Isekai Shokudou S2

You know, once in a while you decided to take a break and go back to spoil yourself with that awesome thing that you once had and still very much enjoy. You find that it still hasn’t lost its quality and has maintained its excellence just like before. Your trip here again was really worth it. Every second of your journey here was worth every penny. Yup. That is how it feels when Isekai Shokudou S2 came about. I didn’t actually expect this would get another season but I suppose it is that time again where we have to whet out appetites and eat good food. Not necessarily good for one’s health. But good for the soul, that is. Yeah. I can’t wait to sink my teeth and let my taste buds taste those scrumptious goodness like before. I can already smell it from here. My stomach is already throwing growling tantrums. Waitress! Can I have my order now, please!

Episode 1
Tenshu prepares corn potage while Aletta and Kuro prepare to get Nekoya ready for business. Meanwhile, Hilda takes up a low paying goblin hunting job. Heh. Goblin Slayer would be happy to do that for free! Anyway, after killing those relentless goblins, she decides to raid their nest for some treasures. What’s this strange door? Opening it, she is shocked to see a western restaurant. Come to think of it, assuming this door opens here at this spot regularly, why no goblins open it?! Anyway, Aletta has her take a seat and gives her the menu. Hilda is shocked to see the variety of food they have and at a very cheap price! What’s this combo that makes the set worthwhile too?! She orders soufflé cheesecake and black tea. Then she looks around at some of the regulars and is shocked to see high profile ones like Tatsugorou and Artorius eating together. Hilda digs into her cheesecake and finds it delicious. Yum! Way better than her country’s! So much so she orders more! Hilda leaves a satisfied customer. She came looking for small treasures but hit the jackpot. Will she be back? You bet. Now if she could only tell her friends about this… At the end of the day, Tenshu cooks them Chinese fried rice for dinner. As Aletta leaves, Tenshu gives her some sandwiches and leftover corn potage. He asks about Sarah and it seems Aletta is a little worried for her. Because of new treasure hints, she has been working hard on some texts. Hence she isn’t eating well. Aletta goes home as she thinks what she can do for Sarah. Next morning, Sarah wakes up to some delicious smell. Aletta has cooked her breakfast. She used the corn potage for added flavour and fragrance. Then they talk about the treasure if they hit it big. Aletta prefers the current lifestyle so Sarah teases her if she would like to be paid the same in the event Sarah strikes it rich. Please, no money talk while eating. Let’s enjoy the delicious breakfast, okay? Since Sarah is supposed to have meat cutlet sandwiches for lunch, she really wants to have them now. Her stomach might bloat but seeing that desire on her face, I guess Aletta serves her those favourites. Yeah, food you enjoy doesn’t have to be eaten at a specific time, no?! Enjoy!

Episode 2A
Romero and Julietta elope as whoever are chasing them are going to hunt down and kill those traitors! They take refuge in a cave. But they can’t stay here forever as day is almost breaking. Romero then sees a strange door. Better go in here as the pursuers are closing in. Hmm… Looks like Nekoya isn’t opened for business yet. But luckily there is Tenshu who is willing to serve them. Julietta suggests eating here so they will be customers for the time being. So they order beef steak and some wine. Mmmm!!! Delicious! Better than Shokugeki No Souma! Yup, all those delicious narrative but without the exaggerated reactions! They stay the whole day until it is closing time! Well then, time to leave. They return to the cave and the pursuers are gone. They make haste to their secret base and if all is well, they hope to return to Nekoya again.

Episode 2B
Hannah who is Adelheid’s maid wonders where her mistress goes for a long walk every 7 days. Would you like to know? We see Sarah and Seelemann sharing a table. And then Shareef and Renner joining Adelheid at her table. Shareef still shy with this princess, huh? Before they leave, they hand her kaffa beans. As she wonders what will go well with these, Victoria at the next table suggests creampuffs. Adelheid orders some before returning home and hands over these foods to her. She then gives specific instructions on how and what the serve them with. During teatime, Hannah does as she is told. Once done, she is shocked that Adelheid invites to eat with her. Anxious at first, but once she sinks her teeth into that sweet creampuff, see her wonderfully enjoy this delicious dessert. So much so, she realizes how embarrassing it is when her mistress is watching. Don’t be. Adelheid is glad she is enjoying her food. Hannah also notes how happy Adelheid is and the happiest she is since living here. As long as she is happy, that is all that Hannah needs to know.

Episode 3A
After Jack is done with his work, he meets up with his friends to head to the promised place. Yup. It’s Nekoya. They climb down the well for that special door. They order their favourite hamburger with fries and cola. In unison. While waiting the boys talk to the other customers like Gaganpo and the dwarves. Their order is out so you bet they’re going to have a great time eating and commenting all about its great taste. So much so they order another set! Wow. This really gives a whole new meaning to cheap and good! Once done, they talk about what they would do next. Basically all of them have plans to travel. Does this mean they will not be able to come back here again? Don’t fret. Noticing how this place serves so many different customers, it means the door opens up in many other places too. That means wherever they go, they’ll sure to find a door to Nekoya.

Episode 3B
Alphonse is about to order his usual rice curry but Tenshu plans to add a few more curry dishes and hopes to seek his advice. Since he is also preparing his staffs’ meals, Alphonse suggests they also try them out. Tenshu cooks soup curry, green chicken curry and beef tendon curry. In short, all of them tastes good. But it seems they are split in which one is the best as they have their own preferences. Like Alphonse still loves his original rice curry. Kuro loving the chicken curry while Aletta the beef tendon curry. Yeah, all this test tasting and food critique made them hungry! WTF?! How the f*ck does that even work?! Anyway, Alphonse orders his and the girls’ favourite so they have another round of curry enjoyment. They ask Tenshu if there are other types of curry and so he mentions a few of them. They hope to try them one day and perhaps it would taste better than their current favourite curry. Don’t worry. When Tenshu makes them, he’ll call them again to test taste.

Episode 4A
Alfred and Margarette’s mom told them to stay away from the tower because a witch lives there. Of course curiosity got the better of them one day so they head up to see a normal room. Oh, there’s a box in which has a lovely pudding. Yum! And then suddenly the witch pops up from behind to ask why the f*ck they’re eating her pudding without permission! Oh, it’s just their aunt Victoria. After apologizing, she explains she is the ‘witch’ in the context but not really. She is more of a half-elf and is disliked by many especially humans, the reason she is put here. The kids are upset with this unfair treatment. However she isn’t because it allows her to study magic while her younger brother takes the throne. They want to see magic so she tells them to return here tomorrow noon. And you would’ve guessed it, it’s the door to Nekoya. Yeah, Victoria going to bring the magic of lunch to them. She orders a children’s set lunch for them while she takes carbonara with pudding. Safe to say, the kids love it and enjoy themselves. Victoria wonders if this is what her life would be if she had kids. The kids hope she could bring them here again and Victoria would gladly to.

Episode 4B
Pakke and Pikke serve some special knight’s stew to the townspeople. You bet they love the delicious taste of it and they are even thought to enjoy it more with bread. With their stew a sell-out, what would they eat? Don’t worry. They make their way to a secret door deep within the woods. Yup. Nekoya. As one of its usual customers, these halflings order cream croquette. Delicious as usual but they notice the unusual meat inside. It isn’t fish. What is it? Kanzer. Uhm, what? That’s crab meat. Oh… They love it so much that they order another 30 plates of cream croquette! Ultimate bliss! The irony that such small people can eat so much! Next time they hope to go to the sea and fine some kanzer.

Episode 5A
Lucia the lamia brings Emilio to Nekoya. Aletta is in shock because Emilio is actually a boy! Yup, flashback reveals Emilio is so pretty that he receives so many proposals from guys!!! Thank goodness he isn’t gay!!! He tries to do everything to look masculine. One of them going on a journey to become strong. But after trekking a few days, he collapses from hunger. That is when Lucia picked him up to her lair. Since he is still hungry, she is going to take him to Nekoya. But of course she asks the permission of Lumia who is her granddaughter. Heh. Made that conclusion that Lucia looks so young that she can’t be a grandma, huh?! Is there a policy that they can only bring 2 customers? Oh well, with their tails so huge, they may be occupying the entire Nekoya. Lucia orders bread and scotch eggs for him. As expected, delicious. Lucia then offers to train him. He accepts the offer and his first duty is to hand out the meals she bought to the rest of her brethren.

