A workplace comedy set in a cozy little cafe…that specializes in catering to customers’ fetishes for sadists, tsundere and little sisters.
What They Say:
Episode 1: First-Time Super Sadist
Sixteen-year-old Maika Sakuranomiya dreams of studying abroad, so she wants to find a part-time job to save up money for it. Unfortunately, the naturally menacing look in her eyes has torpedoed all of her job interviews so far, leaving her feeling dejected. But then, Dino, a foreigner with blond hair, suddenly appears before Maika and invites her to work at his coffee shop. She’s thrilled to score her first job, but there’s a catch…
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Based on Miyuki Nakayama’s 4-koma (four panel) manga that debuted in Manga Time Kirara Carat back in 2013, A-1 Pictures is animating this anime adaptation under the direction of Ryouji Masuyama (this is his television series directorial debut, though he has served in numerous animation and directorial positions in several series), with scripts written by Go Zappa (who has served as series composer for numerous titles including last season’s Angel’s 3Piece, Chocotto Sister, Chronicles of the Going Home Club, Koihime Musou, Myself; Yourself, and NAKAIMO).
The basic premise is that our heroine, Maika Sakuranomiya, wants to find a part-time job so she can save up money to study abroad (even though it appears that she comes from a quite affluent family, she does not want to depend on her parents). She can’t get a job though because her expression is…rather menacing. It’s not that Maika is mean, in fact quite the opposite is true. But because of the way her eyes look, people get the wrong idea (animals too—see: Poor Kitty). While out trying to find a job yet again, Maika crosses paths with a strange blond man who seems interested in her. We find out later that he is Dino Roma, an Italian who runs a small cafe. When Maika stumbles upon the cafe after failing to get hired yet again, this time she manages to land a job, though the job is a bit strange. For the cafe, Cafe Stile, is a customer service fetish cafe. What do I mean by that? Well, a cafe where the wait staff play parts catering to the particular fetishes of its clientele, for example maid and butler cafes. In this case, Cafe Stile has its waitresses (the only males are in the kitchen) play various personas, such as Tsundere, Little Sisters, and in Maika’s case, an Extreme Sadist.
With this weird premise, the show is pretty much what one could guess, but that’s not a bad thing. The show has a rather strong Working!! vibe to it, which is odd because none of the senior production staff have any connection to that title, even if this being produced at the same animation studio. Basically, Dino is nuts, the other characters are all eccentrics of one sort or another, while Maika is the cute and clumsy protagonist. Of the other cast we have met so far, Kaho Hinata is a busty and cheerful girl (but is the Tsundere waitress), who loves video games (and whose character design really reminds me of another cafe-themed show, Is the Order a Rabbit?, which is not really a surprise as the character designer for Blend-S is Yousuke Okuda, who designed the characters for Order Rabbit, whose original manga runs in a sister magazine to this series’ source, Manga Time Kirara Max). Koyo Akizuki, one of the two males who work at Cafe Stile, is the chef and of the snarky type (again, echoes of Working!!’s Jun Satou, though this is not a carbon copy as there are differences). And finally, Mafuyu Hoshikawa appears to be a mean-spirited little elementary school girl but in reality is a college student who plays the Little Sister type while waitressing.
Weird people work at a food-serving establishment. Yep, echoes of Working!! But you know what? Unlike the somewhat unsatisfying spinoff WWW.Working!! of last year, this one I think manages to capture enough of the fun and strange elements that made the original Working!! quite enjoyable without coming across as a mere carbon copy. Blend-S is its own thing with its own aesthetic and sense of humor, an interesting blend, one could say, of the elements of Is the Order a Rabbit? and Working!! that make those shows enjoyable, but without feeling like a complete knockoff. If you like comedies with snappy punchlines (coming from the 4-koma origin), weird people, and cuteness, this will be a nice cup of house blend to sit down and savor. If any of those things are not your thing (instant coffee person that you are), then you may want to head elsewhere.
In Summary:
Maika Sakuranomiya frightens people with her piercing stare—not that she wants to. In fact, she desperately wants to land a job so that she can save money to go study abroad after high school. Her unfortunate look comes in handy, however, when she happens upon Cafe Stile, a small coffee shop run by Dino Roma who has his waitresses act out various fetish personas to appeal to his customers. Maika, even if her actual personality is nothing like that, takes on the role of the Extreme Sadist and inadvertently nails the part. Weird people working at a food service establishment. Yes, the general premise is not exactly new, but the execution and humor so far are pretty good. I will definitely want a refill.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 12GB RAM, Mac OS 10.11 El Capitan
