Genre(s): Slice of Life
Age-Appropriateness: 13+ (Some language, some crude humor)
Platforms: None as of July 2021
Episodes: 40
TheAwersome Rating: 7.7 / 10 (A great time, but nothing groundbreaking)
Premise: Follow the antics of the employees at “Wagnaria!” a family-style restaurant chain (think Denny’s). Most of the staff has their own peculiarity, be it an obsession with all things small and cute, mastery of blackmail, absolute incompetence, or violent androphobia, etc. Naturally, this combination of characteristics makes for an interesting work environment.
TheAwersome’s Thoughts: This one is really cute and endearing. It has a lower energy than Ouran High School, but I’d also call it a “snack” anime – just a little more nourishing. Being slice of life, it’s a good show to relax with if you aren’t wanting anything too crazy. Despite being a slow burn in regard to romance and other story arcs, I didn’t feel that there was much drag. Characters have a good amount of depth to them for a slice of life, which we get to see over the three seasons. Think of it like a mix of Parks and Rec and Cheers, but anime. Despite each character having their weird quirks which are frequently the vessel for jokes, they find good ways to keep things fresh. Much of the humor comes from farcical misunderstandings, which is my JAM! By the end of it I found that I grew really attached to each of them. And the intro songs are super catchy too.
TLDR: A truly enjoyable slice of life workplace comedy. Think of it like Parks and Rec meets Cheers, but in Anime.
NOTE: The seasons are all named weird. Season 1 is titled “Working!!” but listed as “Wagnaria!!” for English release (and on Crunchyroll). Season 2 is “Working’!!” and then “Wagnaria’!!”, and Season 3 is “Working!!!” and “Wagnaria!!!” There is a spin-off series titled “WWW.Wagnaria!!” that I’ll review later.
You’ll likely enjoy this if you enjoyed:
- The workplace comedy of Aggretsuko, NewGame!
- The service industry woes of The Devil is a Part Timer
At a Glance Anime 