First Impression: Ristorante Paradiso

The series has old people in it. If that doesn't catch your attention, then maybe the unusual art style will. I know that one got me into this series in the first place, and I must say the first episode did not disappoint.
EPISODE 01: Nicoletta
More Screencaps from Ristorante Paradiso 01
OP: Marigold (orange pekoe) [YouTube]
ED: Suteki no Kajitsu (Lisa Komine) [YouTube]
Our lead character, Nicoletta, is in Rome, looking for a particular restaurant which her estranged mother and her new husband own. The restaurant turns out to be populated by a waiting staff of middle-aged guys all wearing glasses. Nicoletta takes an immediate liking for the graceful Claudio, the head waiter. Olga, Nicoletta's mother, who has not told her new husband about her daughter or her first marriage, strikes up a deal with Nicoletta by offering to pay for the latter's apartment while she is there in Rome. Nicoletta reluctantly agrees but soon finds herself returning to the restaurant and gets acquainted with the staff in the process.
From the onset, Ristorante Paradiso is a very strange anime. I am not unaware of other similar-themed titles, of course (NOTE: Antique Bakery and Bartender), but I have never watched those, so Ristorante Paradiso is, for all intents and purposes, my first time watching a show that's about the wait staff of a restaurant. Not only that, the characters are also older than what I'm used to. I mean, Haru (Real Drive) was old but an entire harem of old people is definitely out there. But hey, who knows, maybe this is going to spawn a new kind of otaku culture. Moe is out and old people in! LOL

I don't find it bothersome though. It's not realistic to have an entire wait staff composed of older people. But I guess it's not impossible. Besides, the episode itself explains that this is a special kind of restaurant and one that particularly caters to those with certain tastes.
The animation studio responsible for this show is David Production. Who? One might ask. I've never heard of them but apparently they produced Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2. At the directing helm is Kase Mitsuko of SaiKano fame. I've never watched either show so there's nothing to compare, and besides from what I understand, Ristorante Paradiso belongs to a totally different genre. The anime is based on a josei manga (for older girls) of the same name by Ono Natsume, who is also credited as the original creator in the anime production staff. Her only other work is a lesser known manga called Saraiya Goyo (never heard of it either).
The premise of Ristorante Paradiso itself isn't very striking. This is only to be expected from a slice of life series. However, if you aren't immediately taken in by the story of a girl looking for her mom and finding herself surrounded by middle-aged guys instead, then the rather unusual art style might. Takeda Itsuko is the person responsible for the refreshing character designs of Ristorante Paradiso while Soejima Yasufumi is the dude behind the art direction (and I suppose the translucent, watercolor effect of the background). Takeda's repertoire includes Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society and The Galaxy Railways while Soejima did the textile effect of the background in Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. I can tell that both people brought their creative muscles to make this series really stand out, art-wise.
IN SUM --

Ristorante Paradiso is not your average, run-of-the-mill anime. Because it's josei and slice of life, it caters to a particular niche in the audience and is therefore not for everyone. But even if you don't necessarily gravitate towards this kind of anime, give this anime a try as it offers a refreshing change.

MORE INFO:

OFFICIAL (JPN)
Ristorante Paradiso @ ANN
Ristorante Paradiso Commercial [YouTube]
Ristorante Paradiso Trailer [YouTube]

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Spring 2009 Anime Preview

Yeah, so it's that time again. Brand new season, brand new shows. It's a shorter list this time and I'm not even sure I'll blog every one of these titles. Last season, we got bombarded with sequels. I didn't really mind those because, you know, all I had to do was to not watch the series at all. This time around, the studios have put together some very interesting titles and some rather generic ones as well. The ones below are those that made it to the short list.



Phantom ~ Requiem for the Phantom ~
OFFICIAL | TV-Tokyo | ANN | Wikipedia

A spate of mafia assasinations occurs in America, the work of the mysterious organization named Inferno. "Phantom" is their most strongest and capable assassin, however a lone tourist witnesses Phantom's latest act of murder. He unwittingly exposes the top assassin's true identity, a young girl named Ein. Witnesses are usually killed, but the man is captured and taken to be brainwashed into "Zwei", Inferno's newest assassin, with no memory of who he is. From this point on, Zwei is drawn into a world of conspiracy, deceit and violence. (ANN)

COMMENTS:

Bee Train. That's all that I can really say at this point. I mean, aside from the promising plot summary and the attractive poster. I mean, dude, now that is a gun. And poor you, did you cut yourself shaving this morning? Anyway, this one has melancholy written all over it, which is not a problem since I do have a taste for depressing storylines. Also, assassins! What more can I possibly ask for?

