I May Be a Guild Receptionist

Episode 9

Episode 9 of I May Be a Guild Receptionist explores the world of the guild receptionists with far greater detail than we've been given before.

I think this week's episode was solid despite the slower pace. This is the kind of world-building and exposition-heavy entry that gives us a greater sense of the mechanics of the world, and as such it needs a bit of time to lay out the details. We get to learn more about how the Guild headquarters was formerly a high-ranking dungeon, explore the backstory of a “legendary” receptionist and meet her face to face, as well as watch the cast interact without the backdrop of life or death stakes.

The greatest benefit to all this is that we refocus on Alina and Jade and their motivations. Jade gets a fair amount of time, weighing his decision to try and behave to improve his image with Alina (which results in mixed feelings from her and ongoing adoration from other receptionists). Most important though is Alina's journey. Alina's desire to be free of overtime is both comedy gold and frankly earnest. Dear reader, I, too, wish to do only what is part of my job description and go home on time! I assume you do too. This also sets the series apart from the plethora of other fantasy offerings at the moment. Alina wants something basic but sadly is often far more unrealistic than a 12-foot tall werebeast with magic claws. Such is the world we live in.

That's what makes Alina's struggle with her former icon so relatable. Often when seeking the answer to feeling overwhelmed or overburdened at work, we ask others for advice. Plenty of times you get these platitudes about perspective and mindset. Sure, those things can be modified a bit at the boundaries. But what needs to happen is that these organizations need to hire more staff or have appropriate compensation, and they are loathe to do that. Most either get burnt out or end up deluding themselves into this saintly state of mind where they simply love labor itself.

Alina's struggle is our struggle, and the focus here makes it an enjoyable watch throughout.

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