The lights shine brightly in downtown Sapporo, and the nightlife is brimming. What if you are not the party type, though? