Who knew that such darkness lurked in the hearts of people…who argue over getting a small piece of plaster shaped and painted into a magical girl?
What They Say:
Episode 2: “Sweets Without Honor”
Ever since Maika has been assigned the “sadist character,” she’s been practicing to get it right with the customers. Even though it doesn’t go as planned, Maika seems to have a naturally sadistic streak that is popular with the regulars. Other than that, Café Stile has a tradition in which the staff members compete every season to add a new item to the menu. Kaho, Akizuki, and the manager are pitted against Maika and Mafuyu.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
This show is plain silly. And that’s a good thing. In this second installment, while we get one somewhat extended story, the main intent is to show off a bit more about the characters. In one case, perhaps more than we might want to know (Akizuki, the chef, is into girls who are into yuri (a concept which, naturally, has to be explained to the sheltered Maika)). Character studies aside, we also discover that Café Stile has a regular competition for creating new menu items. The winners get to receive a prize from the manager.
After drawing lots, Mafuyu and Maika are teamed up. Mafuyu is in it to win it, largely just to get another magical girl figure (apparently she is obsessed with a property called Magical Girl Frill). The other team, consisting of the Manager, Akizuki, and Kaho, have their own agendas (Akizuki demanding a Ladies Day, where only female customers would be allowed in, in his hopes of viewing girls’ love live; Kaho being broke right after payday, in need of more funds to buy more video games). Mafuyu and Maika’s idea is a parfait.
Parfaits might sound dull and normal, but it’s left to Maika to design the actual parfait and as we all know, Maika is a sheltered young girl from a traditional and affluent family. Her knowledge of what is what in a kitchen…is probably a bit limited. So she doesn’t seem to realize what it is that makes her parfait a hit. Yes, it’s a hit…with all the customers who are already enamored of her naturally sadistic expression.
I like serial storytelling quite a bit, but sometimes it’s fun just to have random episodic humor thrown at you once a week. That looks to be the formula here with Blend-S. And it works. A group of weirdoes working at a cafe is not a new concept, but the execution is quite solid here. Just focusing on Maika’s sadistic expression or her naïveté every episode might get a touch repetitive or boring, so it’s good that we see the rest of the cast fleshed out a bit, with their own individual quirks. The one danger for this show is if its gags become repetitive. Let’s hope they can continue to mix it up each week.
In Summary:
Maika continues to work at Café Stile, learning more about the people who work there and what it’s like to be around people outside of her immediate family. Among the quick gags that pop in and out, there is a competition to come up with a new menu item. Maika and Mafuyu are paired together for this one and they come up with a winning idea…even if their victory is owing to reasons other than the brilliance of their parfait designing skills. This continues to be a fun blend of quirky, sweet, and fast humorous takes.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 12GB RAM, Mac OS 10.13 High Sierra
