I'm a Guild Receptionist, but Since I Hate Overtime, I Think I'll Just Solo-Kill the Boss, commonly known as "Gilumasu." There really have been a lot of works lately with long, spoiler-y titles, haven't there. These long-titled works were pioneered by titles that spun off from light novels into anime, but judging from the original works being published as of 2025, this isn't a case where the first half plays out exactly as the title leads you to imagine and the second half delivers a plot-twist climax; rather, it's simply a story, just as the title says, about juggling two faces: a guild receptionist and a solo adventurer of legendary power. It develops in an entertaining way through the contrast between its serious scenes and its comedically drawn parts. I've breezily explained what kind of anime this is up to here, but honestly, when it comes down to it, you might call it an anime that doesn't do anything particularly novel. For that reason, hardcore anime fans can be seen on social media giving it evaluations along the lines of "perfectly average, for better or worse." Conversely, though, it seems to land incredibly well with people who started watching anime relatively recently, or with the crowd that loves classic developments. People especially seem to love the artwork and the strength of the ending song (with a scattering of "I'm an opening person!" folks too). In other words, if you don't overthink it or compare it to other works and simply enjoy it, you can watch it as supremely fun entertainment! As the ancient chronicles say, an empty head leaves more room to stuff your dreams in.
The Power of Music Is Amazing
Even so, you might be stuck wondering how exactly to empty your head and enjoy it. In times like that, surely borrowing the power of music is best. Just as this work has gained popularity for the cuteness of its ending song, the power of music really is immense. Combined with the visual information of imagery, that effect multiplies many times over. So here's the trick: the more you're an advanced anime viewer calling this work "average," the more, if you watch while lending an ear to the score, you'll come to deeply understand how a score influences a work in ways like this, and everything works itself out nicely. You might think this is just a wild argument, but unexpectedly, when you try viewing it this way, you really do start being able to see anime from a different angle, and your future enjoyment expands too, I genuinely believe!
Now, about that score: the scores for works set in medieval-European-style worlds like this tend to feature a lot of songs with an Irish-sounding flavor, but the tracks with the characteristics of so-called Celtic music don't show up until episode two onward. In episode one, the score leans on the power of the instruments themselves: divine-sounding organ tones used in scenes explaining the world, heavy contrabass tones playing during scenes of the overtime that protagonist Alina absolutely despises, and so on. There's also a cool, propulsive track perfect for relieving stress that plays during the battle against the dragon, the very cause of why all the guild's adventurers have been stalled, which starts from low bass-like tones, with the drums centered on large taiko-style percussion to express the pressure, just like an RPG boss-battle scene. And in gag scenes, a weird melody paired with a progression that never resolves to the tonic chord expresses the sense of things spiraling out of control. Each scene uses a score tailored to that moment. "You're startled by a loud sound," you'd say, and probably everyone would think "well, obviously." But once you start paying attention to the sounds used in the score, the low notes, this instrument's timbre, the minor chords, the dominant chords, you'll find yourself watching anime ever more deeply on a subconscious level, and you're guaranteed to learn that it's precisely because this kind of music exists that people find it easier to empathize with anime. And by enjoying it several times over, your stress gets relieved too!
I've written at length here, but the "I love any and all anime!" crowd, and those who hold that the cliché (here used not as a music term but in the sense of a stock phrase) reigns supreme, have a talent for enjoying anything. Surely even those who pen low ratings on social media went through such a phase once. To reclaim that feeling, I really do hope you'll give it a shot and enjoy the work while lending an ear to the score!
