English Dub Review: Restaurant to Another World “Minced Meat Cutlet / Fried Shrimp”

There is a treasure that is greater than gold. It probably isn’t Minced Cutlets, but that’s at least a start.

Spoilers Below

Courtesy: Funimation

Sarah is a treasure hunter. She’s been after the legendary treasure of William Gold, a treasure hunter like her who retired to a mining village. She’s poured over his journal day and night, trying to figure out the secret, but the hidden cave chamber she’s been led to is empty. Then, she finds the truth. The treasure will only appear on the Day of Satur. But that’s today! She rushes over to the chamber, killing the goblins that were in her way. There, in the hidden chamber, is a door. Welcome to Western Restaurant Nekoya! It is familiar, but strange at the same time. The master gets that a lot. She sits down with some ice water with lemon (ice being something hard to get in her world) and peruses the menu. The thing that catches her eye is the Special of the Day, though she isn’t aware of what it is. Minced cutlets, with a side salad of shredded lettuce. She orders that, and the master recognizes it as fate. She came through William’s door and ordered William’s favorite meal. Even the other restaurant regulars recognize it, calling her Minced Cutlet II. After she eats her fill, the master gets nostalgic and hands her a takeout of minced cutlet sandwiches. This time, on William’s tab. Sarah Gold leaves, happy to have found this one great joy of her father to connect them after his death.

Courtesy: Funimation

Oh, that story wasn’t enough for you? Well, have seconds! We watch as the ronin who frequents Nekoya, one Tatsugoro by name, marches up to a castle on a hill. He asks to speak with the lord of the fortress and presents the man with a sword. He is astonished! Heinrich Seeleman once gave this sword away on one of the most fateful days of his life! The castle he was assigned to as a soldier had come under attack by mothmen. He rode for the capitol to ask for aid, but his horse had been poisoned by the mothmen’s pollen. So, he shed all weight except his sword and ran until his strength gave out. There, at the crest of the hill, lay a cabin with a strange sigil on the door… The Nekoya. He steps inside, and demands by the law of the duchy that he be given succor in the form of food and drink. The master isn’t bothered at all by his urgency and provides him with a pitcher of water and a warm washcloth while he peruses the menu. There he finds fried shrimp, a delicacy that he hasn’t had since he was a child. And due to the lack of proper refrigeration, taking shrimp to the next town would be impossible. How did he get it all the way out here? Nonetheless, the shrimp is amazing, and he eats four full plates. Alack! He left his money behind with his dead horse! He offers the master his sword as collateral and leaves. But when he returns ten days later to settle his tab, the door is gone and the cabin is empty! And here, Tatsugoro stands with that sword, which means he knows the way back to the Nekoya. Finally, Heinrich can return to the restaurant and have the shrimp he loves so much.

So, now that we’ve seen the series outside of the pilot, the format becomes a bit more clear, and to be honest, I like it. Each episode features the stories of two patrons and their relationship with this mystical establishment. This gives the “other world” a sense of breadth by showing us many different parts at different times. There is a sense of mystery about the place, and yet, at the same time, a Cheers-like familiarity. It’s the place where everybody knows your name… even though they call you by your favorite order. The storytelling is simple and refuses to go into exposition. Well, except when describing the food. Upon the master’s cooking entering someone’s mouth, they suddenly gain the enchantment of Intensely Eloquent Inner Monologue. Try casting that at your next gaming session and see what happens.

Now, I’ve seen cooking animes before. This one is a bit tamer compared to those. The way the characters in those reacted to the food was like softcore porn. Here, Caitlin Glass as Sarah does react rather powerfully but holds back from crossing into foodgasmic territory. It’s probably tempting to be over-the-top with your reactions when you do voice acting, and holding back juuuuuust enough is a skill. J. Michael Tatum feels a slight bit flat, but he is intentionally playing the character that way. He’s a stuck up nobleman soldier with a big mission, so his interpretation of Heinrich is to be expected. The voice acting in this series is solid, especially since most of the characters look as if they are only recurring, and not truly regular. No time to ease into the character. The animation and art that we see here is excellent… for the most part. We see gorgeous environments and succulent dishes that make your mouth water, even though they’re just drawings. There are a couple points, however, where the character movements were stiff and unnatural. Specifically, Heinrich descending the dais to talk to Tatsugoro. Despite this, however, the anime is absolutely beautiful, and I give it eight fried shrimp out of ten!

Courtesy: My Kitchen

Oh, and since I told you last time that I wouldn’t watch this anime on an empty stomach, I decided to share my meal with you! Spinach and Egg Cheesy Flatbread, a recent addition to my household cookbook I adapted from a Blue Apron recipe. It’s light but rich and filling. If you want the recipe, though, you’ll have to comment below!

SCORE
8.0/10