Forum - View topicBartender Glass of God (TV).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11300 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Bartender Glass of God (TV) Original Series: Bartender (TV) (discussed here) Source: Manga (completed @ 21 volumes, written by Araki Joh, illustrated by Kenji Nagatomo) Demographic: Seinen Animation Studio: Liber Genres: comedy, drama, slice of life Themes: adult cast, drinking, workplace Plot Summary: Genius Bartender, Ryu Sasakura makes the most incredible cocktails anyone has ever tasted. Seeking his "Glass of God", individuals from all different walks of life visit his bar. With both a compassionate ear and a godly drink, Ryu helps people with their problems. Air Date & Platform: April 3, 2024 (Wednesday) Available on: Crunchyroll Episode Count / Runtime: Pending ---------------------------------- One of my favorite slice of life titles. I don't even like drinking, but the ambiance of the '06 series was something else. I just hope the soundtrack for this new iteration does the show justice. The music was a huge part of setting the mood in the original. Don't underestimate the power of a good score. Last edited by Tony K. on Fri Apr 05, 2024 9:06 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23784 |
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Another remake, huh? I haven't seen the original but I'll check this one out. Snack Basue has whetted my appetite for another booze show. Question is... can Glass of God match Snack Basue's exquisite animation and production values???
On a personal level, this show scares me a little. Ever since my Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis a few years ago, I have basically cut out all alcohol consumption except on the very rare occasions I'm in some kind of social situation. I have a feeling this show is going to be showing some pretty mouth-watering cocktails... my personal Prohibition may be put to the test. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2851 |
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#1
I'm watching this because I watched the 2nd PV on Youtube and was struck by its premise. Then I see this thread and realise it's a remake. And this is in a Japan which has an ageing and declining population with its younger members drinking less and less alcohol per year that its government feels compelled to promote a national campaign to drink more alcohol to maintain tax revenues. Remakes might be popular nowadays, but is the timing for this appropriate given the present social environment? Leaving that aside (and the cringe-worthy definition for "bartender" which the previews have already highlighted), if viewers like watching documentaries about Japanese sushi chefs who have dedicated decades of their life into mastering their craft, they'll like this show because there's a lot in common with those shows and this one (it's just one episode, but the vibes are there). Our bartender, Sasaki Ryuu (Unusual first name, it even fits his profession given the meaning), is one of those stereotypical geniuses who has sacrificed what others take for granted (common sense, technology adaptability, an organised lifestyle outside of work etc.) for character traits and adaptations which make him highly suited to the bartender occupation. Being a bartender isn't just about knowing the recipes and techniques required to create the myriad of alcoholic beverages, nor is it about having the right social media profile to attract patrons. For this show, being a bartender means satisfying the customer's order to perfection, whether it's the choice of drink (even it means recommending something else to the customer), its preparation or even the peculiarity of ingredients used. Like many other shows showcasing the Artisan's craft, the level of detail which the show goes into is better appreciated by purists and those with a background or experience with the showcased field. That said, it's something different and very, very niche. An enjoyer of alcoholic beverages isn't a compulsory requirement to appreciate the show's finer details, but it certainly helps (the credits even listed Japan's bartender membership club as providers for technical knowledge). Sift through the barriers and numerous reasons not to watch the show, and what's left is a character-based show with the creation of alcoholic drinks as a key plank to the show's framework. How those characters develop will determine if the show trends more widely than its intended audience. [EDIT: Condescension removed. -TK] Last edited by Harleyquin on Wed Apr 03, 2024 8:46 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23784 |
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I enjoyed this first shot. And unlike another show about a bar I've been watching, I'm *guessing* the male patrons won't be discussing the size of their wangs. Just a hunch.
