For moe junkies and slice of life fanatics everywhere, this spring season has exemplified all the reasons why we keep coming back to the genre in the first place. If mono tickled the more comedic side of slice of life through its sillier, at times hyperbolic gags, then Food for the Soul is all about the genre's calming, cozier side. This is a charming little romp that quietly but adeptly looks into the fun that goes into the carefree days that are capped off by fun nights of cooking. Really, what more could you ask for?

Food for the Soul's leading girl, Mako Kawai, loves cooking, but her timid personality often finds her enjoying her meals alone. And eating alone is a problem for her because of its awkwardness—Mako initially has trouble entering restaurants and cafes because the thought of eating alone in a public space weirds her out. Yet when she eats lunch alone at school one day, she gets the attention of an up-and-coming Food Culture Club, which is trying to recruit just one more member, and it turns out that Mako fits the bill perfectly.

Awkward tension enters when Mako finds out that her one friend from elementary school, a boisterous bean by the name of Shinon, is a member. An initial exchange between Mako and Shinon starts awkwardly before blossoming into renewed friendship, and the two hit it off with the other members, Kurea and Tsutsuji, as they occupy an abandoned part of the school to make delicious meals. The Food Culture Club is revealed by the first episode's end to be a front made just so its members have an excuse to relax during the day. Since maxin' and relaxin' is such a common motif in these types of shows, I have to give the anime credit where credit is due: at least they aren't trying to hide it.

Food for the Soul is about as light on plot as you can expect it to be, goes through the usual bouts of slice of life-isms (the after-school club, a beach episode, etc.), and has environments whose lush atmosphere and garish color palettes add another layer of comfort. But the difference between Food and something like mono is that there's a little bit more characterization at hand here in Food. We get a light spread of character development through Mako and Shinon; their childhood bond is rebuilt as they go out together with the club, flashbacks from their elementary school days ensue, and in one episode, the two meet up with their old friends to reminisce on the good old days.

Mako and Shinon make for great characters, but what I liked even more was the relationship between Tsutsuji and another girl named Nana, who is recruited into the club a few episodes in. They work as perfect foils: Tsutsuji as the weird, stoic girl, and Nana as a lovable yet anxious mess. I love weird girls in anime, but in the realms of light comedy, a lot of them never really evolve past being stock meme characters who just serve to add a little bit of wackiness here and there. In Food for the Soul, Tsutsuji radiates more personality and confidence through her support for Nana and helping her overcome her social anxiety. Anxiety is a minor theme through Mako's initial shyness and Nana's antisociality, but Nana's chemistry with Tsutsuji helps make this motif feel pronounced through a few comically heartwarming sequences.

The chemistry comes to a full simmer during each episode's cooking sequences when we see the girls cook and munch on many a delicious meal. And by golly, those meals look absolutely scrumptious. You can just smell the food coming out of the screen here. The girls' oven-baked pizza was my absolute favorite, especially since I've been trying to perfect my pizza recipe (and without a stone, too!). Admittedly, I can be a very, very, VERY picky eater, so there were a few meals that weren't quite to my palate. Yet the show's attention to detail in these cooking sequences was served so al dente that I was won over regardless.

The excellent music adds to the atmosphere of this episode. Seeing as how composer Hiromi Mizutani and director Shinya Kawatsura worked on Non Non Biyori together, it makes sense that they would work together to make another show whose music and direction blended perfectly. Chipper-sounding instruments like woodwinds and xylophones weave their way into episodes, and in episode two, there's a track with a lovely mix of pianos, horns, and violins that sound quite elegant. My favorite track had to be in the episode when Mako and Shinon meet up with their old elementary school friends. When they overlook their old school from atop a hill, the score shifts into a rich symphony where the strings evoke a nostalgic, autumnal timbre that brings out feelings of old days gone by.

Reviewing Food for the Soul, I can't help but remember Plus Sized Elf, another food-centric show I reviewed almost a year ago. Whereas Elf's focus on French fries and body negativity left me nonplussed, Food's cozy cooking vibes are a surefire win for me. Should I go back to dieting? Maybe. But only after my soul had indulged itself in this anime and food a bit more.