Right of the Bat, this is for the entirety of the series, not just the last bit.Wagnaria or Working has been my favorite Romance Series ever since I first watched it around 10 years ago. Even after rewatching is a handful of times over the many years, this has not changed my view over the series. And no matter what the anime industry released, nothing was able to take over this spot.
And so here I am sharing what I can say about this great series that might not be the best series of all time but sure will be one that I won't ever forget and get tired of.
The Characters
It is no surprise that one thing a romantic story relies the most are the characters and how they are written as individuals and as a cast.
Wagnaria definitely has a very colorful cast with a healthy mix of everything you can think of. Be it chaotic, simply sweet, funny or straight up strange, there definitely is something for everyone. But none of them feel like a one note character and instead have multiple facets that give them a lot of strength in their own way. This starts right away when it comes to the whole Staff (also known as the main characters).
Popura Taneshima
Introduced as the short older character that has complex about her height, it is pretty easy to imagine where most jokes around her fall into.
But despite this she is a competent individual that loves to support those around her while also doing her best to grow herself. Considering that she is the center character for the series, it is also no surprise that she stays the most likable character throughout the whole story.
From a simple character perspective she might appear to be the simplest one but sticks out among the many stranger characters in her own way.
Aoi Yamada
As a comparison to the most wholesome character with basically no downsites, there is Yamada.
(as per tradition of everyone calling her that way, I will do the same)
She is definitely the most cocky and also least competent character of the series but in a strange way has a charm that doesn't make her unlikable. In a way she might be viewed as the mascot character of this Restaurant. She jokes and plays around a lot, loves to mess with others, mostly due to influence and overal has a lot of influence when it comes to the tone of the series. But that said, she also has her own serious moments that stick out all the more as they're so sparse overall.
Hiroomi Souma
Speaking of influence, Souma sure has a lot of it.
In fact most of the story wouldn't even be possible without him interfering with the others for his own amusement. Even though he is introduced as someone that loves to blackmail others, going forward it is definitely more of a manipulation game that he plays instead of getting others to do what he wants. But even though this is what he does on a daily basis, he himself is quite shy being in the spotlight. He also tends to have a sweetspot to seeing the success of those close to him (or that he considers close)
Kyouko Shirafuji (Manager)
There is pretty much only one word needed to describe her from start to finish.
Gluttony.
Of all the Characters she is easily the simplest and least explored character of them all. But that is most likely due to her serving as both the center of the Restaurant as well as the anchor to Yachiyo. She has a lazy attitude and a rough violent background while also having some sweeter sides to herself, mostly being very much loved by kids for her docile nature when hungry. Just like Yamada she also has her rare moments, when she is shown to actually care for the others that as a result stick out due to how rare they happens.
Now to the main 4 that shape almost all of the story.
Yachiyo Todoroki
A very shy and oblivious girl that has little to no knowledge of the world outside the Restaurant due to her problematic childhood (bullying).
Of all the characters Yachiyo is definitely the most innocent girl even though the only people she was around prior to the story are thughs while also carrying a Katana around all the time. She is pretty slow to realize feelings or moods that she is not familar with, is quite conflicted and confused when confronted with those
(that's a lot of con huh) and tends to missunderstands the thoughts or intendions of the opposite end of things. That said she is a sweet, passionate and hardworking girl that one just can't help but adore.
Jun Satou
Compared to the others Satou is probably the second toughest looking character after Kyouko, while actually being much more on the soft or even fragile side. The main things coming to mind when thinking of him are definitely the many ways in which he messes with Taneshima. In fact he is pretty much the only person to mess with her. That said even with his outer shell and how he behaves towards Souma, he is pretty week when it comes to Romance. Even the slightest bit of stepping out of his comfort zone causes him a lot of stomach ache. So seeing him challenge himself to get closer to Yachiyo is easily one of the best moments of the series.
Souta Takanashi
Of all the characters in Wagnaria this guy is the one with the most character development, which is not saying much as he starts of as a pretty terrible narrow minded individual. He loves small things, despices older people and has a complex when it comes to his family. While he pretty much gets assigned to the task of taking care of Inami, he actually takes his role very serious. His relation to almost every character with some exceptions like Yachiyo and Satou shape the majority of this series with the following examples:
Taneshima: Starts of by just liking her due to her height to later respecting her as a senpai and someone that is older than him.
Souma: Being unsure and a bit cornered by his constant harassment to later just standing up for himself (or well beating him up as well)
Inami: Going from disliking her altogether to literally falling in love with her.
And so on
Talking about Kotori is going to bring up way too many questions and confusion so I'd say this is a topic that is too broad for this review.Mahiru Inami
Just like Takanashi she also goes through a lot of character development. Obviously the main thing to mention here is her androphobia that is the very center of her character. There is no real need to tell what type of change she goes through since it is pretty obvious in this case.
Overall she is a very sweet girl that got dealt a bad hand in her earlier life due to her father's influence, something that is also pretty much a theme with this couple. Just like Taneshima she also always tries her best to improve herself but unlike Taneshima she more often tends to doubt herself due to her complex and phobia. While it is difficult to describe in her case, she is always the one I end up rooting for the most.
There are other characters, mostly side ones, but I am not gonna talk about those. That said there is pretty much not a single character I'd call unnecessary or out of place for the series. Even one off characters like Inami's classmates or Izumi's editor feel pretty much in line with the series.
The Story
Since this is a Romance Anime, it understandable that the Story moves along with the Relationships of the Main Characters.
Season 1 sets most of the foundation, Season 2 explores the first feelings and moments while Season 3 starts tying the loose ends.
And of course the Special OVA, aka what this Review is being written under, rounds everything up perfectly.
Nothing in this Series is rushed in the slightest, there is always a clear outlook to what to expect next in regards to the story itself and also to the Characters.
Most significant for this are definitely Inami's androphobia and Yamada's family situation. But the most important aspects are like mentioned multiple times the romances. And they are also very nicely spaced out, which goes for both main couples.
Heck even the Openings have their own progression in every Season, which is something most people would probably never notice.
For those that want to figure this out for themselves, I'll censor what I mean:
Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide
Season 3's Opening has a segment in which an army of mini Taneshima's go across the screen. And while in the first episodes most of them are fake Taneshima's, seen by the blank eyes, more and more became the real ones over the episodes up to half of them being the real deal.
But yeah this is just a little easter egg, nothing significant
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Other AspectsLastly I just want to comment on how great the anime is in general.
Every single Voice Actor / Actress gave a wonderful performance for their Characters. It was super easy to emphasize and understand their emotions and thoughts due to how well they were voiced.
The OPs sung by the female VAs and the ED's by the male ones is also a great touch on the Series. The Openings give of a light and happy mood while the Endings have a more mature mood to them. (I can't describe it too well but that's what I felt from them)
The Animation, for an Anime that was made in the time period from 2010 to 2015, is also wonderful and beats a lot of anime that gets made nowadays. Everything looks very fluid, the environment looks like something that probably exists for real and most importantly to me, the background characters. There is not a single character that looks like a faceless individual. Be it in the Restaurant, outside in places like the Mall or even in the Bar. Every Location both looks nice and has living people in it that make the world of this Anime feel even more alive than it already is.
The Soundtrack is also very nice. Every Track fits a mood and situation and complement all the different scenes very well.
My favorite is obviously the one that is played when a major Romantic Moment occurs.
So yeah like said in the Beginning, this is my all time favorite Love Anime.
I can definitely recommend everyone to watch this one as it is a one of a kind story.
I mean there is a Reason why I was able to watch this 5 times without ever getting bored of it or anything in it. ¯\ _ (ツ)_/¯
