Working’!! [Final Impressions]4

Summary:

Sorry about the late review—I was actually contemplating even taking the time to write down some final impressions, but taking the full week to reflect, I feel like the series has undoubtedly done plenty on its part to elicit a final word of praise . Not only have I enjoyed each and every episode, but the finale treats us to yet another delicious surprise (food humor)—Maya (normal) Matsumoto is back and she’s here to lend a hand with her average 18-year-old advice! I remember always catching glimpses of her in the background and begging to have her take the spotlight even for just a few seconds, and now she’s being incorporated into the episode’s entire plot, following suit with the other new character introductions made earlier including oddball Kirio-kun and the Mashiba twins. However, her level of involvement within the episode did leave much to be desired—her debut scene lasted maybe 5 seconds and ended with Souta’s blunt “Old Hag” comment. In terms of how her personality ties into the diverse mix of the Wagnaria staff, I feel like the others might have benefited from hearing more of her sensible and balanced opinions (which can often become equally silly and over-the-top), though I could also foresee her orderly manner hindering the overall hilarious insanity that characterizes the show.

Considering all of that normality in the beginning, it was nice to see things transition back to the “norm”, which by Wagnaria standards means outlandish rumors and consequential misunderstandings—who better to take on the task than Aoi-chan! She’s the queen of untimely appearances, always around when you’re busy and gone when you still don’t need her but want to yell at her to get back to work. Not to mention her expertise in breaking plates has made her a master of the report sheet. And when Popura claims to have gotten taller, Aoi is the first to connect tallness with maturity, eventually spreading the rumor that Popura has plans to quit her baito to free up time for school study.

Beginning the day with *terrifying* news of Popura growing up had Souta already on edge, but compound that with her quitting proposition and his worst fears have been realized, subsequently having quite the ripple effect on the other staff members. Worry-wart Yachiyo is showing signs of endearing concern again as she confronts Sato asking if he too plans to quit while Inami inquires whether Souta is considering leaving—the latter, however, cleverly pulls out the old “but you came here to help me get over my androphobia~” scapegoat that effectively pacifies his doubts Of course, the best was watching Sato and Souta meet in secret to discuss the implication of Popura’s leave on their futures, meeting like bad-cops discussing the less-glamorous side of the situation.

Final Impressions:

I have greatly enjoyed following this series each week if for nothing else than the fantastic laughs. Despite not having seen the first season, I’ve heard enough to suggest that plot development-wise, the series hasn’t progressed much in the sequel. But less depth can actually turn on end to become a significant positive point for a series like this where the plot is focused more on the humorous day to day antics that take place at Wagnaria. One of the things characteristic of many slice-of-life/comedy shows is that the status quo reigns supreme—take Ika Musume for example, though unlike the second season of Ika, WORKING’!! in my opinion managed to sustain and even surpass the former season.

With all of the many new characters brought into the mix, I was thinking that some new relationship connections might be formed, but again, the shallowness of plot development was able to retain its former glory. Sato never manages to confess to Yachiyo, Inami, despite keeping Souta close, also falls short of an official confession, and even Aoi’s older brother (Kirio-kun) never ends up reconnecting with his elusive imouto. And punctuate this with Popura discovering that she hasn’t even grown a centimeter and we’ve essentially come full circle since episode one. In the end, the static setting ultimately worked in favor of the series, complimenting the brand new humor with ongoing antics while keeping along the same successful track set up by the previous season. Taking in account how each episode managed to turned recycled jokes into elaborate comedic sequences, WORKING’!! proved its worth as the perfect watch for anyone looking for a few great laughs.