I should start by admitting that I dont think otaku pandering is generally a bad thing. One of animes strengths is its instantaneous hook from maximized aesthetic appeal in character design so wish fulfillment entertainment is simply a natural progression. Nonetheless there are many ways for an anime rooted in pandering to go wrong one of which Sewayaki Kitsune no Senkosan is a pretty good example. Our protagonist Nakano is afflicted with a general malaise from being overworked by his office job and playing opposite is Senko a fox spirit who decides to become his housemaid as a means of alleviating his exhaustion. Theres nothing especially unique about Nakano. Aside from having an affinity for Senkos fluffy tail being an average exploited Japanese salaryman is Nakanos defining characteristic. Neither Nakano nor Senko feel like fully realized characters rather they act as commensal concepts. Hence the essence of the show lies in a emotionally fulfilling atmosphere often described as healing enkindled by Senkos caring for him. Nakano exists diegetically to be pampered by Senko likewise Senkos main purpose as a character is to care for Nakano. There is another fox spirit Shiro who befriends Nakano but she never really aggressively competes with Senko for his attention instead functioning like an alternative texture. Having outlined the mechanics we can now ascertain how its narrative falls apart in several aspects. Firstly since Senko has no personal motivation to act as Nakanos housemaid the canonical explanation that he resembles one of his ancestors who previously had a rapport with Senko means that her interest at first is a matter of happenstance i.e. any inciting attraction is negligible there is no real chemistry between the two. This is aggravated further by their strictly platonic interactions and although there may be sexual/romantic undertones any development in this direction is repeatedly extinguished by Nakanos contradictory inner remarks about how Senko both looks too young for his taste and acts too maternal for him. The show falls flat here since its mostly focused on their relationship or lack thereof. As there is no foundational attraction between the two the weight of Senkos motivation to nurture falls onto the circumstances surrounding Nakanos unhappiness. This is actually the shows biggest misstep. As the emphasis shifts to Nakanos abuse at work Sewayaki Kitsune no Senkosan evolves from flaccid slice of life into something much more sinister. Japans work environment is an unignorable cultural dilemma. Extremely long hours unpaid overtime and unused vacation days are common realities experienced by Japanese salarymen often leading to stress depression sleep deprivation and at its extreme karshi overwork death. Death marches and black companies are serious issues facing Japan and the nightmare of actually working as an animator in Japan is pretty well understood by fans. But what does this have to do with the show? To help illustrate why this is a narrative problem let me pose a question: Why Nakano? Surely he isnt the only salaryman suffering as a result of his exploitative company. So where is everyone elses Senkosan? What did Nakano do to get his own fox spirit housemaid? Of course we know the answer and we already know it to be facile and convenient. Nakano had no decision in his ancestry and there is nothing particularly special about his victimization. Thus the answer the show provides is also its general prescription for the salarymen at large: moe escapism. Instead of identifying a cultural emergency that the government has even been taking action against Sewayaki Kitsune no Senkosan sees an opportunity to exploit for its own benefit. Why bother questioning the circumstances of stress isolation and disconnection when you can just watch anime like Sewayaki Kitsune no Senkosan and selfinsert yourself into faceless leads like Nakano? This is unintentionally egregiously harmful social commentary and in a culture in which a man married a Vocaloid character to escape loneliness this is unacceptable. Sewayaki Kitsune no Senkosan doesnt need to be a show with deep social commentary the most frustrating thing is that the perfect adaptation already exists in the form of the postcredits Super Senkosan scenes. These segments showcase the real spirit of the show stripped down to its essentials. They reimagine the episode without all the fat without the selfinsert character divorced from any social context as a firstperson POV onesided dialogue short la One Room. Its a format that works. But this was not the choice made and the final product is merely a coddling vulgarity meant to fill a gaping demand in Japanese culture for domestic and emotional sustenance abetting unethical worklife balance norms like convenience stores selling clean shirts for office workers unable to return home for the night for the sake of its own existence. Maybe this is wholesome entertainment for some but the social implications are too glaring for me to find any iota of worth.