially considering how he always manages to distract himself from getting it. I also like that even though he can be an ass (believe me, sexual harrassment at work can land you in a world of “I can’t believe I have to do this SekuHara training again” or worse, even of it’s in good fun with friends), he’s pretty open about it and aware of what a pain he’s being. I don’t necessarily like that sort of person, but I can definitely appreciate the earnestness of that depiction; people like Hasebe definitely exist, and they can grate in more ways than one when dealing with them directly. However, in the world of SxS, he’s definitely one of my favorite personas, and when coupled with Ichimiya-senpai (you go sir, punching your kouhai when required, no questions asked) or Lucy, I’m finally finding it hard not to laugh in earnest.