Even Anime's Most Obnoxious Trope Can Be Done Right, We Promise: Here's the Proof

The trope where an overly powerful character tries desperately to hide their strength from everyone else is often considered to be obnoxious, but a new fantasy comedy anime on Crunchyroll called I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time is proving there's a right way to portray it. On the surface, the entire scenario seems just as obnoxious as the rest, but upon closer inspection, there are many interconnected layers that make this trope stand out from many others.

A series that can be credited for popularizing this trope is One-Punch Man, even though the eponymous one-hitting hero, Saitama, doesn't actually try to keep his strength a secret. Saitama generally doesn't care whether people do or don't know about his unrivaled power. On its own, One-Punch Man's popularization of the trope was already severely limited in its execution, which can be proven by the long stretches in the story where he doesn't appear. There's only so long before a character who's indifferent about others knowing of their true power lets their cover slip.

I May Be a Guild Receptionist Has a Simple Premise That it Does A Lot With

Based on the Light Novel Series By Writer Mato Kousaka and Illustrator Gaou; Anime Produced By CloverWorks

Though One-Punch Man isn't a true invocation of the trope, it did provide a template that many other anime have followed to mixed success. Fortunately, I May Be a Guild Receptionist derives a great deal of nuance in the relationship between the eponymous guild receptionist Alina's line of work and her rejection of being an adventurer, which is ironic in and of itself because these professions are at the opposite ends of a shared spectrum.

CloverWorks, the anime studio behind I May Be a Guild Receptionist is also responsible for anime like Spy x Family and The Elusive Samurai.

This irony is amplified by the fact that Alina's enjoyment of her dream career as a receptionist is jeopardized when those whose line of work as adventuerers she rejects so vehemently fail in their respective jobs, forcing her to then temporarily become one of them in an unofficial capacity as "The Executioner." This transformation is meant to keep her receptionist gig enjoyable despite Alina's desire not to do so officially. When adventurers can't defeat a boss, Alina's paperwork increases, leading to overtime, which prevents her from enjoying the simple, stable lifestyle that being a receptionist usually allows. The result is one of the best anime comedies in recent memory.

Each New Character Expands The Basic Story in Fun Ways

I May Be a Guild Receptionist Moves Along At An Incredibly Quick Pace That Works

Aside from the compelling dynamic between Alina's desires and the reality of her job, I May Be a Guild Receptionist also perfectly executes the inevitable trope that eventually comes hand-in-hand with a premise based on maintaining a secret identity: the increased likelihood of the secretly powerful hero's identity being discovered by a nosy character. This usually comes much later in a series that drags out its formula, but it happens to Alina once in episode one and again in the next and latest installment. So far, each situation has caused exciting situations that help move the plot along.

The first is their world's most popular hero, Jade, whose knowledge of Alina's secret identity introduces a whole dynamic that's reminiscent of a lost puppy. He's attracted to Alina because of both her looks and strength, and is therefore easily manipulated into keeping her true abilities a secret to not upset her. Her annoyance with him and his failed attempts to connect with her add an enjoyable dynamic to the entire show that will only get better with time. Meanwhile, the second situation is still unraveling and will undoubtedly be solved by the third episode.

While the trope of a powerful character hiding their strength might be regarded as one of anime's worst tropes, I May Be a Guild Receptionist proves it can be done well. On the surface, it appears that Alina's ridiculous dream and her ubiquitous job that's rarely explored in other anime are the major contributing factors to the effectiveness of I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time. But it's the intricately interwoven aspects of both her jobs that are the true drivers of its success on Crunchyroll.