Oh I love the food in Ghibli movies too!
The highlight of this first episode, an extended sequence of cooking and eating a sauced katsudon, where most of the rest of it was setup for the rest of the series. We follow our protagonist Mako, a first year college student who moved from the boonies into the big city as she tries and fails to find a restaurant she’s comfortable eating at. By chance she runs into her long lost childhood friend Shinon at college, who is trying to start a Food Culture Research Club but so far only has three members when she needs four. Mako, being shy, declines her offer to become a member. That night, as she hesitates to enter the restaurant she wanted to try yesterday as well, one of the girls who was with Shinon calls out to her; she turns out to be the daughter of the owner. It’s her who cooks Mako her katsudon. Ultimately this is what gives Mako the push to become a member of Shinon’s club. But while Mako looks forward to all sorts of cooking experiments, Shinon just wants to lazy around in their new club room?
I can so relate to Mako’s struggles here. Working in Utrecht every Thursday, I always plan to eat in some nice little restaurant in town and most times I fail to do so. It’s too busy, it’s too far from the station, not sure if you a reservation etc. It can be hard to walk into a restaurant on your own when everybody else is with friends. Especially if you’re a shy eighteen year old in her first year at college, where there’s nobody you known.
This looks to be a classic slice of moe P. A. Works anime, where Mako no doubt will make friends with the members of her new club and slowly overcomes her shyness. It’s been a while since we’ve had such an earnest series and I look forward to the rest of it.
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