Deaimon (Deaimon: Recipe for Happiness)

Ten years have passed since Nagomu Irino left his home to pursue his dream that ultimately failed. He finally decides to return after hearing that his father—owner of the Kyoto sweets store Ryokushou—has been hospitalized. Worrying that no one would inherit the shop if his father passes away, Nagomu prepares himself to embrace his family's legacy and the art of making sweets⁠.

Unsurprisingly, Nagomu discovers that his father has already chosen a different successor—a 10-year-old girl named Itsuka Yukihira, who was abandoned at Ryokushou by her father for reasons unknown. While she has since become a part of the family and is now the shop's poster girl, Itsuka still longs to see her father and follows all possible clues that may lead her to him. Sympathizing with Itsuka's situation, Nagomu's mother asks Nagomu to act as Itsuka's father, hoping that Itsuka will open up to him and relieve her pain, even if just a little.

Starting on bad terms, Itsuka and Nagomu gradually learn more about each other, realizing that they are more similar than they had thought. Connected by their mutual love for both Ryokushou and its confections, their relationship as child and father figure begins to make lives around them a little bit sweeter.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Deaimon was released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 24, 2022.

Episode Videos

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Adaptation:

Deaimon

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Characters & Voice Actors

Irino, Nagomu

Main

Shimazaki, Nobunaga
Japanese

Yukihira, Itsuka

Main

Yuuki, Kozue
Japanese

Matsukaze, Kanoko

Supporting

Takahashi, Minami
Japanese

Horikawa, Mitsuru

Supporting

Suzuki, Minori
Japanese

Kisaichi, Hiiro

Supporting

Hayami, Saori
Japanese

Yukihira, Tomoe

Supporting

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu
Japanese

Irino, Heigo

Supporting

Koyama, Rikiya
Japanese

Nacchan

Supporting

Ueki, Shinei
Japanese

Kazuyan

Supporting

Yamashita, Taiki
Japanese

Noi

Supporting

Matsuoka, Misato
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Oizaki, Fumitoshi

Director, Storyboard

Morishita, Hiroto

Sound Director

Sakamoto, Maaya

Theme Song Lyrics, Theme Song Performance

Shimazaki, Nobunaga

Theme Song Performance

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Opening Theme

"Sumire" by Maaya Sakamoto

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Ending Theme

	1: "Koko ni Aru Yakusoku (ここにある約束)" by Deaimon (ayaho x Junichi Soga) (eps 1-8, 10-??)
	2: "Orlando (オーランドー)" by Nagomu Irino (CV: Nobunaga Shimazaki) (eps 9)

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Reviews

Jun 22, 2022

KIOSHI_17

Recommended

Deaimon is a really wholesome and easygoing anime. It's probably one of the best Iyashikei's I've seen. (Even tho it's not tagged to be one on MAL). Since it's one of the lesser known but great anime of spring 2022, I thought of making a review on it.
Here it goes:-

Story:
The storyline is pretty simple and easy to understand. Being mainly based around a wagashi store (Japanese sweet shop) called "Ryokushou", story revolves around the members of it.
"Nagomu", the shop owner's son who went to Tokyo to follow his career decides to come back and help at the store. He later finds out that they ...

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Jun 22, 2022

KANLen09

Recommended

Of all the comfy, slice-of-life shows this season, mangaka Rin Asano's story about a family-found situation, meshed with the delicacies of wagashi a.k.a Japanese confectionery sweets, is the ultimate combination of "comfort within your own home" and the genuine loving kindness of a well-knitted family-oriented relationship that's a charm to watch. And despite this manga being out since 2016, I'm surprised that even a few years onwards until today, this has not received an English translation, and even if you do find one, it's hard to come by. Despite this, Deaimon is really a hidden gem that I felt was and is now still underrated ... and underappreciated quite a fair bit, for a show that honestly didn't garner the reputation that it truly deserves.

As the title suggests, Deaimon is loosely translated as the Recipe for Happiness (I already liked the metaphor from Day 1), which is exactly what the show is going for, despite it being the kind of understated and lowkey introduction phases that foreshadows to us the audience that this is not gonna be something noteworthy. But you would be a buffoon if you'd thought of this in the most shallowest of notions, because the beholder of Deaimon lies in its simplicity to deliver a solid show that is consistent, predictable-yet-unpredictable, and a Hanasaku Iroha-cum-Barakamon mix of feel-good feeling on top of its many obtuse layers that you might be calling out the predictable angle of this, and I promise you that this won't be the case.

