Koufuku Graffiti

Close your eyes and imagine this now. A girl bending her head down, slowly opening her mouth and putting her soft lips up as it contacts with the smooth texture. She caresses the structure with those luscious lips all, her tongue licking and wrapping all over its surface. Slowly, the long yet sturdy phallic shaped structure moves deeper into and inside her mouth and down her throat. The soft nibble has it discharge hot juicy liquid spreading and filling her entire mouth. A soft moan that indicates ultimate satisfaction and pleasure. An orgasmic experience like no other. Well, if you have really other thoughts about a woman enjoying eating a cooked mushroom, then I suppose you’re going to have the same while watching Koufuku Graffiti. Yes people. Get ready to feel hungry and horny at the same time as you watch the characters eat delicious food, from sumptuous meals to simple everyday food. They make food look so aphrodisiac that you don’t need Viagra anymore ;p. Where else can you have food and porn at the same time? Sex? This is not a hentai show, mind you. But the mind is such a vivid place for such vivid imaginations. Enough waiting already. I can’t wait any longer. Just let me sink my teeth into those juicy bits!

Episode 1
The way Ryou Machiko eats the inari… So delicious… So tasty… Looks so good to eat! The inari, I mean… Ryou takes special care in cooking her meal. Unfortunately despite its good smell, it tastes horrible. Ever since her grandma passed away a year ago, she has been living alone and notes her cooking has become bad and at this rate she’ll be an awful wife. She gets a call from her aunt, Akira that her cousin is coming to Tokyo to apply for the same arts school as her and she hopes she will let her stay at her place. When Ryou goes to pick up Kirin Morino, she is surprised at her small stature. And she is supposed to be the same age with her? She hands Ryou a cabbage she ‘stole’. Seems she got into a fight with her mom who is against her studying in Tokyo. It’s already far enough commuting to school, where is she going to live? Oh, she’ll find somebody to cook for her… Kirin takes a first bite of Ryou’s nabe and she totally loves it! Ryou dismisses it thinking it is because she is just hungry. Then the way Kirin feeds Ryou… Such tantalizing reaction… Because Kirin soaked too long in the bath, she ends up getting sick. Ryou accompanies her to register at school the next day. Back home, Ryou makes her a simple kitsune udon and it really warms up Kirin’s body. So much so Kirin thinks Ryou can be a good doctor! She just only made a nice meal… Kirin is itching to try out the inari but Ryou will only give it to her when she is well. You don’t have to remind Kirin that mom always only give her green salad when she’s sick… Tasteless… After Kirin learns about Ryou’s predicament, her late grandma and her cooking, she tells her she only thinks her cooking is bad because she is always eating alone. Dinner is a special time for family to eat together and she would love to be part of her family. That night when Kirin wakes up to go to toilet, she thought she could sneak and steal some inari but Ryou foresaw this and left a not for her to drink some tea instead. Next day, Kirin is well again and she’s bursting with lively energy. Ryou sees her off at the train station and gives a box of inari as a gift. She also gives her a recipe to make them and share it with her family. Ryou notes that she has learnt an important lesson from her that meals you share with others taste good and fills you with warmth. So it’s good news that it isn’t her cooking that has gone bad.

Episode 2
Now see how Kirin eats the tamagoyaki oh so good! The girls cook and pack for the hanami season at the park. At first I wonder why Kirin is ‘dancing’ but turns out she is nervous to meet Akira! WTF. When Akira arrives, it’s like she’s never seen Ryou for so long that she starts smothering her with skinship kisses enough to make your toddler blush. Not sure if Akira is being greedy, but she believes whenever there is hanami, it also means stall food. She hands some money for the cousins to go buy some. Ryou remembers she used to come here every year when she was young with her family. How she missed those fun filled days. Ryou happen to see her classmate, Shiina sketching for old drunk men at the park?! Shiina thought Ryou looked different outside class because in class she was always the focusing type. I think Kirin doesn’t like Shiina because she mistook her petite size to be an elementary kid. It’s like she’s trying to prove a point that she has tasted plenty of Ryou’s cooking, blah, blah, blah. Shiina gets the idea and gives her apple candy as ‘peace offering’. I guess they took too long so when they get back to Akira, she’s already drunk after several cans of beer and her greedy side earned instant karma because she tried to steal eat some sandwiches the girls made but they laced it with something spicy. And now you have a food fest to see how delicious the girls tuck in their food! Yummy!!! But Kirin wonders why Ryou didn’t add any tamagokyaki to the food they made for today. So back home, the cousins have a second round of hanami outside the apartment. Ryou keeps Kirin busy to sketch the sakura tree while she secretly goes to make tamagoyaki. Imagine her surprise when Kirin gets to finally taste its rich and cheesy (as in the taste) flavour. Both girls feel they have learnt something about each other and hope to grow closer. Emotional hug! Ryou wants to know what Kirin sketched but she won’t show. After Ryou sends Kirin off at the train station, she realized Kirin forgot to take her sketchbook. I guess she’ll keep it till she returns next week. And she peeks at the lovely sakura tree she sketched.

