Wacky visuals for the opening and ending tracks. Otherwise, these parts let the flashier details in front of them do most of the Blend S talking. The backgrounds flit between many shapes, hues, and imaginations for added delight, and the treks to other areas break up the monotony of the rather plain café. While its grip isn’t as powerful when it comes to its backgrounds and its settings, these find a foothold within the show, too. Reaction faces and a chibi style lead to extra laughs Indeed, Blend S switches rather effortlessly between its normal presentation and this fun concoction, demonstrating a keen grasp of timing for its laugh-inducing ventures. Same goes for overexaggerating proportions, “dumbing down” reactions, playfully toying with the movement to fit the needs for a given scene, and even pasting in a literal picture of a giant tuna. Vibrant eyes entice the eyes, but their frilly maid outfits welcome the audience with open arms as their casual looks once again contribute to the leitmotif of stark contrast which laces this show.Įmploying a chibi style at times, squashing and rounding the characters’ features, likewise gets at their silly brand of comedy. No doubt near the top sit the designs for the ladies in all their cute and colorful splendor. Perhaps its biggest strength, the artistic direction within Blend S provides the anime with the visual niceties and comedic gags it so heavily leverages. Its meager life lessons, while wholesome, do not have much thematic weight to them.Īltogether, this story about a bunch of silly guys and gals at a local café may not be the most interesting, but its forms a likable-enough comedic base to make this contrast-filled trip at least a stamp worthy of a bet. Its episodic nature does not attempt for anything too adventurous. Its faint romantic elements merely scratch that lovey-dovey itch. The core of this anime does not extend a whole lot further, though. Events at the beach, the mountains, the city, and the parks allow for some variety in the setting and, aligning with the premise of the show, form yet another dichotomy between the everyday happenings abroad and their concentrated shenanigans over at the restaurant. Perhaps surprisingly, a large chunk of Blend S takes place away from the café, leading to the slice-of-life label attached to this show. By sticking so closely to its premise, relying so much on these huge self-made gaps, the anime not only remains consistent in its delivery but also cycles through a diverse amount of comedy. Kaho the “tsundere” will give in to her gaming tendencies, Miu the “onee-san” will punch (rather softly), and Hideri the “idol” will make a lewd hand gesture without fear. With such contrasts at the show’s disposal, hilarity forms naturally as the ladies engage with their guests and deal with each other. Or there’s Mafuyu, the designated imouto who is really a college student with an unforgiving attitude. For example, Maika is the designated sadist, but she is the nicest person imaginable. The catch is that their actual personalities are almost the complete opposite. The staff at Stile roleplay particularly classic styles within the medium: the sadist, the tsundere, the imouto, the onee-san, and the idol. No matter the case, the platitude “what you see isn’t always what you get” rings true for nearly everybody on the planet.īlend S takes this phrase to a dichotomous extreme in the comedy it creates. Someone who looks gruff and menacing with a skull tattoo doesn’t mean that he or she cannot collect flowery stamps on the side. They also have emotions and personality traits that “betray” who they “normally” happen to be.Ī quiet, solemn person could in fact be a race caller at a local betting arena in his or her spare time. They have many skills they hone, and they have many thoughts in their brains. If I could control this hypothetical alternate self of mine, I could then potentially earn a job at Stile, the fictional maid café of Blend S where the employees’ own personas balance out into a straightforward experience. Such super-evil antics would befit his own motives and contrast my own personality. He would perform misdeeds like wearing mismatched socks and inserting a silent “m” at the beginning of every word he spoke out loud. So, my opposite alter ego, if I were ever to have one, would be someone downright dastardly. I like to think that I’m an okay kind of dude.
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