Isekai Shokudou 2

I'll be honest, this show symbolizes the start of my golden age which is in high school, sadly that was 4 years ago and this show is one of the only way to reminisce the very enjoyable past. Having a season 2 is a life saver during these pandemic as I perceive it as the second coming of good things ( IMO ). That's it, this show is very special to me thats why I will be a bit bias in rating it high with an overall of 9/10.

Story 7/10: Same as Aquatope, instead of treating this anime with a fully straightforward plot, you ... can treat it as one of those enjoyable morning shows in TV in which is not bad but not special either.

Art 7/10- Art has been upgraded compared to the prequel, what I noticed was the smoothness of the animation quality in this season so i gave it 7/10

Sound 10/10- Ever got hungry because the sound effects and music? yeah this is it, I gave it 10/10

Character 10/10- I gave the character dev a 10/10 because it gave everyone the chance to be shown in the spotlight of the First 10 mins and the last 10 mins of the episode.

Enjoyment 10/10- Stressed, Drained, No appetite? watch this to get your tummies growling for food and drained feeling washed away. 10/10

Overall 8/10- Solid series, has unlimited potential since the cuisine genre has astronomical ideas that can be made.

Is Isekai Shokudou 2 worth watching?

If you’re a fan of the show’s prequel, you'll probably enjoy this show. Isekai Shokudou 2 can be watched without seeing the first season, but having watched its prequel gives more context about the things that are happening in this show. While it has an isekai element where customers are brought to another world, it’s a slice of life foremost. I definitely recommend watching both seasons, especially if you’re a fan of slice of life anime.

Story

Isekai Shokudou 2 follows an episodic formula just like the first season, with each episode introducing new characters and adding to the overall worldbuilding in ... the show. It doesn’t have any complicated plot and can be enjoyed by everyone. It’s a show that’s faithful to its premise. If you enjoyed the worldbuilding and character introductions in the first season, you’ll enjoy this one too.

Sound and Animation

The sound, especially the soundtracks, really fits in well with the overall feel of the show. The opening and ending songs are lighthearted; perfect for a slice of life anime. The studio also did great in handling the sound of little things like when someone bites into their food, or when the Master prepares food.

As for the animation, those who’ve watched the first season can tell that the art style changed in the second season due to the changing of the animation studio. While the first season is better in terms of lighting and background details, the second season did great in character interactions and food detail. Both seasons are great in their own ways.

Final comments

Overall, if you’re looking for a show to watch after a long day, then I definitely recommend this show. It’s a good slice of life anime that doesn’t have any complicated plot and that isn’t a bad thing. Just try eating first before watching an episode of this show.

Have you ever come home, from school, or from a long days work, to either a nice warm cooked meal, or just a nice and lovely treat that has been prepared for you, and is waiting for you. Or even that snack, or dish that you'll prepare when you get back, and once done, it really hits the spot. As if like a simple sandwich, is as if the gods themselves has made it. That is the general feeling when it comes to this show.

Coming home on a Friday, where it be Night or day, to kick back and relax to a nice meal. What ... could be better then that? If you love a wide range of good food, then you're going to love this.


I will give a warning though, and that is to not watch this show if you are feeling hungry. As you are more than likely going to feel such through an episode, or after it.

Honestly could not believe this got a second season, but I'm not complaining, as I really do love this show. The first season of this show, is what got me back into anime after a long burnout, and it mainly attracted me through it's visuals, and general just relaxing atmosphere, that just warms and melts your heart. But with good food, good characters, and a good way of presenting it's stories throughout.

To put it simply, each character we meet has a story behind them. Where that be concerning, in danger, or a sweet kind of story,Only to come across a strange door, that is actually a door to a restaurant. A restaurant that just screams a warm and pleasant atmosphere, that would instant relax anyone who steps foot inside. With the premise of a nice cooked meal, or even a nice desert, depending your picking. Truly a treat, in general, ad after a troubling situation. What could be better?

There is no deep plot. There is no worries. It's just lovely good food. What more could you want? It's as if you mix a slice of life with an Isekai. The type that isn't boring, and will just warm your heart from it's cuteness, but also from a good meal to boot. Being that this is the second season, you so far have most of the returning cast members coming back, and enjoying their favorite dishes. Along with some new faces that either stumble upon the door, or already know of it, and go in to enjoy a most satisfying dish. It's not just the food that shines, it's the colourful cast of characters, ranging from different species from demons, elves, dragons, humans, dwarfs, lizard people. You name it. Each with their own background, personality, and dishes that all make it worth while.

