Wakako-zake

Wakako-zake is a relaxing little gem of an anime, with a subject matter that soothes the soul and calms the mind. Beginning with the story, it is delightfully simple; A woman goes out to eat and drink after work. She has a variety of snacks, drinks, and meals, accompanied by her commentary and signature "~pshuuuu" of satisfaction. The writing is a perfect fit for this show, and is its strongest aspect. The way Wakako talks about food is warm and invigorating, and makes you excited for your next meal. She appreciates not only the flavor, but also the experience of food, and it is that ... in particular which I feel this show captures so well- the experience of food. The process of pairing a drink with your food, the atmosphere of a locale, the manner and order in which you have your meal, it all comes together into this beautiful culinary picture. As for the art, I think it unfortunately holds this show back in one significant way. While the character design is simple and pleasing, and the backgrounds warm and inviting, the food itself looks mediocre at best. In a medium which is famous for how good its food often looks, this is shocking to me. At best, the dishes look unremarkable, maybe a little different than they do in real life. At worst, they look somewhat unappetizing, and fail to capture the spirit of the dish. This anime could have been a 6 or even 7 if it nailed this aspect, but unfortunately it did not. The sound is good, meeting all standards of quality and contributing to the relaxing air of the anime as a whole. Finally, the characters serve their purpose, with a main character who is a calm vehicle for insights about food, surrounded by grounded background characters who make the world feel lived-in. Overall, the good outweighs the bad here, and I can easily recommend it on the quality of Wakako's commentary alone.

Wakako-zake tackles an interesting issue in the medium of animation : how to convey this delicate and exquisite sense that is the taste, though moving pictures ?

Despite it's relatively shorts episodes (1m30 without the opening), Wakako-zake manages to build a multi-layered sensory description of all the dishes it features, in such a way that even we, the spectators, can feel and almost taste everything as Wakako does.

Whether it's through doing close up/panning shots on very detailed frames of the different dishes, using a wide array of sound effects to emulate the sounds of mastication and cooking, displaying colored backgrounds to illustrate the protagonist's emotions or ... even giving elaborate descriptions of the cooking, this anime stages creative elements to further emphasize on all the flavors. Drinks are also subject to particular attention, by being put in harmony or even in contrast with the food to reveal their subtleties.

Wakako-zake finally finds it's full relevance in it's means of expressing complex senses, which it does in a brilliant way, erecting the act of eating as a catharsis. This is not just an anime, it's an ode to good food.

The reason I have a hard time watching 12 episode anime is the same reason I have a hard time getting a girlfriend: I'm afraid of commitment. Watching a full episode of anime requires the ability to focus on something for 23 minutes, a skill which I sadly lack.

That is why, when I see a show with cute character designs that is only 2 minutes per episode, my goldfish sized brain jumps for it like Adderall. Wakako-zake doesn't have a particularly varied cast or a particularly great presentation, and I couldn't care less about food I'm never going to eat, but it's voice acting ... and character design are enough to make it worth your time.