Anime: Bartender

Bartender is a fine example of a show which is driven by its premise and nothing else to back it up.
*lifts bottle*

As long as you fancy the basic formula of how each episode plays out, you will get one hell of a series. If on the other hand you expect something more… mainstream should I say? With action, plot, plot twists, development, and a powerful ending, then DON’T EVEN BOTHER!
*bottoms up*

The story is quite the simple one. There is this fancy bar where people go and tell their life’s problem to the barman. The barman listens to them and after a cool metaphor regarding different types of liquors from around the world, and how combining them into a specific cocktail creates a very specific flavor, the customers feel refreshed and may even reach to important revelations regarding their issues.
*stares at an ugly woman who now looks gorgeous*

As cool as all this sounds, it is a completely episodic show and it is basically the metaphors that matter and not the actual issues the customers may have. To be honest, I hardly cared how cruel their lives are, how bad is their boss or how unfaithful is their wife. All I cared about was seeing the barman doing his weird allegories and mentioning the historical facts behind some drinks and then combining them into a super elixir of sorts that produces a flavor akin to the needs of the customer. At the same time though… it is not what most people would call entertaining. Since each episode follows the same pattern without deviating or evolving past its initial form, it eventually becomes duller with each episode. The premise is great for the first three cases but after that the excitement simply starts to wear off and you are now staring at a formulaic show with predictable outcome.
*hic!*

Do you remember how each episode of Pokemon was following pretty much the same pattern? Well, despite being a very immature show for little kids, most of the times it would have something new for the viewer to take notice. They would go to different cities, meet different trainers, fight different critters, and even Team Rocket would occasionally change its punchlines and role in the show. Plus there was action; simplistic one but definitely something regarding energy beams and things blowing up. Bartender does not have this sort of variety and this is basically what makes it boring past a few episodes. It is always the same place, always the same rhetorical questioning, and always the same conclusion, without any action or even much of motion in general. It’s people standing still, looking all gloomy, and talking all emo about something. Hardly as exciting as watching a bunch of high-spirited kids fighting with weird creatures popping out of spheres.
*Whiskey on the rocks, I choose you*

Although Bartender also has to do with lifting one’s spirits through … spirits (the drinking kind) and despite being very mature and interesting as a premise, this is not the reason most people are watching anime for. If they wanted enlightment, they would read a philosophical book or join some religion. They would NOT watch an anime, where its main objective as a medium is entertainment. Sure, we could say that the show is directed at a very mature audience who has aged significantly and no longer looks for excitement but rather for insight and maturity. To those kinds of people Bartender would appear as a holy book or something. For the rest of us (almost everyone) it will be a series of drunkards in a bar, talking all emo in front of a cool bartender. ALL THE TIME AND IN ALL EPISODES!
*burp!*

Do you know how easy it is to get bored with all that? Or do you know how eventually the characters become nothing but plot devices that are forgotten as soon as the episode is over? Instead of caring about them as characters, the customers end up being nothing but ephemeral excuses for the bartender to start blabbering about booze. Some stories were cool stories, I admit, but the characters were just excuses for fancy allegories. Not even the barman is a character since he just talks about stuff and we never get to know anything about him … other than being the Buddha of alcohol, offering his wisdom to the tired customers. WHO WOULD WANT TO WATCH A SHOW WITHOUT CHARACTERS? This is closer to a self-aid book than a series. And for the medium it’s part of, it’s not the best implementation of such a concept. Something like Welcome to the NHK or Tatami Galaxy is preferrable for having a basic, non-episodic plot, with the same characters.
*hangover kicks in*

I mean, it’s still a good show if one goes in with the proper mindset, and it can become special to a very niche audience. And the production values are actually not bad at all; the artwork in specific is almost photorealistic when it comes to backgrounds. You watch an episode and you get the urge to go buy yourself some Gin&Tonic. I mean just look at those bottles! They are so amazingly drawn! The sound of liquor pouring in the glass, the ice slowly melting, the soft music playing in the bar, the low lightning, the mesmerizing voice of the barman, YOU JUST WANNA TURN DRUNKARD AT THAT SECOND! Do you know what Gar means? It’s Gay for Archer. Well, this show is all Drub (Drunkard for Bartender).
*puts eggs in a blender*

It is THAT successful in terms of atmosphere; it just sucks you in! … Of course chances are you will be bored and ask to pull out after a few episodes, because the formula becomes repetitive. But for those few initial episodes the show is successful at what it’s about. So in all, I find this show to be VERY SPECIAL and HIGHLY CAPTIVATING IN THE BEGINNING but also NON-EVOLVING and eventually BORING FOR MOST PEOPLE.
*wakes up on an unfamiliar bed, shared with a very ugly woman*

