First Impression: Isekai Izakaya "Nobu"

Synopsis

In Kyoto, Japan there is a small bar called “Nobu.” While at first glance it may seem like any other traditional Japanese bar, the truth is, is that the bar is connected to another world and denizens and customers from there seek out the bar’s excellent “Toriaezu Nama” ale and cuisine.

The Good

The interesting thing about the work is that it took more on the light novel’s art style rather than the manga. It certainly brought a brought tone to the series and helped in bringing out different scenes such as when the characters enter Nobu and the food is served. Then there is the way that the character’s enjoyment of the food and drinks, which was creative to say the least. Other than this, the series gave a solid introduction and had a slight old style to it in terms of presentation.

The Bad

As a fan of the manga/novel which this series was adapted from, this is a pretty disappointing adaptation to the work. Not only were there unnecessary aspects added in but the overall tone that made the manga so interesting was completely flipped over here. Honestly, the change in tone and the added effects can be somewhat ignored; what cannot be ignored is the way that it places exaggerations where there shouldn’t be.

An example of this would be when Hans tries hot sake for the first time. In the manga, it was a pretty simple scene that showed how much the character enjoyed simply through his expressions and short description of the drink. Here the anime decided to add an extra scene that had practically revering the drink and having this strange imagery of gods and such being brought out. It was strange and seemed out of place to say the least. Other than this and to a lesser degree was the live portion towards the end and the clear goal of the work.

Conclusion

There are some good points to the work such as its art and creativity, but it doesn’t change the fact that there were multiple points that disappointed this writer. Mainly, that it flipped the tone of the series around and added additional scenes that just seem out of place for the character. However, given that this is an ONA and that it clearly meant to give promotion to izakaya and the meals they offer, there is some understanding on how the work turned out. In the end, only time will tell if this work will improve or whether it will only be the manga that truly shows how great this series actually is.

Rating: 5/10