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Food isekai are the only good isekai, and this one is the best of those. While Isekai Shokudou and Isekai Izakaya: Nobu are both solid, they're strictly episodic and by the numbers. This on the other hand takes a page out of Sweetness & Lightning with great details and more then enough strong story elements.

Story/Worldbuilding 9/10
As with most isekai, especially fantasy isekai, a significant amount of the appeal is in how the world works around the characters. Instead of going into redundant detail or exposition the world is built slowly through the rotating cast, which each arc properly works through. It is a tad formulaic ... but honestly most isekai don't even put in that much work. Most characters are properly motivated, there's that Natsume/Mushishi esque bittersweetness, with delves into darker topics.

Art 10/10
This is the redeeming feature, the artistic quality is absolutely gorgeous, some anime live entirely on food alone, like ramen daisuki koizumi, and this manga more then delivers.
I don't need to sell you on this, read one chapter. It speaks for itself.


honestly it's maybe the best isekai i've read. If only more cooking isekai got anime instead of the seasonal harem/power fantasy.

The budget put into animation quality and graphical quality is pretty self explanatory, too bad the source material holds the art back. Its a rather straightforward work overall, you can see hints of its origins as a wuxia/xianxia if you're familiar with the genre, but the worst the original work was removed.

Art & Sound 8/10
The food and cooking is fantastic, with appropriate musical accompaniment. My only complaint is that there isn't enough of it. They barely manage a cooking scene an episode and its really the only reason to watch this anime.

Writing 2/10
Really just nothing much in the writing at all. The first arc is ... an episodic isekai standard of getting to know the world, with a pretty unappealing romantic plot including multiple scenes of the heroine going "wow i really like this handsome guy" as he straight up threatens her. Its made more ridiculous when she actually has more chemistry with a character introduced in the second arc of the season (not that that's much of a romance either, its a low bar). The second arc sort of implies some dramatic plot points will be brought up but it goes no where as does the rest of the plot.

The biggest issue is that there's no feeling of conflict, which is most likely because the original source material just lacked anything substantial.
The first arc is never really explained properly, the conflict ending up pretty much just being a background detail.
The second arc lacks any significant conflict (which is what i feel the series should have just been from the start, just an episodic cooking adventure).
There's the overarcing drama, which is resolved unceremoniously with the sudden appearance of some goons, to generate a damsel in distress rescue.
And there are 2 instances of cooking competition where they barely pretend that the heroine will lose.

Overall its not like it isn't enjoyable, its easy to ignore the lack of any significant writing if you're just in it for the food scenes. There are some rather unfortunate stereotypical issues around playing character sexual orientation for comedy towards the end, which isn't great. Its a good effort on part of the production company and director for improving on what i would have considered an unsalvageable property.

So the overall quality is not bad, but the script is really jarring, which is too bad since this anime ends up being a lot of dialogue with an action episode to cap off the "arc". I'm reviewing this at the conclusion of the third "arc" because I do think I've got a grasp on the anime as a whole.

Art 7/10
The big attention getter is the art and animation, the PV and other aspects led to this anime getting SUPER hyped before it was released, which has, inevitably, effected my impression. Although action episodes are rather spaced out the base line of quality is there, ... and the action is generally pretty entertaining, there are integral flaws that i'll get back to when discussing characters though.

Story & characters 3/10 & 4/10
There are 2 major issues with the script, forced achronological order and super dark moments that absolutely don't fit except to help prop up the unearned "psychological" tag.

So my theory is that the biggest contributor to the writing, its hard to tell with several directors and character designers, was very character focused. writing out a few really strong characters and then trying to tie them together with a bunch of less well thought out characters in the spirit of other zanier and less serious action sci-fantasy.
Speculation aside the result is, very few characters you're endeared to and a lot you really couldn't care less about. It doesn't help that the writer can only do like 2 types of personalities (a variation of stoic and an obsessive). They come together in a messy arc with very straightforward, to the point of killing suspension of disbelief, themes.
Everyone is always on the same psychological page, characters praise each other for their wit and intelligence, you can practically see the writer patting themself on the back with every cringe moment in the dialogue. Its a wonder that this work can be called psychological when each arc is pretty much just one cardboard cutout delivering yet another "reason you suck (or alternatively their hope in death)" speech to other cardboard cut outs.

It also doesn't help that the action episodes always use a mix of mind control, electricity, and super strength (boogiepop the only exception) to get over what always ends up being a violent confrontation, all justified due to some overbearing organization.