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Edjwald
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So I've watched a few episodes of the original, and it's not at all a case where I dropped it. The original (from as much as I've seen anyway) is a slow paced, atmospheric, kind of melancholy show very different from the mood and tone of this new pilot. It's basically like that anime about a restaurant between worlds where broken people came to a restaurant and wind up being healed by a near religious experience with a meal, only the meal has been replaced by cocktails and highballs and such. Every episode that I've seen has the same tone and formula, and the bartender remains an enigmatic presence. It's not the kind of show that's meant to be binged. I've watched it a couple of times when I was having a hard time getting to sleep because my mind was restless, and that might sound like a diss, recommending an anime to put people to sleep, but it's basically a healing anime. But I'm sure I will watch another episode and another, but at a very leisurely pace. For me, it's very much an anime that I have to be in the right mood to watch, but when I'm in that mood, it's awesome.
I liked this new anime, and it's much more accessible but less distinct. For one thing, it looks like the contest at the beginning is going to play a much more active role as framework from episode to episode providing more reason to watch week to week. The bartender has also been humanized (at least outside the bar). And it looks like there are going to be supporting characters, at least for a few episodes. This is a much brighter show, art wise and mood wise. The original is very muted and shadowy. Music wise, the background music of the original is much better. It's jazzy, but not one of the kinds of cheap, canned jazz or fusion jazz that can get annoying. I do like the OP of this new show better than the original anime's, and I like the music of the closing sequence about the same, but the presentation of the original anime's closing sequence was a kind of insane live action mix with floating goldfish that was better. So basically, I'd say this new show is more user friendly and the original is more unique. They feel like such different shows that I don't feel that irrational need to choose or defend one against the other. And dammit, I miss Snack Basue already, although the only thing it has in common with the original bartender is that they were both very distinctly their own anime. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 1938 |
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It indeed reminds me of Restaurant to Another World in some regards, all that is missing would be some background stories from visiting patrons and them healing from the drinks. I like how chill the first episode was, it is also educational for people like me who have barely touched a drink their whole life.
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Piglet the Grate
 Posts: 566 Location: North America |
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I see what you did there. 
Liked EP 1 enough that I will stick with it, unless future episodes go downhill in a hurry. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2851 |
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#2
This week's episode sets up the template for future episodes, as well as introducing a few more key characters formally into the setup. If viewers don't like what they see this week, they can drop the show as it's going to be following the general pattern set this week. There's enough in the two episodes to see both the general storyline framing this adaptation as well as the approach taken in its one-off episodes. The focus is more on Sasakura this week compared to the pilot where the hotel employees were taking more of the spotlight. His approach to dealing with customers also relies heavily on his knowledge of the history of cocktails, even the more obscure ones from specific localities. His character in working with customers, no matter how difficult and demanding, also showcases just how seriously he takes his chosen occupation as his vocation for life. The other thing I found interesting is that he splits his work and personal time so distinctly he cannot remember simple things like a similarity in names on received name cards but can remember obscure peculiarities when alcohol and cocktails are concerned. The twist at the end explains quite a bit about Kurushima not getting more flak for the slow search of a bartender. It does not appear her relationship with the hotel owner is public, since her subordinate and manager don't treat her any differently from any other employee. As far as the hotel is concerned, Sasakura is effectively the only candidate they want for their bar but his stubborn refusal is perplexing. Perhaps casual viewers will find out why as the episodes continue to air. Casually showcasing the history of obscure cocktails is something I'm actually looking forward to each week, even if I never intend to drink any of the ones showcased in this series in my lifetime. His English actually improves this episode, as he conveys the meanings of "Old Pal" and "One for the Road" more accurately compared to the pilot episode. Hopefully that continues as well. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 1938 |
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There truly are many unique cocktails and drinks out there, fascinating to see some of them appear in the show. As for the tricky customers, it seems like being a bartender means having a thick skin and a lot of patience at times. I will stick with the show, it seems like a solid educational show drinks wise while also being chill mood wise.