Episode 5B
Thomas sees Lady Eleanor who seeks a favour of him. She is offering a very high reward for a dessert known as mont blanc. You see, Jezelle the head maid usually served guests with this but she recently died of a disease. So she didn’t tell how she got it? Oh yeah. Everyone wants to keep Nekoya as their own secret. Eleanor doesn’t want the family to lose face if they cannot serve something of this standard. Thomas takes up the job but couldn’t find any leads. Especially when nobody recalls seeing Jezelle leaving the mansion. Then he thought perhaps there is a secret passage inside the mansion. Asking the other maids, they seem to confirm that she is gone like this once in 7 days. Must be Thomas’ lucky day because as he searches around the room, there is that Nekoya door in her closet. He enters and is shocked to find it is a restaurant. He orders the dessert and while waiting, talks to Sarah. Thomas was a treasure hunter but already retired. He also learns that customers address each other here by their favourite food. Is this an unwritten law? After trying the first mont blanc, he realizes why Eleanor would pay good money for it. He orders a few more for himself before another bunch as takeaway. Before he leaves, he thinks Tenshu is the one who makes this and thanks him a bunch. He returns and will hold off reporting his finding since he wants to keep hoarding this dessert for himself until he finds another door. Yeah. Everyone wants to keep Nekoya as their own secret, right?! In actuality, Tenshu didn’t make the mont blanc but a pastry friend of his. He feels bad for taking the credit.

Episode 6A
Alice waltzes into Nekoya but hides behind Fardania when Tenshu says his shop isn’t for business yet. Fardania hopes he can serve his tofu steak to them as soon as possible but unfortunately, tofu ingredients haven’t arrive yet but he can make an equivalent substitute dish. As they wait, Fardania recounts how she met Alice. While hunting in the woods, she stumbled into a lost Alice. Fardania panicked at first since she isn’t good with kids. Hey, 30 years old is a toddler age for elves! Learning Alice is a half-elf, looks like she got separated from her people while travelling. Since there is some anti-elf spell around, it looks like it will be tough to get her home. As the camp the night together, next morning, Alice sees Nekoya’s door and the rest is history. Tenshu serves them rice burger as Fardania analyses its contents. In short, it’s as great as the tofu steak. So much so they order seconds! Returning to their world, Fardania notes it won’t be good to let Alice go back to her village so she allows her to come along in a journey to cook a dish that tastes better than Tenshu’s. From the last time, looks like she still has a long way to go.

Episode 6B
Sirius is having trouble making dishes with marmetts (square tomatoes, remember?) so he asks Tenshu for advice. He needs time to prepare so see you in a week. Sirius returns and seeks his friend, Jonathan. He hopes to keep his schedule free in a week because he wants to take him to lunch. Hope this doesn’t sound too gay… Sirius brings him to Jonathan and hopes he can keep this place a secret. Tenshu serves them pizza. They try out the amazing dish with several toppings and making it better is the pepper sauce AKA tabasco sauce. They believe if this is their signature dish, their company will boom. This is what Sirius wants Jonathan to do and that is to replicate this dish. Once they had their fill, they go back and try to copy that awesome taste that is still lingering fresh in their minds. And taste buds! It’ll be even better if they can experiment with different delicious toppings too.

Episode 7A
Souemon the samurai and Doushun the court diviner enter Nekoya and starts squabbling! Since they are from different opposing countries, you bet they try to mock each other. Well, got to step and stop them from fighting because it’ll bother the other customers and more precisely, you come here to eat or fight! But WTF, they even share the same table?! Do I not see other empty seats elsewhere?! Aletta is worried about this and tells Tenshu but he has confidence with them. Because if they can sit together at the same table, they must share some kind of mutual respect. Because you know, the more one fights, the closer they are to each other. Okay. Whatever. Both order okonomiyaki but with different toppings. Despite mocking each other’s choice, they still enjoy their food. So much so for once they agree that 1 isn’t enough and should order more. But this time they swap toppings. Now, they praise each other and even think of working things out together. There’s your mutual respect. Yeah, the great food did the trick.

Episode 7B
Tenshu serves Aletta and Kuro shaved ice. After choosing the syrup colour, they are amused their tongue is dyed in that colour. Meanwhile an elf boy, Ilzegant is bored. Having lived 200 years on a floating island all by himself (with golems to help of course) just because to escape some disease plaguing his kind. Then he senses some magic. He follows it and finds a door to Nekoya. Curious, he explores the place and is even bemused with Aletta and her dyed tongue. Of course he apologizes for his rudeness and explains his situation. Learning this is a shop that serves food, he wants to order something unusual. Aletta recommends the seasonal special that is shaved ice. He orders the green tea version. Then he explores the other condiments and how the f*ck does he know what they are if he tasted it for the first time?! I suppose his floating island got internet, huh?! Of course he finds the shaved ice delicious as he breaks down its contents. Not to mention brain freeze. In the end, he learns about the magic door that only appear once in 7 days. So I guess he orders seconds and a few more for take away. Then he goes back home to experiment and try to replicate this dish. That solved his boredom.

Episode 8A
Rorona is glad she has finally become a Black Brood (vampire?). As she takes a night fly, she smells something good and it of course leads her to Nekoya’s door. Upon entering, she thought Aletta is an enemy because of her demon horns. She gets ready to attack but Kuro’s voice tells her back down. Rorona then notices Romero and Julietta and wants to sit next to them. So while they wait for their roast beef and grape liquor, Rorona explains to them about the Black Brood as she assumes they are of the same kind. However it seems she is unsure about the Goddess of Darkness they are referring to but rather is sure the darkness domain falls only under the Lord of Black. The couple talk about vampires in which what Black Brood is. Legend has it that travelling elves discovered a nation of vampires. They are the nobles and ruled the land to those who gave their blood. These vampires have become powerful enough to withstand sunlight. Rorona confirms their story and indeed she is from that land since high ranking nobles cover their body with black dragon scales. Then it’s time to dig in. At first, Rorona is sceptical but once she puts that juicy meat in her mouth, vampire or not, it’s the best! Rorona thought Kuro is the Lord of Black since she senses lots of such power from her. Sorry to disappoint you, she’s not. But of course we see Kuro returning home on the moon in her black dragon form. Yes, that’s where those scales come from, right?

Episode 8B
Alicia and Ranija follow Hilda to Nekoya. They weren’t invited, for the record. So I guess Hilda can’t keep her little secret anymore, huh? Since the menu has 3 different types of cheesecake, it is the best time to order them all and see which is the best. When they see Shareef entering, Ranija recognizes them as the prince of her country. They also recognize Victoria sitting with them. They deduce that perhaps this is the reason why both countries are getting along well. The cheesecakes are here. Oh, you mean they didn’t just order 1 of each type but thrice?! Yeah, no sharing business! So all dig in and of course find them oh so good. Back to talking business, the duo suggest Hilda to team up with them so they can make more money as a team since they can take on dangerous quests. And so they did. But why do I have this feeling is so that they can come to Nekoya and be rewarded? Next time they patron the place, looks like they want to order only their favourite cheesecake. However all of them have different preferences. And because of that, they start to argue their cheesecake is the best. Oh damn, they’re going to actually fight now! Luckily Kuro confiscates their weapons. No fighting or else. Okay, better be good girls because what’s worse than killing each other is never getting to set foot in Nekoya again! Yikes! Uh huh. They’ll settle their score after their food and when they return! For now, enjoy.

Episode 9A
Myra and her dad serves knight’s stew to their customers and they’re getting popular by the day. Initially when Myra heard how he gave away 100 silver coins just to learn how to make them, she became mad. Why pay such a ridiculous high price! Father’s gamble, I mean foresight, pays off because now they’re making the money. Soon, Johan comes knocking on Myra’s window and wants to take her to a place where he discovered something. Yup, it’s that door to Nekoya. Myra is shocked to see Aletta’s horns and her short skirt but eventually finds them cute. He shows her the menu and introduces something that is going to be way better than knight’s stew: Macaroni gratin and white bread. You bet it is going to be good. This gives Myra the motivation of trying to replicate this dish back home.

