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Bartender (TV).


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Deltakiral



Joined: 07 Oct 2004
Posts: 3338
Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK)
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 1:58 pm Reply with quote


Bartender (TV)

Genres: drama , slice of life
Themes: alcohol

Plot Summary: Genius bartender, Ryu Sasakura makes the most incredible cocktails anyone has ever tasted. Seeking his "Glass of God", individuals from all different walks of life visit his bar. With both a compassionate ear and a godly drink, Ryu helps people with their problems.
----------------------------------

Ok so first thing is this show makes me want to drink, well not really. Actually the first thing I noticed where the really great backgrounds and the look and feel of the "Drinks". In particular there a scene where the actually bar is shown and all the reflective properties seem to be there, not only that everytime a new drink is made there is a focus specifically on that drink.

As far as VA concerns goes so far so good, didn't noticed anything bad nor anything really amazing....but then again this was only episode 1.

Music: Well.....sounds like a bar if you ask me Laughing. Wow that was a bad joke. Anywho I really enjoyed the ending sequence and it's live action appeal ("Hajimari no Hito" by Natural High) and it's slow piano piece is incredible fitting at least I felt. Opening Sequence...well not so much, but then again I hardly ever like the opening sequence, I guess I like ED credits more.

Story: Deals with a bar known as Edenhall and it's Bartender, first episode dealt with a man who was disrespectful of bartenders and there craft; Basically by calling them barkeeps. After which our main character (know as Glass of God) hence his ability to make the drink perfect for your situation. I had a feeling this is a very episodic type of series so I am interested to see how this series try to keep it's appeal up.
Till next time,

Delta Kiral
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Redbeard 101
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Joined: 14 Aug 2006
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 2:09 pm Reply with quote
Never heard of it. Seeing as how I used to be a bartender for a bit this sounds interesting. Have to keep an eye out.
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blind_assassin



Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 755
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 2:17 pm Reply with quote
Did you see a fansub or a raw? I've been wanting to check the series out for a while but I didn't immediately find any subs last time I looked (so I just played Mahjong for a few hours Razz). You don't have to name the group but are there subbed eps getting out there now?
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abunai
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Joined: 05 Mar 2004
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 2:20 pm Reply with quote
psycho 101 wrote:
Never heard of it. Seeing as how I used to be a bartender for a bit this sounds interesting. Have to keep an eye out.

I've seen the first episode. Since I've tended bar, too, I watched it with interest, but my reactions were mixed.

First off, this seems intended to be a semi-philosophical anime for mature viewers. The first episode had a lot of almost mystical wibbling about the often-touted semi-sacral relationship between the bartender and the patron. More importantly, it also borrowed the typical sports-anime storytelling convention of the "special move" or "secret technique" -- in this case, the "glass of the gods", a technique supposedly possessed by the near-supernatural central character, the bartender.

Frankly, I found it exaggerated, and in no way a true representation of the bartending experience, from either side of the bar. But then again, who cares about truth in stories? The main question is, does this exaggerated version work, in terms of producing an entertaining story?

The answer (or rather, my answer) is, not really. It comes across as stilted and unconvincing. I'm not sure whether this will improve over the following episodes. Certainly, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt for a while yet... but it doesn't really grab me.

- abunai
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Deltakiral



Joined: 07 Oct 2004
Posts: 3338
Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK)
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 2:28 pm Reply with quote
blind_assassin wrote:
Did you see a fansub or a raw?


Fansub....I know where the Raw is but I don't understand Japanese all that well....so oh well.

abunai wrote:
More importantly, it also borrowed the typical sports-anime storytelling convention of the "special move" or "secret technique" -- in this case, the "glass of the gods", a technique supposedly possessed by the near-supernatural central character, the bartender.


Agreed I could see something to effect where each week Glass of the god has to make a new drink and therefore bestows a different kind of drink.

abunai wrote:
First off, this seems intended to be a semi-philosophical anime for mature viewers. The first episode had a lot of almost mystical wibbling about the often-touted semi-sacral relationship between the bartender and the patron.


