Ristorante Paradiso

Ristorante Paradiso is the series that I have been waiting to find.

It's easy to say that this is a slow-paced series with a particular niche. However, to describe the initial catch of Ristorante Paradiso, it being a story revolving around the lives of older bespectacled men in Rome, doesn't begin to touch the truly pleasant, refreshing energy emanating from every shot and line of dialogue this show provides.

I can't say that everyone will come away feeling the way I do about this adaption and its manga origins, but if you are pining for a show that feels welcoming and warm, like returning to a heated ... blanket on a cold night, nothing I have found has hit the same spot as Ristorante Paradiso. Its soundtrack will live on as my cooking playlist for the foreseeable future, and on subsequent rewatches, the endearment these characters evoke is yet to wane.

Personally, I'm not sure this show has the same impact when watched with a group, which may be something to keep in mind for your viewing. Its meandering, casual pace is beautiful for a personal experience, but I personally found it easy to get distracted when with a group. That said, I still see this as a positive in the show's favour, as that lulling, sweet volume the story stays at stylistically remains one of its greatest virtues.

Certainly, there is a conversation to be had regarding the older characters paired with a young protagonist, as there is with many anime series, and I'm not going to try and convince anyone that is dissuaded or feels uncomfortable with that on principle. I will say, however, that outside of some minor dramatic builds, the show rarely focuses on this. When it is addressed, the story does so tactfully, in my opinion, while acknowledging the situation in simple, subtle ways that add to the nuance of the characters and their personalities.

At first, I thought this was gonna be boring, but after watching it, I fell in love with the characters, though I think I'm probably a bit too young to understand some of their motives. (May have spoilers involved)

Story: The story is in the summary already, but I think if you want to see the lives of couples, and people unfold in anime, I think you'd enjoy it. It reminds me of teledramas, but it's interesting and surprising at times. It's a very fun yet slow-paced slice of life anime, that doesn't really fall within the high school anime cliches. There's also drama but most ... of it doesn't really stem from misunderstandings, or prolonging it as most animes do. So if you would want a break from those, you might like this.

Art: I do love the uniqueness of the art, it really captures the feel of Italy, and I really see what they mean that Italy and my country have the same culture. But the only thing that makes it kinda bad, is the animation. The animation looks very aged, some frames look very awkward, and the CGI is just as poo as Enstars CGs.

Sound: The soundtrack is the soundtrack I have been looking for in my life. If I could describe it'd be something that's foreign and new, yet nostalgic at the same time. It sounds like the type where you could lay down and rest, or have a waltz with someone at the same time. It really captures the music I want to hear in a fancy restaurant.

Characters: The cast of this story is so very fun, and really surprised me in a way. The main character Nicoletta, you can see how she matures, and learns more about her feelings towards her crush. Her mother, I thought they made her all evil or a bratty woman that people would hate, but surprised to see she was a very endearing one, and truly regrets her lost time with her daughter. And that's just the icing on the cake, if you're interested in this you should watch and see it unfold.

Enjoyment: Overall, fun anime and I really did sit back and relax!

It is a calm story to appreciate another side of life as it is more adult people and spend moments of everyday life with them.
It has some weak points as some pasts , flashbacks tucked quickly or actions of the protagonist that leave some doubts that make you say ''Why?'' or make you feel uncomfortable and with anguish (I do not know if it is good or bad) .
In addition we have the theme of the mother , in general , many times it comes to annoy and had a rather inadequate and at the same time sad ending in the sense that she treated ... her daughter like that for years and she just assimilated it , it lacked a lot of development at that point being one of the main plots . Next, it does not have a very good quality as far as scenarios are concerned because of the limited budget that is understood when watching it, although they are quite unique and satisfying to watch.

On the other hand they deal with interesting themes and have characters that are easy to get attached to like Luciano who makes you feel like you are his grandson or Gigi (at the beginning I didn't like him too much) but as the episodes go by and the subtleties that surround this gentleman make me love him.