When it comes to doujinshi, it’s not often that I pick up artists I’ve not heard of or haven’t been referred to. Even more so when I actually decide to pick up the books for my own collection. When I purchased The Job of a Service Committee Member back in 2015, I did it because of the cover art, or, more specifically, what was written on the chalkboard behind the two characters: “The Spirit of Service: Those on day-duty or in the service committee are not to deny a student or teacher service, unless they have a particular reason.” All right, got your attention? Good, because The Job of a Service Committee Member is one piece that rides the line between incredible and crazy, and you will enjoy every last page of this 231-page tank. Here’s what you need to know:
Released in late 2015 translated and uncensored by FAKKU, this book puts together ten chapters of Kiyoshiro Inoue’s works from both Comic Hotmilk and Comic Kairakuten ranging from 2008 to 2014. The titular story runs for the first three chapters and follows the goings-on of a school that has students whose job it is to… ahem… take care of their fellow student’s (and teacher’s) needs. Doesn’t matter when, doesn’t matter where: Hallways, stairwells, classrooms, before, during, or after class, anything is fair game. That’s quite the demanding task, and those assigned to do it have their work cut out for them. Some of the older students find it pretty straightforward, but the newer ones are still trying to get comfortable. We get to see, for example, a track star, a tsundere in love with her (incredibly endowed) sensei, and an absolutely gorgeous bigger woman doing their best for the sake of the student body.
The fourth chapter in the tank, “I Don’t Know, Sensei!” revolves around a student and her tutor. She’s absolutely infatuated with him, but she doesn’t particularly need one, and he’s got mixed feelings about the whole thing. Nothing a little blackmail and sexytime can’t fix, though! That’s basically the story of the next chapter as well, except instead of blackmail it’s cheating. Childhood promise that one person totally forgot and the other remembered every day, you know that story, right? I wonder what happens after that chapter… Sounds like a fanfic in the making.
The next three chapters follow all sorts of different situations. “Manga Club!” gives away its plot in the title (hint, they focus on eromanga), “Smile With All You’ve Got” gave me Princess 69 vibes with its gymnastics “training,” (the artwork of the various poses in this chapter are incredible), and “Victory Tomorrow” follows a baseball club manager taking care of her teammates, often two or three at a time.
And then we get to the genre change in the book, “With My Cousin!” Obvious themes aside, this actually reverses the ages (while the previous chapters have been older male/younger female, this is the opposite). I actually found this chapter to be a breath of fresh air from the rest of the book, and Hina is quite the cutie as well.
But we couldn’t finish the book out with that note, so we finish instead with a short chapter about a yandere who is absolutely in love with a classmate of hers, to the point that she cannot stop fantasizing about him and eventually, get this, orders her maid to capture him so that she can have her way with him! She’s the super stalker-y type, and for the oldest piece in the tank, it’s very well done.
The Job of a Service Committee Member is a compilation that has stuck with me for a very long time. It reminded me that there are always hidden gems out there, and I’ve followed Inoue’s works ever since. Be sure to check out his Twitter, and, if you like what you see, be sure to pick up this fantastic tank!
