Are there genuinely that many food shows out there? Or am I just coming upon them all at once? This offering, “BONJOUR♪Sweet Love Patisserie”, (Bonjour Koiaji Pâtisserie; yes, that musical note is required) tells the story of Sayuri Haruno (can you find the cupcake with the cake?) Now, Fleurir Academy is a prestigious culinary institution (and aren’t they all? I mean, do you really want to go to Duane’s School of Dinner Preparation and Stuff?) and all the people here are destined, fated, kismeted (is that a word? It is now) to go on to bigger and better things. It’s like “Toriko”, but without that nonsense food.

Our heroine is here on a scholarship, which is unheard of. NO ONE gets a free ride here, but here she is (and on that take, it reminded me of “Kitchen Princess”). Now, to make matters worse, her actual teachers are these four-star hunks, oozing with charm and sophistication and plate appeal that it’s a wonder any of the girls can make their confectionaries. They are (clockwise from lower left) Ryo Kouduki, Gilbert Hanahusa, Yoshinosuke Suzumi and Mitsuki Aoi) and are the veritable kings of the campus.

It’s just that this is really a squealing girl show, as these guys could melt chocolate with their smolderingly great looks and are sweeter than any tiramisu you could construct. The tales are five to six minutes each, really enough for a scene or two. I wonder if they felt they couldn’t make it be a half-hour show, preferring to stay with these ‘treats’, for wont of a better description. It’s not a bad show and you could certainly chain them together to get an overall feel for things, but it’s still that old trope of the Upstart versus the Established and that we, the privileged and the elite and the amazingly amazing are never going to let this plebe break into OUR ranks. Except you are really cute and we are all falling for you, much like a collapsing soufflé.

Another thing is that the ‘problems’ they have are not that horrific or that overwhelming of an issue and the concluding episodes seem rushed, as those we feel we have overstayed our welcome and need to get out of here. The actual conclusion sets up the possibility for more adventures, but there is no reason this could not be a full real series instead of the sampler dessert plate. And too many sweets are bad for you.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork 8 (It’s so beautiful; I can’t help myself)
Plot 7 (Falls into clichés quickly)
Pacing 7 (Moves along consistently)
Effectiveness 7 (Too episodic)
Conclusion 8 (It reaches a ‘coupler’, but hasn’t ended)
Fan Service 1 (A similar show would be “Ouran High School”)

Overall 7 (Too ‘squealy’ for my tastes)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. What’s cooking?