Yuri Is My Job! Review

 

Highlights

• Yuri is My Job is an anime about a girl that wants everyone to love her and to believe that she has no faults, 
• Hime Shiraki is the main character of Yuris is my job
• Hime ends up working as a waitress at a place that is part café, part theater, where all the waitresses pretend to be students at a fictional all-girls boarding school known as Liebe Girls Academy

While pretty Yuri is My Job! is also predictable and middle of the road.  It neither runs entirely into predictable tropes nor has the momentum to break from a mold.

"Yuri is my job!" is an anime that follows the journey of a high schooler who is determined to win over every person she meets. However, her plans hit a snag when she is paired with a coworker who sees through her charming facade. Despite the conflict, watching their relationship develop is both heartwarming and hilarious. Will our protagonist be able to win over her coworker, or will she learn that sometimes being genuine is the key to true connections? 

That’s pretty much the meat of the story.

The visuals, especially the color choices remind me of No Game, No Life.  You can find our review of No Game, No life HERE.

If you aren’t familiar with the concept of Yuri it’s kind of an interesting genre and I’d recommend climbing down the Wikipedia rabbit hole to learn more about it.

The Plot of Yuri is My Job

Hime Shiraki is a high school girl who deeply cares about her image as a sweet, helpful princess but on the inside only cares about herself. So when she accidentally injures a café manager named Mai Koshiba, she is willing to cover some shifts to keep her façade intact. 

Hime ends up working as a waitress at a place that is part café, part theater, where all the waitresses pretend to be students at a fictional all-girls boarding school known as Liebe Girls Academy. Hime finds herself drawn to another waitress at the café, who in front of the customers gives Hime love and devotion like she has never known. However, behind the scenes, the girl seems to hate her guts.

Hime then makes it her mission to be liked by her coworker going so far as to force an older/ younger sister relationship between their characters.  This is done pretty much against her coworker's will or intention and it leads to problems down the way.

From what I’ve heard however the anime is not entirely indicative of the manga and the manga’s creative process works differently from the animation director, Hijiri Sanpei.

I’d recommend buying the manga if you are interested and you can find a collection of the Yuri is My Job! Manga here on Amazon.

So what do we think of Yuri Is My Job?

I have to say that "Yuri is my job" is not the most impressive anime out there, but it does have some unique character designs that stand out. The story takes place in a cafe that doubles as a fantasy academy world, and the waitresses must put on a show while dealing with their personal problems behind the scenes. It's interesting to see the contrast between the two worlds and how performers often face the pressure to keep up appearances.

However, I do feel that the main character's desire to be liked by everyone is a bit dysfunctional, and it's never given proper context or addressed. It's also frustrating to see the characters who see through her facade being portrayed as villains without any challenge or debate.

The lack of any meaningful lesson learned by the main character makes it hard to root for her. The supporting cast is the saving grace of the show.

The color choices in the show are great and add to the cute vibe that the director is trying to convey. Overall, there's nothing particularly praiseworthy or hateable about the anime. It's just average and lacks any cathartic release, which can be frustrating to watch.

Interestingly, one of the directors, Takahiro Majima, also directed a few episodes of Accel World, which we reviewed previously. While the two series have separate vibes, Accel World is still a fun watch.

Should we watch it?

All that being said I still, don’t ask me why, think that Yuri is My Job is worth a watch if you don’t have anything better to do with your time.  It’s the kind of show you watch while you're waiting for better things to come out.