OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)Ryu hangs out with some bartender friends and helps one get over a lost love by drinking!OUR TAKEWhat? That’s a technically correct summary of what happened! Okay, okay, given that this show is about well studied professionals who are experts in preparing alcoholic drinks, there is in fact more going on here than just a bunch of twenty somethings doing day drinking. These are people who are diving into their passions about a particular field, that just so happens to involve drinking a lot. In this case, it’s like a wine tasting, but whiskey from a distillery, and mainly as a way to introduce another bartender character, Kelvin Chen. Kelvin is pretty quiet and closed off, very focused on his craft, but also has regrets about choosing that craft over a brief chance at love he had a long time ago; a young girl named Chitose whom he formed a close bond with due to sharing pressures from their parents to take over their respective businesses. The two planned to go to a festival together but, because he was too scared of his father, Kelvin didn’t go, and he never heard from this girl again. That’s very sad and all, and maybe there will be some resolution to that later in the series, but I guess what I’m having trouble with is how this sad backstory connects to just having Ryu make him pot whiskey with “just a splash of water” to help him let go of his regrets.I’m starting to think that maybe mixing drinks is not the best focal point to get all of these characters to have related but distinct character arcs. I mean Ryu does have something potentially happening where he is in conflict with what exactly he wants to do with his drink making ability, while Kyouko has performance anxiety about whether or not she can make good drinks under pressure. Those are both relatable things that CAN apply to many fields and occupations BUT are so far being effectively translated through the lens of a bartender, and hopefully continue to do so. Kelvin though…I suppose you can take this as a not uncommon thing where finding love and improving in your own career often clash, but the episode’s solution is to then have him just…try this other unrelated drink. Sure, they make a very tenuous connection to the situation, but that doesn’t really hold up. Ah well, we’re not even halfway through the show yet so there’s always the chance this was just the odd one out.