Bartender

Story (8) :
Honestly, I didn't expect the anime to be this good. From my POV, the atmosphere is what helps make this story interesting. From the Eden Hall Bar, it is very comfortable and a private bar. so only a few customers can occupy it, so it's quiet and not crowded. The bar is just a few chairs, a bar counter, lights that are not too bright but orange so it feels comfortable, then a fan. The location is also hidden and quite dark, but that's what makes it feel mysterious because Eden Hall Bar is indeed mysterious. When you enter the bar it ... feels very quiet and only one bartender is serving.

Honestly, I just watched it and felt that this place was mysterious and the bartender was like a ghost. like in an anime death parade. suddenly you're in this bar without knowing anything. That's why I think the atmosphere can light up the story of Eden Hall bar. Well, this story is very interesting and really has a personal impact. A cocktail has a historical story and that history is connected to the customer's story. Each cocktail has its own story role with various customers. This anime really explains history, psychology, philosophy, theories about human life just from a cocktail glass

Characters (9) :
I like all the characters in the anime here, the main bartender and senior bartender also really understand in depth the history of cocktails and can convey to customers regarding the problems they are experiencing. The customer characters here are all very good, they follow their own plots and can rise again with advice from the bartender. The character of the Bartender is very subtle in explaining something and it makes us feel touched when we hear the message.

Visual (8) :
This anime is from 2006, and the visuals are really good, they really paid attention to the little details of reflections, shadows, drink brands, etc. And I like the color grading in this bar, it's quite dark but makes it quiet so we can feel what the customers feel with the atmosphere of Eden Hall Bar.

Audio (9) :
The audio is all very good and suitable for each scene. The opening was pretty good but I liked the ending better. The song really makes you feel calm. and the OST also feels very jazzy, so it also feels quiet and calm

Bartender is a fine example of a show which is driven by its premise and nothing else to back it up.
*lifts bottle*

As long as you fancy the basic formula of how each episode plays out, you will get one hell of a series. If on the other hand you expect something more… mainstream should I say? With action, plot, plot twists, development, and a powerful ending, then DON’T EVEN BOTHER!
*bottoms up*

The story is quite the simple one. There is this fancy bar where people go and tell their life’s problem to the barman. The barman listens to them and after a cool metaphor regarding different ... types of liquors from around the world, and how combining them into a specific cocktail creates a very specific flavor, the customers feel refreshed and may even reach to important revelations regarding their issues.
*stares at an ugly woman who now looks gorgeous*

As cool as all this sounds, it is a completely episodic show and it is basically the metaphors that matter and not the actual issues the customers may have. To be honest, I hardly cared how cruel their lives are, how bad is their boss or how unfaithful is their wife. All I cared about was seeing the barman doing his weird allegories and mentioning the historical facts behind some drinks and then combining them into a super elixir of sorts that produces a flavor akin to the needs of the customer. At the same time though… it is not what most people would call entertaining. Since each episode follows the same pattern without deviating or evolving past its initial form, it eventually becomes duller with each episode. The premise is great for the first three cases but after that the excitement simply starts to wear off and you are now staring at a formulaic show with predictable outcome.
*hic!*

Do you remember how each episode of Pokemon was following pretty much the same pattern? Well, despite being a very immature show for little kids, most of the times it would have something new for the viewer to take notice. They would go to different cities, meet different trainers, fight different critters, and even Team Rocket would occasionally change its punchlines and role in the show. Plus there was action; simplistic one but definitely something regarding energy beams and things blowing up. Bartender does not have this sort of variety and this is basically what makes it boring past a few episodes. It is always the same place, always the same rhetorical questioning, and always the same conclusion, without any action or even much of motion in general. It’s people standing still, looking all gloomy, and talking all emo about something. Hardly as exciting as watching a bunch of high-spirited kids fighting with weird creatures popping out of spheres.
*Whiskey on the rocks, I choose you*

Although Bartender also has to do with lifting one’s spirits through … spirits (the drinking kind) and despite being very mature and interesting as a premise, this is not the reason most people are watching anime for. If they wanted enlightment, they would read a philosophical book or join some religion. They would NOT watch an anime, where its main objective as a medium is entertainment. Sure, we could say that the show is directed at a very mature audience who has aged significantly and no longer looks for excitement but rather for insight and maturity. To those kinds of people Bartender would appear as a holy book or something. For the rest of us (almost everyone) it will be a series of drunkards in a bar, talking all emo in front of a cool bartender. ALL THE TIME AND IN ALL EPISODES!
*burp!*

Do you know how easy it is to get bored with all that? Or do you know how eventually the characters become nothing but plot devices that are forgotten as soon as the episode is over? Instead of caring about them as characters, the customers end up being nothing but ephemeral excuses for the bartender to start blabbering about booze. Some stories were cool stories, I admit, but the characters were just excuses for fancy allegories. Not even the barman is a character since he just talks about stuff and we never get to know anything about him … other than being the Buddha of alcohol, offering his wisdom to the tired customers. WHO WOULD WANT TO WATCH A SHOW WITHOUT CHARACTERS? This is closer to a self-aid book than a series. And for the medium it’s part of, it’s not the best implementation of such a concept. Something like Welcome to the NHK or Tatami Galaxy is preferrable for having a basic, non-episodic plot, with the same characters.
*hangover kicks in*

I mean, it’s still a good show if one goes in with the proper mindset, and it can become special to a very niche audience. And the production values are actually not bad at all; the artwork in specific is almost photorealistic when it comes to backgrounds. You watch an episode and you get the urge to go buy yourself some Gin&Tonic. I mean just look at those bottles! They are so amazingly drawn! The sound of liquor pouring in the glass, the ice slowly melting, the soft music playing in the bar, the low lightning, the mesmerizing voice of the barman, YOU JUST WANNA TURN DRUNKARD AT THAT SECOND! Do you know what Gar means? It’s Gay for Archer. Well, this show is all Drub (Drunkard for Bartender).
*puts eggs in a blender*

It is THAT successful in terms of atmosphere; it just sucks you in! … Of course chances are you will be bored and ask to pull out after a few episodes, because the formula becomes repetitive. But for those few initial episodes the show is successful at what it’s about. So in all, I find this show to be VERY SPECIAL and HIGHLY CAPTIVATING IN THE BEGINNING but also NON-EVOLVING and eventually BORING FOR MOST PEOPLE.
*wakes up on an unfamiliar bed, shared with a very ugly woman*

Bartender: an anime about a little known hole in the wall bar where they don't display the menu or price because this place is waaaaaay too classy for that noise. It's the kind of joint where everybody knows your name (except we don't, because every character is some faceless nobody who is gone by the end of the episode) And they're always glad you came (except me because this anime is boring pretentious drivel)

You know, I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of alcohol (an alcoholic) so you would think I would like an anime all about alcohol. But dear lord does this ... show suck all the fun out of drinking. The whole thing reads like it was written by some sad shut-in who only ever viewed booze from a distance or read about it in a scientific journal.

The characters are boring, the plot is non existent and they reduced all the fun of drinking down to some insipid exposition about the history of distillation or some other nonsense. The only redeeming factor is the barely competent animation and sound design. But that's far from enough to save this captain-come-down-train-wreck.

If you ever need to quit drinking watch this show,
because it will make you want to never drink alcohol again