I adored the story! I like the unconventional way that each person's story is told, it draws you in and you feel relaxed. Comforted in the atmosphere of the bar, the characters, it grabs you right on the heart strings. It's just amazingly written, if I had to name a bad point is that sometimes it can be hard to follow but, at the end it all makes perfect sense. You just need the mind to read into things a bit deeper than is spoken aloud.
Art: 9/10
It was standard art for the most part, but what got it a 9 overall was the eyes. It's hard to portray feelings through eyes alone, yet this anime somehow accomplished that 98% of the time. Sometimes the emotion was lacking, but in those times it seems like it was meant to be that way.
Sound: 8/10
This got a poor rating, at least by my standards. You didn't notice the music much, but that I think was part of it's appeal. It wasn't over powering, it was delicate to the ears, never overriding the speaker, gently playing. White noise of sorts, there but not there, I think that's what set the mood for the anime. Yet it wouldn't have hurt to make it a bit more dominate.
Character: 8/10
You didn't get TOO much back story on the main character to be frank, though what you do get is his humble beginnings. Which for me, means a lot, it shows that he wasn't ALWAYS the "Glass of God" that he had to start somewhere. Most anime's like this one, tend to exclude the main characters beginnings, feeling like it makes them...less special. I think the fact that they made mistakes makes them less perfect and in turn, makes them much more human. It also makes it easier for us to relate to that person when we realize how human they really are underneath it all!
Enjoyment: 10/10
There are so few animes I enjoy thoroughly anymore, it seems like they've got the same theme going at all times. I love anime that defy boundaries, try new things, and go beyond. So Bartender was an amazingly beautiful experience for me. I watched the whole series in a day, I was so entranced by it, I could hardly look away.
Overall: 9/10
This overall score is based on average. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for something more than sacs of fat jiggling around or hot guys being mentally unstable. I don't however, recommend this to anyone expecting something akin to Bleach/Naruto because you certainly won't find that here. It's very human, very realistic, and certainly a far cry from the norm.
