Working!! - Reviews

I've been struggling with this review for the longest time, trying accurately describe my conflicting emotions with regards to this series. In an attempt to ease the writing (typing) process, I've decided to disregard the usual categorical segmentation of Story, Animation, blah blah blah. This is due, in part at least, to my own past struggles with properly segmenting character and story summary, and being forced to hammer out a paragraph about the sometimes lackluster elements of animation and/or sound (certainly the case this time around).

Also, I couldn't think of a way to convey this review without some spoilers, so... yeah. There's only 1 aspect that I feel might have a chance to diminish enjoyment while watching, but it is there.

Right, on to the review proper!

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Yay! Terrible Font!

I've never had the misfortune of meeting a cock tease, being a pasty-skinned, bespectacled Chinese guy from Singapore, which was recently named "Geek Central" by CNNgo, who'd sooner fork over 20 bucks for a punch in the gut than be granted entrance to a club on a Saturday night, but I really couldn't find a more apt analogy for metaphorical blue balls the Working!! plot left me with. Coining the term 'plot tease' and uploading a definition to UrbanDictionary might seem a little hasty, but I sorely considered it.

If you didn't already read the synopsis on your way to clicking to this review, Working!! follows the day-to-day antics of a ragtag group of employees at a famires (family restaurant), and neatly falls into the Slice of Life Comedy genre, which is already plagued with titles like Minami-ke, Hidamari Sketch, and Ichigo Mashimaro, that collectively have less plot than your average Tweet. So why would I have a problem with Working!!'s shortcomings in the plot department? Well, the short answer would be because it half-succeeded in having one. Or rather it strung me along, then slammed the door in my face after inviting me in for some hot metaphorical coffee.

Shamelessly stolen from our forums...

The delicious caramel that holds this series firmy together is the quirky cast of characters. Arguably, many stereotypes are represented, and while they don't truly break the mould, they definitely help bore out and deepen it. The protagonist cum straight man of the series, Takanashi Souta, is at a glance your standard protagonist fare, with a side of lolicon meshed with a fondness for small & cute things, juxtaposed with an inherent distaste for older folk (anyone over 12).

Well, okay, maybe not really standard fare in the strictest sense.

Over the course of the series, it's revealed that this stems from 3 looming, less-than-ideal elder sisters, and being raised almost like a daughter by both them, and his father. In order to establish and substantiate his position as a male, he takes to raising his younger sister in his father's stead. But even she is maturing fast and becoming more independent by the day, sinking that little boat he's been keeping afloat in. This leads him to Inami Mahiru, his violently androphobic coworker, and his taking it upon himself to help her overcome her disorder.

All this, wrapped in the guise of a gag series. I know, right? (Excuse me, I need to choke myself for using that.. *gkkt*)

Our dear Main Protagonist: Top-right

The rest of the gang have a fair bit to read into, and most do a good job of pushing the boundries of their respective archtypes. Not only that, the chemistry among the cast is like the chemistry between Mentos & Coke - sweet, frothy, fun, and a bit of a mess. It's been a while since I last saw such a well-thought-out cast attain this level of interaction.

But alas, now that I've sung enough praises of the character design to have them canonized, it's time to get back to my sob story.

This screenshot needs context, doesn't it?

The only proper story arc that develops over the series that isn't exploited for the sole purpose of giggles is one that deals with the potential relationship between androphobic Inami and Takanashi. And while I'm well-aware that many a sitcom (and these days, even regular dramas) relish, and indeed hinge upon teasing viewers with actual story progress, only to yank the plot back via its leash, I felt especially disappointed this time around. With the curtains drawn and no sequel visible on the horizon, it seemed the conflicts and struggles endured by the characters towards their goals had been invalidated, leaving me feeling cheated and in no mood to do anything but sigh in disappointment at the closing scenes.

I'm being overly emotional. Ultimately, Working!! achieved what it was advertised and set out to do, and did so arguably better than any other series I've viewed recently. Plot progress was just a surprising gem to be found in such a series, which only served to disappoint when I realized it was made of plastic. And really, marking this series down because of it would be like penalizing a student for being a myopic, pasty-skinned asian kid with slanty eyes.

Some people can't help it, okay?!

Content Unrelated (Possibly) - This production was recommended to me by a guy friend whom I suppose just coincidentally also happens to have three elder sisters. Of course. Nothing Freudian about this at all. Nope.

Story - None whatsoever. That's why I couldn't give it a high score. But that was, in my opinion, an excellent creative decision by the studio.

Here's how I envision the creative process went.

Studio Boss: MINION!

Studio Minion: Yes Boss!

Studio Boss: Take this stock cast.

Studio Minion: Yes Boss!

Studio Boss: Take this setting my mistress came up with last night.

Studio Minion: Yes Boss!

Studio Boss: Come up with a series of random funny gags and we'll use it to fill up airtime next season.

Studio Minion: Yes Boss!

Studio Boss: Now crawl out of here on all fours.

Studio Minion: Yes Boss!

I can't say for everyone, but I'm sick of romance stories with their typical lengthy courtships and tsun-tsun and triangles and stuff. But this, an unabashed run of random gags with only vague relation to each other, I can take. Especially when the gags are actually pretty damn good. I wouldn't try to criticise this for being meaningless (it is); it'll be like holding a standup comedy to an inauguration speech and slamming the former for lack of content.

That's all that is to it actually, up till Episode 10 at least. Then it makes an ill-advised leap into shoujo-romance territory and becomes not-so-comedic any more. In fact, if you ask me, the only good thing to come out of the last three episodes was the introduction of the self-proclaimed 'normal' Maya. Pity they didn't bring her out sooner, she could had been an excellent foil personality.

Animation - Nothing to shout about, good or bad.

Sound - By far the worst thing about this series. Bland, boring, utterly forgettable. Also the weakest creative link in the whole production. On more than one occasion I find myself wishing that I could just turn off the soundtrack in the background and listen to just the dialogue.

Of course, this is coming from a Bee Train fan, and one can't be a true Bee Train fan without looking down the nose at everyone else's OSTs right?

Voice acting is satisfactory without being particularly excellent or anything. Salvaged some points here.

Characters - A varied and engaging cast, but a stock one all the same. Nothing fresh or new or groundbreaking or unique. It's like someone just tossed together a bunch of contemporary popular characters tropes and made it fit.

Not that it's a bad thing, really. Code Geass did the same after all, with the inclusion of a Magnificent Bastard or two (or a hundred or a million or Zero). Black Lagoon also.

And like Black Lagoon, Working!! doesn't break any new ground character-wise. What it did do however was play the characters in their roles excellently. How should I put it? Let's just say the studio basically redid old material with old ideas, but did it well. Very well. Although sometimes it does seem that the cast was being introduced solely for the purpose of facilitating the gags. I guess that's what comes of adapting from a four-panel comic.

Also, am I the only person to think that Satou is a dead-on dopplerganger for Sister from Arakawa Under The Bridge? Sans the scar and pistol of course. I can't help but keep imagining the signature blood spurt spouting out of Satou's face every time his crush gets up to her yuri antics in front of him.