Rice is now sexy.
- I think I might have to finally take back a lot of what I say about this show.
- This week highlighted Ryo’s new year at school, and how bad of a sketch artist she is. So we know she can’t draw for her own country, so how does she create art? By making food that brings the taster to the point of orgasm, of course. Hiro from Hidamari Sketch could pretty much do the same thing (the show was more family-oriented mind you), but at least she could draw. But Kirin’s suggestion of helping Ryo out with her practical test by making the food she was supposed to be sketching that day sounded kind of……stupid.
- Perhaps Kirin thought it would put Ryo’s mind at rest when it came to being committed to her art, but Ryo’s mind always seems to be at ease every weekend when best cousin Kirin comes over to stay. While bringing home free food courtesy of the school and cooking it was a bonus, Ryo’s mind really should be on her grades. But then 3 episodes in now, her grades are far from her concern. She does seem to be more concerned to become the perfect wife so she can make her future husband love her amazing food.
- But seriously, Koufuku Graffiti has become a very enjoyable show to watch in terms of pure unadulterated fun. Ryo the total airhead but unnaturally calm (she never seems to be sad or upset in this show so far), Kirin the ‘cousin-who-is-the-same-grade-but-acts-half-her-age’ lesbian…probably, and Shiina (who has now firmly been added to the show) who is also a lesbian…also probably. Fanfiction and fanart has no doubt started with these 3 girls in a lovey-dovey way. But unfortunately there won’t be any drama whatsoever, aside from any dish that taste particularly awful, or any of the 3 girls suddenly realising they have an allergy to something.
- But it’s not like that’s a bad thing; in the long time I’ve been watching slice-of-life shows (good, great, bad, and damn right awful), drama is barely ever brought up. The genre itself is self-explanatory: an average everyday show about average everyday people living average everyday lives, only with one tiny little thing that brings them together. And in Koufuku Graffiti it’s just art students calling the great mass of food they eat works of art when, in fact, they should be focused on drawing said food.
- I am thinking though that so many people will immediately see this show and look only at the food, and a part of me thinks they might be right. Sure it’s unadulterated slice-of-life, but it despite Kirin being super cute, and the soundtrack being not bad (the opening and ending themes are particularly nice), the story is pretty hit-and-miss. There have been really touching moments in the show so far, and today had one especially, when Ryo woke up alone in her apartment and it suddenly hits her how alone she really is in her life, what with her parents working abroad (what anime characters parents doesn’t work abroad?) and her grandmother passing away recently. All she has now are lovey-dovey cousin Kirin and her friends; people she has now grown to get extremely attached to over the months.
It hasn’t stopped her before…
- But despite all I said, it’s not Ryo or Kirin or Shiina, it’s the food that’s the main protagonist here. And it’s something we’ve grown to accept now. Food is here, there and everywhere in the show, so label this show as ‘food porn’ if you wish; it’s not as if SHAFT will object. More the opposite, I suspect.