I didn't mind this too much, I found the part about Doctor and Bartenders to be interesting, but there was a little too much narration going on in this episode.

Also abunai did you like the art for the show? I really enjoyed it, and how about the opening and ending credits?

Delta
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Tony K.
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:21 pm Reply with quote
I watched the first episode while eating lunch and it's okay. I really like the production values; art, animation, and music. It's very lax and has a certain appeal to it, which I'm sure was intentional given all the undertones on how these drinks are supposed to help people relax after a long day.

However, not being one who drinks (never have, never will), I couldn't relate to any of the drama and characters. That small philosophical anecdote about the professions that never betray their customers was pretty neat. I never would've thought to put "alcohol" and "care" in the same sentence.

For the most part, I think this series is good at creating a friendly atmosphere. I like the jazzy piano pieces and OP/ED songs. They make me want to lounge out and enjoy myself with no worries (minus the alcohol of course Razz).

It's an interesting concept, but also very limited given it's content about alcoholic beverages and such. Kind like an adult version of Yakitate!! Japan, only replace Kazuma with the bartender and bread with beer/wine/whatever.
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blind_assassin



Joined: 07 Aug 2006
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 6:30 pm Reply with quote
I just watched the first episode and it seems promising. The narrative is probably the weakest point though. It changes a few times and doesn't feel to add to the story in more than one dimension. It just gives a rather linear insight into the characters past and seems to lack the importance it does in most other anime I've seen that rely heavily on it. Granted its only the first episode but I think there's a chance that I might find this to be the downfall of the sreies for me.

Also, I don't particularly enjoy non-linear plots in anything that isn't comedy. Cowboy Bebop only pulled it off because its main story is very interesting and had intense drama packed into the condensed level of plot episodes. Though I enjoyed Samurai Champloo, it wasn't dramatic enough to pull it off in the same matter. If Bartender tries to simply have a backstory for a single character every episode then I'll stop watching before its done. However, if it starts relating to the hotel where the guy was building the bar or if they just use that episode as a preface to the series then I think it could develop into an interesting show.

And Tony, unless you're in your mid forties+ then I doubt the matter of alcohol would even still mean much. I drink a decent amount but since I'm young its simply to enjoy the effects rather than the alcohol itself. If I had a martini it wouldn't matter if I was full or not since I'd want about 7-8 more before I'd be happy.
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JoshuaStChristopher



Joined: 20 Jan 2006
Posts: 351
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 9:22 pm Reply with quote
I will watch every episode simply for the fact that Yasuhiro Imagawa worked on it. That man is a genius, aside from Seven of Seven, but he's forgiven for that one.
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Hoenheim



Joined: 25 Apr 2006
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 10:36 pm Reply with quote
I liked that first episode. Knowing pretty much nothing about alchohol probably made it a bit better for me, making the surrealish bar atmosphere more believable, even though it's still unrealistic, although I thought the unrealisticness was pulled off well. I started watching Bartender thinking it would be fun, nothing special. I thought it had that fun factor in the end, as well as some cool human emotion additions. If the rest of the episodes are like that episode, I think I'll end up liking this, not for it's "wow this is a great story" values or anything, but as an anime to rewatch for the atmosphere it sets and feelings it gives. The jazzy music, people in suits, cgi, and fancy scenery definately helped with this. I think getting this kind of enjoyment out of it makes the main character being somewhat cliched, but still likeable, help. I'll be sticking with this series.
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selenta
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Joined: 19 Apr 2006
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 1:45 am Reply with quote
Tony K. wrote:
Kind like an adult version of Yakitate!! Japan, only replace Kazuma with the bartender and bread with beer/wine/whatever.


