wkeeling - 2016-12-27 15:19:35

Have you ever stumbled upon an anime that is so underappreciated, so underrated, and so forgotten. Forgotten to the point where you don’t know a single one of your friends has even heard of it before. Well that case scenario for none other than Bartender. So ladies and gentlemen… sit back, relax, and pop a bottle of champagne while I introduce to you for the first time… Bartender.

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~Story 5/10~
Before you freak out about the score, let me give reasons as to why. For starters the biggest reason is due of the fact in which the show is episodic. Not episodic in the way of having an overarching plot and having each episode include their own little story, for example Cowboy Bebop and Kekkai Sensen. Instead the show takes a slower approach in which each individual episode has a new patron each episode, each of these patrons have a different backstory, occupation, and ambition in life. Every episode takes its time to have the patron talk about their life goals or struggles meanwhile having the bartender be of aid to them, all of the while introducing both the viewer and the patron to a new type of drink that they may have never heard of before. One additional thing that I find kind of interesting thing that occurs at the end of each episode and that is how the show provides the recipe to the drink being served in the episode.

A few problems that I personally have with the show is how each episode is to structured: patron walks into bar, customer explains past, bartender does some life counseling, bartender gives patron drink, patron is satisfied and leaves, end of episode. Another item of concern is how the show can get extremely philosophical at times when it’s just not necessary in certain situations.

My personal favorite episode from the series is episode 8. This is mostly due to the fact in which the episode ignores this pattern and how the patron decides to challenge the bartender instead of lecturing about his life story to the bartender.

~Character(s) 7/10~
I’m adding the “(s)” into this category due to the fact in how even tho the show introduces a wide range of characters, but only one of them is recurring in every single episode. And that man is the young twenty-six year old bartender & owner, Ryuu Sasakura. Ryuu is the owner of Eden Hall and is widely considered to be a genius in his occupation, so much so that he was given the nickname/title “Glass of Gods”. Ryuu is cool, calm, and knows how to deal with a large variety of circumstances all while still remaining on the side of the patron no matter how bad the person is… even if they are Donald Trump…

One thing that was bothering me about Ryuu he was always shown to be a man who never makes mistakes, someone who is never wrong. Up until two-thirds of the way through, Ryuu had always been shown to be the god of bartending… then you finally learn how he has been wrong in the past. This discovery is a nice thing to add, however at that point it is a little too late to be revealed about something like that especially since most people have already formed an opinion about the character at that point.

~Music 8/10~
The opening to the series is one in which I feel like would have been orchestrated better if it were to be an instrumental opening like Baccano, Cowboy Bebop, and Trigun. The problem with the opening that I feel is that the vocalist for the OP is one in which I am really not fond of, this is to the point where in some episodes that I feel like I would want to skip the opening in it’s entirety. Most people who know me realize how I almost never skip the opening to a series unless if I am marathoning the show, in this case I was not. Overall the animation to the opening was good and gave a clear depiction of what this show has to offer however in my personal opinion, I really was not a fan of the song itself.

As for the ending, it is slow and relaxing. The song is a great depiction of what the show’s themes are. The main talking point about this ending theme is not about the song, it is about the visuals playing in the background. Bartender’s ending theme is unlike anything that I’ve ever seen in an anime, and that is in the sense how their is an actual video of a bartender creating the drink that was on display in the episode. One other thing to note about this ending is how there is always a recipe at the beginning of the animation on how to make the main drink being represented in the episode. Overall, I felt like it was an interesting idea and was executed effectively.

Lastly, the soundtrack in this show is slow and fits the scene perfectly, so well that you might not even notice how there is music being played in the background. That is exactly how a soundtrack should be fully incorporated into a scene unlike a little show called Grimgar (which is currently airing at the time of this review’s release). The soundtrack is not anything particularly special or memorable, but it works well for the series and that is all you can ask for a soundtrack to accomplish. As for the music itself, it tends to be a combination of both piano/violin and sometimes guitar and that is all it needs to be fully able to integrate effectively with the series in order to elevate every scene in the show.

