The appeal and reviews of "Ristorante Paradiso": A perfect fusion of fine cuisine and human drama

Ristorante Paradiso - The Story of the Finest Italian Gentleman with Reading Glasses

Overview

"Ristorante Paradiso" is a TV anime series based on the manga of the same name by Natsume Ono. It was broadcast on Fuji TV and other stations from April 9 to June 25, 2009. It consists of 11 episodes, each 30 minutes long. Animation was handled by david production, and production was handled by the Rispara Production Committee (Fuji Television Network, Shochiku, Movic, Yomiuri Advertising, Sony PCL, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners). Directed by Mitsuko Kase, it successfully brought to life the unique worldview of the original work.

■ Story

Set in Rome, Italy, the story is about the protagonist Nicoletta, who comes from the countryside to tell the owner of a restaurant, her mother's new husband, everything. Nicoletta's mother has hidden the existence of her daughter from her new husband, and Nicoletta heads to Rome to reveal this secret. The restaurant she visits, "Cassetta dell'Orso," is a mysterious restaurant where gentlemen wearing reading glasses work. The gentlemen, Claudio, Luciano, Vito, Gigi, Julio, and Theo, charm the female customers and make the restaurant so popular that it is difficult to get a reservation. Nicoletta ends up working at the restaurant by chance, and gradually finds herself drawn to one gentleman. A heartwarming story of delicious food and wonderful gentlemen unfolds.

■Explanation

"Ristorante Paradiso" is a story set in a restaurant where gentlemen wearing reading glasses entertain customers. The original manga by Natsume Ono was a huge hit, selling over 300,000 copies in a single volume. The unique art style and story have rapidly increased the number of fans, and it is also the first time that the work has been adapted into a film. The anime gently depicts the emotional connections between the people who work at the restaurant and those who visit, and develops a heartwarming story that touches the heart. It also creates a new world of animation with backgrounds inspired by paintings and realistic depictions of the food. In addition, it has been fully tied up with "Ristorante Al Porto", owned by Chef Yuzuru Kataoka, who is active on TV and in magazines, to convey the appeal of realistic food.

■Cast

The voice actors for the main characters are as follows:

• Nicoletta - Fumiko Orikasa
• Claudio - Hitoshi Yamanoi
• Luciano - Miki Tachikawa
• Vito - Takaya Kuroda
• Julio - Kazuhiko Nishimatsu
• Theo - Yoji Ueda
• Gigi - Shigeo Kiyama
• Lorenzo - Kenji Nomura
• Olga - Haruhi Terada
• Gabriella - Misa Watanabe
• Francesco - Haruka Kimura
• Luciano's brother-in-law - Keiichi Nakagawa
• Margherita - Mai Nakahara
• Grandmother - Touko Aoyama
• Mr. Rizzo - Nobuaki Konmitsu
• Mrs. Rizzo - Mori Natsuhime

■ Main staff

The main staff are as follows:

• Original work: Natsume Ono's "Ristorante Paradiso"/"GENTE" (published by Ohta Shoten)
• Produced by: Hiroko Yamada (Fuji Television), Kota Kuroda, Naohiro Otobu, Kazuya Watanabe, Yoshifumi Kezuka, Kenichi Komori
• Producers: Koji Yamamoto (Fuji Television), Mariko Seto, Yasuto Okiura, Koji Kajita
• Director: Mitsuko Kase
• Assistant Director - Shinichi Tokai
• Character design - Itsuko Takeda
• Series composition, script - Shinichi Inotsume
• Setting cooperation - Yuko Suwa, Atsushi Aono, Ryo Kobayashi
• 3DCGI - Masato Taira, Taketo Kobayashi
• Color design - Keiko Kai, Hitomi Ikeda
• Director of photography - Eiji Tsuchida
• Edited by Kengo Shigemura
• Art Director: Yasufumi Soejima
• Art setting - Junko Shimizu
• 2DBG - Kayo Koshio
• Texture design - Eriko Murata
• Recording adjustment - Emi Otsubo
• Sound effects - Michihiro Ito
• Effects assistant - Kaori Yamada
• Sound Production - Omnibus Promotion
• Recording Studio - OP Requiem Studio
• Sound Production Desk - Kei Mayama
• HD Editing - Studio Gong, Kengo Shigemura, Tomoko Sato
• Graphical design - Yosuke Nanjo
• Production Desk - Masashi Otsukawa
• Setting production - Tomoko Nakamura
• 3D Production - Hisataka Kasama
• Programming - Masato Jonoh (Fuji Television)
• Assistant Producer: Aya Saito (Fuji Television)
• Production staff: Yoshihiro Yamazaki (Fuji Television), Kozue Kanba, Yosuke Hara, Masato Matsubayashi, Tomo Bandai
• Public Relations - Maiko Suzuki (Fuji Television)
• Advertising - Yoshihiro Iwasaki, Chiaki Shimazaki, Yukihiro Yamashita
• Cooking Perspective - Mamoru Kataoka (Owner and Chef of Al Porto)
• Cooperation - JINs GLOBAL STANDARO, Morinaga & Co., Ltd.
• Original work cooperation - Ohta Publishing, Akira Uemura
• Sound Director - Toshiki Kameyama
• Sound Production - Omnibus Promotion
• Music - Kokoya
• Music producer: Yuko Sakurai
• Musical Director - Masao Fukuda
• Music Production - FlyingDog, Fuji Pacific Music Publishing
• Animation Producer - Tsuyoshi Wakamatsu
• Art Director - Yasufumi Soejima
• Animation production - david production
• Produced by: Rispara Production Committee (Fuji Television Network, Shochiku, Movic, Yomiuri Advertising, Sony PCL, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners)

