Anime Review - Isekai Shokudou - Light-Hearted and Makes you Comfortable

I'm not really a fan of anime that has a lack of plot, and even more so for niche genres like cooking. Since Koufuku Graffiti, I was hesitant to watch similar anime. However, one bad fruit shouldn't change my mind on this genre. I stumbled upon this anime while watching a top 30 list for upcoming anime or top 30 list for season openings. I was really surprised by how engaging it was. It may be hit or miss for people, but from the start, it hooked me in.

Story (7/10):

There is no clear plot in the anime, but I liked the style of the anime of introducing the backstory of the restaurant's patrons and workers. The anime slowly introduces each of the patron's unique lives before their encounter of the door to Restaurant Nekoya, and we encounter different types of individuals - easy to convince, stubborn, etc, but one thing is for sure, they all succumb to the delicious food of Nekoya. I didn't really understand why the door randomly appears, but I assume that this is most likely due to Red's (the red dragon) power, since she states that the restaurant is her domain. 

We eventually also see how characters connect to each other in real life - e.g. the hunter lady and the demon server. I found this plausible since they are all in the same world. However, some viewers may find the anime boring to watch because there is no real plot and no "amazing factor". But it's up to individual tastes.

Characters (8/10):

I liked all the characters in the anime because all of them were unique, in different ways - in race, in gender, in occupation, in class, and so on. The thing that binds them together is the amazing food from Restaurant Nekoya and it is funny that they all eventually give nicknames to patrons based on their usual food order.

If I had to say who my favourite character is, it's probably the elf since she changed from stubborn and cocky to a food-lover. Food can really change someone. Another person is the Master (the chef) because of how selfless he is and how skilful he is in cooking. It was cool to see the wide variety of dishes that he could cook - all of them mouth-watering. Aletta is cute too :) The fairy also has good plot ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Sound (8/10):

The OP is extremely catchy and I don't skip the OP when I am watching the anime. The ED is ok, but I usually skipped it. The voice acting for the characters were commendable and the respective voices fits each character extremely well. No cringy voice-acting - maybe because all of the voices sounded very mature.

Art (9/10):

The drawings made the food extremely mouth-watering. I think the art is even higher quality than Shoukugeki no Souma, but I think both art style are extremely close to each other, in terms of quality. Made me hungry, but I had to hold back.

Enjoyment (8/10):

The anime was surprisingly interesting to watch for a "plotless" anime. I was never bored at any point in the anime, but this may not be the case for everyone. I think why I enjoyed this anime is the fantastical aspect to it - the idea that food can bring all kinds of creatures together.

Overall (8/10):

Like I constantly say, it's hit or miss for most people, but I too had doubts whether I would enjoy the anime. If you want some comforting anime to watch for chills, this is definitely worth it - it's a chill version of Shokugeki no Souma, and the artstyle will not disappoint. However, if you want some plot-related anime, this is probably not for you, and Shokugeki no Souma is probably more suited for you.