Episode 9B
Fardania and Alice have been travelling ever since and now reached some coastal town. Yeah, Fardania thinking of all the troubles on their journey and looks like one is going to hit them again. Alice is missing! Oh damn! This girl just can’t stay still. Fardania is forced to look for her in the crowded market as she has a mild phobia of crowded places. There she is. Please don’t go off by yourself again. Then they buy some fruit jelly from a stall. Delicious. How to make it? Unfortunately she doesn’t know and if they want to know, talk to the witch who lives by the cape. Wait. She’s selling that but doesn’t know how to make it?! Camilla is actually a mermaid who has been blessed by some god to have feet. She invites the duo in as she cautions them the fruit jelly she makes is incomplete as once she masters it, it’ll be even softer. She tells her story of stumbling into a door to Nekoya in the cave. She lived here for 55 years and have never seen such door. As she entered, Tenshu treats her with great hospitality. She got curious about this slime thingy from the menu and ordered it. She loved it and tried to replicate it ever since. Of course learning Nekoya’s name, Fardania isn’t impressed that Nekoya got her again. She feels she has lost to them again. Hence the ladies decide to make something different right now! I can foresee Nekoya will still win whatever they make in the end…

Episode 10A
Jack and his friends are running away from wraiths and could’ve lost their lives had not Tatsugorou come to their aid. Recognizing them as patrons of Nekoya, he invites them to eat with him. Don’t worry if they have no money, it’s on him! Hooray! Before Tatsugorou could order his usual teriyaki chicken, he notices something new on the menu: Teriyaki burger. After Kuro explains what it is (the kids are already drooling hearing all those delicious stuffs), Tatsugorou would love to try this new dish out. Hence the kids also follow him. While waiting, Tatsugorou tells of his adventuring tales. Then it’s time to sink their teeth into this exquisite food. Delicious! Kuro adds that the burger can be rice instead of bread so all of them want to try this variation too. We all know the answer. The kids are so happy that it makes Tatsugorou think if he would have children or even grandchildren of his own. He promises himself the next time he runs into Jack again, he’ll bring them here again.

Episode 10B
Lastina is currently the Demon Lord after her mom, Altina became a retainer to Wilhelm. Because of that, her horns and wings grew magnificently big. Unlike her own that are just embarrassingly small. Time to blow away those blues as she discovers a door to Nekoya in her private chambers. Entering, she is surprised to see Lionel just finishing his meal as he advises to have some food here. She is also surprised to see Adelheid who invites her to join her. Adelheid still remembers her eating habits like she loves sweet things but doesn’t like fruits. Hence she recommends the kaffa. What’s that? Coffee. Ah… Hence she helps her order a mocha chocolate parfait for her and herself. Now we see Lastina taste and analyse all its delicious contents. Now that she has eaten her fill, she is ready to tell her worries. Basically she thinks other stronger demons should be the Demon Lord and she considers herself weak. However Adelheid assures her that her father, Wilhelm feels assured with Lastina helming that role. After all she should just be the Demon Lord that she wants to be. Delighted, the women now chat away with other topics.

Episode 11
Shareef sends some tableware to Emperor Wolfgang in hopes of establishing ties between their countries. After making kaffa and test tasting that it doesn’t have poison, Wolfgang is impressed and decides to go see Shareef in person. At his desert kingdom, he meets Shareef and finds he is a straightforward person. He agrees to establish ties between their nations. Wow. That easy, huh? A spy then informs Edmon about this. He is suspicious about this alliance and needs to think carefully about this before seeing his king about this. Yeah, no use pondering over an empty stomach so he goes to Nekoya to think about it. Since it is crowded and the staffs are rushing to serve their customers, Edmon is made to share a table with Seelemann, Lastina and Ranija. At the same time he is trying to size up other customers as to think if they would know any more info about the countries that just allied. While waiting, Kuro suggests quiche so the quartet order that and of course have a good time tasting this new dish. Then their favourite dishes come out and it’s time to dig in to the real main course. Shareef then enters and he is panicking, looking for Adelheid. Renner had to calm him down so as not to make a scene. Aletta informs him that Adelheid hasn’t arrived yet, making him very much relieved. He calms down after having his favourite float and apologizes for the outburst. Enjoying it so much that he could’ve missed Adelheid coming in had not Renner point it out. Then he goes up to her and proposes to marry her! Entire Nekoya in shock! Is this some free drama show?! Adelheid realizes how eating with others bring happiness and she agrees to marry him! Uhm, so it is basically the food that united them?! Everyone so happy they call for a party! Yeah, those dwarves are feeling philanthropic today and today’s meal is on them! Edmon can’t believe this too and thinks that is why Shareef established ties with the kingdom so as to curry favour and court the emperor’s daughter! Not bad! Whatever war plans he had in mind, instantly dropped! With this happy occasion, Tenshu wonders if he should serve chocolate parfait on the house.

Episode 12A
Aletta and Kuro are decorating the place for Shareef and Adelheid’s mini wedding after-party. Since it is quite early, Artorius is the only customer. Soon, an elderly lady opens the door with a special key. She is surprised about Aletta and Kuro working here and it seems she knows Artorius and goes to sit with him. She is Yomi and it has been 70 years since they adventured together. Yomi who? Time to refer to the last season… She orders pork loin cutlet with rice and still finds it amazing. Although his cooking has improved, it still doesn’t beat the cooking of Daiki Yamagata. Flashback when she was thrown into this world by the demon lord. Daiki picked her up on the beach and thought she was suicidal. Since her stomach was growling, he brought her back to feed her. We see snippets of them opening Nekoya together and then getting married. She calls out to Tenshu as she has something for him. Aletta is surprised to learn Yomi is Tenshu’s grandma! She gives him a special key for Nekoya’s front door. How special? Because he gets to decide to close Nekoya. Gasp! What?! You see, if he ever thinks of closing down this business, just break the key and the door will never open in the other world again. Oh no! When Daiki died, she thought of closing this place down but seeing how Tenshu is running it well, she decided to let him have this key. Of course Tenshu says he won’t shut down business because grandpa entrusted this place to him. As long as he is healthy, he will keep it running. Phew. Good news for Aletta and Kuro, right? Yup, they can still taste that great curry chicken!

Episode 12B
Nekoya is now closed and all our invited guests are here to further celebrate the newlyweds. Shareef makes his speech but looks like Renner’s stomach growls! Okay then. Time to keep it short and get to the food! Today’s food is buffet style so you bet our characters can mix and match and experiment with the different foods. Quality and quantity at its finest! Tenshu then brings out a wedding cake he made. He has the newlyweds cut it as part of the tradition before the rest he cut it up and serve it to everyone. Suddenly… Seelemann proposes to Sarah! OMG! Will there be another wedding?! However Aletta is not only in shock but fears that she will lose her job! HOW?! So she quickly goes to defend Sarah! Sarah is mine! Damn, the crowd must be confused with this drama! After explaining herself, Sarah assures her that she doesn’t intend to get married. Besides, she thinks it is rude for Seelemann to take advantage of the happy mood here to do this. Oh, so I take it he got rejected! Wow. The most embarrassing fail ever! So sad he has to apologize… End of the drama, back to the party. Aletta and Kuro giving their heartfelt gratitude to Tenshu for allowing them to work here because they have never been so happy before. The power of cooking. You’re welcome.

I’m Lovin’ It!
Thank goodness. This means we can anticipate another season, right?! I mean, Yomi has given her grandson the ultimate master key that controls the very existence of Nekoya. And if Tenshu actually chose to break it and close this restaurant forever, it signals the end of the series, right?! Seeing how young and healthy this dude is, I bet he is going to be around for many more decades to come. He is going to be cooking till his twilight years until his hands fused to the spatula and wok! HAHAHA!!! But seriously. It feels like that if his passion for cooking for others is running this high. So be rest assured, people. Your favourite foods will always be here as long as you do your part and just bring your empty stomach to Nekoya! HAHAHA! Yeah. No wonder everybody is lovin’ it! Good times, great taste at Nekoya definitely and forever!

Last time I said that the stories and backgrounds of the characters piqued my interests more than the food itself. Well… This time round, it doesn’t feel so much like that. I wonder if it is because the excitement of the first time experience is gone. I’m not saying that the new characters introduced in this sequel and their back story are bad, but it just lacks that oomph that held my attention. Perhaps it is because that it just somehow gave some sort of excuse for these new characters to find a new place to dine. That is all. Otherwise, nothing really much to their stories. Even the recurring ones feel like they don’t really harp on some their stories because after all, what else is there to tell? Everyone comes to Nekoya to enjoy their favourite dishes so we’re not going to have any sort of distraction like some ultimate plot twist or even a sudden change in pace like a terrorist hijack or something! It’s not that kind of series. We all know what we came here for and that’s what we exactly got served.