I could go on but I think I've already rambled enough


In the end, if you like light novels that are super dialogue heavy, or are just getting into anime, this has a lot of what you might like. Its tries to be really clever and the "twists" might actually have some meaning to you. Otherwise its just another edgy flick.

So this is probably the visually best animated movie I've ever seen. If you know you're going to see it, see it on the biggest possible screen, you won't regret it.

That said its not without its faults, there is one overlying issue, and a couple less intrusive issues that mean my enjoyment does need to be qualified.

First and foremost the art is easily 10/10. Just absolutely gorgeous graphical quality, solid animation, the framing occasionally questionable but that's an issue for later.

The story on the other hand suffers heavily. I could just leave it at: "This movie only exists for visuals" but theres definitely a ... lot to be said, its too bad there isn't enough committal to any individual theme. Through the story the themes that come up off the top of my head are: "Scientific process," some level of "Trusting others," "Understanding love as one comes of age." among others

The first is in service of the mystery element in the plot, which is executed passably. While I personally didn't think it was a well constructed aspect, this is probably enough of a plot/conflict to tide over casual viewers.
The second only comes up explicitly once or twice, its not given enough emphasis to feel substantial but it comes up often enough that it felt like it could be built on.
The third is a lot more pathos appeal, I don't if I can judge it, its probably more up to the viewer if the pathos hits them towards the end. There is an issue stemming from this theme though, its used to justify a lot of male gaze, which definitely isn't a great excuse
There are a number of minor themes that don't really get worked through, like the use of chess and/or science to bridge the generation gap. Or bullying and redemption, and offshoot themes from there. Just generally speaking characters are not used all that well throughout the work, although they aren't egregious either.

That lacking overall writing and theming being the biggest issue aside, in terms of smaller issues there are a number of tonally off scenes towards the beginning (some of which i suppose are meant to pay off towards the end but others are pretty straightforewardly out of place). There is the odd obsession with boobs. Its not necessarily an issue until towards the end, a scene with very "subtle" framing around two mountains, and then at the conclusion where it just awkwardly comes to mind. There are a few more points to be made but those are the most jarring. (The former not likely to be an issue mid watch but the latter definitely immersion breaking).

In the end its still greatly enjoyable just off the visuals, its just too bad that for the most part the writing is just a means to an end.

So this anime is better then my evaluation of it will make it seem, theres a point at which i just couldn't deal with the dissonance between what the anime expected me to feel vs how i actually felt that exacerbated my discontent with the writing

Plot 3/10
None of the conflict/character driven plot is atrocious but the spacing that conflicts are given is really strange. Not much of the conflict feels organic, especially towards the end. that said there are interesting themes at work and the pacing issues might be a fault of adaptional... wait this is anime original? whoever wrote this script really needed to ... put a little more time and thought into it.
school-life drama always runs a risk of breaking immersion really easily, and the rather sporadic nature of the driving forces in plot didn't help

art 9/10
good sci-fi fantasy themes with a high budget make for a great spectacle. several scene make me wish i could visit set pieces in VR, and the art generally ties in well to the rest of the work well enough

character 6/10
not very creative designs, pretty shallow characters. nothing all that bad but nothing that resonated with me otherwise

enjoyment 2/10
towards the beginning the spectacle was enough but i had to ram through the last couple episodes. it was actually painful that they continued to try to cash in on the same story beat multiple times, which could have worked if like the presentation was better. No risks were taken and none of the emotional moments felt really earned, i wish i could say i at least enjoyed the spectacle but the emotional dissonance was near painful, and not the good kinda conflicting pain from well done drama, more "i want to know how this ends because its making me uncomfortable".

overall 5/10
its not like outright bad beyond writing and solid visuals make it more watchable then most anime this season
i dunno, maybe i'll be able to rewatch it in the future and not have to rush through the last few eps and have a better opinion

Unfortunately as of the series conclusion I can safely say Kyoto Holmes is a safe but unnecessary mystery/shoujo.
Worth noting, I have no knowledge of Japanese art history though, which might present some additional entertainment value as its a subject i haven't seen covered before.

