Gabriel DropOut

Episode 3

In its third outing, Gabriel DropOut delivers a consistently amusing half-hour. Throughout the episode's four segments, each of the principal characters gets some time in the spotlight and delivers a number of effective gags that play to their core strengths. Now that the various dynamics and key personalities have been established, Gabriel DropOut is free to focus exclusively on telling jokes.

Episode three opens by revealing that Gabriel has gotten a part-time job at a local coffee house owned and operated by a kindly middle-aged man. Believing his new hire's poor customer service and surly demeanor to be the result of a language barrier, the man known only as “Master” shows her the utmost understanding and refuses to take any disciplinary action against her. Even when she insults his masterfully honed house blend and physically assaults Satania in plain sight, Master chooses to give Gabriel the benefit of the doubt. Other skits find a friendly tea date between Vigne and Raphiel turning into an impromptu game of cream puff roulette and Gabriel seeking solace from her A/C-less, mosquito-infested apartment on a blisteringly hot summer day.

Although we've yet to see how the four main characters first met (with the exception of Satania and Raphiel), the chemistry between them is so entertaining that the lack of backstory isn't really a problem. Even if we're never shown the exact details of everyone's early interactions, we basically have all the background info we need. It's also interesting that the dynamics shift so naturally depending on which characters are interacting.

Despite being fairly one-note, Master seems like he'll make a fun addition to the regular cast. From his reluctance to “offend” Gabriel, who's terrible at her job, to his passion for making traditional coffee, each of his quirks is ripe for comedy. He also has an interesting rapport with each of the girls. Gabriel constantly takes advantage of his pliable nature, Satania can barely be troubled to acknowledge his existence, and kindhearted Vigne provides him with the confidence boost he needs after dealing with the other two. At present, it appears that he'll be filling the role of eternal victim, and so far, he's taken to it nicely.

Raphiel and Vigne form an unlikely but entertaining pair. Since Vigne is too level-headed to make an ideal target for Raphiel's mischief, the scheming angel is forced to be more upfront about her intentions. Because she's used to working with a much more gullible and receptive mark, it's fun to see Raphiel at something of a disadvantage. Additionally, after all the pranks she's perpetrated, I loved that her attempted cream puff stunt on Satania doesn't produce the desired result.

With a new character and a variety of amusing situations, this week's Gabriel DropOut may be the show's strongest outing yet. There may not be much more comedy to wring out of a Raphiel and Vigne dynamic, but it's fun to see the usual combinations get shaken up. Gabriel working at a coffee shop is a good recipe for laughs, so let's hope we see more of Master and his rarely-patronized business in the coming weeks.

Rating: A-

Gabriel DropOut is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is an author who has loved anime for over two decades.