Adapted from a four-panel comic manga of the same name, the series is exactly what it sounds like. It’s about happy girls cooking in style. Make no mistake, each episode offers something new or delicious tasteful to the mouth. And while you’re watching, there’s a lot to also notice besides just the food set in front of you. It’s more about than just about cooking the food and tasting it. In fact, you could say that there’s a connection between the food and the characters. Constructed by a simple premise and built on the foundation of a slice of life, this show takes the concept of culinary arts into an unusual level.
For starters, the series consists of a core of three main female characters – Ryo Machiko, Kirin Morino, and Shiina. Machiko is the main protagonist as we learn that she lives by herself as a second year middle school student. She is also enlisted in art cram school in the beginning but at the same time gets accustomed with cooking. It’s easy to see that she has an interest in both skills as her work reflects on effort. And by that, we see some of the delicious food she cooks throughout the series. Then, there’s Kirin, the big eater. As Machiko’s cousin, she is enlisted in the same art school as Machiko. However Kirin’s cooking skills are just average. On the other hand, we do see that she has an athletic talent at school when it comes to sports. Needless to say, she makes up a sort of the ‘sports gal’ trope of the show. Finally, there’s Shiina who has a talent in cooking as well. Unlike Machiko or Kirin, we don’t know a whole lot about her. The presence she has in the series is rather mysterious to be honest and we only see some of her true personality when she is around with her friends. So in retrospect, what does this trio of adorable girls all have in common? An interest in cooking of course. This show takes their personalities, interests, and abilities to formulate a show about food.
Every episode brings a new type of dish into the series. A few prominent examples includes omelet rice, udon, and even the classic Japanese bento. Even junk food from the supermarket is featured in one episode when the show decided to go lazy. It shouldn’t take long for the audience to realize the show doesn’t really develop any complicated plot besides of cooking gags. Taking at a slightly closer glance though, it’s also easy to realize that there’s an unusual sensation about the way our characters takes in the food. Whether it’s the face expressions, dialogues, or even sound, the series seems to hype up a sensation when the girls digest their meals. However at the same time, this sensation can make some people uncomfortable by the way it’s expressed. In these selective scenes, the show seems to advertise the girls rather than its product. What I mean is that the girls enjoy their food in an almost obscene way with their sensational expressions. Each episode also shows that they enjoy the food almost instantly. And to be honest, who can blame them? The show has a very colorful style of decorating its food. The texture and details are so focused that you’ll forget for a moment that the characters are even there. Well, that is until you see the characters eating it.
Not only does the show relies prominently on its food variety but also by its ‘food porn’ expressive style. Shaft takes this avant-garde style and animate it with a bizarre degree of ways. If you’re not familiar or comfortable with it, then it’s a good idea to drop the series before it’s too late. For the girls, they enjoy almost every aspect of their life whether it’s the food or just the happiness of being together. Some of the suggestive yuri undertones are also there although it can be interpreted differently depending on your outlook. So for a show like this, other characters mainly play a side role while our main trio takes the spotlight. As the series does occasionally focus on characterization and background story insight, there’s little to appreciate about them. They are too simple as characters and hard to take seriously. Unfortunately, the series has a mission to try and shove down the characters’ presence down our throats. Don’t blame me? Watch them eating and you’ll see the whole picture. Each episode’s highlight isn’t the story or character but rather when they eat their food. Luckily though, we also do see how they craft their product. To say the least, it actually has realism despite all the shenanigans. If you genuinely care about culinary arts, then this series could turn out to be a surprise.
For anime viewers like me, it’s more about understanding what the series is about. Shaft tries their usual head tilts, decorative colors, and stylistic approach to adapt this series. It surprisingly works effectively well. In fact, it’s hard to ignore the food no matter what you think of it at first. It looks delicious, has a glamorous appeal, and when eaten sets off a pleasurable response from the characters. I have to admit too that almost all the food retains their realism but with a clear purpose to make them more delicious on screen. Like I mentioned before as well, this series is more like a cooking show as girls’ homes serves as their base of operations for a good majority of the run. Even when the food isn’t cooked at their homes, it still shows that the setting has its artistic ways. And speaking of art, I can also honestly say that the food products are exactly as such. On a lesser scale, the show’s character designs are childish. The girls just seems too young to take seriously and their expressions objectify a near inappropriate way of presenting culinary arts. Then, there’s also fan service and one episode will surely sound off an imaginative bulb. “It’s not what it looks like?” is something you may question yourself…
With a decent soundtrack, the show crafts a surprisingly good OP and ED song. The Alice in Wonderland allusions has a good pacing and choreography with catchy tones. Similarly, the ED illustrates the creative style of this series based off of the food gimmicks. Despite the OST being only moderate, it does specialize and find its place when certain scenes requires it. Finally, perhaps one of the most memorable things you’ll witness is the character voice mannerisms. In general terms, it strikes as silly and childish. Yes, the characters are young and it’s about cute girls. However, it also shows how desperate this series is when it tries to advertise itself with their voice.
A show about cute girls doing cute and lewd things with their food will get mixed reactions. Regardless though, the series may not be original but is also not entirely worthless. Moving away from the orgasmic sounds, the series actually does offer food in a genuine fashion. Anyone with a slight interest in culinary arts will appreciate it just by the way the food is crafted. And if you’re a fan of Shaft's other works, then this one may be a delicious treat for you as well. Just be aware that the series isn’t heavily concentrated on either plot or characterization. Instead, it deliciously tries to appeal to the audience with that happy tone in graffiti style.