If you had to ask me, I would say that my personal favorite songs from the soundtrack would be the following: Red Eye, Manhattan, Margarita, and Gin Tonic.

~Art/Animation 6/10~
The art and animation in this series is one that might be comparable to Rokka no Yuusha, not in sense of style but in the sense of it being one of the weakest part of the show. Some scenes may be animated beautifully but others might be animated poorly, and it is very noticeable for most viewers. Just wanted to also mention how the bottles and glasses in the series are all cgi’d in. I believe that this is perfectly acceptable since it still looks just as good if it were to be animated. Unlike throwing in tens of hundreds of the same cgi designed character like Arslan Senki had, there are about one hundred different bottle designs one the shelf to be on display.

I understand that the art and animation are poor at times but I am not putting blame on the studio who made the show. In reality, I would personally put the lack of production budget for the series at blame.

~Final Thoughts~
Overall, I believe that this is a series that I personally enjoyed but could easily see some people calling the show “boring” and I would not try to defend that statement because it is true for most people. Bartender is a show that I believe is worth watching but only if you have been experienced in watching either Mushishi and/or Kino’s Journey. Since this is a case, I would personally recommend those who are interested to watching by telling them to watch at most three episodes per day. Bartender was a unique & interesting watch and could recommend to others but is not one that I would tell people to watch immediately. One tragic thing that occurred for this show is how it sold so poorly in japan is that the studio ended up going bankrupt a year later, sadly I believe that this might be occurring for the for one of my favorite shows of last year… Rokka.

In conclusion, I fully enjoyed this series and would be honored to give it a high 7/10 score.

~Similar Anime Recommendations~
Death Parade, Mushishi, Ristorante Paradiso, and Time of Eve.

gerlach.arnold - 2015-12-30 03:29:01

The story is not interesting, the animation is mediocre, the sound is decent and the characters are average. But I LOVE this anime. Please, allow me to explain.

Some anime are gripping, exciting and/or fascinating. Recent examples are Food Wars with its captivating story leaving you craving the next episode, or One Punch Man with its excellent humor. But there are other anime which aren't so gripping to watch, yet I still love them dearly. Why is that? Because they are an experience. They suck me into the world.

For example Mushishi, not a very exciting anime; but it brings me joy as I follow the life of the main character as he travels around; with me taking in his experiences as if I were there with him. Another example, Welcome to the NHK. I get absorbed into the life of the main character which is lonely and dark, his experiences resonate with me because they seem so real, he lives a life I could lead if things went wrong. Spice wolf, a beautiful world with interesting characters, I am totally immersed as I follow their travels, listening to their witty conversation in their relatively serene life. These anime are so great because they take me into a different world, albeit them not being very exciting shows. To finally talk about the anime at hand; Bartender is one of those anime for me.

Perhaps once a week, I would make a simple cocktail, dim the lights, sink into an arm chair and turn on Bartender. This show gave me an encapsulating sense of calm that no show has ever given me. 

The show is set at a bar, and is about the Bartender and the various people he serves. It was a joy to watch him come up with and explain the perfect drinks to provide his customers. And I would be sitting at the bar with them, taking it all in.

If you are looking for a gripping and/or exciting show, I seriously do not recommend this anime. If you think you could possibly enjoy the show in the way I did, then I very much suggest you go and enjoy it. 

jyundt - 2015-05-15 18:53:45

Bartender! A unique anime that caught my attention and was interesting through out the entire series. As I worked as a bartender before I really enjoyed the show, I learned some cocktails i didn't knew before and it shows to the people the job of a serious bartender, that it's not so easy but is one of the best jobs that you can have. What I liked the most from the anime are two thing. The way the bartender psychologically choose the cocktails he will served and the great piano soundtracks that are very artistic. It's an awesome show, it's a must-see in my opinion! Try watching it!

