Servant x Service - 5

"Everyone Has Close Calls, So Learn From Them and Keep the Workplace Healthy"

I did not see that coming until right before it did.

I feel like SxS has a track record for surprising me somehow every week, and for the most part, that’s been a pretty spectacular record too. There’s plenty going on character-wise, so much so that I get the real, tangible feeling that we’re watching real, if exaggerated, people at work in their everyday lives and dilemmas. It doesn’t feel hollow or forced in the least, and despite the bizarre elements of last week’s episode, it all feels weirdly ground in reality somehow. Perhaps then it’s no surprise that this week we get a hugely entertaining episode without the need for things like magical talking stuffed bunnies, and that it’s simultaneously turned out to be one of the most human episodes of the series so far.

Lucy and Hasebe: Ship of the Season

Can I just appreciate how much characterization went into Hasebe’s character this week? For one thing, Kaoru’s assessment that Hasebe is the least hyper of the family turns out to be rather spot-on, and for another, he’s also far more considerate than I first thought. Rather than taking Lucy to a hotel and finding someone to stay with her, as I first suspected, he bypassed the terrible idea quite quickly and instead responsibly took her to his sister’s house. Not only that, but he also shows visible signs of being hurt by Lucy’s rejection of him, and we also get to see a milder, more thoughtful side of him that we rarely see while he’s at work. As for Lucy, she’s still quite oblivious about everything, but I don’t think she’s completely uninterested. Her silly comment about Hasebe’s game (“Do you really think girls with such huge breasts exist?”) makes me think that she’s subconsciously hoping his interest in her is genuine, even if her naivety is still rather hugely in the way. It’s mostly subtle, but no less genuine because of it, and I’m still firmly on the helm of this ship, hopefully for the remainder of the season.

The Sister Who’s Funny and The Sister That Still Takes Some Getting Used To

Of the two sister characters in this series, Kaoru is definitely my favorite. True, she’s a bit of a troll, but that doesn’t necessarily make her a bad person, just as Hasebe’s somewhat careless attitude in the office doesn’t make him out to be a total ass. She’s also pretty considerate and kind in her own way, and her joking aside about incestuous threesomes and the like, she really is rather understanding and helpful to have let a total stranger sleep in her home at her brother’s request. On the other hand, there’s Touko, who I still can’t bring myself to like very much. It makes me rather sad to hear that she’s considering not going to college for her brother’s sake, because as considerate and helpful as she’s trying to be, I’m sure that’s not what Ichimiya wants for her, and I’m also sure it’s something she’ll regret hugely later on. Perhaps her friendship with Saya will help out a but in that regard, though I think there are certain other matters that might have an impact on her decisions sooner or later…

The Girlfriend

I feel like I’m writing tarot card names or something.

By far, my favorite moments this episode were courtesy of Chihaya, who dropped the bomb most of us probably weren’t expecting. I didn’t think Ichimiya’s comment about having a girlfriend would be so relevant, so when Chihaya declared herself to be the one in question (and denied it in amusingly hilarious fashion, for Lucy’s benefit), I literally felt my jaw drop. She’s definitely wearing the pants in this relationship, and it’s somewhat sadistically fun to see her wrap Ichimiya around her finger with her hilarious manipulations, though they’re definitely understandable when Touko and Chihaya’s own personality are factored into the equation. It can’t be fun to date someone who’s more devoted to their sibling, especially when the sibling in question would probably murder you both for being together in the first place, so Chihaya’s patience is rather saintlike, though even she has her limits and deals with it in weird ways. If it weren’t for Lucy and Hasebe, I’d be far more delighted about Chihaya and Ichimiya, though poor Ichimiya seems like he has quite a lot to handle in his daily life after all.

In Summary…

If you’re not watching this series yet, I’m judging you. You know who you are. That is all.

N.B.: I want to apologize for borrowing Stilts-senpai’s preferred method of blogging this week, as I’m feeling rather ill and not quite up to processing my thoughts quite as clearly as usual. It also helps when talking about the segmented portions of a series like this, so who knows, maybe I’ll come up with a similar method in later weeks. I also want to apologize for the late post; it’s partially due to some unscheduled family matters and partly due to my previously mentioned illness.