Episode 3
The egg flawless envelopes the omelette rice and the girls savouring its taste as it melts in their mouth! I WANT TO TASTE TOO!!! Ryou receives a package from her parents. She finds it odd that despite they are working overseas, they send back Japanese rice. She feels the need to live up to their expectations and that is by acing the exam. Unfortunately she got distracted by the subject she is supposed to draw (ingredients for bamboo shoot rice) and scored a low grade. All that cheek slapping didn’t help either. Noticing how down she is, Kirin gets permission from a teacher to take home bamboo shoots and invites Shiina to help cheer her up. Of course they need to keep this a secret as Kirin cooks up a suspicious alien abduction story for Shiina! Back home as they wait for the bamboo shoot rice to cook, they talk about omelette rice. The bamboo shoot rice is so good that Kirin wants seconds. Shiina gives her a ‘huge mountain’. That enough for you? And Ryou actually believed Shiina is going to be abducted by aliens and has her sleep over for tonight! Don’t worry. She’ll keep this a secret! They watch an old omelette rice themed anime and it brings back nostalgic memories. This means they are now hungry for it instead of going to sleep. Hey, can’t go to bed with an empty stomach, right? I thought they just had dinner… As usual it looks and tastes good that if you can’t control yourself, you might bite off your monitor. Ryou the ever perfectionist tries to cook the perfect omelette. After a few tries, the omelette perfectly wraps itself on the rice and opens like a flower when cut open. YUMMY!!! Ryou rereads her mom’s letter and it says for her to make friends. There’s a lot she wants to tell her parents about Kirin and Shiina. After seeing off Kirin at the train station, Shiina hints to Ryou to get some pancakes. Since it is not cakes like Kirin ‘warned’ them not to eat without her around, it is not like she is ‘betraying’ her, right? Suddenly they get a text from Kirin not to eat pancakes or crepes too. Damn. She knows…

Episode 4
WTF?! Food fantasy fairytale?! Food headed people being eaten by Ryou?! Horror comes early for her because due to sudden renovations at college, next week classes will be cancelled. This means there won’t be a reason for Kirin staying over! It’s like a big tragedy! And Ryou has already lined up a full Chinese cuisine to cook. Heard that, Kirin? She tries to convince her mom to let her stay but it seems next week they’ll all be going out to eat at a 3-star Chinese restaurant! Wow! Can’t beat that, can’t you? Ryou is alone in her room and the stormy weather is keeping her in. Despite making a delicious meal, it doesn’t taste as good when eating alone. For a change of pace and scenery, she decides to go study at the library. Some much needed fresh air. Suddenly a life size teruterubouzu is running her way! Turns out to be the librarian, Watanabe. This mascot is a hit with the kids? Whatever. This library Ryou used to patron with her grandma. She is shocked to learn grandma was always panicky looking for books to cook. Wait a minute. She didn’t know how to cook? Confirming with Akira, it is true grandma was a bad cook and there are enough horror stories to make you lose your appetite. It is only when Ryou came into this world, she started learning with care. She refers to some of the cook book recipes that grandma made. Almost similar. Watanabe says that they are slightly altered to suit Ryou’s needs. That is what you call cooking with love. Ryou then heads over to the convenience store to get a simple meal and it brings back nostalgic memories the kind of food she used to eat with grandma. Some things never changed. So nostalgic that it makes her travel to that food fantasy fairytale. Such a happy scene… As Ryou leaves, she is filled with confident to cook better for Kirin so she can see her smile again. Kirin thought she heard Ryou’s voice so she excuses herself in the middle of her Chinese cuisine to the toilet to check her mail. Wow! So many unread messages! Was she enjoying her food that much? It makes Ryou look like a stalker… Kirin thought Ryou is mad at her since some of the pictures look ‘scary’ but the final rainbow image is proof she is having fun. Ryou shops for groceries and thinks next week will be western style meal. She believes making the other happier will in turn make herself happy too. So happy that she speaks out loud before realizing how embarrassing it is for the public to be staring at her.

