Line #88 Manga/ServantXService


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_6.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Clockwise from bottom: [[CuteBookworm Lucy]] [[OverlyLongName (etc.)]] [[TheIngenue Yamagami]], [[InnocentlyInsensitive Saya]] [[BrutalHonesty Miyoshi]], [[CosplayOtakuGirl Megumi]] [[DeadpanSnarker Chihaya]], [[ExtremeDoormat Taishi]] [[HeroicSelfDeprecation Ichimiya]], [[{{Tsundere}} Touko]] [[BigBrotherWorship Ichimiya]], [[TheAce Yutaka]] [[BrilliantButLazy Hasebe]], [[AnimateInanimateObject Kenzou]] [[BenevolentBoss Momoi]]]]
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4	In a certain Health and Welfare Department of a certain government office at a certain city in Hokkaido, three newcomers join its ranks as civil servants. They are Lucy [[OverlyLongName (etc.)]] Yamagami, Saya Miyoshi and Yutaka Hasebe, each of them with distinct and colourful personalities. Now they must confront the perils of their work, be it its mundaneness, or the irate public, or perhaps... even amongst themselves?
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6	''Servant × Service'' is a WorkCom {{Yonkoma}} by Karino Takatsu, the creator of ''Manga/{{Wagnaria}}''. It was serialized from 2007 to 2014, though it moved between magazines (starting in ''Zoukan Young Gangan'', then moving to ''Zoukan Young Gangan Big'' in 2011, and finally to ''Monthly Big Gangan'' from 2011 until its conclusion). An anime adaptation by Creator/A1Pictures aired in the summer of 2013. The manga is licensed by Creator/YenPress in North America and all 4 volumes have been released as a digital-first release in November 2015.
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8	----
9	!!This series provides examples of:
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11	* ActorAllusion: Indirect example in Episode 12, where the audience sees that one of Chihaya's cosplay outfits is the trademark white sundress of Menma from ''Anime/AnohanaTheFlowerWeSawThatDay'' -- which happens to be the StarMakingRole of Creator/AiKayano, Lucy's voice actress.
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13	* AlternateCharacterReading: {{Discussed\|trope}}. When Lucy says her name is {{embarrassing\| First Name}}, this is the first thing that comes to Hasebe's mind.
14	* AnimateInanimateObject: The pink stuffed bunny that appears every now and then turns out in Episode 4 to be no mere SeriesMascot -- that's the robotic avatar of Kenzou Momoi, their ''section manager''.
15	* BishieSparkle: Appears around some characters occasionally. Interestingly, Hasebe tends to sport [[Manga/{{Wagnaria}} Souma]]-esque black and grey sparkles.
16	* BlueWithShock:
17	** Countless ones in Episode 5.
18	** [[spoiler:Yutaka]]'s [[TheReveal reveal]] about Lucy's name have this spread from him to Taishi and Saya!
19	* BreakThemByTalking
20	** In Episode 2, Touko demonstrates her fearsome reputation in the office as a health and welfare maniac by breaking Ichimiya with her words. However, her attempts to break the trio fail hilariously due to various reasons:
21	--->'''Touko:''' What's wrong with this year's newcomers?! [[TheCasanova Hitting on a girl]], [[RamblingOldManMonologue summoning an old lady]], [[OverlyLongName having a ridiculous name]]?!!
22	** Miyoshi in turn ''breaks'' Touko at the end of the episode by telling the latter she is obstructing the office's normal business and does nothing to express her BigBrotherWorship.
23	* BridalCarry
24	** Yutaka lifted drunk, passed-out Lucy to his sister's house in this way in episode 5.
25	** When Miyoshi fell asleep from a sip of wine during their date in episode 11, Jyoji carried her this way, presumably back to Miyoshi's home. She makes a comment about the implication, but Jyoji doesn't catch it.
26	* ChekhovsGunman: A pink stuffed bunny is seen on the desk of the [[HeWhoMustNotBeSeen strangely-absent manager]] during the first three episodes. It is only during Episode 4 that we learn that the bunny is actually the manager's virtual proxy, and that he uses it to communicate from home.