Story 4/10
As the biggest draw, to me, was the mystery, the lack of an impressive plot was a sad detraction. The mysteries weren't boring, but the cardinal sin of not giving the viewers enough information to potentially solve the mystery themselves is a sore point. Even then the mysteries tend to lack significant consequence, which brings me to the worst ... part. There was only one issue that was especially offensive, the weak attempt at modernizing Moriarty that falls really flat as almost everything about him is nonsensical. The writing portrays him significant but also refuses to let our protagonist lose, leaving him as no real threat. At worst there is a "technical" victory that they try to hammer home by having holmes react especially heavily but it doesn't feel deserved and marks a real low point in the plot. Its the painfully classic case where the protagonist-antagonist relationship is really contrived. The other subplots are at least good for a binge watch though.

Art 7/10
The style was consistent, seems a little over saturated at times but otherwise nothing to complain about. The subject antiques and art are fairly detailed although there were some objects that weren't given much focus. Character designs and outfits were lacking beyond the main cast.

Sound 6/10
Unremarkable.

Character 5/10
the main pair are set up is at least somewhat uniquely, but the end result is a tired standardized shoujo relationship that adds very little to the rest of the story. Again its not particularly offensive but it didn't end up very entertaining either. The heroine is occasionally competent, starting off lacking but ending up with at least one (1) redeeming quality. If you like female characters who act as victims and don't do much beyond that you'll love her. In contrast is the Hero Holmes, who's a borderline superhero, having no real flaws beyond some contrived heartbreak story that is repeated early on then eventually ignored so as to not interfere with the shoujo aspects. there was also the terrible antagonist and, about 2-3 interesting side characters, the rest were forgettable.

enjoyment 5/10
a simple mystery isn't unenjoyable but the weak antagonist (and even though sherlock/moriarty isn't the most holy of pairs, this bad of a rendition is still insulting) and otherwise lacking characters are not encouraging to say the least. besides the mysteries themselves, the props and art do provide some entertainment value though.

Overall 5/10
Its not offensive at all, the art style is nice. The mysteries are intriguing even though the characters aren't. The use of holmes in the name does carry some expectations, and those expectations were most certainly not met, as such i personally cannot recommend watching.

I'm surprised its so highly rated, there's definitely high points so i can see why it'd be highly appreciated, but frankly i don't think this needed to be a feature. An hour at most was good enough to run through the small (not bad but not much substantially) plot and the great visuals.
Despite this acting as a proper ending and epilogue i don't actually think its a very necessary addition. Despite plot advancement i don't think the execution was good enough (although i guess just that there's any advancement at all is justification for watching it)
shoving story to the end
Art 8
great, probably half the ... reason this was made a movie, locations for backgrounds and visuals. I mean i don't know a single thing about production but this could easily have been a 13th episode if it weren't for the run away plot. They go all out for the climax (which is pretty much the only reason I knew it was the climax because it was otherwise anticlimactic as all hell)
Sound 7
Perfectly fine, appreciate ZAQ in both op and ed, a tame bgm otherwise

Character 6
A bit of senseless shoving in of some characters which feels a little like padding. There's only 2 really egregious decisions, with the older sister performing far too many roles and not really making sense at all, and the absolute asspull of the bald/crew cut guy (sue me, no one cares about him)

Enjoyment 5
I mean it wasn't really bad by any means. it really didn't need to be an hour and a half tho. I laughed maybe twice. its an ending, definitely an ending and it deserves appreciation for that

Story 3
Now into the meat of why i just dont think this was necessary. Continuing from the decision to take their relationship at their own pace, they immediately berate Yuuta for doing so, the question of will they won't they is re-initiated (for the four millionth time). The other plot, more excuse to go through many locations to get visuals for them, is almost incredulously contrived, they decide to run away to give them some weight against the older sister, because what, she's just been a pushover these two seasons right, but rikka wants to do it, so they try it out.
A major issue in story is how the older sister has magical phone tracking and voice/video/picture recordings everywhere which are used to set the plot in motion but in the end its revealed that they weren't really necessary or usable? (we aren't shown any consequences, if any)
Alright fine, there's no stakes but we don't really need tension anyway, we have the will they won't they question to go on at least
but was anyone really satisfied for the >hour of kiss teasing? I mean i'm sure we're all past the conclusion that it'd happen so I was dying when they were pretending it would happen even before the hour mark (and then after all the excuses it just anti-climatically happens, yuuta just, gets over his epiphany, with almost nothing to show for why this was an issue)

its just almost an insult to other anime that use movies as endings/epilogues, its been done and done well, melancholy of haruhi for example is near the same, providing an insight to the meaning of the anime and capping it off for good, but instead of really investigating the question chuunibyou danced around it a few times before deciding, yeah thats good enough, let them smooch already. Maybe i'm being overly critical but cmon, we really didn't need all this

its not great, not especially intriguing characters, noticeable plot issues and generally lacking depth in writing, and detail. While still enjoyable, its definitely nothing special besides the odd action sequence.

