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The layers are deception are slowly being peeled back, one by one.
The focus of Servant X Service has turned more and more onto the potential ships at sail among the cast, which isn’t really too surprising. It’s pretty much much happened with Working! as well – it’s not as if that series spend a lot of time focused on the subtleties of making naporitans and serving coffee once the initial few episodes has established the premise. The difference is more one of tone – despite the presence here of Usagi-shachou, the cast of Working! was actually weirder on as a group, and the focus was as much on their bizarre quirks as romance itself (though that was a major factor). The cast of S x S is on the whole slightly more grounded, and more of an age where serious relationships are a serious possibility.
While it’s clear that Lucy x Hasebe is the star around which everything else in Servant X Service orbits – and rightfully so – there was a considerable focus this time on fleshing out the Chihaya-Ichimiya partnership. As I’ve said before my main take on this relationship is that I can’t see what either of them sees in the other, and this ep seems to be a tacit admission of that issue and an attempt to clarify it – at least from one side of the equation. For Ichimiya the case can at least be made that desperation was a factor, but wither Chihaya’s interesting in a simpering, self-loathing foot-stool like him?
Via flashback we see Chihaya’s early days at the Ward Office, where she – like Lucy – dressed frumpily, saving her creativity for her cosplay moments. I’ll be honest and say that while I understand what the show was trying to do here, it doesn’t really explain anything as far as I’m concerned. It seems as if Chihaya was drawn-in by Ichimiya’s sob story about being a father figure to his sister, and developed a sort of quasi-brocon affection towards him when he slipped into Onii-san mode with her. Is that really a strong basis around which to build a relationship? I suppose there’s an implication there that Chihaya’s stern exterior is a front and she’s actually a lonely kid underneath, but the whole thing is pretty much a whiff for me. What did work, though, was the scene where he told her to make sure she didn’t catch a cold cosplaying in a suggestive outfit at Comiket, and she first kissed and then slapped him. “I’m unable to put into words how I feel about that.” she says, “So I expressed it objectively.” It was the best moment so far centered around that pairing.
We also got some flashbacks surrounding Jyouji, apparently aimed at trying to humanize his character – and likewise, they didn’t really hit the mark for me. I still think the guy is a freak (thankfully it doesn’t seem as if Saya’s view has changed either) and if he’s in-love with Hasebe he’s be better off dropping the facade and just admitting it. But the interesting part here is how fascinated Kaoru is with Jyouji (she carries around a grade-school picture of him), who she describes as “her type” though she did refuse when he asked her out in the same sort of anti-Yutaka attack he tried with Lucy. That whole dynamic is an odd one, too, no less so because we find out later in the episode that Kaoru is engaged to be married. I’m not sure to who – I can’t imagine it could be Jyouji (maybe it’ll be Momoi for all I know), but the timing of all this is suspicious to say the least.
It’s possible that the marriage could be otherwise unrelated to the rest of the plot because it was used as a device to tweak the Hasebe-Lucy relationship. Indeed, all of the other plots are important partly for how they impact that one, the clear heart of the series. We have Lucy and Chihaya off to buy a skirt for the date, and the three-way dinner between Lucy, Saya and Kaoru where the Jyouji flashbacks play out. The salient point that emerges from the shopping trip is confirmation of Lucy’s low opinion of herself, which Chihaya rightfully scolds her for. Lucy can’t even imagine why “someone like me” could even be in a middlebrow boutique looking at skirts, never mind the object of real affection from a guy who isn’t a complete loser. It’s still not 100% clear how Lucy got the way she did but it’s quite sad to see, and despite Chihaya’s continued attempts to denigrate Hasebe in Lucy’s eyes – which even she is starting to lose her enthusiasm for – she tells Lucy that her lack of self-respect is also a lack of respect for the people who think highly of her, especially Hasebe. It’s an excellent and very penetrating observation that fits the moment perfectly, and one we don’t see made in anime often enough.
As always everything swings back to Hasebe and Lucy sooner or later. Saya drops the bomb on Yutaka that Kaoru is getting married, the start of a misunderstanding chain that occupies the last third of the ep. Saya presumably assumes Hasebe already knows, but to make things worse, because of loud-mouth Touko and the phone he ends up thinking that it’s Lucy that’s getting married. This misapprehension is advanced by Lucy’s glowing happiness – which turns out to be not because she’s engaged, but because she won a “Tosho card“, a sort of bookstore-only gift certificate – often with limited-edition art – that’s given to frequent bookstore shoppers when they spend enough.
There’s not a whole lot of interpretation required for what happens here. Hasebe’s devastation at hearing this news is the last nail in the coffin of any self-deceit that he’s not nuts about Lucy. When he finds out the truth he smashes his phone in disgust (and relief) and tells Lucy he was planning on getting rid of all the girls’ numbers and emails anyway, because “she’s the only girl he needs”. Lucy is incredibly dense (and naïve about relationships, as witness her cluelessness about the implications of telling Hasebe she’ll “Do her best to accompany him till the end!” of their date) but even she must surely start getting the picture soon (subconsciously she probably has already) – it’s only her truly impressive lack of self-worth that’s allowed her to believe Hasebe isn’t nuts for her for this long. Hasebe has admitted the truth to himself – the question is, what will Lucy do once she’s finally done the same? Presumably that’s what this season is building towards, with what happens afterwards likely a part of any second season that might come down the line. Given the solid if unspectacular week 1 sales for the first volume (about 4200 units) that seems like a real possibility, though no sure thing. Given that this is one of the better romantic pairings of any anime for a good long time, I certainly hope it happens.
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That Latina Chick
August 30, 2013 at 2:59 amYou know it would be hilarious if kaoru ends up marring Jyouji but I doubt it I wonder who the lucky soul could be?