Episode 5
Why do we have to go to class for summer vacation? Work hard now to avoid a repeat of next year… Shiina suggests coming to her home to have an authentic summertime experience. And who would guess she lives in a huge traditional Japanese home?! Big enough to have its own little vegetable patch farm. Kirin thought she saw Shiina’s mom there and is handed a tomato. When Kirin calls to Ryou and then turns back, mom is no longer there. Oh sh*t… Don’t tell me… There is a list that Kirin has to record things she wants to do for summer. Well, since the place is big enough to have animal traps, she can strike off going to the zoo. No swimming pool but there is a pond with a big fish! Can this double as a visit to the aquarium too? When Shiina introduces her mom, she looks totally different from the one Kirin saw and her personality is so lively. Heck, she looks young enough to be Shiina’s sister! She makes them lots of sweets and cakes (check that off the list too). When mom learns about the list, she suggests having nagashi soumen. Ryou and Kirin are in the bamboo groove looking for the right bamboo. Kirin wonders who that tomato lady was when they see a grave… Oh sh*t… Don’t tell me… Then they hear creepy footsteps… Can this be considered as ghost story? Please don’t joke… Oh no! Who the hell is this hack slasher?! As Shiina points out, it is their maid, Tsuyuko. Ryou and Kirin have fun cutting down the bamboo that it tires them out. Got to save some energy for the food… Shiina’s mom becomes distressed to see her daughter’s hand all bruised up from the cutting and Tsuyuko might prove to be a super maid because she’s got all the remedy and medicine ready at her call. More super maid in action as she cuts and prepares ingredients with speed and precision. As they get the nagashi soumen started, Ryou wonders why none are flowing her way. It’s because Kirin isn’t letting any get past her! After dipping the soumen, she quickly dips it out! They finished the entire pot of soumen and it is still not enough for Kirin?! Don’t be greedy! Kirin can cross off the rest of her list because they do tanabata, fireworks, watermelon splitting, looking up at the stars and most important of all, have lots of fun. This is sure one heck of a summer to remember and savour.

Episode 6
Finally! The kind of food eating scene that we expect to see! The girls eating ice cream!!! OH YEAH! It all began when summer’s heat is taking its toll. It’s zapping their energy that Kirin doesn’t even have appetite! This shocking revelation has Ryou take a picture of her! But it isn’t that Kirin doesn’t want to eat, she just couldn’t think of the right food to eat in this heat. It is suggested to eat eel meat so they head to the supermarket to get the stuffs (ah, such cool air-conditioning) and once they’re back at their place and sink their teeth into it, they get back their energy and liveliness. Albeit just for a while. Because they realized the air-conditioner is broken! Oh no! They’re sweating like hell! Hurry! To the bathroom! Obviously nobody filled up the tub yet. While waiting to be filled up, they play shiritori game but could only think of hot things. They find that they don’t have to fill the tub so full since both of them fit nicely in it. This is quite economical and they should do it all the time. Maybe not. This is when Kirin gets the idea of eating ice cream in the bathtub. Ryou gets duped by her to go get them as she can’t resist standing in front of the cool refrigerator. Wasting electricity… So Kirin goes to get her before they realize that the curtains are wide open. Ryou thinks nobody is watching. Who knows? Maybe some pervert watching through his telescope or viewers through their monitor screen? And now for the ice cream eating scene we’ve all been waiting for! Lick it, girls! After finishing their bath, Kirin craves for red bean soup. Ryou doesn’t think that is such a good summer food but makes it for her anyway. Seeing how she enjoys it, Ryou is also tempted to eat it although she knows she will regret this. Not! Tastes good! By the time Shiina comes, Ryou’s stomach is already upset. Yeah, regretting it now. Too bad hers isn’t an iron stomach like Kirin (that’s not supposed to be a compliment either). Ryou goes to bed early as Shiina wants to taste the red bean. She too might be regretting eating too much because now she has stomach discomfort as she makes her way home. And any couples who mentions about spicy food, gets that death stare from her!