In view of that, I suppose this time round, the food seems to be much more delicious to me. Maybe it is because of the disappointing final season of Shokugeki No Souma that unconsciously made me feel that such normal cooking is great. As you know for that series, talented chefs so talented that they make super ultimate foods that even transcend God. Not for the ordinary taste buds of ordinary humans. No siree. Normal people can’t enjoy such great food and trying to do so will kill you! The reactions, that is. So, with that unconsciously in mind, it is perhaps without a doubt that seeing such great and delicious food here made my stomach, heart and mind feel more satisfying and full. It is only regrettable that I couldn’t eat them. Thankfully I wasn’t that desperate enough to take a bite out of my monitor! Even with some recurring dishes, they still make the food look good and appetizing. But of course. Isn’t that why the customers keep coming back for more?! Remember, Nekoya doesn’t just serve great food, they ultimately serve happiness! That’s their secret recipe! Happiness guaranteed or your, uhm, money back? Or a better version of it till you’re satisfied, I suppose. Oh so cocksure that they don’t even have this policy proves their happiness rate is 100%! And it shows as seen in the customers’ testimonials and reactions.

As for the characters, I guess it depends on your perspective whether or not they are a hit or miss. Their backgrounds aren’t too complicated and as said, just as a prelude to make them become addicts customers of Nekoya. With old repeat customers revisiting Nekoya, new ones are also introduced. Obviously, some of the old recurring ones have lesser screen time so as to make way for newer ones. This just reduced them to mere background characters or at most just 10 seconds of fame. My guess is most likely to introduce new kinds of dishes on the menu because it would suck if we see the same character order something else than their favourite, right? Can’t they choose anything else beside their favourites for variety’s sakes? This brings me to notice something. I am not sure about last season but I just found out this season there is an unwritten rule that customers are to be referred to by the favourite dish they often order. It’s like some online moniker but only applicable to this restaurant. I wonder what happens if you break the rule…

But this rule is also good because when I don’t know a character’s name, I can always look up the dish they order and voila! Referred me to their name! Long live code names! Uh huh, sometimes an episode can go by without mentioning a character’s name so it’s tough given that there are tons of minor characters in this series. I know, I can always refer to the end credits but considering a majority of the characters’ names are not Japanese native, this means trying to translate that Hiragana or Katakana character are mostly wild guesses since official translated names are hard to find. And so, having this unwritten rule, are the characters doomed to only order their favourite food? Well, it’s their choice but given that and the choice to venture into something new, they’ll most likely choose the former because that’s why they’re here for, right? Comfort food is the best. So what happens when a character doesn’t have a favourite food and calls every item on the menu and each visit is a different order? What kind of nickname will that character have? Will it change for every visit? Ah, I know. Let’s call that character Glutton! Hahaha! And what if there are 2 characters who just love the same food?! Will they both be given the same (and hence confusing) nickname or one will be forbidden ever to order that food again! Yeah, so it’s like Tenshu’s menu pretty much has it set of who that certain food in those pages represents. Weird, right?

Back to the characters, well, nothing much else for me to note. Not even the background of Tenshu and his waitresses. Last season it was hinted about his origins but I guess that’s very much about it. Yomi’s final episode appearance was just to throw in a bit of drama but nothing really worrying. Don’t want to distract you from the other characters and the food maybe. Hence Adelheid and Shareef may be the most prominent characters this season as they make a few appearances this season. Yup, should’ve seen this as some sort of foreshadowing that they will eventually get hooked up and possibly raking up the biggest news ever in the other world. Oh well, if this means introducing more foods to us because it’s celebratory and party time, then so be it. What better way to mark a happy occasion and bring even more smiles with Tenshu’s cooking. Double happiness. No, make that infinite happiness! We know Nekoya is capable of doing that. Too bad it won’t happen for Seelemann and Sarah or else the party would’ve carried on! Oh Aletta, how the heck did you come up with becoming jobless when Sarah gets married? Does that mean Aletta have to become Sarah’s maid or something? Thank goodness it didn’t amount to that. Your job is safe for now. You selfish girl, you…

Obviously the conspiracy theory that still has me rack my brains is of course the door to Nekoya. I have so many questions for it that I may sound like some sort of police officer interrogating this poor door. For instance, the door only pops up once every 7 days and only on the particular day of Satur (that’s Saturday if you forgot what day that is in that world). Now, we have seen the door popping up at entirely new places, hence the reason why we see new characters. So it’s like the door is whoring itself in different locations of the other world, huh? Hah. So with the door popping up at more places, we will see an increase in number of patrons. But how come does it not feel that Nekoya is even more crowded than before? Nekoya is still the same small comfy restaurant but yet the number of customers eating there do not seem to, uhm, shall I say explode the place? What I mean is that, with the door taking on more locations and bringing in new customers, there should be a waiting line just to dine at Nekoya! Why don’t we ever see that queue?! Something is not right! Yeah, the door might be the trying to market itself and get Tenshu more customers but there is only so much this guy’s restaurant can allow and the number of ingredients he can make his dishes per day. Remember, door only appears on 1 particular day. And that day we should see an incredible amounts of customers. But it feels like the same ol’ cosy minimal number of customers. Different times of the day? Sure. Maybe. Lest you tell me they eat lunch at different times.

Of course some of my mind boggling questions from last time still isn’t answered. Like how the door particularly knows which customer to send back after they finished. Does the knob have some sort of DNA sensor and can record and save which part of the world you once came in so that you can also exit the same place? Yeah, it really mind boggles me that the door just know how to do it. Everyone gets so distracted with Tenshu’s great cooking but no one is really bothered about the real issue and mystery that is the door! Has the door made any mistake of sending the wrong person back to the wrong place? Not that we see any. And to think this Nekoya door can even pop up at the strangest of places from one’s private chambers to even in the middle of nowhere! WTF alright! Imagine waking up one morning to see that door before you right in your room. Either it’s the scariest experience or the most convenient because now you got free and personalized access to the greatest restaurant ever. Imagine the door popping up in the middle of nowhere and saving countless lives by providing a means of escape. Oh we saved your ass, now show your appreciation by dining at Nekoya! No wonder Tenshu can make a great killing on that day. Serving great food made with great ingredients and affordable prices! This guy will put many posh places to shame and even have some of them closed down! All because of the magical door that is even more magical than Doraemon’s pocket and his Dokodemo Door! Yeah!

With the ever expanding cast of characters, the new casts include Nao Touyama as Hilda (oddly, she was the voice of last season’s Iris), Kana Hanazawa as Lastina, Ami Koshimizu as Camilla, Jouji Nakata as Wolfgang, Kikuko Inoue as Yomi, Taku Yashiro as Romero (Ryuuji in Darwin’s Game), Miyu Tomita as Julietta (titular character in Gabriel Dropout), Megumi Toda as Alice (Hajime in New Game), Kaori Nazuka as Ranija (Nunnally in Code Geass), Sachi Kokuryu as Alicia (Arthur in Nanatsu No Taizai), Aya Hisakawa as Lucia (Skuld in Aa! Megami-sama), Ryohei Kimura as Thomas (Tsubasa in Kyoukai No Rinne), Tsuyoshi Koyama as Souemon (Leon in Trinity Blood), Daisuke Hirakawa as Doushun (Makoto in School Days), Ai Kakuma as Myra (Rosseweisse in High School DxD), Kentarou Kumagai as Johan (Daewi in The God Of High School), Akeno Watanabe as Ilzegant (Hitch in Shingeki No Kyojin), Manami Numakura as Rorona (Narberal in Overlord), Hiroshi Yanaka as Edmon (Otogi in Nanbaka) and Kazuhiko Inoue as Daiki (Willy in Shingeki No Kyojin).

