Numerous people drift through this bar, all in search of something, all in need of something, all in quest of something. Sasakura knows what it is and offer his assistance. In this approach, he is less Sam Malone and more Severus Snape. He’s not merely pouring a drink, but making a potion, a brew, a masterpiece. Also, you are not drinking to forget, but more to remember what you forgot all those many years ago. So whether he is helping a writer, deflecting a con man or instructing a professor, this guy knows his stuff. But he never flaunts it.

This is a good looking show that keeps a naturalistic look and does not go into anime tropes that bedevil other shows. It is low-key and sober (Ha! Ha! Sober in a bar. That’s rich!) as we take a firm hand in unspooling these stories.

This is a show that, by its very nature, cannot go on for too many episodes, as it can become the Help This Person This Week kind of approach. The show opens with a bit of trivia about drinks and closes with the instructions as to how to make the drink so profiled in the episodes, but you had best have a well-stocked bar, as I do not know if you have these liquors. And they cite the alcohol by name: Drambuie, Laphroaig, Old Parr, Mumm’s, Sauza, Pernod, whatever. You see the actual bottles of the actual drinks, so it’s not Malilu Rum or Kallua Liqueur or Farly Times Scotch.

I enjoyed this show for the mystery it brought and that it treated both drinks and the drinker with a great amount of respect and dignity, even if all you want to do is get drunk. The episode with the con man was especially intriguing, as there was a contest to show who really knew more about what was really going on. You also want to hang around for the very end credits. Aside from it being live action, you see a real live bartender make the drink that was featured in the show. And what is this thing about round ice?

Although you could call this a ‘slice of life’ show, it goes far beyond that and can be considered a hallmark of what anime can really accomplish, when allowed to do so.
On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork 8 (Crisp and precise)
Plot 8 (Tells its stories very well)
Pacing 8 (Deliberate slow pacing suits it)
Effectiveness 8 (For what it does, it does it well)
Conclusion 8 (It reaches a ‘save point’, but it do end)
Fan Service 1 (A similar show would be “Ouran High School”)

Overall 9 (Hits all of its marks)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. Welcome.