Episode 7
Autumn is here and Kirin thinks it is going to be a boring season till Shiina invites them to her house for grilled saury party. Definitely going! However Kirin is disheartened that Shiina wants her help to cook for Ryou. Why her? Because she always noticed that Ryou is the one doing the preparing and cooking while Kirin just sat around doing her own thing and wait to be fed! Do something in return for once and who knows, Ryou might just praise her cooking. Shiina and Kirin are under the watchful eye and guidance of Tsuyuko. Despite being clumsy and messing up the kitchen, Ryou wants to help but Tsuyuko tells her not to interfere as they can at least handle this themselves. Once the preparations are done and the grilling of the fish over the charcoal is ready, it of course tastes heavenly. At least to them. Because to Tsuyuko it tastes horrible and over-burnt. She could rival Hell’s Kitchen and rival that Gordon guy and put him to tears without all the profanity. Don’t think she is joking because her cooking skills are top notched to put world chefs to shame! What the heck is she doing as a maid then? Ryou is still worried about them so Tsuyuko lets in some advice to put her trust in them because they can become the people whom she can rely on. The day isn’t over yet because there is still washing and cleaning. Yup. Tsuyuko becomes a Spartan coach as she guides the clumsy girls in doing the washing up. I don’t know why they can be this clumsy and panicky. Ryou can’t take it anymore… She needs to do something to help! Tsuyuko finally lets her. Back home, since Ryou wants to experience cooking saury with her, they have their own little saury party. Next day when Ryou sends Kirin off at the train station, she suddenly hugs her! Did she suddenly decide to go yuri in public! Actually she is trying to smell her clothes and it looks like the deodorant she put didn’t work. Please be mindful of the people in the train. Oh God… Is it an understatement to say it is packed like sardine? Something smells fishy…

Episode 8
Kirin helps Ryou train for her sports meet. It is going to be tough since the latter is not the athletic kind. Although the meet provides lunch, Kirin still wants to cook for her. Good thing because for this first time this year, it is announced students will have to bring their own lunch. One night, Kirin sees a crumpled paper in the dustbin. It is a list of food that Ryou wants to eat for the meet. This set is nostalgic for her since grandma used to make it. So the night before the meet, Kirin takes Ryou out as part of her training as she sweeps the supermarket to buy all the ingredients. Is she buying the entire store? Ryou can’t help feel worried when she starts cooking but it may be her worries are unfounded as Kirin is doing perfectly fine. I won’t say Ryou is doing well in the meet but I suppose lunch break is what she looks forward for. Her friends take a look at the bento but find it plain. Knowing somebody else made it for her, it couldn’t be her boyfriend or an adult because this meal arrangement feels so middle school-like. When Ryou pops the food in her mouth, she starts feeling like heaven. It makes her friends really want to try too. However… The taste just feels normal. Could it be Ryou’s imagination? Or is it that she only can experience Kirin’s love? Even more pleasant for Ryou is that the food is arranged like in the list (she is unaware Kirin looked at it). She gets so much confident that she can win the gold medal but probably everyone else sees her acting like a weirdo. At the end of the day, Ryou sees Kirin waiting outside. Suddenly Kirin starts crying and apologizing. She thinks she has made an awful meal for her (because she tried it herself with Shiina after that) but Ryou honestly loves the delicious taste, especially the sweet potato and lemon. Its warmth and gentleness reminds her of grandma and filled her with happiness. Kirin is relieved to hear that. Meanwhile… Shiina sounds a little sarcastic because she notes she didn’t get sick after eating it! Thank God, right?

Episode 9
New Year’s Eve and Ryou is working hard to clean every inch of her house. Yup. Everything’s sparkling! The only thing left is to clean herself… Sorry, we’re not getting this kind of fanservice. Ryou makes oden and soba but can’t help herself to eat some. Too delicious to resist. Better leave some before Kirin gets here. Speaking of her, she’s been lazing around watching TV instead of preparing. And when it’s time, you can see how chaotic she gets. First, she really gets up after hearing how her crazy uncle is coming soon. She didn’t book train tickets in advance thinking a countryside like here isn’t crowded. How wrong she would be. Looks like she will have to wait for the next train. That will be in the next hour. So she had to make an apology call to Ryou. She’s regretting not doing all those stuffs earlier. Yeah, the food is waiting for her, right? So when she finally gets there, you can see how relieved she is. How she misses Ryou (and the food) and how she smells so good (like oden and soba). After having her fill, it is time to make the visit to the shrine. Kirin tries to remain her composure as she does not mix well with adults (I guess Tsuyuko and Shiina’s mom are exceptions). Akira is here and probably she isn’t in her exception list so her face rubbing gives her the creeps. At the shrine, Ryou lets her taste sweet sake. It tastes so good that she acts and gives her natural honest opinion, making the adults laugh and think she is really an amusing person. Did she just embarrass herself? The girls head home first since Akira wants to continue drinking with the rest. What was it about her resolution to finish work early and spend more time with Ryou? Back home, they have nabe and this brings back lots of fond memories since this is the first food they eat when Kirin came here. It was the first time Kirin thought her that food tasted good while eating with someone else. Time passes by so fast, in a blink of an eye. Even if they’re grown up as adults, Ryou hopes to continue sharing and eating together like these times with Kirin.

