Granted, an 11 episode show can't have that intricate a story, but I found that the heroine's "journey," which should have been the main plot, was overwhelmed by all the secondary character's subplots. We learn little of her childhood, her education, or her reasons for suddenly deciding to come to Rome to meet her mother. The resolution with her mother, which should have been the climax and dominated the final two episodes, was like a footnote in the story.
Art
One of the show's strongest elements. Not just the character design but the overall depiction of Rome were very well done. The way the "camera" sometimes panned around to show what the characters were actually seeing was a nice touch. A lot of attention was given to make the restaurant seem warm and the food delicious.
Sound
I hated the intro. The rest was all right; it didn't detract or add. There wasn't a single theme that caught my attention and made me think, "This is really lovely." Decent ending theme though.
Character
Pretty carefully developed characters. The heroine was naive, but likable, and she grew during the course of the story. The people she worked with also had detailed back stories. I can't say I found any of them interesting, though. A smaller cast, more episodes, or more "current" events and fewer flashbacks, might have helped.
Enjoyment
It's relaxing to watch, but the show only had two elements that kept me engaged: the love interest and the painful relationship between the mother and daughter. Neither delivered. The love story between the heroine and older man wasn't convincing. They didn't have great chemistry and I was surprised when I realized he was actually the real love interest, and not a crush along the way to the real hero. The other disappointment was how little attention was given to the relationship between the girl and her mother. The heroine was abandoned at an early age by her mother, so her mother could marry a man (who didn't know she had a daughter). It wasn't for financial reasons either, just that the mother loved him and he'd told her he wouldn't marry a divorcee. Despite this, the heroine's resentment tapers off fast. As for the mother, I know it's a light josei anime and that there has to be a happily ever after ending, but she sure got off easy. Finally, about the heroine's reasoning along the way--"Well, now I'm in love so as a woman I get why you did it"--sorry, but no matter how much you like a guy, you don't ditch your kid.
Overall
Okay show if you don't think about it too hard I guess. Definitely has themes I disagree with though, about a parent's responsibility and how when your husband cheats on you, you've just got to remind him how much he loves you.