randall27 - 2015-04-24 20:26:24

With a relatively short span of time the anime called "Bartender" will hold you with a warmer embrace then you most certainly have seen in a long time. The history information, along with suiting music and amazing short story elements during each episode make it a real calming experience. The bartender is really likable and a role-model to a lot of people who work in the serving buisness. I would qualify as one of the best anime out there, not because it is the best action ever or because it is the best thing you have ever seen, but because of the love that it will give you back for watching it.

kennedy.senger - 2013-07-07 09:22:03

The shows story follows Sasakura Ryuu as he helps his customers, he doesn't always directly help them but helps them realise there own problem through a drink. The Anime is episodic and deals with a different story each episode. Just about every aspect gives off a ralaxing feel.Using different forms of narration Bartender offers us some interesting facts at the begining of each episode along with the recipe for the a featured cocktail at the end. The narration also breaks the fourth wall slightly by talking to the viewer directly even in the middle of the scene a character we talk to us.The art is pretty decent, it is genrally well drawn but does use quite a bit of CG for the bottle and close ups of drinks and the liquid. Often when it cuts to a flash back it seemlessly merges the present with the past as if the character in question never moves. It at times can use some different effects to blend in narration than simply having it voice over, a character will appear in the spotlight or simply standing behind his own bar. Animation is smooth as CG is often used for glasses and the animation of Sasakura shaking the shaker is very fluid. The color tone is brown and really makes you feel part of the relaxed atmosphere.The sound is great, the opening a nice fast paced male female duet, im no expert at music but the genre of all the songs present i believe is jazz and the piano and creates a soothing feeling, the ending is great and actually uses live action video of a similar looking bartender at work. The voice actors did a superb job, no one sounded horrible or annoying and everyone gave a soft touch to the voices.The character were great, each episode focused on one or maybe two people who had different problem, whether it was a couple who never had time for each other or a con man, the characters were given some but not much development. Sasakura Ryuu is the lead but that about it, he get basically no development as even little screen time compared to each focused character but he is a nice person just not a lovable lead character. The show is narrated by various people, two guys who appear to be much older than Ryuu and are bartenders of their own and then there is Miwa who is the first cistomer at the bar and then along with the other two bartenders appear numourus times as either a customer again or narrating and giving facts out to the viewers.Bartender isn't a show for everyone, its slow and sometime i felt like the episode lasted forty minutes rather than the twenty due to its slow pace but that is not a bad thing, it gives such a relaxing feel that it is the perfect show to watch at night. I found while watching the show it will give various information on cocktails and the history behind a cicktails creation or it name and you may even pick a few things up and learn something you otherwise might not of ever cared about.

waelchi.wava - 2013-07-01 14:55:12

Really, the problem with Bartender is that most episodes play out in the same way. But, if watching thirteen episodes of a well-animated, quiet, mature anime that lightly touches on philosophy and life sounds interesting to you, then you will like Bartender.

I've heard the criticism that shows or movies like Bartender are not good because they are boring, that entertainment has to have action, or adventure, or something exciting to fulfill the audience, because that is the purpose of entertainment. I beg to differ. What is entertaining to one person may be boring to another, and Bartender cannot be accused of being boring.

Bartender has a wonderful atmosphere that sucks the viewer in to each story, and the way that the show handles each story (both of the customer who comes into the bar, and often the story behind each drink served to said customer) keeps the show from feeling formulaic, even though, on paper, the episodes are.

On a final note, whoever was in charge of the sound design and the animation really did a marvelous job. The animation was good, and while it's hard to praise it as much as I would for an action show, the little animation in the show is good, standing out whenever the focus turns to the alcohol in the show, whether it is in a glass or a bottle. Glass, liquid, and reflections are done really well in Bartender. The music and sound are understated but serve their purpose well. It draws the viewer into the soothing, quiet atmosphere of Eden Hall.

Bartender is a great show to watch before bed, or to relax. It is interesting even as it is quiet and more mature than most anime fans are looking for, but I would suggest watching a few episodes at least, to decide for yourself. Just be aware that you will always feel thirsty after each episode. :)