Synopsis
Koizumi is a high school girl who is admired by many for her mysterious air and attractive looks. Behind this silent beauty however lies a ramen master who is ready to scour all kinds of ramen restaurants at any time. Everyday she goes on a hunt for real-life places which serve the best ramen dishes. Not only is her knowledge of the noodle soup dish rather impressive but the way that she is able to gulp down a giant bowl of ramen will have you craving for the dish yourself.
General Impression
This is a series that takes on an appreciation for ramen at a whole new level. Throughout the episodes the viewer gets introduced to all kinds of aspects on the dish that leaves them craving for it. The art an animation that is placed when the characters are devouring the dish while greatly done, could have used more variation in their expressions of enjoying the dish. Other than this the issues of the series would generally be considered as minor. For example, the comedy can be rather repetitive.
Other than this though the series does some solid job in bringing out other aspects not completely related to ramen but well technically is. This is mainly on how different people enjoy the dish, the efforts in the creation of it and how it brings out certain dynamics in certain characters. As stated, the issues are mainly minor, and one of those issues is with Koizumi’s character development. It makes sense that the series takes focus on her ramen obsession, a little character exploration would have been nice.
Ending Thoughts
Now the most notable issue towards the end of the series is that it banks a little too much on Yuu’s obsession over Koizumi as the comedy. Sure, it helps bring the plot along but there are times when it can come off as a little bit extra. Again though, the issues of the series can for the most part be ignored. Other than the character work though, it would have been nice to see more exploration on other aspects,
With the last episode of the series, there was a point of interest when the tone took a turn for something a little more drama. In the end of course, it was about ramen and it was all tied up in a semi neat bow in the end. It was interesting to see a different expression on Kozumi in the end though and there was a semblance of an explanation on Yuu constantly chasing her so there is that. In the end though there was just a touch bit more learned about the characters and that was a nice note to end in.
Conclusion
When entering this series, one shouldn’t have any high expectations for anything than a true appreciation for ramen. The art, the animation, and the facts over ramen are the highlights to enjoy. You can see how much thought was placed in bringing up the theme and the real places that the episodes are set in. As stated the issues for the series are mainly minor and basically when a viewer enters the series, they should simply sit back and get ready to crave some ramen.
Rating: 7.5/10