User blog:Officialteamz55/Blend S Review

I am not a huge fan of slice-of-life anime. Usually, the only reason I do watch them is that there's something special about them, such as a unique main character or a strange plot. For Blend S, it was the meme of an opening sequence and famous trap maid, Hideri Kanzaki.

I was expecting a cheesy and boring series, chock full of cliches and tropes. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer unexpectedness of a lot of what I saw. Sure, it had its fair share of rinse-and-repeat scenarios, but a good chunk was surprising.

Without spoiling too much, in the first episode, we're introduced to a protagonist who would likely be better suited as a side character. She appears to be sadistic and cold but is in truth shy and cheerful. An Italian man a bit similar to One Piece's Sanji is introduced as the manager. Aside from those two, there is only one other chef and two other maids.

I've always been fascinated with the concept of "gap moe", or characters whose behaviors don't match their appearances. So, of course, I would love the idea of a maid cafe in which the maids play characters that match their appearances but are often almost polar opposites of their personalities (with the exception of the trap, whose "surprise" characteristic is that she is a he).

Of course, the show wasn't perfect in the slightest. There was indeed a beach episode, and there were many long scenes and even a few entire episodes that felt like well-made fillers. Plus, two of the maids only join a good way into the show. Hideri makes their appearance in episode 8!

I've heard rumors of a season two in the near future, but if this isn't the case, then the last episode (episode 12) is extremely disappointing. All I'm going to say about that is that you could end the show on episode 11 and it wouldn't make much of a difference.

I would give this anime a 10/10 for the concept, 7/10 for the execution, 6/10 for the fillers, and 9/10 for the animation (it's great, but has a few wacky moments). I would recommend watching, as long as you don't get too frustrated with drawn-out or repeated scenarios.