Sweetness and Lightning
Studio: TMS/3XCUBE
Genre: Cooking, Slice of life
Hey guys.
Welcome to another anime review.
Today, I will be doing a series I really wanted to rewatch, and to talk about.
I want to bring you…
ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ANIME I HAVE EVER SEEN
But before I continue with my review, I am to make sure the most important thing.
Are you guys ok? Washing your hands? Maintaining social distancing?
If the answer is yes, then I am happy. And during these quarantine times, remember…
DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE CORONAVIRUS!!
Now, having said that, let’s continue with the review.
PREMISE
Based on the manga written by Gido Amagakure, Sweetness and Lightning (Amaama to Inazuma in Japanese) tells the story of Kohei Inuzuka (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura), a high school teacher who is now raising his daughter, Tsumugi (voiced by Rina Endo), especially after the death of his wife, six months before the start of my story. After an encounter with one of his students, Kotori Iida (voiced by Saori Hayami), Kohei is determined to learn cooking in order to give proper meals to Tsumugi.
Sweetness and Lightning consists on 12 episodes, released from July and September 2016, and it is available in Crunchyroll.
Before I continue, I want to mention that the original manga of Sweetness and Lightning was published between March 2013 and August 2018, and published by Kodansha.
STORY
Since Sweetness and Lightning is a slice-of-life anime, all of the stories involves Kohei trying to raise and connect with Tsumugi through cooking and very poignant father-daughter moments; while Kohei is always learning to cook a new recipe, with the many moments of the lifestyle of both father and daughter, at school, at home, with friends, and always trying to get the best out of every single experience.
Exactly what you expect from life itself.
But one of the best moments is during the moments in which Tsumugi uses her imagination to enjoy every moment, with her daddy and her friends. No big battles, no complex plots, no big antagonists… just your average life experiences when learning a new skill.
And that is one of the main pillars of Sweetness and Lightning. The simplicity of its characters, their experiences, and how they interact with each other. From my perspective, not many anime have their plot focusing in the relationship between a father and his daughter with such a nice pacing since Usagi Drop, and there are moments in which the story of Kohei deals with the loss of his wife, and how he tries to get over and be strong for the sake of Tsumugi.
And because of this, we have pretty touching between father and daughter.
SHARKS… SHARKS, SHARKS.
Despite this, Sweetness and Lightning always keep this feel-good feeling in every second, without forgetting about the comedic moments, from the rest of the characters, and especially from the innocence of Tsumugi.
And finally, we are invited to a really good look to Japanese cuisine. For me, that is a very interesting vision… how we noticed that cooking delicious food and sharing with your beloved ones is as sweet as the bond between father and daughter.
I guess that what I am trying to say is that, overall, the story is well supported by Kohei and Tsumugi. Yet it is also a story from the rest of the characters, Kotori, Shinobu, Yusuke, Megumi.
Speaking of which…
CHARACTERS
Finally, because the characters have simple personalities, and are very realistic, it is pretty easy for us to relate with them, especially with our protagonists. Kohei changing his cooking habits for the sake of his daughter, Tsumugi being a normal six-year-old child that gets excited every time her father is cooking something new; Kotori trying to improve her confidence in the kitchen and in life, and the rest of the characters being part of the adventures of Kohei, Tsumugi and Kotori.
I think this is the best way to put it in words.
Because, again, Sweetness and Lightning is definitely not an anime you should take seriously, it is a simple slice of life story. It is from sit back and enjoy, from the beginning to the end. But far from being a problem, this is a strength.
Why?
Because we can easily identify ourselves with Kohei, Tsumugi, Kotori and the other cast. They act like we do in normal life, when we get in touch with our family and our friends. And when you put a simple story with simple characters, the experience gets better and better.
At least from my perspective.
And I definitely learn that with Sweetness and Lightning. It is not a classic, but definitely something you can’t stop watching, something that, pretty much life our characters, will bring you some happiness in your face.
I hope I got the same feeling with Flying Witch and Yuru Camp.
CONCLUSION
Sweetness and Lightning was a beautiful experience that is worth watching. I recommend it to everyone. Regardless if you are usually a fan of shonen, shoujo, seinen, or everything. You always can get your own experience from it, and perhaps the story will encourage you to improve your cooking skills, or always try a new variety.
If that was the case here…
Then Mission Accomplished!!!
Jainituos Presents 