Bartender is, in many ways, a difficult anime series to rate, but here is my attempt (let me know how I did!) It is entirely episodic, with 11 episodes total. Considering the fact that the director, Watanabe Masaki, and the original creators, Joh Araki and Nagatomo Kenji, aren't well-known (or known at all) for other works of art, they did a stellar job with Bartender. The locale is always Eden Hall, a bar run by Sasakura Ryuu, a young male bartender who some say serves "the Glass of the Gods." This "Glass of the Gods" theme is a recurring theme throughout each episode. Each episode is about a different customer, and the woes that plague their heart. Sasakura's goal with each customer is to serve them "the Glass of the Gods," which is a different drink for every customer, for every situation—this alcoholic beverage is always one whose meaning and history (which gets explained by Sasakura) deals with the customer's woes. Through this perfectly-fitting drink, crafted with passion and finesse by Sasakura, their lives are enhanced by the healing properties of alcohol.

The animation is easily well above average. The drinks and bottles are all done in CG, but the way they get worked into the rest of the animation is fitting, and looks very crisp and clean. The facial expressions and body language never feel unnatural—if an emotion is being felt by the character, you can tell just by looking at their face, the way they're sitting, and even by what their hands are doing in many cases. Most of the scenes take place at the counter at Eden Hall, and thankfully, the bar as a whole looks great, and realistic—it's a small bar, with a very elegant and relaxed-looking atmosphere, which fits perfectly with the themes of Bartender.

One of my favourite things about most of the episodes: there's an opening frame of animation that has a caption that explains a bit of history or culture surrounding a drink that comes into play throughout the episode—this frame of animation is drawn with beautiful artwork, and has a stained-glass sort of look to it. From here, it moves right on into the OP.

The music is, overall, great—the OP (by Natural High, featuring Junpei Shiina) is a bit overly upbeat for some of the moods expressed throughout the episode, but it's nonetheless a nice-sounding and very fitting song (it's not some random pop crap, but rather it's a sung conversation between a customer and a bartender, which directly relates to what the entire series is about). The ED is a sad love song, done by Natural High as well—and it actually made me shed a few tears, the first time I sat there and really absorbed it all (it's just that sentimental!) The background music is all perfectly fitting to the atmosphere—it's not something I'd go out of my way to listen to, but it fits in well enough, without standing out and thus without making me ever think, "wow, that's a great composition."

The voice acting is well-done. Sasakura's voice (Mizushima Takahiro, voiced Christopher Armalite in Scrapped Princess, Romeo in Romeo x Juliet) is gentle and soothing, and he plays the part of a bartender perfectly. Otherwise, not much else about the rest of the voice acting stands out, one way or the other, but Sasakura is the focus of the show, so that's okay.

The sound effects are realistic, and might even make you thirsty! When a drink was being served, the sound of it (in combination with the appearance) generally made me feel like having a taste—I consider this to be very good.

The characters are Bartender's biggest downfall. Sasakura is an enchanting character, yet his origins are mysterious. A very little bit of his past was explained throughout the entire 11 episodes—and for such an intriguing character, I would have preferred to learn a lot more about where he came from, and more reasons as to how he became so amazingly talented at his profession. Other than Sasakura, the character of focus within each episode develops, and often adds to the group narration throughout later episodes, however their actual development ends when their episode ends. More relevance to the characters re-appearing in later episodes, or more development to Sasakura's character, would have made me rate this category higher, however it felt a bit lacking as it was.

The story, as summarized in the first paragraph of this review, is pleasant and often emotional. Each episode deals with various aspects of human experiences, for instance regret, love, and loss. The way the characters grow during their short stay in Eden Hall, through the wonders of Sasakura's bartending skills (which include more than simply making drinks—he reads the customer, and tells stories accordingly that he knows will hit home), is a joy to watch. For an episodic series, I don't really feel like I could ask for more. On that note, the way the series is portrayed is actually above and beyond, in many ways—the method of narration is unique in that the story is told, in each episode, by the characters of the previous episodes—and it'll show them experiencing their lives, perhaps walking around town, or sitting someplace, perhaps in Eden Hall, while they're telling this story to the viewer, all centered around Sasakura's wondrous bartending. The final episode is more about what it means to be a bartender, in general, and was a uniquely interesting experience.

A point of debate for some may be the way alcohol is portrayed in Bartender—it heals the customer through the atmosphere within the bar, the meaning of the drink, and the bartending skills of the bartender. Aside from the premise being rather unique, I liked how alcohol was viewed at in a positive light, as responsible drinking, in the right atmosphere, can definitely be a good thing (it's when it gets abused that it can become negative, however this series focuses on the positive aspects). If the stories intertwined more, I would have rated the story higher, but as it was, given that it's an episodic series, it was still definitely above average.

This is a series that I would love to share with my friends and family, and I would find much pleasure in rewatching the entire thing with many of them, as well as rewatching it by myself in a year or so from now. Thus, I feel that the value of this series is definitely on the upper end of the spectrum—one could easily rewatch any given episode, as it's episodic, or one could rewatch the entire thing, as every single episode is fun and relaxing to watch. I would definitely consider actually purchasing this anime series, as it is unique and very entertaining.

