Bartender

In this place you can find a bartender that is considered a master at creating cocktails. He is one of a kind and is known by many to serve some of the best drinks. Following one’s belief that just as every person has their own story so does every drink. No two cocktails are exactly the same. That is a truth I can speak of. So with a remake airing in a couple of weeks from this video. I thought it would be great to show some attention to a fun relaxing anime that I have enjoyed for the past many years.

So pull up ... a stool and join me as I weave the tail about the glass of the gods.

This is an anime that no one outside of the real culture anime fans talk about and that depresses me. Because there are some great stories here and I feel like more people should hear them. Not to mention the animation style of this anime is beautiful. It is nice and simple but at the same time very cinematic. Watching Ryuu make cocktails you see the passion he puts into it,

There is no plot to this story unlike most, it is very episodic. Each episode follows a new person and an issue they need to solve and sometimes to help solve and issue all you need is someone to talk to. This may sound like a boring anime by most especially if you are a young one. In that case there is not much I can do to change your mind. Because this is a show that really hits hard back home it is nice just listening to other peoples’ stories and if you enjoy that type of stuff then you will enjoy this anime. But if not then I can't sell you on it. I am not going to try. This is not an anime for everyone but I will tell you how I came to enjoy it.

One of the reasons I enjoy this show so much is there is None of that anime trope bullshit that we see in most anime and manga nowadays and I think that is why this anime goes under the radar for most people who don't want to deal with real emotion and real stories. The older I become the more I enjoy these shows and stories; as I can respect, understand, and appreciate them more. I think that just proves to myself that I have matured more than I may have thought I did.

By no means am I an alcoholic but I do enjoy grabbing a drink with friends every once in a while. One of my go to drinks is a simple but yet sometimes can have a complex flavor and that is a rum and cola. I have been to many bars and restaurants in my life and very few make this drink perfectly.

Not to say it is ever bad every bar makes it different but it is nice to find a balance for a drink. A rum and cola may seem simple on the surface but it can be hard to have just the right amount of ice, rum, and cola. It balances perfectly to reach a great harmony no 2 drinks will ever taste the exact same. As every bartender will do things slightly differently. Just like every drink you have, every person you meet in this show is different. no two stories are exactly the same. Everyone in this world has their own struggles. And that is why my viewers wanted to talk about this anime. As the stories in this anime feel very real

One thing for certain this show gets right is the atmosphere as a good anime does not need to rely on things like oversized fun bags on girls or fancy fights. This show does great with that. One thing this show does really well is every person feels like a 3 dimensional character including our bartender. He starts out as someone who is idolized but as the story progresses his past is delved into. Seeing his own shortcomings and history is a great way to write a character. I believe this is why the story works so well. Is that we get to see many elements come together and is very well done. I can't say that about a lot of anime.

Bartender is an anime that I will continue to hold dear the older I get as it is not an anime that tries to impress people with over the top action or tries to lure in horny people with dumb proportions on women. It is a show that is a relaxing watch and for many a great way to wind down at the end of a long day. This is a show that is great for those who want to learn a little about alcohol and take a peek into the life of certain people. This is a show that brings Realism and emotion to the screen very well. A glass of warning though do not binge this show as this is a show to just watch an episode every now and then. I think that is what makes it relaxing.

This is a show that you tell the creator enjoyed making and is not over preachy about anything. Everything about it is just a new look at how some bars help people relax. Which is very true about bars in Japan as here bartenders don't work tips like in most places.
You can go anywhere in Japan and find many bars that have only like 6 seats and there are like 20 on the same block. The thing is, in Japan we believe that a bar is meant to be a place to relax and a bartender's job is to help us do just that. I Can't speak for the rest of the world but I will say when I bring friends from outside Japan they are very surprised by the difference. I find that really nice.

As someone who watches a lot of anime I can say anime has been feeling a bit stagnant lately. Sure there are a few good shows here and there but there is so much trash or just bare minimum mediocre shows. So I find it very nice when I can find something that experiments with something new. Can I recommend this show to everyone? No, most definitely not but if you want something new that is not a trope filled garbage isekai. I will say maybe give it a shot and who knows maybe you learn something new about yourself.

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