Episode 10
If you’re wondering about that character, Ryou’s downstairs neighbour making short cameos in earlier episodes before ‘vanishing into oblivion’, well, she’s making her ‘debut’ here. Yuki Uchiki seems to be having self confidence problems as well as mixing with others. It is the season of worrying with lots of things occupying Kirin’s mind. Seriously, this girl thinking about anything else but food? Jokes aside, while talking this out to Ryou, the latter remembers she left the futon out on the balcony to dry. That is when they hear Yuki’s conversation (her window is open) and eavesdrop her sad condition about her pessimism and how much she wants to go back. It is probably bad to eavesdrop on people they can’t help it when they hear something about belly dancing. She sounds pitiful. Kirin slips while trying to grab the futon. Amazingly she lands on her feet on Yuki’s veranda (albeit in a funny position) and both girls scare each other. So in Yuki’s room, everybody is apologizing about everything. Yup, even Yuki who thinks leaving the window open was her fault to begin with. However Kirin sympathizes with Yuki and her earnest ways impresses Yuki. This has her mention her only friends are cats. Kirin thought Yuki ordered pizza for them (please don’t be rude) but this is her usual dinner alone. Ryou suggests they eat together in her room. Yuki’s depression starts working up the moment she enters Ryou’s nice apartment. Better do something fast to suppress the queen of darkness. The girls had a nice time discussing the kind of toppings to try on the pizza. Pizza lovers rejoice! Ryou can somewhat relate Yuki’s loneliness since she used to eat alone before Kirin came. For the first time, Yuki felt happy at the end of a meal (meal times are always a sad lonely affair, huh?). As she leaves, this experience her feeling confident and she feels her dwindling courage has been revitalized. Kirin also doesn’t worry that much now as she’ll eat her way through school and exams! That’s her best skill, right? Next morning, Yuki leaves for a meeting in a nicely dressed suit. Yes, she is an adult. What? She looked like a school student their age? Yeah, I thought so too… And it seems she takes her first brave step into a certain familiar arts school.

Episode 11
This is what happens when you love food so much and didn’t pay proper attention to your stomach. Because Ryou that ominous roar of a monster turns out to be her growling stomach! She receives another package from her parents. This time, instant noodles with a variety of flavours. Kirin can’t wait to eat them now but Ryou points out this is for late night snacks when they’re studying. Kirin wonders about Ryou’s parents because her mom certainly didn’t say much except that the city will stop functioning without them. They even had bodyguards at one time! Woah. Very important people, aren’t they? Kirin decides to cook the noodles for them and when she is done and goes to call Ryou, that girl was half asleep and sleep talking about how she misses her mom. She clings on to Kirin thinking she is her mom. A few parts seem to have shrunk… Of course she gets embarrassed when she comes to her senses. After meal, Kirin finds a note in the package addressed to her. Top secret? It is from Ryou’s mom thanking her for being by her side. But more mind boggling, she mentions about wanting to hire bodyguards for them! No thanks! Kirin will be Ryou’s bodyguard! This has Kirin curious about her parents’ job so she asks Ryou herself. She can’t delve deeper and just says they are very important people. I guess some things are better off not known for your safety. As the girls pray at the shrine, they are surprised Shiina is wishing for wealth when she should be wishing for exam success. This is when she lets out her secret. She secretly took an earlier entrance exam to the high school they want to apply and is accepted! You can see a person’s true colours here. Kirin frustrated and calling her a traitor while Ryou happily congratulates her. Kirin is eventually ‘forced’ to congratulate her. Shiina becomes the light of enlightenment by telling how you should be diligent before praying to God for success, etc. Can’t argue with that. Now it’s time to take a break. This time they are having pork cutlet sandwiches that Tsuyuko made. These sandwiches are what gave Shiina the strength and motivation to study and take that test. So when it is time for Ryou and Kirin to take their entrance exam, Shiina hands them those sandwiches that Tsuyuko taught her. Little do they know, this is how the good luck that Shiina is trying to imbue in the sandwiches. She is making a fervent-cum-passionate silent wish of good luck. I don’t know. It sounds like a curse…