In terms of enjoyment, Bartender shines quite vibrantly. I'm often turned off by episodic series, however if the premise is relatively unique and each episode is well-done (especially if it involves human nature), I generally tend to fall in love with this sort of series. In this regard, it sort of reminds me of Mushishi, however Bartender manages to stand on its own quite well. The combined elements of the drinks involved, the history surrounding them, the theories behind bartending, and the emotional growth that each character experiences is, to put it simply, an exquisitely joyful experience.

There is one thing I will never understand. A question many people ask: What is the most important element in an anime, book or game. Story? Characters? Locations?
How can you possibly view one of them isolated? There is only one question you can ask: Do they fit?

And yes, they do. The different elements of Bartender form a whole, one that is pure enjoyment. This is what makes an anime truly magnificent.

Bartender surly is slow paced. No action, violence or slapstick – boring some might say – but this is what fits the theme: osake. Osake is the point everything revolves around. It's the medicine that heals the different patrons' sorrows.
At the beginning of each episode and therefore of each story, for the characters who tell their stories alcohol is nothing more than just that. A liquid they drink for taste, maybe out of habit, but nothing they cherish as something that can heal their soul.
But in Eden Hall they find someone who can accomplish it along with the drinks he mixes – the gentle bartender Sasakura Ryuu...

Bartender is an anime which is set mostly inside a bar. The producers made everything fit this circumstance: The soft jazz , the narrator's comforting voice, the dark colors, the patron's stories.
Ryuu as the protagonist is very likeable and you will be interessted in his persona and background.
I'm happy to see that there are producers and directors who have the heart to make something no one else – at least as far as I can tell – has done before. And not just that. It seems it was a main concern for them to give the audience what we want the most: a viewing pleasure with not even one minute wasted.


Notes: English is not my native language and therefore not idiomatic. If there is anything you wouldn't say the way I did, please feel free to tell me :)

The most misunderstood anime of 2006.
And also, bartender is in fact, one of the greatest anime I have ever seen.

I think people is reluctant to see bartender cause of the thought "how could possibly the story of a bartender be good?” I say to all of you “it’s better than you think”.

Bartender kind of reminds me Mushishi and H&C... without the drama and the fantasy, but with all the greatness and character development these two anime have.
Almost always it’s like a soliloquy where they explain things and it seems like the characters are talking to us.

Animation:
This is a strong point of the anime. Character design is realistic and very stylized. It’s concentrated in making the movements smooth and clean.
Animators also focused a lot in the background… a great number of times they are computer generated and gorgeous, especially the shelf with the bottles at the bar.
The pouring of alcohol in the glasses and the way to make the mixtures was really feast for the eyes.

Sound:
This along with character development is the strongest point in Bartender.
Seiyuu did a great job, specially the narrator who has a great voice.

But the strongest point is BGM and OP/ED… this is really great! All of the BGM is jazz, and a very good jazz which really suits the atmosphere of the bar.
OP is a male/female duet of gorgeous proportions, great lyrics and really catchy.
ED is a downtempo ballad by female singer… yeah, another great song.

I really recommend to everyone to download the OST from this series, it’s magnificent.
Really you won’t be able to stop listening to it.

Story:
The story is of episodic nature… after we got the premise and setting of everything happening in the bar, in every episode we see a different story which focuses on a new character.
Every chapter is great; I couldn’t let myself find a single episode I disliked.

Characters:
Yep, characters are everyday people of different paths of life… every one of them with their problems, anxieties and anguishes which bartender Sasakura Ryuu will try to heal.
We really see a complete development in every one of them… a complete evolution and a renewed person will walk out of the Eden Hall bar.
Be it love problems, work problems or just bored of a routinist life Eden Hall’s bartender will be pleased to listen to people problems and do his best to help them.
You will be glad to see how this people evolve and walk out of the bar as a completely new being.

Value:
I’ll definitely rewatch bartender and most of you will certainly do. Be it cause of the music, animation or character development I’m certain you’ll rewatch at least a couple of episodes.

Enjoyment & Conclusion:
Is it possible to put in words the feeling I get from watching every single episode of this anime? Or to describe how one gets to care about the characters?
Well I guess I’ll go to my grave with this feelings graved in my memories. Like one character in episode one of Kino no Tabi says: “When communicating our thoughts, words are imperfect. Just like the word “beautiful”, you cannot communicate exactly how beautiful you feel something is”… I’ll just say to you all that bartender is worth a watch if you really like series with a lot of character development, beautiful animation and great music.
And for starters, to a lot of people with prejudices out there… watch the series and then judge.

Notes: English is my second or third language; please spare my life if you see grammar errors and let me know it.