Ok after that "confession" lucy has to get the hint that hasebe is absolutely nuts about her. I seriously wonder how the fated date will go in the end 0_0 I hope it turns out well considering how nervous hasebe is about the whole thing.
Elevator
August 30, 2013 at 4:18 amTo be honest, I rather enjoy the Chihaya x Ichimiya pair – it's a nice foil to the Hasabe x Lucy relationship. Chihaya probably likes Ichimiya because of his kindness and his authenticity (possibly related to her inherent distrust of Hasabe and his pokerfacin'), but is at the same time frustrated with his self-deprecating squishiness. It's a flawed and disfunctional relationship that needs both side to do some dirty work (NPI), and plays along nicely with the sweet and awkward relationship between Hasabe and Lucy that seems more spontaneous.
It's like the nutmeg to H x L's honey; the Guinness to HxL's Hefeweissbier.
Rias Gremory
August 30, 2013 at 4:34 amI don't like Jyouji either, major fail into making him a sympathetic character. If I were Ichimiya I would have called the police by now for having him stalk my employees and stand outside the office.
And 4,200 in it's first week is fair for a series like this. 8,000 to 10,000 a volume should be enough to warrant a 2nd season.
Rias Gremory
August 30, 2013 at 4:37 am*its
That Latina Chick
August 30, 2013 at 4:37 amHey enzo I just realized something. I think the reason lucy has such a low self-esteem is because of her getting teased a lot her whole life because of her name plus it doesn't help that she probably got teased because of her breasts by both boys and girls. Its not an easy thing for her to get over her shyness. She always used to hide in the library for comfort. The girl has been through a lot i hope this relationship will work out.
admin
August 30, 2013 at 5:30 amYeah, I speculated that might be the issue way back in my episode two or three post, but I keep wondering if we're going to get anything more specific.
ishruns
August 30, 2013 at 4:46 amIts nice that there is a decent normal romance like Hasebe x Lucy in anime still but I feel its starting to get a bit boring. Its not that I want drama or ridiculous comedy or more pandering, its just that it sounds sweet without tasting sweet. Its as you say more grounded and thus unlike working more likely to take official flight but its somewhat uncompelling. Point when I watched the Kamisama Hajemashita Ova the reactive and fun chemistry was overflowing and Lucy x Hasebe was like that but its become a tad bit too flat. Not annoying like with the formerly-human-now-foot-wipe x Chihaya but kinda mellow.
Its the sort of romance that as an outsider is of interest when you meet one day and say, "oh you're dating, congrats." and there ends the involvement. Its so true to real life that relationship that I wonder why I just don't follow some budding romantic gossip on FB rather than watching SxS. Weird criticism but I yawned a lot while watching this episode.
admin
August 30, 2013 at 5:28 amAll I can say is that I completely disagree – I found the H X L moments the best thing in the episode, and I think they have fantastic chemistry. I love the fact that it's so free of the standard anime clichés, and it's crucial that I like them both individually as well.
Zeta Zero
August 30, 2013 at 1:08 pmI don't see what makes this sort of anime so special when the same relationship-centric storylines exist in the television and film formats.
Slashe
August 31, 2013 at 11:43 amBecause unlike tv shows like How I Met Your Mother, anime actually concludes relationships and not milk a whole freaking franchise for 9 freaking seasons.
Zeta Zero
August 31, 2013 at 12:47 pmSo the fact that they give the audience what they want (eventually…) is its defining feature?
Hangman
August 31, 2013 at 1:27 pm"Will the romance between Leonard and Penny finally get explored further?!"
Seems like the similarities in focus and priority regarding typical American sitcoms and anime have shot up exponentially in the last decade. Give me Curb-styled anime any day though.
Noc
August 30, 2013 at 1:43 pmI'm going to take a wild guess and say that Lucy gets egged into being Hasebe's +1 at Kaoru's wedding, either by him or the blushing bride herself- you have to wonder why she went out of her way to tell Lucy about it before her own brother, and teasing aside, I think it's pretty clear she ships these two. To take things even further, I also predict that this is where Lucy meets the rest Hasebe's family, and either discovers outright or at least gains the suspicion that the person she's been searching for is among them!!
Now for Ichimiya x Chihaya. I quite like this pairing- maybe not in the 'oh-my-god-this-is-better-than-crack' sense as I love LxH, but I can appreciate the sentiment behind it. They're two people who don't quite fit together, but they understand this and are both trying their best in their own ways. It just so happens that Ichimiya's method of 'trying' is utter fail, and only serves to make poor Chihaya more irritated. Girl needs to get some! I don't see why he doesn't just go to one of her conventions and take tons of pictures himself, ha. On the reason of why Chihaya likes him, that made me happy too. A lot of the time, it's the simple things that makes one like another, and even though she's utterly hopeless for it(and self-aware to boot), she still can't help loving him.
And as for Jyoji…well. I get the feeling that the scene with Kaoru wasn't really supposed to make us like him to any great extend, but as Miyoshi said, only to the tiniest degree. She seems to be reflecting the viewers' opinion of him- you hear a sob story and go, oh, so that's why he's like that! I understand now! But he's still a nutcase =/
Kaname
August 30, 2013 at 2:24 pmI find Chihaya's boldness to me a major turn on. I was blushing furiously…
TQ
demoncptn
August 31, 2013 at 3:27 amI almost think this will end similar to Working, where the last episode is the main couple's date and relative success in getting the one somewhat oblivious side (this time Lucy, last time Takanashi) to admit their feelings, if somewhat taciturnly. Either way, I agree, if the series ends without them in a relationship, or some sort of equal emotional ground, I will cry.
Cancer777
September 2, 2013 at 3:57 amLucy definitely got a clue after Hasebe's phone smash declaration. That second smiling scene was a great moment.