Deaimon: Recipe of Happiness's story rests on the never-ending tradition of a "family-found" story, where this girl by the name of Itsuka Yukihira gets abandoned by her lone father and is left towards the kind elderly folk of Ryokushou to be taken in and taken care of. Itsuka's biological father, whom seemingly from first glance, has undergone a divorce within the Yukihira family (though it's never stated), so much that it tormented the only daughter to question about her parents' origins for years while growing up in Ryokushou. Around the same time, the protagonist Nagomu Irino, who's been on a voyage of his own by running away from home to pursue his dream of becoming a musician in Tokyo, this went on for 10 years until word comes back that Heigo Irino, his father-cum-owner of Ryokushou was hospitalized, and the same word demanded that Nagomu pack his bags to immediately come home and help out in the family's wagashi business, and in the process, be the successor to Ryokushou. This is where the similarity to Spring 2011's Hanasaku Iroha comes about with the same ordeals of certain familial traits (like family legacy, succession and intergenerational bonds) where purpose is the premise's core forefront symbolism, and Summer 2014's Barakamon in the vein where both Nagomu and Itsuka meet that kickstarts the tumultuous relationship and thus begins the succession story of who's going to be the next heir to Ryokushou.

One thing that you must definitely understand to experience all that Deaimon is worth in its greatness, is in characterization, because this is a character-driven story after all. At first, it's a given that both Nagomu and Itsuka will be at loggerheads with one another, simply because their tolerance for each other is grinded only on the surface level. It's with the understanding of how the characters work that slowly intertwines the story plot, and makes the watching experience get better with every baby step in the way. Nagomu may look like a carefree idiot who minds his own business, a wishy-washy absent-minded person whom doesn't know how to make decisions, and someone whom plays to the tune of his own gags, but deep down, he's a mature and caring young adult that's learned the hard way after graduating from college and pursuing his failed musician stint dream in Tokyo for 10 years, earning nothing but a girlfriend (Kanoko Matsukaze) in the process, and then again only to dump her without any word heard for a period this long. In all essence, I felt an inkling that some of us are like Nagomu Irino: someone whom prioritizes his own life, makes decisions without thinking of the consequences, but yet can hold our head high and do things the way that is already glued to our character, and still make it through a dark period of our young adult lives experimenting and settling down when things feel right. And all in all, this is what makes Nagomu Irino likable, such that he has a lot of women in his life (not the harem type), from the elderly folk working in Ryokushou, his direct family, his girlfriend Kanoko, the part-timer Mitsuru Horikawa, and much less the central female MC Itsuka herself becoming her foster father figure in the process, to interact with while going through life's daily struggles and learning the different types of wagashi sweets with their symbolisms. I really like that.

On the basis for Itsuka Yukihara, being abandoned at a tender young age does not bode well, especially for children whom parents think that when they do not get their life together, all they can do is to "spare the rod and spoil the child", creating the nightmarish dreams that Itsuka would never see her real parents again. And in the years since she was raised in Ryokushou, she's learned to have both a mature mindset and a strong, but kind heart to serve those in need, just like a waitress in a restaurant. But don't try to trigger Itsuka, for her sharp tongue can sound nasty at times, and most of those times, it's Nagomu whom gets the bulk of the criticism that slowly with time, becomes one of calmness and understanding. That's not to say that Itsuka still harbours hatred for her parents, which when her mother Shinri eventually manages to locate her in Ryokushou, the nightmares come back like darkness looming within a person's being, and Nagomu has to play his part to ensure that the daughter-parent relationship is amended by hook or crook, but all done with heart to ensure that the prolonged years of hatred doesn't amplify out of spite. It's Nagomu's heart of sincerity that slowly transforms Itsuka's character from being a cold to a heartwarming person that's just like him, under his care. To that effect, I really have to give a shoutout to the total newbie VA Kozue Yuuki, for this is actually her very first character casting gig, and what absurdity to land a main character role from the get-go. How she depicted the 10-year-old Itsuka is nothing short of ingenious, the perfect casting voice for how a 10-year-old kid should sound.

