Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy
I believe that everyone, in some point in their lives, should work in some type of food-service occupation. It truly humbles one's character to realize how crappy it can be at times, though I suppose this can be extended to any occupation related to constant manual labor (time to cue in anything Mike Rowe does on Dirty Jobs). For those who are too grossed out to be a maggot farmer or a sewer inspector, working in a restaurant or similar setting can produce the same effect.
Working!! is recent series featured last spring/early summer about a group of people working in a restaurant and the various related antics that incur as a result. Simple, yet effective.
Story
A local restaurant, Wagnaria, is currently low on manpower and is in the process of hiring some extra help to split the work load. Taneshima Poplar, a part-time waitress there, goes to look for potential help. She happens to run into Takanashi Souta, a boy at her school who is a year younger than her. He mistakes her for an elementary/grade school student because of her height; though enchanted by her small stature, Souta decides to work with her and know her better. Again, not much to the story here, it's slice-of-life at its finest. No need for incredibly deep plots or life-changing moments, but it is a very easy to pick up and watch in spurts. Despite a good chunk of the characters still in high school, I was glad they avoided any elongated scenes at school and kept the scenes primarily focused around the events at the restaurant. There are enough slice-of-life anime that take place in a school setting. To be quite honest, I've grown quite tired of seeing cultural festival after athletic festival after watermelon-breaking-summer-beach-rendezvous after heart-warming-winter/Christmas episode, but I digress. It does tread in typical waters with an almost obligatory hot springs episode, but for the most part, Working!! is a very focused slice-of-life anime.
Characters
Takanashi, Souta: Our main male protagonist, appearing to be a crazed loli-con; there is actually a fairly reasonable reason for his supposed fetish for all things small and cute. Not bland like lined paper, though not striking like glossy/laminated paper; Souta falls more towards the middle, like colored construction paper.
Taneshima, Poplar: Despite her diminutive size, she provides most of the upbeat energy for the rest of the cast. Ironically named after the poplar tree, her height is often times the topic of discussion amongst her coworkers. Fairly clumsy at times though very endearing, I can say she's become one of my favorite moe characters. 
Inami, Mahiru: An extremely shy and timid girl who, oddly enough, has an extreme case of androphobia (fear of men). She happens to viciously punch any man that comes close to her. This does not bode well for Souta, as they share several shifts together. Though introduced more like a minor character, she does get a healthy dose of air time as Souta tries to help her out. Though not all the characters are fleshed out, one has to take into account the number of episodes they were working with. A few characters including Otoo and Yachiyo I personally thought were too shallow for my taste. I did however appreciate that the other male characters (Satou and Souma) had some personality and contributed to the events that took place. For the most part, each character does have a definite quirk that one will gravitate towards.
Voice Acting/Sound
Collectively, I really have no qualms about the voice acting of the series. Everyone seems to fit their roles very well. A character introduced mid-series, Yamada Aoi, I found fairly similar to Fuuko from Clannad; a childish girl who is blunt and speaks her mind. The voice also sounded similar to her, but to my amazement is voiced by Hirohashi Ryou, the voice behind Fujibayashi Kyou. I can't say enough about her talents, but my mind is officially blown.The soundtrack comprises of some easy-to-listen-to instrumentals, most of which one may find to be catchy--nothing groundbreaking. Most people would agree that the opening "Someone Else" is pretty damned impressive, catchy enough to draw anyone to give the series a try. Though we might not know the rest of the lyrics to the song, you can count on me pumping my fist while chanting "some wan, WAN-WAN!"
Loved
Bomberman Eyes: I'm not exactly the perfect candidate when it comes to recognizing various art styles in anime, but I just happen to recognize one in particular that made me smile. Taneshima's bomberman eyes. That's certainly what I will call them and stick to it. They're awesome--enough said. 
Hot Sisters: Though Souta will never realize or fathom it (unless there's some really messed up doujinshi on it already), his sister's are quite the lookers. There's some real potential to their characters and could be delved into further if a second season is released. More Kozue please!Hated
Maya Matsumoto: Though you will see glimpses of her in the opening and throughout the series, she won't actually get a line of dialogue until the last episode; a serious no-no in any account unless they have serious intentions of a second season. Then again, the cast would have felt bloated with her around. 
Crossdressing anyone?: A recurring issue most people tend to address with Japanese animation as a whole is how androgynous some characters may be. "What that's a guy? No way!" I actually found it to be a humorous gag throughout the show, but some may foam at the mouth as they scratch their heads about their sexuality. The Lowdown: For awhile I thought I was well exhausted of solid slice-of-life anime, but I was mistaken. Working!! is a very focused slice-of-life anime that strays away from the typical school-life events--refreshing to say the least. It contains most if not all of what makes slice-of-life great: lovable cast, a healthy dose of comedic scenes, a catchy tune to hum to, and a bit of fanservice to boot.
My jaw is hurting already...
Notes: Watched from beginning to end (YuS-m.3.3.w subs).
