I started this week feeling tired again...This feeling isn't new because most of the days I'm like that. Even the weekends aren't exempted, so to somehow relieve that unpleasant feeling I tried to find a lighthearted anime. I've been into drama and action lately, but upon stumbling into this month's quest about cherry blossoms, I thought that those beautiful flowers would most likely appear in slice-of-life anime. I guess a little bit change of pace would be nice, so I spent my weekend finding a mellow slice-of-life anime, and thankfully before the Saturday night ended, I was able to find one! So now be with me as I share with you the heartwarming story of a single father and his ever-energetic daughter in Sweetness & Lightning!
About the Anime
Sweetness & Lightning (Amaama to Inazuma) is a seinen anime that premiered in the summer of 2016. It aired from July 5, 2016, to September 20, 2016 was animated by TMS Entertainment. Its genres are mainly slice-of-life and gourmet, and its themes are childcare and iyashikei. This 12-episode anime is an adaptation of the manga written and illustrated by Gido Amagakure.
After the death of his wife, Kouhei Inuzuka (Sensei) had been solely responsible for the upbringing of their young daughter, Tsumugi. He did his best to balance his work and his responsibility as a father, but at the end of the day, he still can't fully attend to his daughter's needs especially when it comes to her meals. He totally has no skills in cooking so he always ends up feeding her bento meals from the convenience store. He was really frustrated at this incapability, so when an opportunity to learn came—even though still in doubt—he grabbed it for the sake of his daughter.
The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and it was spring when Kotori Iida met Sensei Inuzuka and his daughter. Crying and eating alone the food that's supposed to be eaten by her and her mother, a sense of loneliness hits her. However, the presence of the Sensei and Tsumugi somehow comforted so she invited them to their family restaurant later. Afraid that their family restaurant would totally be forgotten, she convinces Sensei to at least used it for cooking the meals his daughter wants. After much dialogue, Sensei agreed and that started their cooking sessions—where food and memories were reminisced and made.
Cherry blossoms are definitely one of the most common flowers you'll see in most anime—especially those slice-of-life ones. I've seen a lot of them, and mostly they depict hope and new beginnings. I like how this anime made use of that symbolism—of how their meeting under the beautiful cherry blossoms birthed new opportunities to be happy after the death of Sensei's wife. Losing someone that's really close to your heart is devastating. Although not heavily or dramatically depicted, I still felt how hard it was for him.
Also, it's not only on Sensei's end where he experienced a new beginning, but also Kotori. Even though she hasn't lost any loved ones yet, still their absence somehow feels like one. Loneliness is really a cruel and unpleasant feeling because you can feel it even if you haven't lost someone. The mere fact that their absence can make you feel that way is saddening, and that resonates well with me. Finally, the cherry blossoms signified an important turning point in this anime, and undeniably they're part of my favorite scenes to watch.
Moving on from that, this whole anime was totally heartwarming. Its innocence and cuteness really captivated me, and although it doesn't have a serious plot or conflict, surprisingly I didn't feel bored watching. I didn't even realize that it's already the last episode if not for the different ending with the credits on it. The story definitely shared how it is to lose someone, to deal with it and to start anew. The interaction between Sensei and Kotori was cute—especially those cozy window scenes where they're just casually talking about what to cook next for Tsumugi. It's kinda romantic and platonic at the same time, and I couldn't help but feel how fuzzy it is.
As for its art style, honestly, I didn't pay much attention to it because I was preoccupied with their cute interactions and cooking sessions. But anyway, their animation wasn't smooth, but it's decent and nice for its genre. The color palette that they used matches well with the mood of the anime, and so as its soundtrack. I really loved its opening song because it's so catchy and boppy. Even now, I still had its tune randomly playing at the back of my head. While its ending song was also nice, it's not that memorable enough for me tho. By and by, the entirety of its soundtrack was as heartwarming and cute as its story, so yeah, it's definitely a hit.
Overall, this anime was a solid 9/10 for me! Well, it's already obvious why I rated it high because I evidently enjoyed it. Its story, visuals, and soundtrack did well in making this whole anime enjoyable and engaging, and if it'll have a season 2 I would love to anticipate and watch it. So if you're up for a lighthearted and heartwarming story of a cute father and daughter bond with a considerable amount of gourmet stuff in it, then search no more, for you already stumbled on a delightful anime—Sweetness & Lightning!
Before I end this review, I'll share with you its trailer, so—
Have you watched this anime before? Or do you still haven't yet? If you have opinion/s and comment/s about it then feel free to share them. And that would be all for today, minna-san! I hope you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne~
The pictures that didn't have source were screenshots from the anime while the last picture was edited in Canva.