Last, and certainly never least. I have to talk about the art. Even if I touched on it briefly. As honestly, te warmth you feel, stepping inside this restaurant is unimaginable. It's expertly done through it's beautiful shine, but also through it's animation. Have you ever seen anime food look THIS good before? I certainly haven't. Sometimes I only wish certain animes looked this fresh and clean. It's top notch stuff. But they also do super well when it comes to more darker settings. Making everything look picture perfect. If you can take anything from this anime, where you like it or not. It's that the artwork and animation is really outstanding.

The music too. Ah. It really brings out a relaxing flavor, that just adds to the already pleasing looking atmosphere. Top notch stuff.

Isekai Shokudou won't blow you away with crazy plot points and such, but it really doesn't have to. If you just need something relaxing, in general, or after a hard day, and you want something super chill, with beautiful looking areas, food, characters, the lot. Relaxing wit good food is the one for you. It certainly has been the one for me, and I know it'll be for you too!

When I first heard that this series was getting a season 2, I was really looking forward to watching it because it has been a good few years since I last seen it Like everyone else, I was more looking forward to the food that would be appearing throughout the whole show and of course, feel hungry as well as jealous to not have access to these types of foods because I do not live in Japan…

Anyways it was nice seeing Aletta, Kuro and chef god himself, Tenshu again to cook up a storm. This season is my first time hearing the sub actors and ... honestly they were so good with their roles! The whole series would relax you like there’s no serious fights in this or dark skeletons in the closet with each character who come into the restaurant. Heck even the music was nice like the opening and the closing songs were honestly so sweet, your ears will thank you I swear!

Now I will say that the art was off at times and some characters were a bit too quick to jump into the marriage scene (not gonna tell who btw) and we didn’t really get a deep dive into that. I know the show focuses more on the food rather than each characters plot but still, I would’ve liked to get to know the characters more.

Regardless I can’t wait for season 3 lads when it does come out!

I don't normally write reviews anymore, but this season is just so different than the first season. What happened? The nice at home atmosphere of the first season is still here and the animation quality is still excellent. But the quality of the stories in this season range from so-so to just ok.

My main complaint with this season is they rush to get the character in the restaurant so they can showcase the food for that episode as soon as possible. Don't get me wrong. I like the foody theme from the first season. I found it very unique and hadn't seen an anime ... like that before. But what the first season had that this season lacks is any sort of trouble or conflict for the character before finding the restaurant.

In the first season for example, you would have characters be starving and rushing to get home to warn their king, or the daughter of some well known treasure hunter reading the secrets he left behind. And then they'd just stumble upon the restaurant in their time of need. It made the other world restaurant feel unique and earned by the character. Also the stories like I described made the show interesting, and I still remember them.

But I couldn't tell you any of the stories in season 2 because they treat going to the restaurant like some kind of attraction this time. You could be walking down the street and find it. Or maybe your brother's friend's uncle went there and so you want to as well. There is no conflict. There are no problems. I will say I like the episode where the witch takes the two children out to eat. That was cute. And the one with the guy coming to the lamia village was kinda interesting.

Overall, this second season as a whole didn't stand out to me. There is an obvious emphasis on the look of the food and the characters' reactions to it. If that was something you liked but felt was lacking in the first season than you'll definitely like this season. But, if you liked learning about the characters and their conflicts too then this season may disappoint you.

Ok, so merry Christmas to everybody, let's hope that this new Omicron Varian ends and we get back to our usual things....But , enough of that, so this 2021 fall anime has already ended about a week ago, so what gives about this anime???? Here's the juice:

Story-Good 7: It was good but not that good given that even though new characters were added and the food associated as to what they order, may have added some foodgasam, but generally speaking not much has change except the marriage of Sharif and Adelhied at the end, but still it hasn't made any difference in any way......

Art-Fair 6: ... Given that studio OLM didn't rely on fanservices to sell this anime, nothing much has change as to the characters and food illustration.

Sound-Fair 6: Nothing to say for this category, but I still like Aletta's voice by Uesaka, Sumire.

Characters-Mediocre 5: Given that the main characters here were Master, Aletta and Kuro, nothing has change much , given the the customers of Nekoya were merely just satisfied customers...so yes, nothing much to say. And just like in any anime that has a foodgasam genre in it, it was the food that were the stars of such anime.

