Gin no Saji is all about first-experiences. From Hachiken's first taste of raw egg on rice, freshly steamed corn on the cob, to riding horses, and baseball games this anime is all about the experiencing new things and learning a new perspective of things that is both thoughtful, incredibly insightful, educational but still funny.
Hachiken experiences so many new things, including about the characters around him, the farming industry, as well as about himself. The thing that amazes me about this anime is that it was able to pull off touching on so many different themes while still moving the story forward and never losing it's light-hearted comedy without hurting the seriousness of themes. Themes like raising animals we eat, working hard, making mistakes, discovering what we want in life- were all touched on in ways that brought me some admiration about the farming way of life in general. For that the story has to be a 10. For the innovative and artful blend of comedy and seriousness this anime was able to pull off something other writers and directors could not.
The art wasn't super unique or great but was extremely conducive for the light-heartedness of the series. The coloring was bright and the characters personalities really shown through in just the character design itself. One of the reasons the art was a bit innovative was because of it's detail to preparing food, from the butchering and skinning of animals to the steam rising off freshly steamed rice. The animation, color, and drawing of the food prep and cooked food was amazing. I always got hungry whenever they showed them eating things. I gotta say seeing the freshly melted cheese is probably one of the most delicious looking art I've seen. xD About the only negative thing was I did feel whenever they stir-fried the meat it tended to look the same golden-coated browned pieces. Other than that though, the art helped bring me into the story and food as well as fall in love with the hilarious personalities in the series.
The personalities for the characters were quite unique and I really enjoyed all the different classmates Hachiken had. They really made for a hilarious show and taught a bit about different types of farming styles and philosophies as well. The characters also were a great contrast to the main character in their dreams and perspective in life. Without the characters this show definitely would not have been as funny.
Lastly, the sound was great. I never once thought any of the animal sounds was fake. And found the sounds of the cooking food to be absolutely tantalizing. The voice actors did a wonderful job of closing the jokes with the timing and expressive natures of their characters and the music always did a great job of bringing back the thoughtfulness of the show while still keeping that light-hearted feel that was so prevalent in all aspects of Gin no Saji. The opening and ending songs were great, and I loved the ending song especially. I never once great tired of the song and listened to it every episode. The use of the banjo and the vocals of the main singers just created such a perfect country-fell to the song.
Overall, I immensely enjoyed this anime. For it's comedy, it's light-heartedness, it's educational value about farming, food processing, and ability to balance the two together makes this show a jewel. I can't wait for the 2nd season. =)
