Note: This episode was originally reviewed alongside Episode 7. However, my thoughts on each episode was divided into separate sections so I later decided to make them separate posts.
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It may have taken eight episodes but here’s our fifth and final waitress, Hideri Kanzaki (Sora Tokui). And yeah, the final girl is actually a guy. I can’t say I was super surprised by this though. I kind of figured that was the “surprise” Hideri hinted at in the OP. I’ve seen enough anime to take a hint.
I find the inclusion of Hideri pretty interesting. There’s a neat dichotomy in his personality where he can act both masculine and feminine. During this episode, he goes shopping with Miu to find the most fashionable clothes but also give Dino advice on how to confess to Maika. I also love how Hideri legitimately sounds like a girl in general but every once in a while, his voice slips into a much deeper register.
The chemistry between Hideri and the rest of the cast looks promising. I especially love how he and Miu interact. The latter should seriously think about being the former’s manager if/when he makes it big as an idol because she is really good at keeping his ego in check. Honestly, just watching Miu troll Hideri and lightly punch him for bragging about his cuteness would make my day.
Hideri seems to act as the “idol” waitress at Stile. What I find interesting is that being an idol isn’t just an act he performs at Stile, it’s practically what he strives to be in general. It’s not like everyone else who treat the archetypes as performances, even if some of their actual personality traits do play a big part in them. That transparency is even reflected in the OP where everyone’s acts are juxtaposed with their real personalities while Hideri just poses and smiles because he acts like an idol all the time.
With this episode, the show now has all five waitresses at the forefront. All that’s left now is the dog…
Watch Blend S on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and VRV.
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