If you have read either Yakumo-san wa Ezuke ga Shitai or Aikagi-kun to Shiawase and enjoyed it you will like this manga as well. This is very much a Slice of Life in the country that focuses on a small cast of characters who just want to eat food and relax.
It executes this perfectly as it doesn’t overstay its welcome, with just 30 chapters of rather monotonous routines. While I did enjoy watching the different ways an Irori could be used and all the great looking food being cooked, there’s only so much you can do with that. I think the author realized this as the tone shifted around halfway through and focused on the more personal aspect of the story. Now I can’t put my finger on it, but something just felt like it was missing from this manga. It did an excellent job pacing wise, but I feel that especially in the later stages of the manga story beats were just sort of ticked off a list. However the characters are pretty relatable and likable so that does help.
Alice-san is a silly and endearing person, Harumi is more taciturn yet has a calming personality. As for the supporting cast, they’re not bad. Nothing special or outstanding but they do their jobs as secondary characters.
The art might be the weakest part here. I personally did not like it much. Apart from the food shots, nothing really stood out to me and I’ll admit I’m a sucker for a good looking manga.
I still think for 30 chapters this is without a question worth the read but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed but that’s just me.
