Comfort food — or — “Is that just how the world is? I need another drink…”
What They Say:
Murasaki Wakako is a 26-year-old that loves nothing more than delicious food and drink. Wakako’s favorite thing to do for relaxation is to go off by herself after work and go to various places to eat and drink, even if she’s never been there before. The moment Wakako is able to taste the pairing between the food she wants to eat and the perfect accompanying drink, the happy sound of “Pshuuu” leaves her lips. Now, then. Where shall we drink tonight?
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Murasaki Wakako, at 26 years of age, takes refuge in izakaya after izakaya after work to remind herself of what makes life worth living: food and drink and the euphoria derived from combinations thereof.
Wakako-zake is seriously one of those series that makes you feel how much your cheeks have been raised from how much they relax after each episode’s finish — when real life returns to the forefront of perception. This is a praiseworthy accomplishment given that each episode clocks in at less than two minutes and that each “night” (out after work) feels like a world unto itself. As deceptively simple as the short running time is, however, the series manages to carry some weight as well.
Like a Bukowski poem, Wakako-zake trims the fat via guise of conversational inner monolog; all that’s left is the meat, so to speak, to chew. The highlighted focus of the show— the experience of the now, the taste of the meal and influence of the eating environment — is backgrounded, in brief, by circumstance. Just enough workplace frustration and rejection of societal expectations actually make of this show a moé Bukowski™ joint, as opposed to food porn, if you’re paying attention. (If only Wakako would bed some whores! Dare I dream she owns cats?).In fact, if you blink or lack relational life experience, you’ll most likely miss the hints to the reliance upon alcohol(-paired meals) as necessary for trudging through the daily grind and sheer bliss of being left alone.
Of course, sardonic subtext is all but entirely washed over by the main character’s adorable (if only initially freakish) design, Miyuki Sawashiro’s engrossing observations and exclamations as Wakako, and the bright and warm colors that saturate each episode. When I saw the PV (promotional video), I was worried about the main character’s design; at first glance, her manga-inspired spherical head looked distractingly goofy. As is the case in the manga, every other character aside from Wakako is drawn with relatively normalcy. However, the shadowing of Wakako’s head for the effect of 3D in the anime specifically betrays suspension of disbelief between character and setting. Luckily, this effect rarely infiltrates the episodes. Even when employed, the nendoroid effect is usually intended to draw out a moment to emphasize its importance and shortly becomes endearing via repetition for its abnormal aesthetic. What does overwhelm each minute-some session, however, is the warming coo of Sawashiro’s “Pshuuu” variants as contrasted by nominal deadpan delivery and backed by a watercolor/pastel palate.
In Summary:
Food porn distilled, the anime adaptation of Wakako-zake is a delight to watch. Just about every frame enhances the source material via detail, and the movement afforded via multiple frames, as opposed to limited panel space, reaps an indispensable, dramatic effect. (As one of many an example, I’ll reference the lemon squeeze in Episode 2.) Each episode is not something to reflect upon but rather an altar to the moment — the warmth of fried chicken after being called fat, the alcohol-induced camaraderie of seeing a fellow barfly rail against his coworkers, or the sheer thrill of spontaneous indulgence — to be watched over and over again as the need or pleasure arises.
In case you’re interested in where each episode falls within the manga, I’ve provided a list below. As each episode strictly covers one chapter (with a good deal of beneficial elaboration), there’s a lot more to read! Hopefully, this means the anime will go on for quite some time! Be sure to keep watching it on Crunchyroll, and hopefully more seasons will follow suit!
1st Night: Fried Salted Salmon (manga vol 1 ch 1)
2nd Night: Fried Chicken (manga vol 1 ch 12)
3rd Night: Monkfish Liver in Ponzu (manga vol 1 ch 8)
4th Night: Sea Urchin Cresson (manga vol 4 ch 87)
5th Night: Yakitori (manga vol 1 ch 2)
6th Night: Steamed Clams (manga vol 2 ch 30)
Grade: A+
Streamed By: My anime lord and savior (Crunchyroll)
Review Equipment:
Xbox360 running Crunchyroll app via HDMI to Toshiba 40” LED 1080P HDTV. Sony 5.1 home theater system.
Ahh, I see that this review is strong with the Pshuu~! I thought it was a pretty cute show, though the running time is so short, did they really need to eat up 30 seconds with a theme song? The food and drink pairings are interesting.
Pshuuu, brother. (I’m trying so hard to get that to be a new-agish greeting.) The manga it’s based on is literally 3-4 pages per story, so I don’t think the OP is that wasteful (plus it constantly gets stuck in my head lol) especially given how adeptly the show uses its time.
Best ‘short’-short, in how efficiently it uses its time in the service of discovering meaning in its subject, since Yurumates3D. (Not that I’m biased or anything. <–) Teekyu would count, too, but meaning is beside the point there.
Odd that I thought nothing of her character design once it began. It's a plainness that makes her seem more innocent and a blank slate for every new experience.
Ooh, I like that interpretation of her face!