Jun 23, 2023
Megami no Café Terrace (Anime) edit
Recommended
It’s not great. It’s trashy. But it is still enjoyable. Here we have a shameless quintessential quintuplets knockoff. But wait, it’s not entirely the same. Amidst the heavy fanservice and reused tropes lies a decent watch. It’s more wholesome than you may think. The comedy is pretty cringey but it isn’t horrible. The series progresses by progressively revealing the backgrounds of each character, and they are well-fleshed out. The romance is pretty weak and consists of the MC’s few moments with each girl, except for blue hair because she is an idiot. The drama is the same as the comedy, but I thought it was better, sometimes it was cringe, as was everything with this show, but it also felt real sometimes and served as character development. I also want to add that the main character is good, nothing like your typical harem moron. He has a spine, doesn’t take bullshit, and isn’t abnormally horny. He is serious but also has a kind and compassionate side that makes the show work. While not as developed as the manga, as the series progresses, you can genuinely feel an intricate bond between the characters as the makeshift “family” that they speak of.

Plot [8/10]: I know what you are thinking, but hear me out. The premise of this guy getting his grandmother's cafe off the ground is pretty interesting. While each episode might have some side-plot(s), the overarching idea is that they get the cafe up and running and eventually successful and profitable. It’s also a romance but as a comedy/slice of life, the episodes were interesting and there is a general direction in which it is heading, which is far more than a LOT of romance anime these days. As for the side events, they were also interesting as well.

Characters [7/10]: The main character is definitely a refresher as I said earlier. We have too many total simps or gigachads. This guy is a mix of both, he isn’t like Kazuya from kanokari where he just lusts over the girls but he does not treat them like his slaves either. He is strict and stern for the sake of business but he is also willing to learn from the girls and is kind to them. While it does eventually fall into the tropes of all the girls becoming attracted to the MC towards the end of the season the girls aren’t bad either. I’ll go through each of them now. Akane (Short-hair): She starts off as very mysterious and stuck-up/arrogant, but later her character does a 180 after more is revealed about her in her backstory which makes for her cute, submissive side. Ouka (Red-hair): Nino Nakano ripoff, she's the classic tsundere, she hates the main character and is just kinda there with not a lot of screen time, will have to read the manga or wait for another season before she starts to develop. Ami (Blue-hair): Very annoying character but also funny, this girl isn’t a love interest at all, she's literally around as a living joke for the sake of comedy. Falls into the trope of hitting the MC in early episodes but eventually falls out of it. Riho (Orange-hair): Another tsundere type, but not as bad, who has issues with overworking and is kind of clingy to the MC because he is kind to her. Her backstory is great IMO. Shiragiku (Green-hair): Big-boob uwu voice girl. She’s the kind one of them and has a good relationship with the MC, her backstory is at the very end of the series. Her character juxtaposes nicely with the rest of them as her personality is a lot more laid-back. Very likable and the best girl for me although her character isn’t the most complex, used as shameless fanservice sometimes.

Art/Animation [9/10]: This color palette is SO good. It is just a feast for the eyes to watch the art. Seo Kouji, the mangaka has great art designs, and the color scheme they added is bright and lovely. Everything from character designs, comedy effects, and backgrounds, all have a bright and lovely color that is just nice to look at. The animation is also very fluid and lively to couple with it. The art alone is a pretty decent reason to watch the show in my eyes.

Sound/Voice Acting [7/10]: It’s nothing too special in this department. The voice actors did a good job, they were enthusiastic and passionate. Bashful in the romantic moments, energetic in the comedic ones, and angry/sad/crying in the sad ones. It’s a bunch of rookies around Seto Asami (Mai Sakurajima, Raphtalia, Nobara Kugisaki) and Sayumi Suzushiro (Kei Shirogane, Nijika Ijichi). They got the job done and more. The soundtrack is average honestly, the animation for the opening and ending is cool though. I like the music for the opening.

Give it a chance, it’s not a pure, one on one romance like tonikawa or horimiya, or a love triangle drama like Oregairu, but it’s not isekai harem trash full of lust, despite the fanservice. It is annoying how much it resembles the quintessential quintuplets but the story feels genuine, the plot is interesting, and the characters are good. On the characters, you just need to give them some time, they get better I promise. Their hostility at first makes sense, after all, they are about to get kicked out of their homes after “grandma” their caretaker, dies. The pacing is also good, as it reaches about 45 or so chapters after 12 episodes. As a manga reader, I didn’t expect such a good adaptation. Don’t let the rating fool you, this is a good series and surpasses expectations in many departments I promise.