Ristorante Paradiso makes no bones about the fact that it's for women who are attracted to old men. Not older men, old men. 50 and up. Now, I'm a straight guy and I like girls about my age. This show's not really intended for me in any sense. As ever, I came to Ristorante Paradiso as a tourist of oddities. The hook was just too niche and out-there for me not to try. Niche subgenres are healthy enough in manga, but how likely was I to ever again see a Japanese cartoon for women who like old men-- as opposed to Japanese cartoons for old men that feature women who like old men? The answer is "never".
And so I took this, shall we say, unique opportunity. The show is about Nicoletta, a pretty typical 20-something "your face here" ladies' manga heroine who moves into Rome and starts working in a restaurant staffed entirely by old, bespectacled gentlemen. Particularly taken with soft-spoken, sensitive, and oh-so-vulnerable Claudio, Nicoletta strives for acceptance at the restaurant and to come to terms with her relationship with her nutjob mother. The setup almost promises a harem situation-- and, in turn, a 90% chance of shit-- but the show actually delivers a laid-back sort of drama in the vein (but not the incomparable style) of my beloved Bartender. While slowly, subtly moving the relationship between Nicoletta and Claudio forward, each episode focuses the backstory of a different employee: for the record, Luciano, the oldest and grumpiest, is my favorite.
The thing Ristorante really has going for it is atmosphere: the more niche the show, the tighter the animation budget, and this show is walking a tightrope. Luckily for us, the show is clever, blending its simple animation and cheap CG to create a Rome that we know isn't real, and that we can thus forgive. I smiled every time I saw a paper-car pass someone by in the street. There are probably more loving glances at the city than are ever exchanged between human beings in this show: I guess this is how girls feel when they talk about "Europe".
Man, I'm gonna miss this show. I didn't exactly keep up with everything I was watching this season, but I made damn sure to spend my 20 minutes with Ristorante Paradiso every week. I do a lot of chilling out-- you could call me an expert on the matter-- but when I was watching Ristorante, I was easily reaching double-chill. So check it out, and relax.
Wanna know how chill this show is? This is the opening theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdqunNurAYg
Posted by: BotageL | July 15, 2009 at 12:39 PM
The bass solo in that song is my model for how chill I should always try to be.
Posted by: David Cabrera | July 15, 2009 at 12:48 PM
Hi sub
Posted by: Persona | July 17, 2009 at 06:40 AM
sup persona you chillin?
Posted by: David Cabrera | July 17, 2009 at 02:18 PM
"...Not older men, old men. 50 and up. Now, I'm a straight guy and I like girls about my age. This show's not really intended for me in any sense..."
I'm a straight gal and I like guys about my age too.
Also, speaking of chilling out, on another blog I saw someone post this link:
Lower your Blood Pressure-Watch Gypsy and Wanda Sleeping
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaYseEpyuOE
That's like meta-chill (you can chill out by watching others chill out). It's also totally not moe since Gypsy and Wanda are adult elephants :).
Posted by: Pearl | July 18, 2009 at 03:51 PM