ANIME SHOWCASE: "Gourmet Girl Graffiti"

     I don't know about you, but sometimes I really just want to watch a boring anime. By that I don't mean an anime that has no value or overdone themes, but a nice normal story with interesting characters. And Gourmet Girl Graffiti is just that. No monsters, no epic fights, no flashy cinematic scenes. Just three girls and their passion for food and friendship. Now, I totally understand if that's not your thing, but for those of you who're sticking around, let me explain this extremely cute anime.

     The story focuses around our main character, Ryo Machiko. She's a teenage girl who lives alone now that her grandmother recently passed away. She loved her grandmother, and they spent a lot of time cooking together. Through that, Ryo developed a love for food and cooking as an art. She starts to notice however that her food is losing it's flavor. The recipe is correct, the meal looks perfect, the smell is delicious, but the food still comes out lackluster.

     All of this changes once her cousin, Kirin, comes in from out of town. She wants to study at the same school as Ryo, so she stays once a week to start her new course. Both girls are drastically different. Ryo keeps to herself and is very quiet, while Kirin on the other hand is small and outgoing. Ryo has her doubts about the new living situation, especially after meeting her in person. She changes her mind though for the time being and decides to other her a home cooked meal. Kirin quickly accepts, for she's very use to bland and artificial meals from her mother at home. Plus she has heard of Ryo's cooking talents before.
     Ryo prepares a wonderful stew to fight off Kirin's impeding cold from the weather, and Kirin loves it so much that she even forgets to say grace! Kirin gives numerous compliments towards Ryo's food. She offers a bite and Ryo tries it for herself. And it's good! Her taste for food has returned after so long! Kirin comes to the conclusion that her flavor went away because she was eating alone. She then pledges to be Ryo's new closest family and to spend dinners together every visit. Ryo happily accepts and they begin their new friendship.

     I really like how natural they portrait the girls in this series. They are very well animated, and their character shines through their designs and demeanor. Both have moments of cartoonish delight, but they mostly stay very real and emotional. I love how excited they make Kirin when she starts to walk around Tokyo for the first time, and when she enjoys other one of Ryo's meals. And the way they illustrate Ryo's eating method is extremely detailed and colorful. You see her passion in every bite she takes. It does an amazing job of drawing you into their world, and it makes you want to be apart of their meal time as well.

     Another thing about this anime is THE FOOD. It looks absolutely beautiful! I use to frequently watch the Food Network with my mother when I was younger, and some of the programs made the food they were discussing look like its own character. That's exactly what this show does. Each individual meal looks unique and delicious. Something great about this anime is that they actually describe the meals as a whole and show some of the process it takes to produce them. Ryo also provides some science behind the foods and their taste. Sometimes she even describes ways they can improve your health or the way you feel. It's very inspiring, and if you pay attention you might learn something you never knew.

     I'm really enjoying this anime, and I would recommend it to anyone. Like I said before, if you're only into epic battles and sword fights then this is clearly not for you. But if you'd like a nice change of pace and a nice cute anime to sit and watch while enjoying a meal, then give this one a shot. I promise you'll be very satisfied. Both visually and emotionally. Though I recommend eating before, cause you'll definitely be craving some food after.

     Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the review and the anime! I left a link below to the first episode if you'd like to check it out. Thanks Otakus!

-Otaku Anonymous

Link to first episode: http://www.crunchyroll.com/gourmet-girl-graffiti/episode-1-warm-juicy-668665