Enjoyment-Good 7: I'll make it short, it was simply the food porn that makes this anime mouth watering.....

Overall-Good 7: It was good, but not good enough for this to have a season 3.....Cu'z that's just pushing it when we the audience can only watch and not taste it.

Just like the first season, Restaurant to Another World 2 is a gentle, episodic food p*** anime. It's hard for me to pinpoint any significant way in which it diverges from the already established formula, but it still manages to capitalize on the previously presented lore in a nice fashion. While the first season felt very segmented, with each story/character very much self-contained and without that much potential for interaction, the new episodes start forming a slightly more cohesive picture of the fantasy world and showing the significance that various people meeting in Nekoya might have. It's hardly the focus – the food still takes ... most of the time and visual eye candy – but it builds up over time and culminates with a wholesome story arc which I will not spoil.

Beyond that, everything it's still in its place. The show is consistently pleasant, nice to listen to, great-looking and will make you feel more hungry with each eating scene. Use it to relax and be sure to treat yourself to some nice food afterwards. :)

Honestly I'm not very good at reviewing things because I can sometimes contradict myself or other things but every episode of this show makes me feel like I should express how I feel about it Honestly a very strange feeling.

To begin with the main thing that drew me in was the art and how simple it looked. I don't have to put a ton of effort into thinking about anything I can just sit back and watch wholesome moments and good food. The art is really well done, no Picasso but damn some of the food literally makes my mouth water. The details look good ... and whenever a character is about to cut into a food you kind of wait in suspense to see how good it is and what it looks like. For me the art is a solid 9 although that doesn't really include animation cause if it did it more of an 8 but whatever.

The story and characters aren't really anything breath taking but again for me I wasn't exactly looking for that just something simple that I can kick my feet up to and watch and that is exactly what it did. I didn't really have to focus to to much on anything as the story is simple and so are the charters but not to worry its not so simple it gets boring. In general I think that the story and characters deserve about a 6 not completely average but not exactly amazing.

The sound director definitely chose some good music to match the vibes of this show very calm music that anyone can really enjoy. Honestly I don't have much to say here which is a good thing a solid 7/10

I personally really enjoyed the first season and am also enjoying the second so far. Gave me exactly what I was looking for; a chill kick back experience. Another thing is that recently I haven't really been enjoying anime as much and have been reading far more manga because I've gotten far pickier but this show just does it. Honestly I think its really hard to not enjoy it.

In general I ended up giving this show a 8/10 which I think fits. Its not a 9 mainly because its not really complex but again that's not really what I was looking for and I don't really think anyone is if your watching it.

tl:dr : Solid choice if you don't really wanna think and just want to enjoy yourself; anyone could enjoy it even a kid.

If you're hungry for slice of life, then Isekai Shokudou 2 will satisfy your palate.

We get to follow up with all of our favorite characters from Season 1 and see how they're doing now.

With each episode, you get to see a different dimension and dish paired with each set of them. In addition, we also get to see more of the characters in their natural element, at home, outside of the restaurant.

We get to see the influence the cooking has had on each of their daily lives, and shaped their interests.

The one major weakness of this show is that there is no story to actually ... evaluate. There's no plot to move the story forward, other than people just living their lives. However, due to that aspect, we are able to see the progression of time through the interactions of the characters. Each one becoming more friendly and engaged with one another.

If you like food and slow paced slice of life, then this is a great one to watch.

I call false advertising here. Usually whenever the people I know gather around to share a meal, it ends in arguments and crying children. Food’s still good though, so that’s a plus. Guess things really are different in another world.

Story:

A second season I thought would never really (and didn’t need to) happen, the Western Restaurant Nekoya continues its rampant teleporting journey in bringing people from all walks of life in this alternate fantasy realm to try out the various cuisines offered in a typical family restaurant that you see in Japan. Now with more faces and development, the show is more or less exactly the ... same as you remember it if you watched the first season. Just with a little bit more seasoning to spice things up.

Episodic in nature without really that much plot variety, the structure of Isekai Shokudou, much like the orders the customers in the show make, vary exceedingly little from visit to visit. A new character is introduced, we’re given a little flavor text to detail their situation and/or character, they enter the restaurant, adore the one food of choice that they make, and then leave, satisfied of what they partook in. So, is there anything of value still beyond repeating the same thing that the first season did?

