It’s a drinking show. There is nothing more cuter than seeing a lady drink…..unless it’s a bunch of ladies drink! This one isn’t much different than “Osake wa Fūfu ni Natte kara”, except it’s times four. “Takunomi” (“Drinking at Home”) tells the story of 20-year-old Michiru Amatsuki (lower right). She arrives in Tokyo, where she will start a new job and enjoy a big-city lifestyle.

Yes, the age is important, as the legal drinking age in Japan is 20 and we are constantly reminded of that with this on-screen warnings. (“Underage drinking in prohibited by law. Alcohol is meant to be enjoyed by those 20 and older.”) Lord knows that we cannot see an anime with underage people, gurgling down a heady variety of alcohol! It could cause the collapse of Western Civilization! Boobs, however, are another matter………..

In any case, Michiru moves into Stella House Haruno, a women-only share house, with three other young ladies there (clockwise from the bottom): Nao Kiriyama, Kae Midorikawa and Makoto Kiriyama. They welcome her warmly, and, as they live their lives, they experience the multiplicity of Japanese alcoholic drinks. And each lady has their preference. Nao is beer, Kae is sweet wines and Makoto is cocktails (and, yes, Nao and Makoto are sisters).

The series started out as a 4-koma and shows it with the blackout comedy approach to things. For example, Kae is a wedding planner, but can’t seem to succeed with the men she dates. Although we do see aspects of their working lives, and Michiru’s attempts to be a Tokyo adult (whatever that means; I guess there is a cachet to living in Tokyo), it is more focused on the drinking aspects of things. They try not to get out of hand, but, well, you know, things happen. At least the shows are 12 minutes long, so we can build the tale a bit better, but it still feels like a lot has been discarded along the way, just to get to the drinking portions of the show.

There’s nothing amiss with the show, but it comes off more along the lines of the “Food Wars” bandwagon, in that every anime company has to have some caliber of food show, rather than anything looking like a real plot. I mean, it really isn’t that far from “Wakakozake”, except she was a solo job. So, if you just want to watch ladies gurgling down something stronger than green tea, then this show is for you. Me? I would like something with a bit more of a kick.

Short pulls equals binging. Plain and simple, although it does hold up well to pushing it all out in an evening.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork           8 (Well, they are cute girls)
Plot                  5 (Mere hints of one)
Pacing              7 (Almost too brief for anything to happen)
Effectiveness   7 (Uncertain as to what they want to achieve)
Conclusion      5 (It reaches a ‘coupler point’, but hasn’t ended)
Fan Service     2 (A similar show would be “Okamisan”)
Bingeability    8 (Seriously, ya gotta)

Overall            7 (It is slight)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. Keep your afternoon drinking to a minimum!