Raising kids can be difficult, even more so when you have to raise them alone. Sweetness and Lightning is about the single father Kouhei who struggels to care for his daughter Tsumugi after his wife passed away. He really tries his best, but especially fails at cooking, so he has to buy premade meals, which Tsumugi tolerates but she misses the great cooking of her mother.

The story is told in two parts every episode. The first part is about the father and his daughter dealing with some problem, and in the second part they cook something, often something the mother used to make. So the character development is limited to half of the runtime, but Kouhei, at the beginning struggeling with managing his family, becomes a man who has everything under control. Too often, the story follows a blueprint: Tsumugi is sad or mad at her father, they start cooking and she is happy again.

The characters are the shows biggest strength: Kouhei is a loving father to Tsumugi, he really cares for her and tries his best. He sometimes screams at his daughter, but he always apologizes and explains that he was just worried about her. In his conversations with the student they cook with you learn that he hardly thinks about something besides Tsumugi.
Tsumugi is the best representation of a little girl I have seen in a while, she is obsessed with a magical girl anime, sings random songs and wants to do everything her father does. What makes her so lovable is the assistance she is to Kouhei, she helps in the household and wants everyone she knows to be happy. She can be annoying at times, but so are real little girls. Her shark song great.
The last member of the main cast is a student of Kouhei, Kotori. Her mother isn't home much because of her work, so the family restaurant has to stay closed, Kotori can't cook because she is really afraid of knifes. Together with Kouhei and Tsumugi, she tries her best to learn cooking through recipes her mother writes down. There isn't much more to her character, but she likes Tsumugi and always helps to solve the conflicts between Tsumugi and her father.

The show is not trying to be much, but is doing a really good job of telling the story of Kouhei and Tsumugi bonding over the food they cook and eat together. It never fails to bring a smile to your face with Tsumugi being adorable or Kouhei being a good dad to his daughter. If you are searching for something light to brighten up your day, I strongly encourage you to give this show a try, while it isn't the most complex or visually stunning show, it certainly is something I really enjoyed watching.