Whether use of anime in Talent Acquisition Group Great Lakes video is authorized is unconfirmed
The Talent Acquisition Group Great Lakes, a U.S. Navy unit that draws new recruits from the areas bordering Lake Michigan, posted a social media video featuring the 2017 anime series Blend S 's opening theme song, “Bon Appétit ♡ S” on Friday. The recruitment video starts by reusing the anime's opening sequence (complete with the lyrics, "Smile, Sweet, Sister, Sadistic, Surprise, Service") — before it cuts to an offscreen voice saying, “San Antonio” with an image of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship. The video continues with clips of San Antonio-class ships and the Navy personnel aboard them, while the video's social media posts give a text overview of the class.
As of press time, the staff of the Blend S series has not issued a statement regarding the U.S. Navy's use of “Bon Appétit ♡ S” and the anime's opening sequence in a recruitment video. The U.S. Navy has also not stated if it received permission from the Blend S production committee to use content from Blend S in a recruitment video.
The U.S. Armed Forces and other services are no strangers to the anime and manga community. The U.S. Marine Corps and Federal Bureau of Investigation appeared at Anime NYC in an official capacity in November 2023.
Miyuki Nakayama 's Blend S manga follows a high school girl who starts working at the high-concept café Stile. Because of her scary-looking resting facial expression, she is asked to play the role of a sadistic waitress to customers. (The manga's title is the wordplay on the Japanese slang for extreme sadism, do-S.) The manga inspired a 12-episode television anime that premiered in October 2017. Aniplex of America streamed the show on Crunchyroll as it aired, and also released the series on Blu-ray Disc in 2018.
Source: U.S. Navy Talent Acquisition Group Great Lakes' Instagram account via Hachima Kikō