Fullmetal Alchemist 2
OFFICIAL | AnimaxASIA | ANN | Wikipedia

Set in a fictional universe in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scientific techniques known to man, the story follows the brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, who want to restore their bodies after a disastrous failed attempt to bring their mother back to life through alchemy. (Wikipedia)

COMMENTS:

Well, this is supposed to be a remake of the original series, which I have yet to watch (I've got all 50+ episodes gathering dust on my desk). The manga is reportedly better than the anime so this being a more faithful adaptation of the manga, I believe this is supposed to be superior. I am vaguely interested in this series but there is no chance of me blogging it since 51 episodes is too much of a commitment.

Eden of the East

OFFICIAL | Production I.G. | ANN | Wikipedia

On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be called as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later... Saki Morimi is a young woman currently in the United States of America on her graduation trip. But just when she is in front of the White House, Washington DC, she gets into trouble, and only the unexpected intervention of one of her fellow countrymen saves her. However, this man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, is a complete mystery. He appears to have lost his memory. and he is stark naked, except for the gun he holds in one hand, and the mobile phone he's holding with the other hand. A phone that is charged with 8,200,000,000 yen in digital cash. (ANN)

COMMENTS:

This series has an awesome staff. Of course, I don't ever discount the fact that this is Production I.G. And not just Production I.G. but the Production I.G. I have come to love: Kamiyama Kenji of Seirei no Moribito fame returns at the helm to direct this series based on an original script written by himself. The character designs are done by Umino Chika, the mangaka of Honey and Clover. Although I have never seen Honey and Clover (and likely never will), I am familiar with her style. I don't know how her kind of old-school, stationary style will fit with a futuristic setting but I can imagine it adding a bit of fantastical element to the whole thing. Anyway, looking forward to this.

Natsu no Arashi!

TV-Tokyo | Starchild | ANN | Wikipedia

Thirteen-year-old Yasaka is a boy staying at his grandfather's house during his summer vacation. One day he meets Arashi, a beautiful sixteen-year old girl with mysterious powers. After trying to protect her from a man who claims to have been hired by her family to take her back by force, Yasaka ran away with her and now she stays at his grandpa's place with him. The plot thickens when he finds a sixty-year-old picture of Arashi and another girl named Kaja, and to the surprise of all Kaja suddenly appears, and just like Arashi, her appearance hasn't changed at all since then. (Wikipedia)

COMMENTS:

The obligatory romance title on the list. Supposedly, the dude who wrote and drew the manga on which this anime is based is the same dude who created School Rumble. But I've only seen one or two episodes of that one and although they were appreciably hilarious episodes, I can't really say anything much about the series itself. I think I'll use the three-episode rule on this one.

Ristorante Paradiso

OFFICIAL | ANN | Wikipedia

Set in a restaurant in Rome that the heroine Nicoletta visits from the countryside. Her parents divorced when she was young, so her grandparents raised her while her mother tried to remarry. Unfortunately for Nicoletta, her mother abandons her even after remarrying. Nicoletta goes to the restaurant that is now owned by the new husband of Nicoletta's mother, and ends up apprenticing there among a kitchen staff of colorful characters. (ANN)

COMMENTS:

The promo poster kind of got me. It looks really hip. Unfortunately, there's very little information about this series apart from the fact that it seems to be an anime adaptation of a manga by Natsume Ono. Of course, I don't know her and of course, I've never heard of the manga. But, lately, I've been watching a lot of local cooking shows, not because I'm trying to be a cook myself (me and the kitchen, not a good combination) but because, for some strange reason, I am fascinated by chefs...mainly by what they talk about when they're cooking. It's sooo...educational. So proceeding from that acquired taste of mine, I think I'll give this show a try.

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