Oddly enough, yes. Though it’s not very obvious till about halfway through. While I personally don’t like how generic the fantasy world is from the various perspectives and naming schemes that the show has for its locations, the fantasy world does continue to expand from episode to episode as different characters from even more different walks of life enter through the door to sit down and have a meal. Characters from different races, professions, and statuses continue to build up the massive sidecast that stands as one of the show’s most prominent points, resulting in what I believe is the show’s best points: its tone.

There’s something comfortable about watching a bunch of characters just talk and eat. While the show spends a lot of time showing off new characters and dishes, the real meat and potatoes of the series comes when the customers are talking to one another and sharing perspectives on their lives, experiences, or how they came across the mysterious door that took them to this restaurant. Relationships form between these sidecast members, as members of royalty, adventuring classes, or different races with relatively little contact with other people mingle together in one place and share their love of food. My only complaint though is again, how little time is devoted to the Master and how the Isekai Shokudou ended up happening. True, the last episode does give us a backstory to the whole thing, but considering that the Master is basically a non-character in this entire series, I really wish that he got a bigger role instead of just being the guy behind the counter making all of the food that everyone loves with an infodump on the side. It’s a bit odd, and while it doesn’t intrude on the series that much, it is kind of weird that he almost doesn’t exist in his own series/restaurant.

Characters:

The main staff are arguably the least interesting characters that the show has, which is a shame because considering Kuro was introduced rather late at the end of S1, I expected her to have more of a prominent role this time around or have some meaningful character interactions. The Master, Aletta, and Kuro for all intents and purposes are just there to keep the show going. True, they all have some kind of small spotlight that moves the perspective over to their point of view, but it’s so miniscule that it ends up not registering that much considering 95% of the show is centered around the stories and lives of the sidecast. The most these three get are character moments, where we have either shots of the Master cooking, Aletta getting flustered and offering hospitality, and Kuro being the silent final boss who does her job well and quells any potential ill-will that may disturb the peace in the restaurant. Entertaining characters yes, but none that have a major impact in the plot aside from being the cogs that move the show behind the scenes.

Comparatively, the sidecast feels a lot more meaningful than they actually are, which is something that isn’t necessarily bad on account of the fact that their interactions with one another are what make the show fun to watch. You have generic adventurers, generic elves, the old regulars from the first season of generic samurai, generic wizard, generic lion man, and generic lizardman, and generic royalty that are either medieval inspired or Arabian inspired. Most of these characters really just tick various boxes before being fitted into the narrative, which in my opinion, I think there was a chance to make something really cool still with them aside from just saying that these people were from “The Kingdom” or “The Empire”. (Not really creative with those names now are you?) In spite of that however, their interactions are really fun, and it’s this that gives me a reason to keep watching this show because their arbitrary and petty reasons for eating a certain thing as well as the conversations they have over meeting new people feel refreshing and comfortable. Especially because relationships develop over the course of these one time a week meetings so there’s growth and progression with how these things turn out.

Aesthetics:

My apprehension with the studio change from Silver Link to OLM was something I wasn’t really a fan of at the beginning because I was scared that neither the food nor the quality of animation was going to meet up with what we saw with Season 1. And the promotional poster for Season 2 did not help whatsoever.

Thankfully my suspicions were false and the show looks about as good as Season 1 with little drastic noticeable change. There’s not really much to say here aside from the show looking really nice and the food looking even nicer on account of the generic fantasy setting and designs of the generic fantasy characters being counteracted by the up close money shots of the food when they’re presented to the customers.

The OST personally isn’t something that I would note as being memorable mostly on account of the fact that the OST is pretty much all tone-setting comfortable music that sets in the mood for the series. The OP and ED are also notable parts to this because both Kiyono Yasuno’s “Onnaji Kimochi” and Toyama Nao’s “Samenai Mahou” are cheerful, pleasant songs that similarly give the show its happy atmosphere. None of them are bad songs, but the memorability factor for them isn’t that high in my opinion.

Final Thoughts:

Truthfully, I don’t have any complaints with this second season, but I’m definitely not wowed. I never thought that Season 1 really needed a sequel, but I never minded the fact if it did. Isekai Shokudou is one of those comfort shows that you can pop in an episode of in order to set a tone, and its amazing food visuals and cheerful atmosphere on account of the numerous interactions the sidecast have with each other make it worth watching if only for that reason.