The other characters, well mostly folks and friends of Nagomu and Itsuka, whether be it family or kin, are nice and work around carving both MC's lives in kindness and fervour. It's just a literate wagashi (sweet) feeling all around that touches the warmest depths of the heart to make this a show that absolutely needs no filters nor some wishy-washy, over-the-top drama just to spite the audience. It's just a very good show that displays as its warranted, with the family treatment being centrifugal to the overall enjoyment. Plus, it's a guarantee if you have a very talented series composer like Reiko Yoshida, this woman has done decades worth of scriptwriting and storyboarding, so much so that Deaimon adds to the blimp as a +1 to her versatile CV that's an amazing job well done.

I know I give a lot of flak to Encouragement Films for being a low-budget studio, producing existing projects that have been made by other studios (i.e. Symphogear's premiere season which has been since eclipsed by Satelight, or GochiUsa switching studios every season Date A Live style), shows that don't require lots of production prowess (i.e. Fall 2018's Merc Storia) and that one show which absolutely sucked in all aspects (i.e. Isekai Cheat Magician). But for Deaimon's case, it was different: it felt fresh with the watercolour visuals, the change of seasons and the light-heartedness of the character designs which I think blends well with the overall tone of the series, it's just beautiful to look at. And Deaimon to me, just looks like the studio has finally found its Encouraging stride producing light content (that's been done with Merc Storia), and I pray that it stays that way to make anime "Films" with a light coat of paint.

That in and of itself, trickles down to the OST, which I feel is one of the best low-key compositions of the season, and I say that with heart. For the longest while, I felt like Maaya Sakamoto was just gleaming along doing more anime VA roles than actual song compositions for Anisongs, and it's a stark comparison when you compare her VA role to her actual theme song compositions (which aren't many to begin with). The last song that I liked was Spring 2020's Arte's OP, and that in and of itself, almost seems like an exclusivity deal that she'd only be brought back for her songs in the Spring season because she fits the rhythms well. And this is exactly the case here with her OP "Sumire", which the music style hearkens back to her founding years in the late 90s being a growing Seiyuu to the juggernaut that she is today. The song sounds absolutely beautiful with the inner touches of warmth, that I am constantly always anticipating with eagerness with each passing episode. This song is definitely at the top 5 of my best OPs of the season. ayaho and Junichi Soga's ED sounds good as well, though not as immersive as the OP. But overall, it's really well done for its immersion with the anime in totality.

Deaimon: Recipe for Happiness is a show that's worth a recipe meant to invoke happiness from all of the unstable walks of life from people all around. And while this continues to stay underrated, I hope that we can continue talking about this fine little hidden gem that is truly the magnitude of fun and wholesome, in a way that is uplifting the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" in its AniManga form. It's sweetness in a way that you both can and can't explain, and it's certainly an enjoyable series if you give this show the chance that it deserves.

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Jun 22, 2022

Marinate1016

Recommended

Every once in a while we get these slow burn, character driven stories that offer advice and legitimately solid examples of how to pick yourself up after failure. Deaimon does exactly that and really came out of nowhere as the pleasant surprises of the season.

At this point in my life, I love anime that end up being thought provoking and allow me to grow along with the characters. I like characters who are relatable, not perfect and organic. This show has all of that as well as some pretty educational cooking information too.

I’m not going to lie, as someone who loves romance drama and unfinished ...

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Poll: Deaimon Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jun 22, 2022	80 replies	by Komla_6 »» Nov 3, 2022 1:35 PM
Nagomu knows who Itsuka's father is, right? MumenWriter - Jul 28, 2022	14 replies	by Stormen »» Oct 26, 2022 11:49 AM
Poll: Deaimon Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Apr 6, 2022	108 replies	by LostSpectre »» Oct 26, 2022 6:36 AM
Who did Nagomu end up or seem to who he will end up with? For Manga Readers (Spoilers) MrPerfectOtaku - May 8, 2022	29 replies	by Stormen »» Oct 25, 2022 10:14 PM
Poll: Deaimon Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Apr 20, 2022	59 replies	by Jonsitoa »» Oct 4, 2022 2:51 PM

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