New hairstyles apparently can be dangerous. Then, it’s time to meet the family when the Stile gang goes to Maika’s house for a visit.
What They Say:
Episode 5: Rainy and Then Windy
It’s Pony Tail Day at Café Stile and all of the staff members fix their hair accordingly. However, when Kaho undoes Maika’s braids, a shocking truth comes to light. After work, something dreadful happens to Akizuki and Kaho, both of whom have become too involved with a video game! And when Maika catches a cold, she takes time off from the job. The Stile staffers pay her a sick visit at home, but first encounter Maika’s family.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
At its heart, Blend-S is about a lovable group of weirdoes. To varying degrees, the entire staff of Café Stile has a screw or two loose. While focusing entirely on a bunch of eccentrics could become tiresome, the key is that these characters are kept adorable for the most part. All of that being established now, what each new episode seems to do is just double-down on the weirdness. That can be a risky thing, but again, this episode manages to make it fun.
I could summarize the little plot threads, about ponytails, dangerous hair, going overboard on games, and dealing with a strange family, but that doesn’t really matter too much. What counts is whether any of those things entertain much. And the answer continues to be “yes.” That Maika’s attempts to be a normal, sweet young girl (which she is at heart) keep on getting sidetracked by her nasty facial expressions has not yet worn out its welcome. That her own body joins in on her unintended sadism, when her ponytail acts as a whip, lashing the Manager, works within the general humor of her persona.
Perhaps a bit thinner, so far, are some of the supporting characters, such as Kaho and Akizuki, who have been largely one-note personalities in the mix, though those single notes are played to some good comic effect this installment when the two are trapped in the staff room accidentally. Such a setup in a more “normal” story might foretell a romantic encounter. In this case, it’s just two gaming nerds (currently obsessed with an idol game called I-Pas) being afraid of the dark and of any kind of romantic encounter, things they only seem to know of from anime/manga/game approximations of such.
But the real showcase of oddities on display is the final segment, where Kaho, Mafuyu and Dino pay a home visit to Maika, who is sick with a cold. There, they meet Aika, Maika’s older sister and Kouichi, Maika’s older brother and learn…that they are just as weird and nuts as their younger sister, though in a different way. As well as being super sadists (entirely without any intention) like their younger sibling.
This show continues to be light, fluffy, sugary, and sweet. Just like cotton candy or a parfait.
In Summary:
Ponytails might be a very stylish hair arrangement choice, but Maika’s apparently can be dangerous. So can gaming on the floor. And then the staff of the cafe ventures to Maika’s house and see just how unusual the Sakuranomiya family is. All in all, another collection of funny little vignettes about a range of odd and weird people who are adorable.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 12GB RAM, Mac OS 10.13 High Sierra