This season’s opening theme is Onnaji Kimochi by Kiyono Yasuno while the ending theme is Samenai Mahou by Nao Touyama. The song itself sounds pretty generic and nothing special. Because what catches my attention more are the great presentations of the fabulous foods as well as the showcase of happy people happily enjoying their meal. Oh yeah. A very good advertisement if I should say. Also popping up as cameo in both the opening and ending credits animation is that cat mascot of Nekoya that is not seen anywhere else in the episode proper. So it makes me wonder if this cat is actually some sort of deity disguised as a door to bring as many people to Nekoya. And of course the wildest conspiracy theory is that the reason Tenshu is able to make such great foods is that he made a contract with the devil. And part of the terms is he has to serve a million customers in exchange for his great skills or his soul will burn in hell for eternity! Or worse, Tenshu could be that cat in human form as he needs to feed a million people his dishes so as to gain some ungodly powers or resurrection!!! Isn’t that why he has no qualms getting Aletta a demon and Kuro a dragon as his waitresses???!!! No wonder he is always staying calm because you suckers keep coming back! HAHAHA!!! OMFG!!! Say it isn’t true!!! But yeah, the cat is really one mystery that bugs you to wonder its true identity. Or perhaps it’s just red herring and nothing more than a cute cat bumming around. And of course I love the short piano jingle for the next episode preview. Glad they maintained that as it is still a catchy tune to hear.

Overall, this sequel feels very much like home as the first season. No major changes to the structure whatsoever so you may even call it an extension of the first season. If you love the first season, you’ll definitely love this one too. Unless you’re already feeling so bored of the same thing and need something totally new and different as challenge, you’re better off looking somewhere else for that perfect ambrosia of yours. Good luck you picky eater! But for the rest of us normal people, as long as their quality is maintained consistently, we’ll keep coming back for more, right? So I guess we’ll see the third season in a couple of more years? Hey, as long as they serve good food that is worth our money, there is no harm in coming back, right? Okay, so we’ll talk about that when the time comes. Otherwise, I’m feeling a bit sleepy after consuming all the delicious foods this season. BUUUUURRRRPPPP!!! Ah, good till the last drop.

Isekai Shokudou

Another food anime? Well, I suppose there are those who can’t stand the exaggerations of Shokugeki No Souma, Chuuka Ichiban or Yakitate! Japan and all those muscle heads abominations in Toriko. Heck, even Kofuku Graffiti is a little too sexy and distracting to be considered a food anime. But it is. Piace – Watashi No Italian is too short and Amaama To Inazuma is too boring and very down to earth-like. JK Meshi sucks and everyone has forgotten about Ben-To. So how do you please somebody who wants great down to earth food but also a fantasy setting? Yes, you can have that. It’s all in Isekai Shokudou. Imagine a normal western restaurant serving our food to mythical creatures from another world. Yeah, our food must be so good that these creatures become returning customers for life. Is this some sort of subtle? Advertising. Well, let that sink in. I mean your teeth into those juicy delicious foods.

Episode 1A
A samurai, sage, barbarian, beastman and lizardman are eating in a western restaurant, Nekoya. No, this is not a walk-into bar joke. They all argue what dish goes best with their rice. Then they try to steal each other food to taste and see if what they’re saying is true. Could have been an epic bloodshed had not Tenshu (master chef of Nekoya) tells them to stop. Keep this up and he’ll stop cooking for them. That did the trick. A majestic red dragon transforms into her sexy humanoid form to patron Nekoya. Her lair is filled with gold and treasure so I’m sure she can afford anything and everything. But she always orders her favourite beef stew. After she has her fill, she has Tenshu fill up a pot of more beef stew in which she can further enjoy back at her lair.

Episode 1B
Aletta wanders in Nekoya and feeling hungry, she can’t help herself to finish the delicious corn potage and falls asleep after a good meal. Goldilocks? However she is caught red handed by Tenshu. She explains her story she came to the capital to work. She is of the demon race and as proof she has demon horns. However she has no magic skills or super strength. She tried to make an honest living as a waitress but when her horns were found out, she had to quit due to the discrimination against non-humans. Currently she is living impoverished in some ruins and still unemployed. One cold night, a mysterious door appeared before her and she curiously entered. He invites her to eat breakfast with him. Yeah, ham and bacon and eggs taste so good. Tenshu offers her to work here as a waitress, to wait on tables and clear the dishes. She’ll also be able to eat as staff meals. Aletta seizes this chance as she begins her new life as a waitress of Nekoya.

Episode 2A
Sarah Gold the treasure hunter is in another one of her treasure hunting adventures. She sees a strange door before her. She enters and finds herself in Nekoya. She takes up Tenshu’s offer to stay and eat. Suspicious at first, soon she finds the ice lemon water delicious and the prices of many of the menu items cheaper than many places. She enjoys her minced meat cutlet and gets to order refills for her bread and soup. Once done, Tenshu hands her an extra takeout of more minced meat cutlet since she enjoyed her meal a lot. It’s on the house. Apparently Tenshu knows her father, William (Indiana Jones clone?). However he has sadly passed on and his ‘regret’ was he won’t be able to come here anymore. Sarah notes this was his last hidden treasure.

Episode 2B
Tatsugorou the samurai sees Lord Heinrich Seelemann in his castle to return a sword he has long forgotten. Seelemann remembers 3 years ago he was in charge of a fort that was swamped by monsters. As he was an excellent rider, he was chosen to ride to the capital to request for reinforcements. However he did not pack enough food and his horse died along the way and he had to travel the rest of the way by foot. Weakened and hungry, he stumbled upon a cottage with a strange door. He entered Nekoya and is offered fried shrimp. He starts eating the mouth-watering dish and it whets his appetite as he orders 3 more! After licking all of the plates clean, he remembers his mission and realizes he cannot pay him. In order not to be indebted, he left his sword as collateral and promises to come back the next time to pay. He leaves in a hurry and didn’t hear Tenshu’s words that the door only appears once in every 7 days, on the day of Satur. Seelemann was able to reach the capital and sought what he needed and the duchy narrowly escaped doom. When he returned to that cabin, that door is gone. Seelemann wants to know more about Nekoya. Tatsugorou knows there is a similar door close by. On the next day of Satur, Seelemann steps into Nekoya once more and is glad to be back.

Episode 3A
Thomas Alfade is a famous proprietor who deals with various ingredients and seasonings. He has revolutionized the dining table and is dubbed the Genius of Culinary Innovation. He is now retired. Underneath his cellar is a door to Nekoya. He brings his grandson, Sirius along. Sirius is introduced to the various other worldly food. Tenshu then hands him a box containing various gold and currency. It is payment for ingredients Thomas brought for Tenshu’s own consumption. He uses them to research flavours too. Thomas orders his favourite spaghetti with meat sauce. His son also tries the same and is overwhelmed by the taste. Note, in the other world, tomatoes grow in squares?! Thomas then reveals his title is no more than a sham. He comes here to eat Tenshu’s food and merely brings them back to his world for others to try. He leaves it to Sirius to continue his legacy. Yeah, looks like he orders the same food Thomas does every time he visits.

Episode 3B
Adelheid is the granddaughter to the king of a small nation, Wilhelm. Due to her sick condition which has no definite cure, she has to stay at his castle and is always alone. One day he decides to take her to his secret place and must promise not to tell anyone. Adelheid is now all grown up and Wilhelm has passed on as she returns to his castle. She cannot remember much of the place except she ate ‘clouds’. One day while in her room, a strange door pops up. Entering Nekoya brings back a few memories. During that time Tenshu was just an apprentice chef and his grandpa was the main chef who served them. Apparently Tenshu remembers Adelheid. She’s all grown up so beautiful but he still could identify her? Heck, he even remembers serving her chocolate parfait. The ‘clouds’. Adelheid feels a lot better and returns home. It really brighten up her day.

Episode 4A
Why does this feel like a documentary? We take a look at the lives of the lizardmen living in the marshlands in the south. We also take a look at their strongest warrior, Gaganpo. Why the heck do we need to see him bath, clean and arm himself?! Not the fanservice I was expecting! Anyway this is to get ready for a ritual. 30 years ago, a mysterious door popped up at the altar. Gerupa who was the strongest warrior then bravely ventured into Nekoya. He brought back delicious food. And so it has become a ritual that every 7 days, a strong warrior is chosen to enter Nekoya. Today is Gaganpo as he orders omelette rice. Weird seeing a reptile eat this. He brings back 3 takeaways for his tribe. I wonder if that is enough. Yeah, it is carefully divided into small pieces. Better savour it. If you want more, better be the strongest. Because that is what Gaganpo plans to continue being so he can eat more omelette rice for a long time.