Episode 12
Good news! Ryou and Kirin pass their entrance exam! On a side note, Yuki has also made it becoming a teacher. So Kirin is saying her ‘farewell speech’ to her parents but her father is the one crying and regretting this. Studied in Tokyo, worked in Tokyo, married in Tokyo… He really thought that far, eh? Ryou puts on her school uniform for one last time. Can’t zip up… Gosh, did she put on some weight? It is an emotional graduation day for Ryou and her friends and a slightly embarrassing fact is that her stomach is ‘crying’ too. Kirin could hear it all the way from the back! As Kirin goes back to the train station to collect her stuffs, Ryou heads home first and Akira thought she could scare her but got the door slammed in her face. She gives Ryou grandma’s apron. Grandma let Akira hold on to it and was told only to give it to Ryou when she graduates. But why didn’t she pass to her directly? Oh silly, do you know where grandma is now? Perhaps she foresaw this. So the first meal Ryou cooks with the apron is a celebratory meal that grandma cooked for her when she entered middle school. Kirin just arrived in time to feast on this lovely meal. Great timing, great taste. Ryou learns another lesson from Kirin when she says she can make new memories with grandma with the apron. This is true as despite the fond memories, it is time for her to stop looking at the past and look forward. But Ryou didn’t expect what is in store next. Kirin is going to move into her place and live with her. Eh? Nobody told her about it? Even disheartening is that Ryou is the only person who doesn’t know about this! Shiina knows about it (and thus the prawn sandwiches upon her arrival), Kirin’s parents are helping with the moving in and Akira has already done the paperwork for this arrangement. Feeling left out? Of course Kirin begs for forgiveness and gets emotional when Ryou does so. I don’t think Ryou isn’t the kind to hold on to grudges. After unpacking and cleaning, it is of course time for a big hearty meal. Ryou looks forward to her days with Kirin. Here is to more happy memories and delicious dishes to come!

Itadakimasu! Food Porn Never Tasted This Good!
Gochisou-sama! Let me be honest. This is actually a boring show and the only ‘exciting’ moments are when the foods are displayed and when the girls eat them. Food porn is definitely the theme here and the reason why we watch this series. There is no actual plot about this anime if you think about it. Every episode, the theme gives that episode a reason for a certain food-of-the-episode or food-of-the-season to be shown and eaten so stimulatingly by our girls. That is why at the beginning of the episode, they ‘entice’ you with those arousing food eating scenes just to ‘work up your appetite’ despite that same scene will be exactly shown somewhere in that episode. That is not such a bad thing, right? I mean, is there any other reason why you are watching this show? Heck, even the episode titles are juicily laden with delicious terms like sizzling, chewy, melty, moist, piping hot, crunchy, fluffy and bubbling. Yum!

Who needs pantsu fanservice when you already have cute girls eating stuffs like that? Of course it would have been much better if we see them eating in their lingerie for double fapping stimulation but I suppose there is only so much that we can fap to per episode. Right?! Therefore seeing the girls themselves eat in such an erotic manner is already orgasmic itself and even more if you do have a dirty mind. It’s pretty normal I would say because we’re just being humans. Yeah, an excuse to say that this is okay and to have more!

Character wise, they are ‘boring’ and lack any serious development. But like I said, that is not what you come here for nor you should expect to see some when you have already read the synopsis of what this show is about. The main trio are total opposites from each other and each bearing some sort of unique personality that could easily identify them. Like Ryou who is ever the gentle and responsible soul. Sometimes she feels lonely and it is evident as you can see this when she sleep talks. With Kirin by her side from now on, no more lonely nights? Whereas Kirin is the livelier and the more ‘mischievous’ one of the pack (though, I think childish is the better word). If Ryou is a gourmet girl, then Kirin is the exact opposite being a glutton girl because she devours anything and everything. Iron or endless stomach if that is what you call it. Whatever Ryou makes, she is fine with it. It is good to have someone eat your cooking but it makes me wonder if Kirin is the kind of person who lives to eat instead of eats to live. Yup, I think so. And she feels more like a freeloader living in Ryou’s house just to get free food without even lifting a finger to do anything until subsequently much later in the series. Mostly, she is quite an amusing girl with her honest speak-her-mind personality although she does have her polite side. Mind boggling question: If Kirin is scared of being around adults, what happens when she grows up into one? Will she be afraid of herself? Maybe it is all just about getting used to because some grownups she isn’t afraid like Shiina’s mom, Tsuyuko and yes, her own parents. Shiina gives off this atmosphere as a mysterious girl because she lacks displaying lots of emotions all of the time but can sometimes be scheming and witty too.

