Servant x Service - 4

"Watch Out for the Risks You Can’t See Next Week!"

I am boarding ships like crazy this season. And I don’t even ship that often!

Though there are multiple stories as usual in this week’s SxS, I feel that there are two overarching little “arcs” that take the stage. The first is the most obvious and, at least in my opinion, the more engaging, and that’s the ever growing relationship between Hasebe and Lucy. Though Hasebe is definitely going about this in a less than savory manner (sekuhara galore, this man is) I don’t think even he quite realizes how sincere his interest in her is, as much as I think he’s finally starting to understand it somewhat. Since he mentioned that he doesn’t usually do anything with the emails he collects, I’ve wondered if Hasebe isn’t just usually messing around, except when it comes to Lucy, and my suspicions feel even more confirmed when Chihaya and Saya talk about how he says he’s never asked anyone out. I can easily see this being true, and the fact that Lucy seems to catch his eye more than anyone else (he’s not bothering Saya or Chihaya for one thing, though I guess Lucy is the easiest to tease) makes me think there are genuine feelings beneath the careless exterior.

That doesn’t mean that Lucy has to reciprocate, though I have a feeling she does, somewhere in her naivete, and the fact that she’s actually enjoying his company enough to accompany him to dinner so often makes me think she’s also interested. After all, no one likes to be around someone they’re neutral toward, even if they’re buying you good food every day (okay, so maybe I might hang out with people who buy me good food… shhh), and her total inability to stay away from him even after that embarrassing little confession makes me think this is only a matter of time, though his sekuhara escapades are only bound to complicate things now that he’s taken her to a hotel, regardless of whether he did anything to her or not.

The second arc, then, is the introduction of the Section Manager, Momoi Kenzou (Koyama Rikiya), the most bizarre and out of place character yet. I’m not sure if Momoi is actually a stuffed animal, or rather a human turned stuffed animal, or if he’s robotic and controlled from afar (both are kind of mentioned, though the first makes more sense considering his behavior), but his presence adds an element of the fantastic to an otherwise down-to-earth sort of series. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad for the show honestly; I liked Momoi and I found that his inclusion was pretty fun, but just how the heck do you come to terms with a talking rabbit stuffed toy in an office that reflects the realities of office work? Just what kind of office is this anyway? HOW CAN THEY ALL TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY?! Then again, he’s kind of adorable.