Synopsis
In an alleyway of a business district, there stands a small western restaurant by the name of ‘Youshoku no Nekoya’, from Monday to Friday, this restaurant is but a simple place popular amongst business workers and regulars for its delicious food. But when the weekend comes and the clock strikes midnight, the door of this restaurant becomes a gateway to a variety of worlds, leading customers of different kinds and species even to the restaurant. This is the tale of how these variety of customers enter into the customer and how they enjoy the food that they eat.
The Good
From the first few scenes you can’t help but get caught into the details that was placed into the kitchen and all its items. Then the opening comes in and it just drags the viewer in with its bright colors, cheery tone and a peek into what to expect from the variety of customers to the delicious looking food. This is another point to give for the art, the details of the food, as expected of an anime about a restaurant and enjoying food. Then there is the variety of characters, both the customers and the workers, with only a brief introduction, you can’t help but want to learn more about them and where they came from.
The Bad
While in many series, an exposition can either be too much or too little, the series gives neither and simply has the viewer jump right in to the heart of the plot. True, some may say that it means that they are simply getting to the point and are showing rather than telling, but with how the episode presented its introduction, the transition was not all that great. And it’s not only in the beginning of the anime that the introduction could have gone better but with the characters as well, true we know of them, but a general introduction could have worked for them as well.
Conclusion
The first episode while having a somewhat clumsy transition in introductions, is interesting enough to get the viewers’ attention. From the attention to detail, catchy opening and enjoyable characters mixed in with a dash of mystery, and an interesting set of characters, you can’t help but want to learn more about them and what will happen in the next episode. Overall, it is a good first episode that left a mostly good impression.
Rating: 8/10