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Edjwald
Posts: 1136 |
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I'm enjoying it.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23784 |
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Episode 2
I'm curious as to why the Bartender is not taking the gals up on their offer. My impression is he could fit the Edenhall gig into this other one if he wanted to, but I'm not 100% sure about that. In any case, the ladies seem to be overlooking other forms of... inducements... at their disposal. Jes' sayin'... |
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Piglet the Grate
Posts: 566 Location: North America |
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The hotel likely has enough money to buy out the Edenhall bar business, which would solve the problem.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23784 |
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But I'm not sure that would even be necessary. I got the impression from the first episode that the Edenhall thing was pretty sporadic. That's where I got the idea that it might be possible to do both. Certainly the second episode showed there was no problem shutting down Edenhall if Bartender's other commitments dictated it. It just doesn't seem to be an establishment with regular hours. But maybe I'm misunderstanding something.
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smurky turkey
Posts: 1938 |
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A clash of the bartenders and their ideologies is not something I expected to see. It made for an interesting battle of drinks so to speak, though I do think that Ryuu was treated a bit too harshly. Getting called upon on a rush to participate in a sudden contest and then getting told to leave now that he realizes how green he is...... I get that it is meant as a lesson but respectful it is not.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2851 |
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#3
It's clear the adaptation treats the profession of bartender as no different from that of the artisan, so bartenders are held in the same esteem as luxury watchmakers and swordsmiths. One of the characteristics of the artisan is the pursuit of perfection, after all if the profession is about creating a specific product, then creating the perfect specimen would be an objective many adherents would strive towards. The question for viewers for this week would be whether bartenders really can be judged in the same manner as watchmakers and swordsmiths, whose products are inanimate and the functions they exhibit are effectively fixed once the creation process is complete (putting aside inevitable entropy). Bartenders like Kuzuhara adhere to the same school as watchmakers and swordsmiths, where the final product has to be exactly the same if made 100 times over to different customers. Sasakura adopts a different approach, he sees his customer with a specific need through his talent for observation and then prepares a drink to satisfy that need. For perfectionists like Kuzuhara, this is blasphemy since bartenders, unlike watchmakers and swordsmiths, prepare a final product (cocktails) which degrades much faster than watches and katanas. For that reason, bartenders have to be as close as possible to industrial machines and produce a final product to exact specifications each and every time with no exceptions. Both Sasakura and Kuzuhara have won prizes in their own right, but one is much further down the career path than the other. Kuzuhara is considered the pinnacle of his profession in Japan, so his words carry weight for Sasakura who has put in the years but is far less experienced despite having the skills and techniques. The contrast between Sasakura and Kawakami in turn reverses roles, with Sasakura holding the position where he can give advice to his less experienced colleague whose techniques are not yet fully developed. Kawakami works hard though, one does not get blisters in the fingers from shaking cocktails without doing the action so many times the skin is worn out. Sasakura would certainly not have given that piece of advice if he did not want Kawakami to continue in the profession, so there might be a follow-up to her arc in future episodes. An earlier comment about the thread about why Sasakura simply isn't bought out from his current role is partly answered. Sasakura does not own Edenhall and runs it at the behest of its actual owner Maki (mentioned off-screen in episode two). Turns out owner Maki is personally acquainted with Owner Kurushima, and both of them have a gentleman's agreement of some sort that Sasakura should be allowed to make the choice of his own volition (otherwise Maki would not make the unreasonable request to close Edenhall and send Sasakura to a direct competitor's franchise to make cocktails). Old Kurushima is very keen on Sasakura as he rates him almost as highly as Kuzuhara, but with the added advantage of youth and many years of gainful employment ahead of him should he be successfully poached. That said, Old Kurushima would like to improve Sasakura further in other aspects besides cocktail making, hence the tests put forward this week. It's also clear the Kurushimas keep their personal relationship quiet from the rest of the employees (no surprises there). Miwa's junior doesn't make the connection between the owner's surname and her senior's, thinking it to be a coincidence. Whether the manager who oversees them is aware of the relationship is unclear. How Sasakura takes this week's defeat moving forward is definitely one to watch. |
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