Ristorante Paradiso
Posted on July 11th, 2009
Ristorante Paradiso
[Rating: 9.5/10]
Genre: Josei, Slice of Life
Nicoletta is a city girl who winds up working as an apprentice at a quaint little restaurant in the Italian countryside, where she learns much about life in the process. The Casetta dell’Orso is not your average restaurant- for one thing, the staff are all older men, and the place is never short of customers… what is its secret?
At first glance, this show does not seem like much. What could be so interesting about a girl working in a restaurant with a bunch of much older men?
But Ristorante Paradiso is anything but boring.
First of all, these ‘older men’ are some of the most charming and lovable characters you’ll ever meet in anime. The fact that they are not your stereotypical pretty bishounen (pretty boys) already gives it a unique twist, and no, nothing squick about it at all. And… it doesn’t hurt that said men are not that bad looking either.
Nicoletta was a surprising character for me, because though in the beginning she seemed like a naive girl with a silly crush, but by the end of the series I really liked her. How she handled Olga and ‘the secret’ in the end was very classy and mature. It was hard to believe that she was the same girl from the first episode.
Also, I love shows where all the characters get their stories told. It just adds so much more depth, and even better when the backstories are good. You’ll find yourself getting the warm fuzzies at at least one of them. And the characters just have this natural way of interacting with each other like a big family~ then again, it is set in a little Italian town.
And though the main relationship arc is between a older man and younger woman, in no way did it seem perverted or strange. Claudio and Nicoletta just balance each other out so nicely, and Claudio is so adorable in this shy awkward way, even though he used to be married. I also loved Teo, Olga and Luciano’s stories~ and Gabriella was quite memorable for a secondary character. I can totally see how Claudio fell for her, and she and Olga balance each other as friends as well. Olga’s impulsive and whimsical whereas Gabriella is a very independant and self-reliant woman – I was glad that she didn’t hook up with another guy after her divorce, and I love how she was not made out to be a bad character though she was ‘the other woman’. After Claudio’s past experience, she was probably the best thing that happened to him.
One of the good things about Ristorante Paradiso was that it did not fail to disappoint, but seemed to give more and more as it went along while keeping the mood and pacing at a consistent and relaxed manner. Casetta dell’Orso is like a foodie’s dream restaurant – good food, great atmosphere, and stellar service.
Also, this show had probably the best and most satisfying ending I’ve seen in any anime series, so that gets two huge thumbs up from me, if anything. A delightfully solid show~ I wouldn’t mind seeing a second season or movie although that’s just really pandering to the fact that I can’t get enough of it. Definitely has a good re-watch value as well.
Filed under: ** anime, josei, slice of life