Episode 4B
Fardania the elven archer goes out to hunt for food. She stumbles upon the door to Nekoya thinking it is an ancient elf magic. She enters the restaurant and is sceptical of everything. She also looks down on the barbaric human cooking. She challenges if they could serve a dish that contains no meat, fish, milk or eggs. Otherwise she’ll leave. Tenshu says he can make one. Fardania is surprised. Can he? One trace of those ingredients and she’ll reject it. Tenshu makes tofu steak. It’s not a real steak. Made of tofu and seaweed stock. There is also rice to go with it. She tastes it and brings back fond memories of her late mom. She used to go to the human world to bring back dried mushrooms that made the soup tastier that no ordinary mushrooms in their world could. Could this be the same method? As she doesn’t want to lose to a human, Fardania wants to start cooking better dishes. Is she sure she just didn’t make up an excuse to continue dining at Nekoya?

Episode 5A
Lionel the beastman lost his battle to a half-elf hero, Alexander. He is not killed but sold as a gladiator slave. Oddly, the door to Nekoya pops up in his cell. He ventures into it and meets Tenshu’s grandpa who is still a young man then. Feeling hungry, he wants to be fed. Anything as long as it brings him victory. So he is made katsudon. That’s a pun, right? Of course one bowl of those delicious pork cutlets isn’t going to cut it so he eats not 2, not 3 but 5 of them! Man, he is going to be really victorious! No money? No problem. Put it on his tab. He returns invigorated and easily defeats his opponent. He uses the money he wins to eat more katsudon and went on to dominate the arena for more than 20 years. I guess that confirms it. Katsudon = victory!

Episode 5B
Sage Artorius narrates in some eastern continent, a duchy has an eldest princess who remains unwed, Victoria. She is likely to remain so because she is half-elf. Oddly, both her parents are normal humans. Somehow this world discriminates against anyone with elf traits and you know life for them is tough. Their options on what they can do are limited so Victoria walks down the path of mastering sorcery. She has talent in it and in no time her ability was recognized and became the court’s head sorcerer which leads her to become Artorius’ disciple. Under his tutelage, she began researching on magic and is generously funded on a condition that she keeps out of the spotlight. But she isn’t always researching. She takes a break once in 7 days. You’ve guessed it. Nekoya time. She always orders pudding a la mode as she likes sweets. Back then when Tenshu was young, he didn’t know what desserts to add so she helped out by suggesting a few. Her handwriting is still used in his menu. Once done, she heads back to her research and of course having a few more for the road. Aletta realizes if she is half-elf, can she eat egg and milk based food? Well, Victoria isn’t bitter about her half-elf lineage. She is grateful for enabling her to do more research on it.

Episode 6A
We see Aletta’s day at Nekoya. Before the store opens, she starts by washing herself clean. It’s good to be clean, right? After dressing up and eating breakfast, she cleans the place. When Tenshu arrives, he finds there isn’t enough ingredients. So they take the elevator to another floor where he houses the raw ingredients. I understand Aletta has ‘trauma’ on potatoes because this is the food she ate while she was very poor and hence it is a food for survival. Tenshu will teach her how to cook a delicious potato. But first, the store opens and the usuals arrive to dine. There are days when they end up arguing which dish is better. Today is that day. Yeah, this time what goes best with bread. Can meek Aletta tell everyone to pipe down? Well, nobody listens to the waitress unless she is repeating your order, right? Eventually all start suggesting that the best sandwich would be their favourite dish and put it on bread. To solve this, they order that for the other person. My, with this much orders and extra orders, can Aletta keep up with it all? Looks like she can without screwing up. And without writing them down! Impressive!

Episode 6B
After the last customer has left, Tenshu now shows Aletta how to steam a potato. We hear him explain the little science of steaming. Although it took him many years and practice for him to perfect the art of steaming dim sum and the likes, the easiest to steam is the potato. Once it is done, he puts unsalted butter as topping and voila! We have steamed potato with butter. Bon appetite. Aletta eats this delicious dish as it melts away her trauma. Alas what was once a food she feared most has now become her favourite.

Episode 7A
Admiral Alphonse Flugel was once the strongest navy in the duchy, his ship was sunk by a Kraken and presumed missing. But he was washed up on an uninhabited island where he had to fight tooth and nail for his survival. He lived there all alone for 20 years. Then 3 days ago, a passing ship stopped by to repair its damage. Alphonse is spotted and taken back with them but he is reluctant to leave. Apparently there is a door to Nekoya there! No wonder! Now he has to say goodbye to the best curry dish. He hopes to find a door in the duchy since he noticed a countrymen was dining there. Eventually he finds that door at the cabin and is glad to have his curry again. After having his fill, Tenshu wants him to test taste a new curry dish.

Episode 7B
A black dragon sits in solitude on the decimated moon. She narrates how the 7 coloured dragons cooperated to fight some marble-tentacle-monster. It was a brutal fight with the dragons emerging victorious. But the black dragon represents death and weaker beings die in its presence. Feeling she is no better than that monster in this case, the dragons divided their territories and so she ended up on the moon where there is no life. One day, the door to Nekoya pops up. Even on the moon?! She takes a peek into it. Tenshu gives Alphonse taste his new chicken curry dish. Spicier than usual but he loves it. The black dragon also wants to taste it and assumes the form of a naked elf girl. Well, if they’re going to get embarrassed, Tenshu should’ve put up a sign that says, “No shirt, no shoes, no service!”. Haha! Anyway, she can materialize some clothes for herself. Artorius can tell she is no elf but a black dragon. He fears her but chooses to observe her for now. Alphonse orders curry rice for her and puts it on his tabs. Not sure if they’re in some competition because they keep ordering and eating more. Even when Alphonse has reached his limits, she continues to devour plate after plate, hour after hour!!! The red dragon enters for her usual beef stew and notices her. She advises her that she needs money if she wants to continue eating like this. Money? What’s that? She is warned this place is under her jurisdiction and if she tries anything funny, pay with your life. So if she has no money, all she needs to do is work. The red dragon suggests to Tenshu to let Kuro work here even for scraps. While Kuro is okay with that, poor Aletta is in shock as she jumps the gun thinking Tenshu is unhappy with her and is going to fire and replace her! Don’t drop the pot of beef stew…

Episode 8A
Rokei went sailing but a bad storm causes him to get thrown overboard. Luckily Arte the mermaid saved him and even prayed to the gods for a better weather. He is then taken to an uninhabited island to rest and when he wants to repay her and she requests 10 silver coins. Rokei finds it weird because mermaids do not use currency like humans do. To find out why, she wants him to return here in 3 days. Of course we all know there is a door to Nekoya here. Arte can pray to the gods to transform her into a human form as she patrons. She has been a returning customer that Tenshu and Aletta know her and she likes to order Hamburg steak. She lets Rokei tastes it and he likes it. He orders extra but she fears she has not enough money. Don’t worry. He’ll pay. It’s on him. That’s thanks for saving his life. They agree to come back here again on the next day of Satur.

Episode 8B
Aletta has found a steady job as a housekeeper but it is the house of Sarah! Tenshu has also given her assorted baked cookies as gift for this good news. Apparently above Nekoya is a bakery. Aletta has to ‘ration’ her cookies so she doesn’t finish them in one sitting. But it’s hard to eat just 1 each time, right? Oh, they’re quite expensive too so better savour them. When Shia, Sarah’s younger sister visits, Aletta answers the door. Sarah isn’t home at the moment. Shia doesn’t like her sister hiring a demon. An explanation about this family that certain generations get this ‘curse’ to go on a feverish adventure. Many end up paying with their lives. Sarah is one with this and whenever she is back home, Shia visits to check on her. Aletta serves her the cookies and quickly Shia likes them (as well as opening up to Aletta too). Shia wants more although Aletta has served the last of it. She needs to know more and is shown the box. Looks expensive. Shia gives her a gold coin (worth her entire month’s allowance) to buy it for the next time. Yeah, she’s placing her hopes on Aletta to get them. Aletta makes good her promises as she manages to get a few boxes of different sizes and at dirt cheap price of 1 or 2 silver coins! I’m sure they taste as good.

