Working!!!

SEGHE Sep 21, 2023

8

Story (8/10): Working!!!, also known as Wagnaria!! 3, continues the hilarious and heartwarming slice-of-life adventures of the staff at the Wagnaria family restaurant. The story maintains its charm and humor, with each episode presenting a new set of comical situations and character interactions. While the overarching plot isn't the focus here, the series excels in delivering episodic stories that are both entertaining and endearing. It's a delightful continuation of the workplace antics we've come to love. Animation (7/10): The animation style in Working!!! remains consistent with the previous seasons. It's clean and colorful, capturing the quirky expressions and reactions of the characters effectively. While it may not be the most visually groundbreaking anime, it serves its purpose well for a slice-of-life comedy, allowing the characters' personalities to shine through. Sound (8/10): The sound design in Working!!! complements the comedic atmosphere perfectly. The opening and ending themes are catchy and set the tone for each episode. Voice acting is on point, with each character's voice actor delivering their lines with the right amount of energy and comedic timing. The sound effects enhance the humor and add to the overall enjoyment of the series. Characters (9/10): The strength of Working!!! lies in its lovable and eccentric cast of characters. From the perpetually angry Kyouko to the socially awkward Takanashi, each character brings their unique quirks to the table. The development of their relationships and personal growth over the course of the series is a joy to watch. By this third season, viewers have had ample time to connect with and root for these characters, making their interactions all the more enjoyable. Overall (8/10): Working!!! (Wagnaria!! 3) continues to deliver the workplace comedy and endearing character dynamics that fans of the series have come to adore. While it doesn't deviate significantly from the formula of its predecessors, it doesn't need to. The humor is consistently funny, the characters are charming, and the overall atmosphere is heartwarming. As for a comparison to the manga or novel, the anime faithfully adapts the source material, capturing the essence of the manga and bringing it to life with the added benefit of voice acting and animation. If you're a fan of quirky slice-of-life comedies, this series is a must-watch.

Jehowi Sep 22, 2015

6.5

January 2013: It was a time when I was a mere rookie when it came to Anime. Sure, I had seen my fair share of overhyped shounen series like Dragonball Z and Pokémon, but that was back when I wasn't even aware that any of these shows belonged to a bigger something. It was when I joined Anime-Planet, that a whole new world opened up to me. One of the first shows I ever watched in this new world, was Working! (Wagnaria). It was a time when I still used to be very lenient towards the things I saw; a time when I could hardly distinguish the good from the bad since I lacked the proper experience. When you haven't seen a lot yet, chances are that you'll be impressed very easily. What's the reason I'm saying all this? It's because even for my standards, back in the days Working! was one of those shows I just couldn't appreciate to the fullest. I rated it a 6.9/10 - which I assume isn't bad in comparison to my standards these days, as I presently became a lot more strict - but back then, that used to be the lowest score I had ever given to an Anime I reviewed. Since that time, I've seen over 150 animes, and my knowledge and expectations have become a lot more extensive. When I heard that A-1 pictures announced a third and final season of Working!, I was intrigued. It'd give me a chance to see how my view towards the series had changed after seeing so many other shows. Had I been too strict by rating the show a 6.9/10? The short answer is NO. In fact, my opinion about this series hasn't changed a lot, even after all this time. I did, however, manage to see the bigger meaning behind this series. i've come to accept it as it is, while back in my rookie days, I expected every Anime to have an epic story with loads of plot development and action. The comic relief and running gags of a show like Working! were completely new to me. As a matter of fact, even slice of life shows became something I despised after seeing Working! for the first time, as I wrongly presumed that every slice of life show would be the same as Working! I couldn't have been more wrong... This review does not contain spoilers of season 3, but it does contain spoilers of season 1 and 2 as it has been made for those who have already seen the first two seasons and are unsure if it's worth to check out the new season. Season 3 makes us return to the restaurant Wagnaria and its rather eccentric staff. The show is mostly episodic, with the occasional romantic development here and there. The main focus still lies on the the funny and awkward moments which usually occur because of the cast's strange habits or characteristics. Inami is still struggling to overcome her fear of men, Taneshima is still trying to grow bigger and Souma is still striving to know everyone's secrets. Watching Working! is like watching a sitcom: you'll enjoy it if you don't expect too much deepness and it shouln't be taken seriously. It has a light tone to it. It mainly leans on its running gags, so expect to see a lot of the same things happening throughout the series. The show had a sluggish start that disappointed me, but after a while I started to enjoy watching it. Some of the episodes focused too much on a single - annoying - character, while it's crystal clear that everyone would rather see some development in Inami's and Souta's relationship. What's a good comedy series without enjoyable characters? Luckily this also counts for Working!. I'm pretty sure anyone can identify with at least one of these odd people. And with odd, I mean that not a single one of them is completely sane. As far as I can remember from the previous seasons, it used to be even worse in the past. The manager is eating all the time, Yachiyo is always talking about the manager, Satou is always thinking about Yachiyo, Taneshima is always thinking about how small she is and Yamada always forgets to think when she's holding tableware. Some characters have shown positive development towards their shortcomings, or at least up till a certain extent. Inami, for instance, hasn't punched a single male as far as I can remember. It's good to see some change in the characters, however little, as in the previous two seasons, the show never seemed to go anywhere. All of the OP's and ED's of Working sound very much alike. You could recognize them immediately. The voice actors for all of the important characters (read: restaurant personnel) remained the same. I never had any complaints about the voice acting. The actors fit well with their characters, and I'm happy they didn't have to change one of them because that might've been a bit awkward if you're about to see all three seasons in one go. The animation has always been good and since it looks the same as in the previous seasons, it still is. The characters look nice and realistic. The colors are vivid and appealing. So why did this show go from 6.9/10 to 6.5/10? Does that mean it got worse than the previous seasons? Well, not really. I just became more stern. Season 3 is better than both of the previous seasons. A-1 Pictures has promised to wrap the show up and so far they didn't disappoint. There's more development than in the previous seasons and it looks like they're actually going somewhere for a change. That being said, the show is still far from outstanding. It is watchable, enjoyable even, but certainly not memorable. It lacks a certain special something to make it stand out. It's a light-hearted comedy like a dozen other shows out there, nothing more, nothing less. If you're okay with that and you enjoyed the previous two seasons, then I can recommend this show to you. If you're looking for something more memorable in the slice of life/comedy or comedy/romance genre, I'd recommend you to look elsewhere. For example: Kaichou-wa Maid-sama is a better show that partially has the same setting as Working!.

