Anime Diet

Hi everyone, I’m back. And I’ve brought cookies.

Actually they’re madelines, but you wouldn’t know that because you’re not a girl.

I had originally thought I was going to be doing a complete wrap-up of this show, as I had originally read that it was only 13 episodes. But the Internet lied. Stupid Internet, you suck. But it’s a good thing that the Internet lied, as now I can enjoy the fluff and magical sweetness of Yumeiro Patissiere for a full 52 episodes.

That’s right, 52 episodes of you making stuff. And it will be awesome.

So let’s get to the point. Why on earth am I watching this? Well, only a few others will understand, but as soon as I saw it was a show about making food I instantly had to give it a try. That’s it. Lucky for me, it’s fun, informative, and easy to watch… the staples of a food anime. I adored the Yakitate!! Japan manga and anime, and it’s the closest thing I can compare it too. There will even be battles. Joy!

But… this is an anime targeted to girls. It’s done in that classic Studio Pierrot shoujou style as well. In Japan, especially in the past, sweets were considered something only girls and women ate. It was not manly for a guy to have a big ol’ parfait at his table. Cake buffets are always packed with women. (I did not believe this until I saw it for myself, though there could have been a guy in there I didn’t see.) Though you may see a lot of guys in anime who like sweets and cakes, you have to realize that all anime projects a bit out of reality. As proof of this, men in Japan who are fans or connoisseurs of sweets have been given the name “Sweets Otoko”. Most of the Japanese people I come in contact with are students, and most of them have no problem eating or saying that they like cakes and such. But I have to wonder if it’s still the same after they graduate? I do think that a lot of these stereotypes are fading as the society changes, though.

But the guys don’t matter here, because this show was made for girls. Guys won’t like it.

And you’ll make the girls angry if you tread on their turf. Don’t do that. You’ll die.

I love this show. I’m a sucker for easy plot formulas put into concepts directed at my preferences. And I like cake. If you’re expecting anything groundbreaking from this show, stop reading now. If you’re expecting to learn a little bit about being a patissiere, making sweets, and how to make people happy all the time… keep reading.

First, let’s learn who we’re dealing with.

Amano Ichigo. Everything goes wrong until it’s right.

Ichigo is the main character. She’s quick to get excited and quick to give up. Like every first episode she starts out with a normal life, being nothing special, and just going about things with her family. Then she finds this Sweets Fiesta and meets Heri Lucas, a Patissiere from France. Turns out he went to the same school in Paris that Ichigo’s Grandmother went,  called St. Marie Academy. (Her grandmother was a patissiere) Ichigo is a sweets maniac and can even tell what minute ingridents are used in Henri’s cake. He’s so taken aback by this that he recommends her for enrollment in the Japan branch of St. Marie Academy. There she will make things. Like cake.

Kashino Makoto, Hanabusa Satsuki, and Andou Sennosuke. Serious business in a Patissiere hat.

These three are known as the Princes of Sweets. Henri puts Ichigo into their group at St. Marie Academy because that’s just how it happens in these kinds of stories for girls. And their group is the “A” group, if you didn’t already know how awesome and special they are. Each one has his specialty… Makoto’s is chocolate, Satsuki’s is candy or anything with flowers, and Sennosuke’s is Japanese confectionaries. Ichigo likes to get in their way while they try to be the best. THE BEST THAT EVER WAS. But they end up helping her along the way. It hasn’t turned into a love story yet, I’m still hoping that she surpasses all of them and destroys them in the final battle, because that’s what should happen in an anime for girls, right?

Chocolate, Caramel, Café, and Vanilla. We’ve switched their normal pudding with that of an amateur. Let’s see if they notice.

Each of the main characters has what is called a “Sweets Spirit” who hails from the “Sweets Kingdom”. They are also in training, so they work together with their Earthly study-buddies. Vanilla is Ichigo’s Sweets Spirit and uses a lot of random French. Ichigo and her are a lot alike (huh…) so they argue a lot. As for the others, Chocolate is with Makoto, Caramel is with Sennosuke, and Café is with Satsuki. They can add comic relief to the show when they do silly little people things, but so far in the series we don’t know much more about them. After an AMAZING cake or whatever is made they add some magic, usually decorations, to finish it off. They are also unfortunate to be among the first to taste their partner’s failures.

The Queen of the Sweet Spirits. She’s awesome at Duel Masters.

The Queen of the Sweet Spirits is pretty much the mascot of the St. Marie Academy. She has a statue in the courtyard and a painting in the main cooking room. Whenever Ichigo or any of the others finish something awesome, the Sweets Spirit makes a picture of it and it floats over to the painting from wherever they are. The Queen of the Sweet Spirits puts the photo in a book and a “New Level Obtained” type sound plays. It’s a complicated procedure.

Patissiere is French for Sweets Ninja.

At the end of every show there’s a segment called “Yumeiro Magical Essense”, which is usually just an interview and a quick overview on how to make something from the episode. Take notes, you’ll be quizzed on this later.

Just smile. Your sweets will come out terrible if you don’t.

I’ve read and heard some pretty rough reviews from people on this show. To be honest, with it’s decent animation, good flow, above average informative subject matter, and it’s play-it-safe basic premise, you really have to be a jerk or impossible to please to hate this show. Or not a girl. If you’re not a girl you have no business watching this show in the first place. So take your sugar hating, impossible wanting, testosterone overload self to the JoJo line and get out of my way. I have cakes to watch.

Overall this show is a ton of fun. As I said before, this is a food anime. If you like shows about food, or shows about kids in school learning things, then it’s just right. It’s very informative, happy, and full of hearts and love. It’s your average coming of age, overcoming obstacles, tons of fun, good & plenty pile of mush. With food. And I’m a guy who loves it, because I eat cake every day. EVERY DAY.

So with that said, check it out.

OH NO BANANA