Other supporting characters are so-so and don’t expect anything much. Like Ryou’s kind grandma who has brought up her granddaughter with full of love. Lively women seem to be amusing characters such as the ever-busy-with-work Akira who lets loose her serial hugging spree once she gets a chance to be with her niece and the equally energetic Shiina’s mom who looks young enough to be her sister. It boggles me how the personality of mother and daughter can turn out to be so different like night and day? Don’t tell me that Shiina got it from her father. Then there is the gloomy Yuki, so depressing that it could affect your day but with the right food and friends, you can see her frown turn into a brilliant smile. You don’t need an energy drink to get motivated, right? I am very curious about Ryou’s parents. Ironically the ‘more’ you know about them, the lesser you know because with such ambiguous words like very important people and bodyguards will definitely play around with your mind to figure what kind of people they actually are. I hope they are not aliens from another planet pulling the strings in the background in running this world! But I would like to think they have something to do with the food industry because they keep sending foodstuffs back to Ryou and could be researching vital crops or something to find a cure for world hunger. Considering if they were that famous and really important, isn’t it dangerous for Ryou to be living all by herself like that? That’s why you have Kirin around…

SHAFT producing this series makes me wonder if they are diverging into many other themes. They did Hidamari Sketch for art, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei for the darker side of life and culture, the Monogatari series for a supernatural theme, magical girls in Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, vampires for Dance In The Vampire Bund, lesbians for Maria+Holic, weird hobos for Arakawa Under The Bridge, the extra-terrestrial in Denpa Onna To Seishun Otoko and even Nisekoi as a romantic comedy. Now we have Koufuku Graffiti as a food (porn) theme. However the art and drawing style of SHAFT’s trademark isn’t as obvious as you would find in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei or Monogatari series. There are cameo hints of their trademark like that neck tilt and zoom-ins but those are quite infrequent and it is like as an Easter egg if you get to spot them. Even with the character art and design looking like your conventional Japanese anime characters, at least Nisekoi had more SHAFT-like trademarks compared to this one. Otherwise had I not spot those intermittent trademarks, I would not have actually thought or this studio’s name would cross my mind. Is it me or am I seeing shades of Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso’s Kaori in Shiina?

But the art and animation of the food is gorgeous enough that you might want to suddenly take a chomp out of your monitor. Even more so if you are hungry. Okay, they do not look that all perfect but at least they give you such an effect. Unless of course you are not a foodie person at all. The art style and effects are ‘greatly enhanced’ when the girls start their erotic eating. Because suddenly you can see how luscious their lips, their big beautiful pretty eyes and all that sparkling sparkles around them complete with slow motion effects. Wow. Eating food like that turns you into a beautiful person for the moment? Well, it proves that they are enjoying and appreciating their food. Heck, I think if I try that in real life, I am going to attract a lot of stares and people would start thinking the weirdo I am. Will I be even reported for public indecency?!

But something tells me that sometimes they are breaking the fourth wall. Because there are scenes whereby after they cook the food, they show it like as though they are presenting it to us. I mean, from that kind of angle and perception, who do you think they are talking to? But the mind boggling thing is that the angle that we see is from a higher ground. Like as though the girls are showing the food to a CCTV on the ceiling. Maybe it is symbolism to show us viewers as the ‘king’ watching from high above? But if it really was a CCTV on the ceiling, it would be creepy to think that there is actually one fitted inside their apartment. Who the hell is watching them? I hope this isn’t some recording for Ryou’s overseas parents. Speaking of creepy, I am not sure in the initial episodes but later on I come to realize that grandma’s picture at the altar changes! I know it is just symbolic to ‘show’ that grandma is around (not talking about flashbacks) but unless Ryou changes it every minute or she has some sort of digital picture frame, doesn’t it feel spooky that the picture changes itself?

I think it is just a coincidence but somehow I think that this series draws a handful of comparisons with Hidamari Sketch. For example, the characters in both series go to an arts school. Hidamari Sketch in one season had some sort of food porn too (spamming of food pictures, not eating them). The apartment that Ryou lives in looks suspiciously familiar with the one in Hidamari Sketch although such double storey apartments are not uncommon in Japan. Then there is that pizza delivery woman. I thought the bike she rides reminded me of the same one that the Landlady in Hidamari Sketch travels in too. Is it me or does Yuki have this very uncanny resemblance to Hidamari Sketch’s Yuno? Don’t you think Kirin also look pretty close to Chika of that said series?