DGFischer Jul 11, 2022

9.2

The great comedian Jonathan Winters made a decisive point about the foibles of the 'running gag.'  In the late 60's (SMA ... darn!), Winters had a summer season variety show, and in the first three offerings, he did a parody of 'Jack Armstrong ... The All-American Boy."  Three skits involving a cast of four, Winters playing Jack Armstrong.  Only the settings differed.  An Egyptian pyramid.  Aztec ruins.  A jungle-bound Hindu temple.  The professor, his daughter, a best buddy, and Armstrong poking about a spooky vault.  Same dialogue.  Same expressions.  Only minor touches of Winter's witticisms.  Then the zombie-like characters surround the four and loom in threateningly.  A failed attempt to use Armstrong's legendary, signal/decoder ring.  Then the 'To Be Continued ..' ended the five-minute skit.  The third round of thrilling adventures brought out the undead one more time and Winters broke in with roughly this: DON'T YOU THINK THIS IS STARTING TO GET BORING? In the fourth week, the Jack Armstrong segment didn't appear.  Ratings?  No, I think Jonathan Winters was making a point about feeding the audience the 'same-old-same-old.'  It gets nauseating after a while. This brings up this review of the third season of Working!!  After two years of the Wagnarian running gags, it was time to start resolving some of the subplots and tap into a new source of zaniness.  Once this was done, the cast could actually begin to shine in the humor category.  And the things to tie up neatly: The unrequited love twixt Jun and Yachiyo.  It was a double story of working up courage.  Jun to express his feelings (not his specialty) and Yachiyo to find that spreading her wings meant quitting her job as head waitress and find life outside the Wagnaria Family Restaurant. The ‘finding’ of that delinquent and clumsy dish-handler Aoi Yamada.  Having Souma replace Kirio as the brotherly influence in Aoi's life helped, but Souma has his issues as well, and not wishing to be photographed seems suspicious.  But accepting the brother-gig would make the sous chef a little less vicious in his sweet and charming way. The perils of being Poplar.  The pint-sized senpai is constantly on the search for respect, but Yachiyo's offer of having Poplar replace her as head waitress once she quits makes Taneshima realize that there is already a groundswell of respect for her. The affair of cross-dressing Souta and androphobiac Mahiru.  Inami's fear of Takanashi lessens throughout the season, and Souta learns that in the end, he can't protect Mahiru (or himself) by refusing to be himself.  The planned date (interrupted by Inami's father, who knows Takanashi only as a girl) is one of the most hilarious scenarios in the three-year run.  Only Souta's overly protective (and a few degrees of sinister) mother can put a wrench in the developing relationship. All the humor pieces fall into place in the third season.  The animation does the job with few eye-catching effects, but the music for the themes were excellent from the roaring opener to the romantic closer.  Working!! Third Season has all the grace and whimsy of a joke one doesn't catch at first, but when you do ... LOL!