When it comes to slice of life anime, just about anything is acceptable. There have been anime about sports which try and stay to being more serious instead of presenting the viewer with an outlandish representation, series which have covered school, or even just life in general with Japan’s long running Sazae-san still being the one anime which covers typical Japanese life like no other series has. With a little creativity anything can become interesting no matter how mundane it might be in reality. I’m sure that somewhere out there someone has crafted a compelling story revolving around stamp or coin collecting although I’m not aware of any.

Fumi Yoshinaga’s Antique Bakery first went into in 1999 and as the title suggests, both the manga and anime revolve around a bakery which is focused on serving French-style pastries. The series would become a live action television series in Japan, even a theatrical film in Korea, but it wouldn’t be until 2008 when it would come to life once again as an anime. In the series Keiichiro Tachibana has high hopes of opening his own bakery named antique but first he needs to find the perfect pâtissier and he knows just the person. Yusuke Ono is an old classmate but he and Tachibana didn’t exactly have the best friendship while is school. Ono confessed his love to Tachibana one day, a move which was met not only with rejection but some rather harsh words. Ono also has a reputation from being fired from a number of similar jobs due to starting problems with staff members or even making passes at them, but Tachibana believes that he can keep that under control, at least he hopes so.

Ono decides to give being a pâtissier at Antique a chance and Tachibana begins to hire new staff. Since Ono has a fear of women it will have to be a male who is hired on and the first person is a very unlikely one. Eiji Kanda is a former lightweight boxing champion who has been left with no choice but to retire from the sport because of his detached retinas. He has secretly wanted to become a baker and since Ono has no interest in him beyond their work relationship Tachibana brings him on to be an apprentice pâtissier. The fourth and final person is Chikage Kobayakawa who has been a longtime friend of Tachibana and his family. While he’s not exactly the brightest person, he’s incredibly loyal, evident by the fact that he tracked his friend down out of concern that he might be having problems, and he also has a big heart. He does happen to be the type of guy Ono is interested in and as he has been up front about, he has a certain charm which can make even straight men fall for him.

Although it might sound like a yaoi series Antique Bakery is quite the contrary. It is indeed a slice of life series but it also has a bit more depth than simply revolving around the characters antics at Antique. At the onset of the anime we learn that Tachibana has a very deep rooted emotional issue that he’s been trying to deal with most of his life. He was kidnapped as a child though eventually he returned home with no memory of the ordeal except that the kidnapped made him eat cake. This has caused him to try to avoid sweet completely which makes us, as well as those working at Antique, wonder if perhaps this might be therapy for himself. The kidnapping has also made Tachibana have frequent nightmares, a secret which only Chikaga is aware of and hence the reason that he has been so loyal to his friend. As more and more details start to come back to Tachibana he realizes that his aversion to homosexuals and his lashing out at Ono back in school all can be traced back to the kidnapped often hugging him.

Ono might seem as though he has the potential to be a problem but this isn’t really the case at all. Working at Antique has given him the chance to truly be the pâtissier he has always wanted to be and Tachibana isn’t holding him back. There are only a few minor issues that are dealt with. One of these, Ono’s continuing love of Tachibana, really remains untapped through the series. He keeps his feelings in check and never does anything to put his new position in jeopardy. The biggest problem arises when an old lover comes looking for him not just to possibly rekindle their love but also to hire him on as his pâtissier with a substantial pay increase. There are bigger issues however when Ono’s reluctance, and apparently the old habits of the couple, lead to domestic violence. It’s actually impressive that Yoshinaga would bring this up no matter how slightly as it often seems to be an issue that is never addressed. It truly doesn’t matter what the type of relationship is the reality remains that these situations can exist, straight or gay.

Eiji and Chikage also get some time to further develop their characters. Eiji shows promise almost as soon as he enters the kitchen but there are a few emotional issues that he’s dealing with. As he puts it, he was an unwanted child and has been looking for approval in just about any way that he can. When Tachibana insists that he take French classes he begins to feel as though his value at Antique has become nothing and begins to act out in his own way while still remaining dedicated to his job. Chikage is helpful to everyone at Antique and he only has a truly minor point of background when someone from his past shows up that only Tachibana knows about. Most of the series when he’s not spending time with Ono he busy trying to do anything and everything he can to look after his longtime friend.

Although Antique Bakery does put a slight amount of focus on the cliental which are now showing up at the bakery as well as their efforts to improve what they offer, it’s the development of the characters and their relationship with one another that proves to be the driving force behind the series. In particular though is Tachibana’s kidnapping, an event which continues to haunt him. This becomes even more of an issue when a new string of kidnappings and murders begins to get the attention of the media. This causes those memories to resurface although now, little by little, more details are coming back to him and he can’t help but wonder if these new events might not be the same person who kidnapped him years before.

If the idea of a French bakery in Japan seems a bit ridiculous, I can assure you that it’s not. While Japan might be known for its ramen, sushi, and other culinary cuisine, just like in any country the Japanese do have a taste for other style of cooking. Finding a French bakery there isn’t uncommon at all, nor is finding just a bakery in general. There are plenty of small eateries virtually everywhere in Tokyo which are focused on baked goods and often French-style pasties are readily available. Even the level of presentation that is seen in Antique Bakery is quite common. Often it’s a bit difficult to actually eat the food because you’re too worried that you’re going to be devouring a work of art; the Japanese seem to take great pride in giving their customers some impressive looking dishes no matter what the country of origin may be.

