Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: April 19, 2016
Price: $20.00
Creator: Karino Takatsu
Format: 320 pgs., Black & White, Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-3163-1487-9
Age Rating: 13+
ICv2 Rating: 2.5 Stars out of 5
From the creator of the manga series Working comes another four-panel workplace comedy series, but instead of being set in a restaurant, the author sets this series in a city government office.
Servant x Service is geared toward a very specific audience and will appeal to them greatly. Anyone who has ever worked in an office environment will find some laughs within these pages. Much like Working, though, if you're not part of that audience you might be left wondering what the big deal is. That isn't to say that you simply can't find anything to laugh at if you're not part of the club as the various character personalities presented throughout the book should be more than enough to make you chuckle occasionally.
The biggest problem that plagues this book is the pacing. Told in a traditional four-panel format, the jokes become repetitive very quickly. While it does become obvious as you read that there are some central stories that tie everything together, they develop at a snail's pace. It actually got to the point where about two thirds through I found my attention actively wandering away from what was happening on the pages. Perhaps if it's read in small chunks rather than as one long marathon session the pacing would be more tolerable.
This is a book that will appeal most to those that have worked in an office environment, while occasionally managing to get a chuckle from those outside the target.
--L.B. Bryant