On the downside, the world, while expanding, is only really surface-level interesting on account of the boring naming schemes and typical fantasy politics that this world seems to have. And while I do appreciate a better understanding of how everything functions, only at the very end of the series does the whole ‘other world’ feel interconnected with itself instead of as a myriad of small places that just so happen to exist in one place. The final few episodes does feel like the payoff that the show was ultimately working towards, and for that, I’m happy, since everyone we’ve seen in the show thus far is standing on rather equal ground and are friendly towards one another.

As such, this show still holds a recommendation for me, but one with the mention that this is a show that’s best enjoyed if you want to have a good and comfortable time rather than if you’re looking for a deep narrative with much if any substance. As a final note too, Kuro really should’ve had actual character to her, and it’s a shame that through all of her potential, she contributed the absolute bare minimum she could’ve done. Because obviously a black dragon who purposely trapped herself in solitary confinement on a half destroyed moon wasn’t interesting enough to go deeper into.

Isekai Shokudou 2 for me was anime to watch while eating , relax and turn off brain. i enjoy it , so overall 7/10

story : isekai restaurant episodic anime , it's like in bar setting near person and he tell's you his/her story and go to thier's world to advanture and exlpore many races and social classes prince , trader , wizard , worker , advancture ..etc

art : and sound good enough for slice of life anime , especially foods looks delicious.

characters : best part of the show background story's for each characters and thier's fantasy world.

- if you like slice of life anime ... + foods , go watch it you will enjoy it <3 .

This is the second season of a successful slice of life "foodie" anime with a great premise - Western Restaurant Nekoya's door opens to another world on every seven days on "Satur" and patrons from the other world can come enjoy the gourmet level food there. It begins with the chef, "Master" finding a runaway girl sleeping in his kitchen after having polished off some food, out of kindness he decides to "hire" her as help.

Story wise, there formula is to reveal the background of how each isekai character manages to find the "door", stumble in, and choose a dish they fall in love with, ... so much that they mostly ONLY order that favorite dish going forward, and because of that, they're known by their dish name to the other patrons!! I thought this was a nice touch as I can easily see this happening in real life, when you're among people who are more than acquaintances but less than friends. Some have criticized this series for being boring and formulaic, but I personally enjoyed the slice of life nature of the restaurant, and the story telling.

The good - the food looks absolutely delicious, especially when eaten, with no over the top reactions. The OP and ED songs are god tier, some of the best I've heard. Just subarashi! The sound effects are great. It's very chill, laid back and dreamy. Character designs are unique. Voice acting on point. This anime is kind of like comfort food - except this is anime style comfort anime. You're not going to get frustrated or angry watching this, in contrast you'll be relaxed and at the worst this will cause cravings for certain foods you soon HAVE to eat.

The bad - there's not much description on how to prepare the food. The art wasn't the best, with the same average-ish quality as Season 1.

Overall, I really wanted to score this much higher because I really enjoyed watching this, feeling very fulfilled at the end. However the art isn't great and the story still isn't over, but it is an improvement over Season 1 for sure. The only difference in Season 2 is we get more backstory for the characters introduced in Season 1, and this vastly improves the overall enjoyment, as that alone adds 0.5 to the S1 rating.

This show is everything a slice of life should be, simple, enjoyable, and relaxing.

Within this show, there's no great action or extreme difficulty the main characters must overcome but just a simple environment with peace and a relaxed nature.

Fantasy is usually seen as a very action-heavy and rich world but in this anime it is nothing be a minor part that makes it all the better the focus isn't on the fantasy elements it's on the characters, interactions, and food.

This is an anime that feels good to watch off and on when you need a break and just want something comforting. Its very pleasant to ... just sit back and enjoy these episodes in a vacuum.

Overall an amazing series that is enjoyable to back to regularly

It sure has been awhile! I absolutely adore the attention to detail in this show. I went to The Culinary Institute of America in 2017, and got to see the premiere of this series at Crunchyroll Expo. The second season brings the characters to life! Each story is so clever with each dish that fits the character you learn about. This chef has very similar tastes and mindfulness to hospitality. I always love to see people get blown away by amazing food. Each character cant wait to share their favorite meals with someone else. Food brings people together. Eating with others makes the food taste ... even better. This anime takes you back to your favorite restaurant you went to with friends or family. You root for romance, heartbreak, and get to feel a sense of comradery with the patrons of the restaurant.

isekai Shokudou

is in short a feel good comfy restaurant anime where every person has there own story.

it not over the top or flashy like most anime's now a days.
the art style is pleasing to watch.
story wise it isn't fully focus on food but also the characters that order them and there live out of the restaurant.
its a isekai so a lot of fantasy creatures.

so
...
if your searching for a relax, nice, delicious looking anime that may heat up your heart from the cold real world then step in and have a seat this is the anime for you.