27	* ColorCodedCharacters: The Roses, titular magical girls in ''Magical Flowers'' ShowWithinTheShow. Being fond of the show and being keen on {{Cosplay}}, Chihaya has a moment when she decides that Lucy would be a perfect cosplayer for Black and Touko for Blue. Later to push forward on those fronts.
28	* CompensatedDating: In episode 2, Taishi was suspected of this, for managing to placate his little sister Touko with a hug and a few yen, before Miyoshi clears up the issue by noticing that they have the same surname.
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30	* CulturalCrossReference: Pinned on Hasebe's bedroom wall in episode 8 during his NightmareSequence is a painting of Music/TaylorSwift's ''Speak Now'' album cover.
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32	* DesignStudentsOrgasm: The opening is composed of funky-colored objects moving in slow motion with shots of the protagonists' office as background, while all of actual credits are elaborately typeset into here and there.
33	* DiegeticSoundtrackUsage:
34	** Lucy hums the theme song in episode 9.
35	** Hasebe plays out the opening theme in an arcade RhythmGame in episode 11.
36	* DoItYourselfThemeTune:
37	** The opening and ending themes are sung by Creator/AiKayano, Creator/MaiNakahara and Creator/AkiToyosaki, in-character as Lucy, Miyoshi and Chihaya, respectively.
38	** Interestingly, the ending theme in the series has three variants, with Lucy singing for the first four episodes, followed by Miyoshi for the next four and then Chihaya for the four after that.
39	* DraggedByTheCollar: Jyoji did this to Lucy in episode 8 to coerce her into a false date.
40	* DysfunctionJunction: Much like ''Manga/{{Wagnaria}}'', its spiritual predecessor, the story's staple comedy runs on the trivial personal insecurities of every character. The insecurities include:
41	** Lucy: She became a civil servant to get revenge for her ridiculous first name actually having been approved.
42	** Yutaka: For a person who has been able to excel in anything without much effort, his inability to get the girl (immediately).
43	** Saya: All her "regrets" in the past.
44	** Megumi: Frustration her boyfriend isn't more open.
45	** Taishi: His very generalized lack of self-confidence.
46	* EvolvingCredits: Starting Episode 6, the ending credits include Kanon, who was introduced as a recurring character during the same episode.
47	* FalseReassurance: In Episode 2, as Lucy notices Yutaka is pointing his smartphone lens towards her as she trips, she asks him not to take a picture... he asks her not to worry as he's taking ''a video''.
48	* GivingUpTheGhost: Chihaya's [[BrutalHonesty relentless verbal attacks]] against Hasebe in episode 13, together with that of Miyoshi and Ichimiya to a lesser extent, caused his soul to exit from his body multiple times!
49	* GoodParents: Poor naming sense notwithstanding, Lucy's parents have actually been very kind to her and supportive of her path in life, thus the reason she doesn't vent her frustrations at them for giving her an OverlyLongName as much as she does against that sloppy civil servant.
50	* HarshWordImpact: Saya did that in the ItsASmallWorldAfterAll segment in episode 11, after her BrutalHonesty comments on Yutaka and Taishi. Taishi, in particular, received ''four of them consecutively''.
51	* {{Headdesk}}: Miyoshi did that in Episode 6 when she thought about the prospects of marrying.
52	* HeroicBSOD: Saya's BrutalHonesty line to Jyoji ("That's not atonement, that's self-satisfaction") caused him to break down in front of the ward office.
53	* HiccupHijinks: Episode 5, when Lucy has hiccups that don't clear up on their own.
54	* HypocriticalHumor:
55	** In Episode 1, after a customer complains about how civil servants are sloppy, Yamagami snaps and begins ranting vociferously against civil servants as well, shocking everybody else, including the customer herself.
56	** In Episode 8, Lucy, when eating out with Yutaka, wonders if Yutaka's having nutrition problems if he's always eating out. Yutaka says he ''can'' cook, be chooses not to do it as it's lonely--then asks about how Lucy cooks. Turns out what Lucy eats at home is ''pure starch''.
