Alright I don’t really know how to write reviews so this will be pretty rough I apologize in advance for that, but I feel I have to write this review because this series has only one other review and I feel I need to say my bit. Anyways, let’s get started.
Bartender‘s synopsis is right there so there’s no need to rehash that but basically, this series is so damn good and it needs to be talked about more and suggested more and really deserves way more attention. It’s a very warm manga that deals with various themes in a calm and compelling way while being entertaining at the same time. The moments are neither ham-fisted nor forced like is the case for many manga that force different moments to make you feel a certain way. Events in this manga happen organically in a way that would suggest that there is a real world in there and not just a writer making things happen which I thought was sweet because things felt real, things felt grounded. I’ve read other series where there are tons of emotional moments or whatever but every time they happened you’d wonder if the author was messing around because things just didn’t feel natural. The bartender does not have these moments, but the author seamlessly weaves all of these moments into the story with sincerity and lots of skill. A lot of serious moments in the story are handled with charm and they make you think and ponder about them and think about how they relate to you and how you can learn from them. I really don’t think I’ve read a series quite like this one and I was quite impressed by the way these themes were handled within.
The characters are pretty solid too, with a diverse set of people with different and similar journeys goals, and values and the story shows how they’re all connected with each other, being the bartenders they are or the politicians or doctors and the others that visit the bars. Characters aren’t discarded and they do come back and we learn more about their lives outside I enjoyed the fact that these characters were given proper conclusions that left me satisfied and happy. No stupid and pointless melodrama and no meandering, just a hearty and truly enjoyable series all around that I would strongly recommend to anyone. It’s a very refreshing series that heals the heart.

This is a bit of a personal thing so you don’t have to read this but yeah basically I really appreciated one part of this manga for giving me a reality check and something to reflect on. Perhaps it was me being childish but anyway, the manga talked about how you don’t really know what people are truly going through and the burdens they bear, and no matter what expressions show on their faces you can’t truly grasp what they’re going through and I felt this in my heart because even though I KNOW other people have their own problems, sometimes I get the vibes that it’s all sunshine and lollipops for others and that I’m the only one going through things even though that’s wholly incorrect. Oh well, it's a bit cringe lmao but yeah I feel like the messages in the series are really interesting and nice to discuss and they’re handled in a very intelligent and charismatic way so you don’t feel like you’re being preached to or lectured and yeah would recommend it to anyone.