I got this good-condition softcover from Better World Books. It's part of a series about handsome-but-wacky waiters at the titular cafe. There's supervisor Taro, bespectacled and cleaning-obsessive; part-timer Shuta, eager and puppyish; part-timer Jun, seemingly quiet and shy but possessed of super-strength when someone hits his berserk-button; floor-waiter Maki, lazy and narcissistic; and chef Hifumi, who seems to be some kind of food-related necromancer. And then there's their much-put-upon boss, cafe-owner Mitaka. (In the front of this volume there's a fold-out board game, with entries like "kiss the youngest person in the room", "summon an elf and a fairy", or "clean up your room" - a whimsical introduction to the story.)

These disparate personality types spend their days trying to keep the cafe running, with much slapstick (Taro smacks people - usually Maki - with his mop when they're not toeing the line) and considerable cuteness (especially in the "tiny chapter" omakes in between the main chapters). In one chapter, the chef takes the day off, leaving instructions for the others to bake the goodies - with such comments as "Caution: if mixed improperly, it will emit an unearthly scream." [Luckily for the cafe, he's just funnin' with them; he's a miraculously talented baker. His delightfully creepy attitude reminds me of Nekozawa from Ouran High School Host Club, and in fact the others could map onto Ouran characters too; Maki is a dumber, less-well-intentioned Tamaki, Taro's a more neurotic Kyoya, Jun's a more naive Hunny... That series has more character-depth and ongoing plots than this one, but the resemblances are there.)

Very funny, with some nice character interactions; I'm enjoying this series!

There are three volumes:

Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three

I'm sending this to BCer quietorchid in Minnesota, as a prize for participating in this year's Wine + Food + BookCrossing release challenge. Enjoy!

Oh boy! I got a box last night, and immediately started reading.

The first in this series introduces us to 5 workers at a decidedly odd cafe and the owner. The art work is clean and fairly minimal, with the different characters well deliniated. We meet them all, as they are rushing around, squabbling over a magazine coming to look at the cafe. Of course their behavior scares off the writer, and so nothing comes of it. Enjoyable.

Left on the shelf to find a new reader!

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