Nothing much about the voice acting except it is fun to recognize a handful of recognizable seiyuus. For instance, Rina Satou as Ryou reminds me of Haruka of Minami-ke series. Brings me back to the days of hearing her in such gentle voice compared to a certain Biri-biri. At first I thought Kana Asumi was behind Kirin’s voice but something felt that it wasn’t so. Turns out it is Asuka Oogame instead (Mikazuki in KissxSis, Mana in Kono Naka Ni Hitori Imouto Ga Iru). Ai Nonaka’s ‘craziness’ as aunt Akira reminds me of Tiramie in Amagi Brilliant Park and speaking of this crazy voice, although Yu Kobayashi is recognizable as Tsuyuko, I felt it is such a waste that she had to voice a gentle sounding character. This isn’t the first time she voiced such characters because she also did like Matabei in Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls and Rio in Sora No Woto. Another thing that reminded me of this series close to Hidamari Sketch is Miyu Matsuki. As Shiina’s mother, that distinctive liveliness in her voice very much resembles Yoshinoya sensei of Hidamari Sketch. So much so I thought that this is an alternate universe and version of that crazy teacher. Really. Yuka Iguchi is yet another recognizable character although her worrisome voice reminds me so much of Yama No Susume’s Aoi.

I may need some time to recognize Mikako Komatsu because as Shiina, I felt there was something familiar in her voice but couldn’t put my finger on it. Then I gave up and look it up and instantly realize it was her behind this character. Looks like hearing her as Shione in Sora No Method, Miuna in Nagi No Asukara, Tsugumi in Nisekoi, Neko in K, Murao in Ao Haru Ride, Marika in Mouretsu Space Pirates and Inko in Aldnoah.Zero wasn’t enough. But thankfully when I heard my all-time favourite Mamiko Noto as Ryou’s mom, suddenly I jumped back to life just when I was about to doze off into slumber land (because it was that other usual scene that is not food or eating it) and felt happy just to hear her voice despite just for a few seconds. It’s like being stimulated all over again. In addition to food porn, then I get to hear this awesome seiyuu as extra added bonus! Surprise, surprise. It is just like finding bits of little extra pieces of something that you don’t normally do in your main dish. And for the record, other casts include Tamie Kubota as Ryou’s grandma (Sui in Hanasaku Iroha), Akeno Watanabe as Watanabe (Rito in To Love-Ru) and Ryou Hirohashi as Kirin’s mom (Kyou in Clannad).

The opening theme is Shiawase Ni Tsuite Watashi ga Shitteiru Itsutsu No Houhou by Maaya Sakamoto feels like some of the other songs she sing like the one in Kobato. Although I wouldn’t say that this piece is entirely appealing but at least it is pretty decent to hear. The ending theme is a duet by Ryou and Kirin’s seiyuu, Egao Ni Naru and there is this fun and bubbly feel to this upbeat jazzy piece. The way they sing it makes it sound cute. Not bad actually. There are a couple of background music I noticed and they have this fun feel to it and mostly played to fit perfectly during the food eating scenes. However my most favourite tune of all is the outro played or rather sung during the next episode preview. Now, the doo-wop style is very infectious and catchy because the voices humming the piece are so much in harmony and synchronization that it is just hard to concentrate on anything else. Each time I remind myself to hear the next episode preview’s narration again, only to be tempted to focus on this pitch perfect accord. Therefore I can never know what the next episode preview is about, whether it is about what is happening in the next episode or tips about certain foods or just some random ramblings. I am still having that song stuck in my head up till now (as in typing this blog). Adding to the cute effects of the song is the chibi-like characters doing some fun dance, bopping or jiving.

Overall, to cut a long story short, if you want to watch this show, just stay for the food. The ‘porn’ is nothing. It isn’t even close to being ecchi. The perversion is all in your mind. ALL IN YOUR MIND… This series isn’t exactly a cooking themed genre so you can’t really make direct comparisons with it but it is the food that is the major focus and if you love food, you should at least check it out. Food is love, right? And porn is lust. Haha! I guess if you can’t taste all the dishes featured in this anime, poor people can only be content with just watching the great food instead. Of course you can cook them yourself but like yours truly who is a horrible cook, I think I’ll just be happy watching others eat. Oh, I think it is rude to watch others eating…

So are you hungry after watching this series? Hungry for food? Hungry for porn? Or both? Meal times do not necessarily be something boring and mundane. Just like how mothers decorate their bento kyara for their kids’ meal, adults could try eating in such sexy manner to give the food more taste. But do only try this alone or with close friends. I know it is all the same when it enters your stomach but it makes it more palatable especially eating food you dislike. At least you feel less revolting in eating your vegetables. Just like how this anime is subtly teaching and reminding us, remember people, do not waste food. Always be thankful and appreciate them. Spare a thought on how the food is processed from its source to its preparation. Most important of all, hope you enjoy your food (porn). I know I can make many food and porn jokes but that will just make it quite distasteful.