Episode 9A
A couple of dwarves trek up the mountain to a door to Nekoya. One of them is sceptical about his friend bringing him to this place. Yeah, just wait till you taste the food. And like they say, seeing is believing, or rather in this case, tasting is believing. Now the friend is a total covert as they drink and order big glasses of beer. While waiting for their food, they admire the simple beer glass design. Then they dig into the fried seafood plate. Despite being short people, they have enormous appetite and order more. I guess this is considered tiny by dwarven standards. To top it all, they have whiskey. In the aftermath, the dwarves spruce up the cabin for travellers to stay who come to visit their land. But there is a locked room in which they only hold the key to. It’s their ultimate treasure and no surprise the door to Nekoya.

Episode 9B
Prince Shareef from an Arabian-like desert kingdom seems to be frequenting Nekoya because he is smitten over Adelheid. But he is such a shy guy that his step sister, Renner had to lecture to him to be bolder or else he’ll never win her heart. And she doesn’t even mean it on a diplomacy level where both their nations marry to strengthen ties and such. I guess even if you’re a prince of a nation and the guy who created iced coffee that is all the craze now in his kingdom, when it comes to the matters of the heart, it isn’t easy. So on the next visit to Nekoya, while they wait for Adelheid to show up, we see Renner having a go with her melon soda float. When Adelheid finally arrives, Renner invites her to dine with them but Shareef again becomes a shy guy. This is going to take a long time…

Episode 10A
A strange door opens in the land of fairies. Queen Tiana Silvario XVI and her subjects think this is some sort of invasion as they prepare to go through and take up whatever challenge the invaders have in store for them. Of course it is a door to Nekoya as they are surprised by its interior. Tiana then asks Victoria about the place since she could sense some magic aura on her. After explaining about this eatery, Tiana decides to be bold and try a cooking. Victoria considers the kind of food and diet fairies can eat and ends up ordering a mixed fruit crepe for them. As usual, they find it delicious and good. Tiana then asks Tenshu about the door appearing in their land but he isn’t sure about the details. Tiana is grateful to Victoria and gives her a flower seed. Victoria in turn will pay for their bill each time she dines. Many months later, since everything is so good, the subjects are arguing what to order. So they head over to the other side and continue their debate.

Episode 10B
Fardania has found the secret location of Christian who is her parents’ best friend and one who is a gourmand still researching in cooking. She notices rotting smell in his place as he reveals of the cheese he is fermenting from elven beans to eat for himself. When he explains he got this idea from a restaurant from another world, Fardania also knows the place. So at Nekoya, Christian treats her to natto spaghetti. It isn’t a popular dish and apparently only he orders it. After having their fill, Fardania has this idea to try this natto with rice. Christian is shocked that she is daring to try this combination which he never ever thought of. Let’s say it tastes even better. Back home, Christian informs that rice too exist in their world but only in the western continent. He gives her a jar of miso made from his fermented elven beans since he knows she likes it. This is the result of his years of research. He notes despite the elves’ long lifespan, the world out there is still a wide place to explore.

Episode 11A
Kuro narrates one day she felt a strange gaze from Tenshu. Not wanting to pursue it, she ignores and continues to have her chicken curry. She also narrates the deal she made with the red dragon. While Kuro is working at Nekoya, the red dragon told her to protect the place while she works until she arrives. A pair of sirens, Iris and Arius want to find a new island to make their nest but there is one that they feared as the one they nicknamed Chimera Killer lived there. They believe it has been so many years and this monster would be old and week. As they explore the cave supposedly to be the Chimera Killer’s nest, they find a box of gold and silver as well a strange letter. The Chimera Killer is actually Alphonse as he left behind these treasures for those who are shipwrecked here. The letter also states about Nekoya so the sirens go look for it but do not find anything. After a few days waiting, the door finally pops up. They enter and Aletta explains to them about this restaurant. When they see a piano and hear its nice sound, they start singing, causing Tenshu and Aletta to fall into some trance. Kuro quickly shuts them up and warns certain creatures aren’t immune to their songs. She also warns them never to sing again if they want to eat and return in one piece. They wonder if this place has raw fish. Certainly do. It’s called carpaccio. Tastes good as always. They return home and agree to make this place their new nest.

Episode 11B
Tenshu makes curry bun for themselves to eat after work. Kuro being the spicy fan has only praises for it as we hear her compliment and analyse its taste and contents. Then she washes it all down with milk so she can have more of them. When they leave, Aletta wishes her to take care. Kuro notes she is the only one living on the moon and there isn’t many creatures who can actually harm her. But with the recent experiences at Nekoya, I’m sure Kuro is feeling pretty much at home. She also wishes Aletta to take care.

Episode 12A
As narrated, the legendary 4 heroes named Leonard, Artorius, Alexander and Yomi band together and defeated the evil demon lord. However it came with the cost of Yomi’s life. Leonard went on to become a pontiff, Artorius a great sage and magician while Alexander a mercenary. Alexander visits Artorius as he heard from a friend about a door to another world. Artorius agrees to take him there but only later in the evening when no one is around. Because there are a few enemies of his who are dining there. As today is meat day, Tenshu changes the miso soup to pork soup. Since everyone finds it good, they are ordering more of it. Naturally this is depleting their stock faster than usual. But eventually everyone is able to have their fill.

Episode 12B
Once Nekoya is empty, Artorius pops up with Alexander. Immediately Alexander orders croquettes. Alexander could feel something different about Kuro and is scared. He agrees with Artorius not to start any trouble with her. As expected, Alexander finds the croquettes of Nekoya to be much better than those he tried in the Empire. Even much more when he adds the undeniable soy sauce to it. He asks if this sauce can be made in their own world. Artorius says it is impossible. Even Yomi said that. It is then revealed that Yomi is still alive. After their victory over the demon lord 70 years ago, she fell into this world and survived. She has a grandson. Guess who? Alexander finds great comfort that she led a comfortable life and so they drink a toast to this world as thanks for taking her in. Later Alexander visits the grave of his old comrades. It turns out to be the graves of Wilhelm and Adelheid’s great grandmother. Aletta is worried that pork soup costs more than miso soup. Will Nekoya be in the red? Tenshu assures her meat day is only held once a month. The payment from normal meals is enough to cover it. After all, grandpa once said extra service at a restaurant should be provide with food, not money. And with everyone enjoying it, it can’t hurt to do so once in a while.

Good Time, Great Taste! At Nekoya!
Sighs… If only we had eateries that provide such good service and quality food at assumingly reasonable price, the world could have been a much happier place. Don’t laugh. Who knows the reason why this reality of ours has lots of angry people and warring countries is that of the simplest reason that they don’t have good food to eat. When one is full and satisfied, there is no reason to fight, right? Not to say that the other world is entirely living in peace but you can see the happy faces of customers which very much guarantees return patronage. Oh well… The only reason why I regularly return to a handful of eateries is because I have no money and I am still picky on what I eat. Yeah…

Although the foods served at Nekoya are supposed to be the main stars (isn’t that why they name every episode after the featured dish?), what is most interesting is not the foods themselves but rather the back stories of some of the customers that led them to discover this wonderful eatery. And that is what I believe is what keeps this series from being a total bore. Not to say that this series is oh so very interesting and there are certain stories that aren’t as interesting, but a majority of them are. Therefore for a food themed anime, it is quite refreshing and unique in a way that it doesn’t totally focus on the food too much. Despite the staffs at Nekoya are supposed to be the ‘main characters’, the actual main protagonists are those who patron Nekoya. With different races and creatures from all walks of life coming into the restaurant, it is no wonder that many of their backgrounds are quite fascinating to watch. Eventually it is Nekoya that is what ties them all together. Is it me or do all these customers only order the same food? Do they not want to be adventurous to try others? Oh well, you can only come here every 7 days so by that time, you would want to have your favourite food. No wonder Tenshu can remember who orders what. So easy.

