Blend-S – The Cafe of My Dreams

Let’s be honest, your to-do list of things to do when you visit Japan has “visit a maid cafe” on it, right? But what about a maid cafe where the waitresses each have a different persona such as a sadist, a tsundere, a little sister, or a trap idol? This is exactly what Blend-S is about. It a lovely slice of life about Cafe Stile and its variety of employees.

It’s a slice of life, so there isn’t much story to go around aside from the growth of the cafe and the relationships between the employees. Maika, the “Smile” sadist in the opening, plays the rather cheerful sadist role in the cafe and quickly became a popular waitress soon after starting. She got the job due to her resting-bitch-face that’s also present even when she tries to be nice. Dino, the manager, is obsessed with Maika and while their relationship doesn’t grow romantically in the show, their interactions are some of the most adorable in the show.

Kaho, the “Sweet” tsundere, is a big gamer at heart and struggles to keep her tsundere persona when customers talk games. She spends a lot of time in arcades, throwing all her hard earned money at the machines playing instead of studying like she should. Akizuki, one of the kitchen staff, is also a big gamer like her and these two toward the end of the series start to be more conscious of each other as friends and with some romantic tension growing between them.

Mafuyu, the “(little) Sister,” is a college student that has the looks of a child. She plays the imouto persona in Stile. Her actual personality outside of work is more serious and mature. Miu’s the “Sadistic” Oneesan (though she isn’t as much a sadist) who is working at the cafe part-time because the staff gives her the best ideas for all the erotic novels she writes for her main job. As for Hideri, the “Surprise” idol, you’ll just have to watch and find out about them.

The show is a slice of life in the strictest manner. What makes it interesting are the various personalities and personas of the Stile staff. Their adorable and hilarious interactions are icing on the cake that makes it all the better. People related Blend S to Working! which I have not personally seen so I cannot vouch for that claim, but definitely pick it up if you’re a fan of that series. I highly recommend this slice of life for anyone looking for a little silliness in their life. The season is complete and available on Crunchyroll for your consumption.