57	* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: They're all lengthy titles in the form of some type of helpful tip.
58	* InconsistentSpelling: The anime uses different UsefulNotes/JapaneseRomanization schemes inconsistently for the two names that were romanized on screen. Touko was shown on-screen as "To'''h'''ko," which uses so-called "passport Hepburn." On the other hand, Jyoji, whose name appeared on-screen on a business card, is in the unofficial wapuro which should not have been used in such a situation. Fans alternatively use "Jouji", which is not correct either. Strictly speaking, the name is "Joji" in Hepburn, and "Zyoji" in Kunrei-shiki.
59	* ItRunsInTheFamily [=/=] StrongFamilyResemblance: Hasebe's older sister Kaoru looks exactly the same as him, making Lucy confused on a BedmateReveal in Episode 5. Later she mentions that everyone in their family is a civil servant, all of who share the same carefree personality. And to them, Hasebe's personality is considered ''tame''.
60	* ItsASmallWorldAfterAll: When Miyoshi goes out to town on her off day in episode 11, she muses about the possibility of meeting people she knows and ends up meeting practically the ''entire cast'' (with the exception of Touko, who's studying at home) in various places.
61	* JustJokingJustification: In episode 5, Chihaya tags this after [[spoiler:saying Ichimiya is her boyfriend]]. Yamagami is the ''only'' person who buys into it.
62	* LastNameBasis: '''Everyone''' except for Touko is referred to by their last names and only Hasebe and Kaoru refer to Lucy by [[FirstNameBasis her first name]].
63	* LostInTransmission: When Miyoshi congratulated Hasebe for his sister's upcoming marriage in Episode 9, she was interrupted by some loud noises just as she was saying Kaoru's name, causing Hasebe to misunderstand that Lucy was the one getting married and throwing him into a HeroicBSOD. Thankfully for him, he managed to clear that up by the end of the episode.
64	* LoveHotel: The end of Episode 4 sets things up so it appears Hasebe's taking a drunk Lucy to one of these to sleep it off. Subverted in Episode 5 - he took her to his sister's house.
65	%%** BedmateReveal: What happened the next morning, at least from Lucy's POV.
66	* MeaningfulName: "Yamagami" means "god of mountains". Well, two, at least.
67	* MiniatureSeniorCitizens: Most elderly people are depicted as such in this series, most notably Mrs. Tanaka.
68	* MistakenForGay: In Episode 3, Chihaya outright declared Yutaka as her rival. Yutaka at first wondered if "she's the type who likes other women." He was soon disabused of the belief, though, when she started talking cosplay.
69	* MomentKiller: Repeatedly attempted when Jyoji, Touko and the section manager all appeared at the wrong time just as Hasebe was trying to ask Lucy out in episode 13. The trio were (forcefully) escorted away by Miyoshi, Ichimiya and Chihaya though before any damage could be done.
70	* NotBloodSiblings: PlayedForLaughs. When Ichimiya mentions he has a girlfriend, Hasebe immediately suspects this between him and Touko. [[spoiler:His actual girlfriend is Megumi.]]
71	* OnceAnEpisode: Every episode has at least one gag that relates to Yamagami's immense mountains.
72	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: At the end of episode 12, Yutaka came back to the office and ''did not slack at all''. The other staff found it weird and questioned him. Turns out there ''is'' some serious business--his father [[spoiler:''is'' the person who approved Lucy's OverlyLongName, i.e. the person his girlfriend wants to take {{revenge}} on.]]
73	* OpenSecret: In Episode 3, Lucy's bra hook breaks. Despite her best efforts to keep it a secret, ''all'' of her coworkers immediately find out what happened, and provide her with a reasonable excuse to go home for the day. She never finds out that they knew exactly what happened.
74	* [[RamblingOldManMonologue Rambling Old Lady Monologue]]: Mrs. Tanaka ''really'' loves to complain about her daughter-in-law to Miyoshi.
