WORKING!!! – 12

Souta/Inami Continues:

After last week’s Satou/Yachiyo-centric episode, it only makes sense that this episode (and the next) will mainly focus on the ‘main’ couple of the show. Inami has really grown on me these past three months, especially when I think back to how she was in the first season. It’s not a pairing that I was rooting for all along, but I’m ready for these two to finally hook up. Thankfully, it’s almost certain to happen next week, in the very last episode. I just hope it’s not pushed till the very end, else we might not get to enjoy them as an official onscreen couple.

As for this episode, it was smooth sailing. Plenty of gags that hit the nail and helped build up for the series climax. Inami admitting that she prefers Souta as a boy was brilliant, as was his immediate reaction to lock himself in a cupboard. As it turns out, his ghastly mother is in there as well, so I’m excited to see what role she’ll play next week. I’m pretty sure it won’t be as negative as Souta assumes – in fact, she’ll probably endorse their relationship and help elevate it to the next level.

As for the other members of the cast, Kirio has ended up one of my favourites. His scenes with Kotori this time around were easily the funniest of the episode. His abundance of cute reaction faces and the fact that he played along until the end made his slip up even more amusing. I thought he’d actually fallen for Kotori, introducing another layer to this developing romance, but Kirio had me fooled. Still, he did admit that Souta was his childhood crush, so there’s that! As for the other Yamada sibling, Yamada was as perfect as per usual. The fact that’s actually trying to work is testament to her development as well, but rewarding herself with omelette rice and then filling 80% of the staff scrapbook with pictures of herself was hilarious. I’m glad that she’s been consistently featured in every episode this season – some with her own major story, but at least every other has had her own little subplot, and all of them have been seriously funny. Yamada is simply the best!

Yachiyo Departing:

It always sucks when a valued member of staff has to leave, so knowing that Yachiyo will be departing Wagnaria in the final episode is a bittersweet situation. Of course, her and Satou are together now (and still cute!), so I can’t complain. When she brought Popura into the office, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. But after Popura shrunk away from fear of being told off, she was told she’d be the new chief. That would be an interesting new dynamic that would lend to plenty of gags if WORKING!!! ever got a fourth season. Sadly, it won’t, but I can always dream…

Overview – What’s Next?:

While not as major as last week’s episode, this one helped carry the main goods into what promises to be a climactic finish. The Takanashi mother is here to make her mark, and I’m excited to see how that will take shape. Saying farewell to Yachiyo – and everyone else, for the matter – will be tough, but if Souta and Inami’s relationship is finally resolved, we should end of a very positive note. The only downside to all of this is that we only have one episode of WORKING!!! left before it’s all over…

Preview