Isekai Restaurant was one of the first shows I was watching when diving deep back into anime a few years ago, so I was super excited to hear the second season announced. If you're a fan of the series this season doesn't disappoint.

As a whole the formula hasn't changed much. Each episode will introduce a new dish, and usual a new customer to emphatically praise it. A lot of characters from the first season return and we see how their lives in the other world are going. It's interesting how we get glimpses into the politics and races of that world without ever feeling like ... it's fully committed to telling that story. It's just a nice side dish to the main course which is of course the food. The lore is certainly there for those who want it, though.

Why does food in anime look so good? Even stuff I wouldn't normally eat in real life. I don't know how they do it, but they manage to make every dish look amazing and it's hilarious the way the characters from the other world always react so amazed at what they're eating. It's a real comfy show to pull up for the same reason you'd want to watch a cooking show or the like, and you'll probably come away from it hungry. 8/10

Story/characters

If you ever saw the first season of Restaurant To Another World then you know what to expect as in many ways this series plays in a similar fashion. Unlike most anime out there, the true rock stars of this show are the drool inducing cuisine that is shown on a frequent basis. The range of food is impressive and the number of recipes shown actually exceed the offerings in season one! So, if you are true gourmet fan or simply want to draw inspiration for your next meal then this show will certainly deliver on that front!

The structure of this series continues to be ... largely episodic so there is no real need to watch this in any order and unlike season one there is less in the way of character development meaning there is no real loss in starting from the middle or even the end of this anime. This series is easily accessible to all with this being a newcomer friendly series. That means missing the prequel is no hinderance as you won’t be lost even when the old patrons feature as often, they get their reintroductions.

New diners are introduced and their varied backgrounds also provide entertainment when the story occasionally shifts its focus from its “main cast” (the food). What also works here is that many of these new patrons know the older diners allowing new relationships to form seamlessly as well as provide a remainder or even introduction to old faces. It works quite nicely however outside a few notable exceptions the character development in season two is more limited. More noticeable than that though is the relative lack of world building which was a more prominent feature in the first season.

This lack of world building and limited character development does mean that the show is more reliant in the food taking your attention. For the most part this works as many of the meals shown are great but I must admit that by the season’s end there is a sense of repetition as you see scenes play out in largely the same way over and over again. In fairness maybe it is not a fault of this season per say but more the fact the same story narrative has played out in the same manner over two seasons now. On the plus side there is a sudden big moment near the end that results in the series ending in a more upbeat note which was a nice touch.


Animation/music:

While the animation remains strong, I am not quite sure it is quite on the same standard as the first season. We still do get some nice scenic shots but it is not in the same frequency as before meaning we could not appreciate the fantasy type setting of this alternative world to the same degree as before. In fairness a lot of this is the result of the subtle change in story structure that is more fixated on the Nekoya restaurant than on world building. Fortunately, the great food close-ups continue to inspire some stomach inducing roars and remain the defining feature of Restaurant To Another World.

In terms of opening and ending sequences season two is an improvement in both fronts. Animation is strong and the music upbeat suiting the overall tone of the series very nicely. I particularly liked the ending song "Samenai Mahou" by Nao Touyama although there was also a lot to be had with the opening "Onnaji Kimochi." by Kiyono Yasuno.

Summary:

If you are a fan of the first season then this is certainly worth a watch. The great thing about this anime is the low bar for entry as there is no need to watch any of the first season or even previous episodes as this is almost completely episodic in nature. This strength is also its weakness however as this easy accessibility means the character/story development has suffered. This all means Restaurant To Another World is more heavily reliant on the cuisine being the thrusting force in providing entertainment to the series.

Fortunately, this largely works as the dishes are as good as ever and will consistently make you want to salivate at what you see. With the increased number of meals shown this is a definite plus. Like before this is a series that is good to watch with a meal or even as a source of inspiration in the kitchen.