75	* RecycledINSPACE: ''Manga/{{Wagnaria}}'' IN A GOVERNMENT OFFICE.
76	* RememberedTooLate: PlayedForLaughs in the second half of Episode 3, when Hasebe tries to ask Lucy for her email address, but he keeps forgetting.
77	* RunningGag: Hasebe continually forgets to ask for Lucy's contact information.
78	* ShoutOut: Hasebe recognizes ''Magical Flowers'' as a VideoGame, and goes on to list the games he played: ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'', ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', ''VideoGame/MarioKart'', ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'', ''VisualNovel/{{AIR}}'', and ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''.
79	** He also has a copy of ''VideoGame/SenranKagura'' in episode 5.
80	** The Quiz at the end of Episode 7 featured Hasebe, Ichimiya, Jouji and Kenzou posing ''Anime/{{Free}}''-style.
81	** In the Episode 12 we see that among the cosplay outfits Chihaya prepared is the military uniform from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', as well as the trademark white sundress of [[Anime/AnohanaTheFlowerWeSawThatDay Menma]] and the school uniform of [[{{Literature/Bakemonogatari}} the Monogatari series]].
82	* ShowWithinAShow: ''Magical Flowers'', a MagicalGirl series which bears more than a few similarities to ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure''. Its five protagonists' color schemes also bring to mind ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', while one of them, Rose Black, looks like a recolored and redesigned [[Anime/TigerAndBunny Blue Rose]].
83	* ShipTease
84	** Yutaka × Lucy takes off in episode 5 after the "[[CantHoldHisLiquor Drunk Pass-Out]] and BridalCarry" incident, going full steam in episode 8 when Yutaka experiences a LoveEpiphany. However, nothing's solid yet.
85	** Jyoji × Saya hilariously takes a similar direction!
86	* SnarkBall: Everyone except Jyoji and Kenzou
87	* SpitTake: Yutaka had one when his father [[spoiler:mentioned offhandedly that he approved Lucy's name]].
88	* StealthSequel: [[spoiler: Todoroki and Satou from ''Manga/{{Wagnaria}}'' appear here HappilyMarried]].
89	* ThreeWaySex: When Hasebe brings a drunk Yamagami to his sister Kaoru's apartment, Kaoru initially wonders if Hasebe's going to do this… not that she would mind.
90	* ThrowTheBookAtThem: Yamagami's favoured method of attacking Hasebe whenever he gets on her nerves. In fact, this is {{invoked\|Trope}}! In the manga, when Ichimiya complains about Yamagami attacking people with work documents, she replies there's only waste paper in those folders; she ''deliberately'' prepared those folders to hit people with.
91	* UnsettlingGenderReveal: In the beginning of episode 5, Yamagami woke up from being drunk and saw a woman that looked suspiciously like her coworker Yutaka Hasebe [[BedmateReveal next to her]]. The latter then said she was indeed [[LastNameBasis Hasebe]] and asked Yamagami to hide it from their coworkers, causing the latter to go BlueWithShock. As it turned out, it was {{subverted\|trope}}. Hasebe brought Yamagami to his sister Kaoru's apartment, and it was Kaoru who was sleeping next to Yamagami--and [[TheGadfly messing with Yamagami for fun.]]
92	* VerbalBackspace: Examples at [[Quotes/ServantXService Quotes]].
93	** Right in the start of episode 7, Chihaya visited the Ichimiya residence to dress-up, er, see Touko.
94	** And she did it again when Taishi returned home.
95	* WardrobeMalfunction: A skit in episode 3 was about Lucy having all the hooks on her bra broken, and how her coworkers resolved the issue while tiptoeing around the issue itself. Eventually Yutaka claimed Lucy had a fever because of her blush and should "go back to rest;" the others immediately got the hint. Fanservice was never intended.
96	* WorkCom: Par standard in the beginning, but eventually shifts to workplace romance with three couples.
97	%%* {{Yonkoma}}
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Context Manga / ServantXService