English Dub Review: Restaurant to Another World “Omelette Rice / Tofu Steak”

This episode brought to you by the Discovery Channel.

Spoilers Below

Courtesy: Funimation

Every year, the Lizard People of the Blue Tail tribe hold a festival, wherein they choose their champion. This year, that champion is Gagonpa, a warrior who led his people in defeating a hydra. It is a great honor to be their champion, and it comes with a prize: He gets to be the one to go through the mystic doorway to the Nekoya, has a meal of his own, then returns with more food for the village. Their meal of choice? Omurice! Here they call it the more formal Omelette Rice, but it’s the same meal Tohru and Kobayashi enjoy! He has his double portion, then returns with three variations on the dish for his tribesmen.

Courtesy: Funimation

Meet Fardania, a wood elf maiden. Her mother passed away some time ago, and today is the anniversary of that death. Each year, she makes a grand feast for her father, using everything she learned from her mother. She heads out into the forest to collect ingredients but senses a powerful magic nearby. Teleportation magic. Cautiously, she heads over to it, finding the door to the Nekoya. She heads inside and is immediately horrified. Everyone is eating human food. Humans eat meat, while wood elves are strictly vegan. A bit snobby, she declares her dietary requirements. There aren’t any vegan choices on the menu, but the Master says he will come up with something for her. What does he come up with? A tofu steak with a seaweed-based sauce, and rice for a side. She’s amazed by the flavor, and it inspires her in the creation of new foods when she returns home.

So, Gagonpa’s story is told by a female narrator, and the entire thing sounds like an Animal Planet special. It feels like this is intentional, and it made me laugh almost all the way through his section. I was interested in his people, actually, and wish I could see a bit more of their culture, but I don’t think that’s in the cards. This show also keeps comparing earth foods with foods from the other world, such as shrimp versus stripe. It is consistent with this and continues to build on its universe from one episode to the next. Fardania’s story wasn’t as interesting, however. It felt like one they’d told before, just with an elf. I get how her motivation was a bit different, but there wasn’t much else. The main change here is the vegan meal. I did enjoy Fardania’s voice, and her actress managed to keep her feeling like a young elf. Granted, in D&D terms (on which this universe seems to be based) a young elf is still about a hundred years old. She’s probably around eighty or ninety. Her voice actress portrayed her youth alongside a mature patience, though I’m not sure if this was intentional. If it was… good on you.

Courtesy: Funimation

The animation wasn’t too shabby, and the art was quite good for Fardania’s story. I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t since locales from it factored into the opening sequence. Gagonpa’s story was well animated, giving a plain, grounded feel to a non-human culture. I haven’t seen any errors throughout, and I’m still teased into appetite by the images of the food. I had a peanut butter apple to keep those feelings down. I know it isn’t gourmet, but it’s a favorite snack of mine. As for this episode, I give it seven orders of omurice out of ten. It would be rated higher, but the story is becoming a little over-formulaic. I’d also like to see some form of conflict soon, as the series up to this point has been continually introducing characters. I’d like to see them all do something.

SCORE
7.0/10