Story 4
It has a rather standard super humans background akin to K project, or Kiznaiver, Zankyu no terror. Proceeds with a modern (the synopsis lies about advance tech) buddy cop esque story. The mystery isn't really set up well, the suspense relies on rule of drama. The plot just really lacks overall from a lack of depth and a few too many ass pulls that don't feel justified at all (you can't just use mind control ... to make characters do everything, I mean you can, but it doesn't make for much of a plot). There are a few more story issues but they don't detract too much so they can be left alone for the most part (but seriously writers, cmon, tie the loose ends for god sake)

Art 7
Its good, animation and graphics during fights is especially nice, theres a little gore (some realistic, some unexpected) which seems a little tonally off but everything else is done well enough to enjoy. Some Cool character designs some lacking. Its a tad fanfictiony when your main/action characters are so out of place with the rigmarole/cops.

Sound 6
Generally unremarkable.

Characters 6
Again some good designs, generally interesting villains (some less so then others, as well one just uninteresting, no redeeming qualities, no matter how much the ending tried to redeem him). They're failed by the bad writing and pretty much no development. The Main Cast are somewhat endearing and if they had more time maybe they could have developed better but I'm torn on if i'd wager this deserves a second season. However the math gimmick is just bad, makes literally no sense, its not justified either. Super humans are interesting, by themselves. unfortunately the powers aren't like explained and there's this whole bit with blue steel but apparently choking works just as well so???Writing?????? Some villains die too easily but literally nothing can kill our characters, like there's no suspense. Rule of drama only accounts for so much.

Enjoyment 6
It deserves less but i can enjoy things at face value. If plot issues disturb you then you might find it less enjoyable, but if you just want to get to those sweet action sequences you might bump that up a bit.

Overall not worth watching but i'm sure there aren't a bunch of people rushing into it at this point lol

Tl;dr its good, whether or not you listen to piano it provides decent execution of a standard sports-based anime conflict resulting in an enjoyable anime. Unfortunately it lacks much to set it apart from other works and needs another season to be properly recommended. At the least the art style is interesting (if occasionally flawed), and the characters are generally well done.

Sound 8
It sounds great although having no experience in piano made it hard to understand the depth (or potential lack thereof) of meaning in piano playing. There's enough variety to keep me entertained and the tracks do tend to correlate with what the writing ... and dialogue attempts to convey. The soundtrack feels consistent althroughout which i feel like should have been difficult.

Art 6
The art style is mostly consistent, and while not necessarily bad, children are somewhat off putting (face shapes and general design) although the traits aren't as bothering as the characters age. My biggest art issue is the intermittent CG, it occasionally isn't too obvious and might be considered to have been used well in some scenes but overall my experience was negatively impacted, its just too jarring. Cg is a pretty pervasive issue though so i'm sure most people are used to it to some extent.

Story 7
It not badly done, but its a pretty basic go over of "rivalry in a sports based anime". Not a bad conflict by any means but it can be slow and the lack of substantive resolution should hurt more then what i felt personally.
The biggest story issue is it makes large exceptions of real world general conceptions but i can't detract much for that, its an anime after all, i'm sure anyone who thinks about it will feel the same but also shouldn't find it a very substantive issue.

Characters 7
As with story they're fairly basic. Underdog, talented, hardworking but somewhat eccentric protagonist. A well intentioned but somewhat bitter
and likewise talented and hardworking rival. A somewhat endearing side cast who need to be developed but instead get too much plot focus that isn't justified.

Second season will decide if it was really worth watching but i don't feel like my time was wasted. Artistically pleasing but seems a little overated personally.

It's an anime advertisement for an MMO at best.

They take the self awareness too far when they use it and then neglect it despite having perfect set ups for nice jokes.

It's got some minor level of fanservice I guess, if you're here for that, the hotspring episode is probably as far as it goes? But it doesn't even include most of the characters so it seems failing even in that respect.

It might be passable to watch since it only has 4 minute episodes (opening and credits take 30-40% of the run time) but honestly, there's no commitments made story wise to even consider this to ... have niche appeal.