Therefore it is a hit and miss if you want to talk about the characters. The customers usually have their one segment of focus especially when they are first introduced. Sometimes, a brief explanation of the land they come from too. After that, they will fade into obscurity and some only will recur as background characters. A few interactions here and there but there is nothing more added to it. So as I’ve said, these customers some have interesting backgrounds and circumstances they come from but that is as far as we know about them. Because it always ends on a happy note. I mean, who would ever complain after being served such great dishes, right? Oddly, this other world houses almost every mythological creature mankind created. It’s like a big mash of fairytale setting all in one world. Just short of zombies…

Even Nekoya’s staffs, Tenshu, Aletta and Kuro do not have much back story to it. Of course we heard about Aletta and Kuro’s case but nothing deeper. Since Aletta and Kuro are only working here part time on the day of Satur, does Tenshu get help from others on other days? Unless there is no crowd… But he can’t be running his restaurant if he doesn’t have business, right? I’m thinking it isn’t about the money that he is thinking about. If it was all about profits, you think he allows certain beings to owe and have tabs? Tenshu is also a big mystery if you want to talk about him because he is just some guy who inherits the place and then puts his heart and soul in his cooking for his customers. That’s all. Heck, you don’t even know his real name. Okay, maybe the last episode’s revelation revealed his blood ties to a legendary hero but that doesn’t mean anything much seeing in this world instead of slaying demons with swords, he slices meat and vegetables with his kitchen knife! Haha! Therefore sometimes this series could be a bit confusing of what it actually is. It’s not really about the characters. It’s not really about the food. Is it just to create awareness that such foods exist?

I won’t say that the foods aren’t interesting but personally they are not as prominent as the stories of the customers. After all, these foods are not made up or created out of creativity as seen in Shokugeki No Souma and Toriko. They are normal dishes in which you can order in decent western restaurants all over the world. So it is sometimes odd to see that these beings from another world being taken in so much by our food. Especially beasts and creatures eating our rice and meat. Fantasy characters eating our normal food? Feels a bit odd. Also, with some characters not having that detailed or long background stories, the focus will be on them describing and praising the food they just tasted. Nothing very exaggerative as they try to keep it down to earth but with some great praises to paint how good it is. Of course it is. You’d think they would come back here if the food tastes horrible? Yeah, it would have been interesting to see a case like that for twist purposes but I guess with Tenshu being so good and dedicated, it isn’t going to happen at all. Not on his watch. Also, this world has a few foods that are similar to ours but slightly and differently named or look. If you’re wondering what the hell is shripe, you’ll understand that it is just shrimp. Marmetts might look a bit different but they taste exactly the same as tomatoes.

Now, throughout watching this series, I am sure this has also crossed the minds of many viewers. The biggest question and mystery of this series is the door itself. With Tenshu once mentioning he doesn’t know how it works sounds like an excuse not to explain it all. Of course knowing how the door works is not what the series is about but as viewers, we would really like to know and the explanation would help make sense of some of the questions bugging us. For example, I would like to start off on why it only appears on the day of Satur (obviously Saturday) and not on other days. Does the door appear elsewhere on other days? I don’t think so because it is day of Satur for all the customers in this other world. And what if the customer in Nekoya misses the door to go back to his/her world? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe he/she got drunk and stayed over a night? Then the next morning comes and you can’t go back anymore. Have to wait till the next day of Satur.

The biggest question of it all is how would the door know which customer to return to his/her spot she came from? As the door appears all over the continent, if there are multiple customers and they arrive and leave at different times, how does the door know which spot to send them back? Has there been a case whereby the customer ended up in the wrong region? I’ll be damned if I ever end up at the arena. Because after I’ve fully eaten, it’s my turn to get eaten! It sucks, dude! Since there are none of such cases, I guess the door must be smart enough. Yeah, maybe the customers’ hands serve like fingerprints and the door automatically knows where you came from. I didn’t know Nekoya is such a sophisticated restaurant despite serving normal but good meals.

The other questions about Nekoya is if Tenshu has ever served normal humans from our own world. I suppose that he does but on other days. That is probably why beings from the other world only arrive on day of Satur. We also don’t see those normal people is probably because, remember the name of this anime? Assuming this is true, then I suppose it is those other days and times when Tenshu stocks up his ingredients. Because it would be damn weird if Nekoya only and solely exists in its own dimensional space. Yeah, it wouldn’t make sense if he had infinite supplies and raw materials to cook. This doesn’t even touch the other stuffs he has to maintain like the gas or the utensils. Who is supplying or fixing them? Unless you say it’s magic… Also, I am assuming that all the different beings in this other world has the same stomach functions and features as our normal humans. Because they don’t seem to have any indigestions or complications whatsoever. Yeah, look at the lizardmen… They can eat omelette rice? I know it’s fantasy stuff, but just saying… Hence, just leave it all to Tenshu! Nobody ever died or even so much as to complain about his cooking.

Art and drawing are pretty standard and nothing much to shout about. The characters and backgrounds do look decent but it is nothing that spectacular. Even the varied locations and terrains of the other world, they just look pretty okay. I have to admit that the food do look delicious because some of them even made my mouth water just by looking at them. I had my dinner already a few hours ago so I think I can consider the way they put some detail into the food as served to the customers as good as it tastes because my only regret is not being able to taste how freaking good it is. That’s the problem with all food themed animes. This series is animated by Silver Link who did Non Non Biyori, Kokoro Connect, Masamune-kun No Revenge, WataMote and Baka To Test To Shoukanjuu.

Due to the nature of this series, there are a lot of seiyuus lending their voice and making cameo appearances. This means a handful of them that I recognize like Junichi Suwabe as Tenshu, Shizuka Itou as the red dragon, Tomokazu Sugita as Seelemann, Yukari Tamura as Victoria, Youko Hikasa as Fardania, Fumihiko Tachiki as Alphonse, Hochuu Ootsuka as Tatsugoro, Hiro Shimono as Sirius, Nobuyuki Hiyama as Lionel, Takahiro Sakurai as Alexander, Nao Touyama as Iris and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Rokei. The rest of the casts are Sumire Uesaka as Aletta (Sanae in Chuunibyou Demo Koi Ga Shitai), Saori Oonishi as Kuro (Aiz in DanMachi), Reina Ueda as Adelheid (Mira in Dimension W), Kiyono Yasuno as Sarah (Megumi in Saenai Heroine No Sodatekata), Sumire Morohoshi as Shia (Nina in Shingeki No Bahamut: Virgin Soul), Motomu Kiyokawa as Artorius Yuusaku (Walter in Hellsing), Yara as Thomas (Chin in Toriko), Katsuyuki Konishi as Christian (Laxus in Fairy Tail), Makoto Yasumura as Gaganpo (Akaya in Maken-Ki), Yoshino Aoyama as Tiana (Guri in Renai Boukun), Ayaka Suwa as Arte (Tokaku in Akuma No Riddle), Atsushi Tamaru as Shareef (Shouichi in Seiren) and Shino Shimoji as Renner (Tooru in Seiren). At first I thought it was Rie Kugimiya behind Arius but I was mistaken. It’s Ayaka Asai (Hazuki in Hibike! Euphonium).

I guess this is one of the very few times in which I could instantly recognize which singer sings the theme song. For the opening theme, I was right when One In A Billion was May’N. Well, half right. Wake Up Girls also help sing this piece by providing the support background vocals. They also have a voice acting role here and make their cameo as those fairies. May’N’s powerful vocals was instantly recognizable since this upbeat song has this similar feel to other anime themes that I heard her sing before such as the openers of Ookami-san To Shichinin No Nakama-tachi and Hidan No Aria. But not really sure if the lively beat of this song fits the theme of this anime because you see how civilized and calm everyone has their food so if this is to hype (whet) your appetite, I don’t think it quite cuts it. But it’s still a good song nevertheless. The ending song is a very lovely slow ballad, Chiisana Hitotsubu by Kiyono Yasuno. Although this is quite a nice piece, I wonder if it is fitting for a food themed anime. Because it fits better if it was played on a romance or even slice of life drama genre. I mean, after having a satisfying meal and hearing this song, it just doesn’t go together like how some foods don’t go with certain wines. Also to note there are a few slow and easy BGMs but my favourite one is the short and catchy piano piece played during the next episode preview.

Overall, this series isn’t anything that amazing as the only thing unique that separates it from other food themed animes is that instead of fellow humans eating our food, individuals from another world come in to enjoy them. The plot is close to non-existent while the characters are not very deep. If you often eat the foods featured here, you won’t be tempted or inspired at all. But its rather relaxing and calming pace makes it enjoyable in its own right because that is how we should all eat our food, right? No silly competitions to outdo each other to create ‘creative’ foods that would temporarily kill you (because it sends you into some crazy heavenly ecstasy). No food fights to save the world or survival of the fittest. Just your little humble great cooking with heart and soul as its not-so-secret ingredients poured into them. Sniff, sniff. Makes me so envious that I wish I had such great cooking at regular intervals. So when is that damn door going to pop up right at my doorstep?! Yeah, being hungry makes you irritable alright.