I'm not sure if you meant that as a compliment, insult or an indifferent comparison... but I was kind of excited to see this show ...was. Rolling Eyes
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Tony K.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 1:56 am Reply with quote
selenta wrote:
I'm not sure if you meant that as a compliment, insult or an indifferent comparison... but I was kind of excited to see this show ...was. Rolling Eyes

My bad, I should've been more specific, but I had to go to work when typing that.

I make this reference as an indifferent comparison. Bartender is in NO WAY a fun, comedic, shounen series like Y!!J. The only reason I made this comment was for the similarity in concept:

Y!!J = young boy with mythical bread-making hands making a different type of bread for each little story arc, while in the meantime you learn some fun and intersting facts about bread or food in general

Bartender = young man with "glass of God" makes a different type of alcoholic beverage for the people who come to Edenhall to find refuge and escape the pressures and stress of daily life, while in the meantime you learn how to make drinks and get somewhat of a life lesson on the side

Bartender LACKS the comedy and chemistry of Y!!J. It is a series for mature audiences or people who can drink seriously and not just to get sh*t-faced or wasted so they can laugh their butts off at words like Kamekichi.

Sorry if I had gotten your hopes up.
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Stupidman007



Joined: 02 Feb 2006
Posts: 394
PostPosted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:38 am Reply with quote
I became very interested in Bartender three weeks ago when I saw the picture that was in the ANN encyclopedia. The style of that picture and the simple title of "Bartender" gave me an easy going carefree feeling about this series, which is something that I've been longing for.

Judging from the first episode, I would have to say that Bartender seems to be very carefully done. All of the production values were very well done. The art was crisp and clear, which is often a problem for me since I use a larger monitor. The music was great too, especially the OP, which drew me in from the beginning. The story seems to be the main problem of the series so far. Like Abunai has said already, the idea of Bartending really was quite overexaggerated, and I also don't think that it succeeded so far in producing a good solid story. However, it is only the first episode, and hopefully it will get more interesting later on. Much like good alcohol, a good episode of anime is also wonderful after a long day.
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cerulean88



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 130
Location: Ramira.
PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 12:07 am Reply with quote
when i first saw the ad of this series in a magazine, my first reaction was "this looks interesting" but then my friend told me about the plot and the whole "god's glass" thing and i kinda lost interest in it. But then i decided to give it a try anyway. And i like it!! Laughing Watching animes that doesn't contain lots of action is a nice change. And i really like the whole close up of the cocktail in it's own page and then they give you the name of it at the bottom and also of how they give you the recipe to make one of the cocktails shown after the end of the episode =)

But yeah, like what some of you had mentioned, i think it is a bit too exaggerated but that won't really stop me from watching the rest of it. Well we'll just see how the next few ones goes.
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Kidder



Joined: 15 May 2006
Posts: 188
Location: Bat country! >.<
PostPosted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:15 pm Reply with quote
I was a little intrigued when I first heard about this anime. I used to be a bartender for a cocktail bar and restaurant, so I figured it'd be interesting to see the Japanese take on bar-culture. In terms of content, "Bartender" is definately more aimed towards mature audiences who've grown past the stage of drinking for the sake of getting pissed and now drink because they actually enjoy the taste. They obviously over-exaggerated the "nobility" of bartenders, comparing them to doctors... I think a better comparison would be to a chef. Your creation must be tailored to suit the customer, everyone has different tastes and they usually expect their drink to taste a certain way. Narration was a little dry, but I like the chilled out atmosphere. I don't want to nit-pick about the way they make the drinks (especially the layering-method) Razz

In terms of animation, it's pretty average, nothing spectacular but not bad either. I liked the live-action credit sequence.

I'm not sure whether I'll continue to follow this show. It's only supposed to have 11 episodes, so there'll be little to no plot development, but perhaps they'll introduce some new concepts to me.
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selenta
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:28 am Reply with quote
Tony K. wrote:
Kamekichi


Hehehehe Anime catgrin

*giggle giggle*
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