■Subtitle

The subtitles and broadcast dates for each episode are as follows:

• #1 Nicoletta (2009/04/08)
• #2 Ring (2009/04/15)
• #3 Paradiso (2009/04/22)
• #4 Casetta dell'Orso (2009/05/06)
• #5 Taste of Orsini (2009/05/13)
• #6 A Couple (2009/05/20)
• #7 A Special Day (2009/05/27)
• #8 Old days (2009/06/03)
• #9 Ristorante's Holiday (2009/06/10)
• #10 Secret Love (2009/06/17)
• #11 People at the Ristorante (2009/06/24)

■ Theme songs and music

The theme songs and insert songs are as follows:

• OP1 "Marigold"
• Lyricist: Tomoko Nagashima
• Composer - Kazuma Fujimoto
• Arranged by: Kazuma Fujimoto
• Song - orange pekoe
• ED1 "Wonderful Fruit"
• Lyricist: Yuho Iwasato
• Composer - Risa Komine
• Arrangement - Rie Hamada
• Song - Komine Risa
• IN1 "Palette"
• Lyricist: Natsumi Kiyura
• Composed by Jungo Yoshida
• Arrangement - Kokoya
• Sung by: Natsumi Kiyura
• IN2 "poco a poco ~ Just a little way there"
• Lyricist: Yuho Iwasato
• Composer - Uekko
• Arrangement - Sachertorte
• Song - Komine Risa

■ Evaluation and impressions

"Ristorante Paradiso" has captivated many viewers with its unique worldview and heartwarming story. While faithfully recreating the atmosphere of the original work, the expressiveness unique to anime adds even more depth to the work. In particular, the character settings of the gentlemen wearing reading glasses were fresh and offered new appeal to viewers. In addition, the depiction of delicious-looking food and the stunning Italian scenery provide plenty of visual enjoyment. The performances of the voice actors were also excellent, and the performance of Orikasa Fumiko in the role of Nicoletta was particularly moving. The music also matched the atmosphere of the work, and it has received high praise overall.

■ Recommendation points

Ristorante Paradiso can be recommended for the following reasons:

• A unique world view and a heartwarming story
• A new character design: a gentleman with reading glasses
• Delicious food and Italian scenery
• Excellent voice acting
• Music that matches the piece

Related information

The following information is related to Ristorante Paradiso:

• The original manga is "Ristorante Paradiso"/"GENTE" by Natsume Ono (published by Ohta Shoten).
• To promote the anime adaptation, a tie-up was made with Ristorante Al Porto, owned by Chef Yuzuru Kataoka.
• The program was broadcast on Fuji Television, Kansai Television, Tokai Television, BS Fuji, Television Kumamoto, and other stations.
• Copyright belongs to "©Natsume Ono/Ohta Shoten/Rispara Production Committee".

Conclusion

"Ristorante Paradiso" is a work with many charms, including a unique worldview, a heartwarming story, delicious food, excellent voice acting, and music that matches the work. In particular, the new character setting of a gentleman with reading glasses left a fresh impression on viewers, and the heartwarming story that touched the hearts of many people was moving. The depictions of Italian scenery and food are also stunning, making it a visual treat to be enjoyed. Please watch it and experience its charm for yourself.