Restaurant To Another World 2 is a series I would recommend for food lovers, people who like to cook or anyone who was a fan of season one. If you fit any group then this carefree ride will definitely be something you can enjoy and savour. For anime fans who want something a little off the beaten path this is also a good shout and with its easy accessibility this makes it all the more appealing to watch.

Story 6.5 – Largely follows a similar script from its prequel with entertaining backstories on the various Nekoya customers. It is a simple setup that largely works and while predictable manages to inspire the same good feelings on a remarkable number of occasions. Unfortunately, the degree of worldbuilding is not as prominent as before.

Characters 7 – The additions continue to add flavour to the series with their interactions with older cast members in season one that serves as both a reminder or an introduction to veterans and newcomers. It was a feature that is executed well. This larger cast does mean that character development is more limited outside some exceptions. Although that exception is notable!

Animation/music 7 – All things considered this delivers the same quality in the animation/music department when compared to season one. On the plus side the opening/ending sequences are improvements while the Nekoya dishes continues to be a source of delight. On the negative side we do not enjoy the same level of stunning scenic shots meaning the sense of fantasy and wonder is not as prominent as before.

Overall 6.5 – A worthy successor to season one. This continues to be an easy series to watch as no demand is placed on the viewer in watching in any order. No need to watch season one, no need to watch from episode one. You just go where the wind blows knowing you will be entertained. Food lovers, wannabe chefs or those of a quirky deposition will enjoy this. Seeing as the formula is largely the same as before, the impact of Nekoya is lessened somewhat as it is beginning to show signs of staleness. I don’t think another season would work unless some big changes are made to the anime’s storyline.

This is a full series review, meaning my opinion on both season 1 and 2 are intertwined in this review. This is because I watched them one after another and because there is not enough of difference between the seasons to warrant a separate review.

First of all, let me say that if you’re looking for a relaxed, cozy slice-of-life series with an emphasis on food you’re in the right place with Isekai Shokudou. It’s all very lighthearted and a good way to forget your worries for a bit. I personally also feel the isekai aspect adds some spice into the mix and makes the character ... responses and interactions all the more interesting.

Isekai shokudou starts out with a very strict dish-of-the-week format, and the various types of scenes that you will encounter in each episode follow their set schedule tightly. But just as it starts getting repetitive, somewhere around the half of season 1, this tight format becomes looser and looser while still adhering to the general idea. In essence, the dish-of-the-week format stays but how it is presented varies considerably. Near the end of the series it becomes a lot more freeform and you will get to see more of the fantasy world and not only stuff that happens in the restaurant.

There are always two main points that make up the episode – a combination of dish and character. Often, this means a new dish being served to a new patron. You get to experience some of their story and background and what led them to the restaurant. Because characters are from various nations in the fantasy world, their circumstances differ quite a bit. Some episodes expand upon characters you already know, adding to their story while still managing to introduce a new menu item. Of course, every patron is always pleasantly surprised by their meal. In addition, patrons interacting with one another is a pillar of the series as well and makes the world feel more alive.

Each episode has two halves, centering around a dish each. So even though there are only twelve episodes per season, you actually get 24 stories per season. I feel they managed to present a lot of joy and personality in such a short timeframe. There is no filler or unnecessary clutter.

The visual character designs are quite good and distinctive without being overly detailed or messy. The art and animation and general are fine and easy on the eyes. But where the visuals really shine is in the brief close-up shots of food. Those shots are some of the best views I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching in anime. It really makes me want to eat those dishes myself.

I have little to remark on the sound effects, they did what they needed to do. But the music was calm, cozy and iconic. What I mean by iconic is that whenever a particular type of scene takes place, the accompanying music is there to enhance and reinforce it.

The voice acting was generally very good, with many well-known VAs making an appearance.

In the end, Isekai Shokudou was a particularly enjoyable and memorable watch for me. I might even seek out the light novel source material because the anime was so much fun. In the end, it was the same thing happening over and over again with a “wow, this sure is delicious” response to the food, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. And if you’re looking for some cozy food and fantasy stories, I can hardly imagine anything better.

This is my very first review.
At first I was very cautious of another food anime and I am not a person that watches slash of life like anime. But this really made me calm, happy, hungry, content and it was so wholesome to watch it.
I really liked all the different characters, world, different kind of foods. It was nice to have a happy ending and not to have cliff-hangers.
Some times I really wanted to more about the background of the characters or, but I suppose I would have to read the manga.
Hopefully I will find a door like that one day ... and share this wonderful feeling.