One thing about the series that didn’t necessarily impress me was the style of animation that is used. Quite often you will see Antique Bakery use some computer generation for its interiors and exteriors. While they aren’t as intrusive as some other series have been, it still doesn’t quite feel like it fits in with everything else that is offered. The character designs still retain what could be considered a classic anime look, sometimes even brining in some deformed appearance to add in humor, but they also have an appearance which is a bit more like a manga style in terms of their coloration. There are lighter than normal, very close to what might be soon on the cover of some manga, but it does work for the series and keeps in looking as close to the original source material as possible.

As with virtually every collection that The Right Stuf releases Antique Bakery includes a collector’s booklet which has character profiles, staff interviews, even some information on some of the sweets that you’ll see in the series. The discs feature an interview with Tomomi Kasai who is only a single episode however I believe that the significance on why this would have been found on the Japanese releases is that she’s a member of AKB48. There is also a live event with the main cast members of the series as well as clean versions of the opening and closing animations and a look at the U.S. trailer for Antique Bakery.

Slice of life anime always seems to present something that’s just a little bit different than the norm as well as scenarios which we probably wouldn’t expect to find. Setting a series in a bakery might not seem to be that appealing but Antique Bakery takes the concept and makes it interesting and enjoyable. Anime fans who have been loyally following the titles that The Right Stuf has been releasing already know to expect this to be a series which is quite different and memorable, the sweet stuff that is almost always offered and is unquestionably here.

Episode 1 – Reunion

Keiichiro Tachibana believes he has the perfect person in mind to work at his bakery but he’s concerned that Yusuke Ono might remember what happened between them in high school.

Episode 2 – Eiji’s Situation

With no choice but to retire from boxing Eiji Kanda decides to pursue a new career path though it’s one that is unexpected for most; he wants to be a baker.

Episode 3 – The Fourth Man

Chikage Kobayakawa has found his longtime friend Tachibana once again and it looks like Tachibana is going to be hiring yet another person at Antique.

Episode 4 – The Source of the Nightmare

Eiji and the others wonder just what would prompt Tachibana to open a bakery and that’s when parts of his past are revealed to them.

Episode 5 – An Antique Trial

To promote the store further Tachibana has is having the store covered by the news and then intends on being part of a expo; hopefully Ono can get past his problems with women to make it all work.

Episode 6 – An Antique Crisis

Ono has been given a job offer by his former lover and it’s one that Tachibana can’t possibly match in terms of salary, but there might be another reason that he ends up staying at Antique and not leaving for the new job.

Episode 7 – An Antique Christmas

Tachibana decides that to keep close to his customers not only is he going to deliver the Christmas cakes but he’ll dress up as Santa Clause, something that doesn’t go over well with everyone.

Episode 8 –Chikage’s Secret

An unexpected visitor arrives at Antique, Chikage’s daughter who is upset at her mother. She isn’t far behind to remedy the situation as well as help to shed some light on the nature of their relationship.

Episode 9 – Eiji’s Melancholy

Tachibana insists that Eiji start taking some French classes but he believes that the real reason is that he’s no longer needed at Antique.

Episode 10 – For the Sake of this Day

The news of another kidnapping and murder has Tachibana reflecting on his own past, something which has his nightmares coming back to haunt him once again.

Episode 11 – The Criminal

The police enlist the assistance of Antique in hopes of catching the kidnapper. Their plan seems to fall through while Tachibana seems to have more success.

Episode 12 – The Unending Nightmare

With the criminal finally caught Tachibana still has no resolution to his own abduction and things at Antique begin to change, but not necessarily in a bad way.

-mike-
 

Genre: Slice of Life   Series Director: Yoshiaki Okumura   Directed by: Episode 1, 5 – Takahiro Okao Episode 2 – Yoshitaka Moriyama Episode 3 – Miho Hirao Episode 4, 8 – Yasuo Tsuchiya Episode 6, 12 – Yoshinori Odaka Episode 7 – Yasushi Kushibiki Episode 9 – Takji Kawanishi and Yusuke Fujikawa Episode 10 – Toshio Yamauchi Episode 11 – Shinpei Ezaki Written by: Natsuko Takahashi Based on the Manga by: Fumi Yoshinaga Original Japanese Title: 西洋 骨董 洋菓子店 / Seiyō Kottō Yōgashite Voice Cast: Keiji Fujiwara (Keiichiro Tachibana) Shinichirō Miki (Yusuke Ono) Mamoru Miyano (Eiji Kanda Kazuhiko Inoue (Chikage Kobayakawa)

DVD Features: Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Audio: Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 English subtitles   Disc 1 Episodes: 1 – Reunion 2 – Eiji’s Situation 3 – The Fourth Man 4 – The Source of the Nightmare Special Features: Clean Opening Animation U.S. Trailer Disc 2 Episodes: 5 – An Antique Trial 6 – An Antique Crisis 7 – An Antique Christmas 8 –Chikage’s Secret Special Features: Clean Closing Animation Interview with Tomomi Kasai Disc 3 Episodes: 9 – Eiji’s Melancholy 10 – For the Sake of this Day 11 – The Criminal 12 – The Unending Nightmare Special Features: Live Event Coverage