
a review by Benkei

a review by Benkei
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Story ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The story follows Gaku, a young man once considered a mathematical genius who, after a series of setbacks, is on the verge of giving up on math entirely, having lost his passion for it. His life takes a sharp turn when he encounters Kai, a prodigy chef who introduces him to the high-stakes world of culinary arts, suggesting that the logic of mathematics and the art of cooking may have more in common than he thinks.Now, if you watched a few episodes and found yourself asking "WHAT?!", I don't fault you. The story is good, but it is incredibly confusing at the start and takes a very long time to actually settle. I was unsure if I would continue watching until around episode 10, which is a significant investment. However, after that point, a giant plot twist occurs that completely reframes the narrative and makes the whole story extremely interesting, rewarding the patience of those who stick with it.
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Art ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The art in this anime is average, with nothing too incredible to be honest. The character designs are well done, and the animation does deliver some good shots from time to time. Overall, however, the animation is just as average as the rest of the visual presentation.
What I found particularly strange were the scenes that tried to visually combine mathematics and cooking. For example, the main character would eat something, and the background would fill with random numbers and equations, which was a creative choice that I was extremely turned off by. It wasn't enough to kill the anime for me, but it was a recurring visual that never quite worked.
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Characters ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ There are a medium amount of characters in this work, including Gaku, the staff at the restaurant and various customers. They're okay, and most of them have a specific style, background, and other traits that add a sense of uniqueness to the cast.The main character, Gaku, is okay. His journey from a disillusioned math prodigy to an aspiring chef is the core of the narrative. His struggle to find a new passion and apply his unique way of thinking to a completely different field is what drives the story forward.════ ⋆★⋆ ════
Soundtrack ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ There's nothing too crazy on this side, to be honest with you. The sound was good enough to keep me engaged during the moments that it had to. It's the usual average soundtrack; not memorable enough to listen to on its own, but not bad enough to be distracting.
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Conclusion ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ If you're like me, you skip everything and read only the conclusion because you don't want to get spoiled with other themes. So I will try to be brief on this point:Maybe watch it.You should only watch this anime if you're in for an investment. Even if you enjoy cooking shows, the beginning is complicated, and it takes a long time for the anime to settle on what it wants to be. The author is the same one who created Aoashi, which is a great sports manga, so I assume the story should continue to be good from season two onwards.
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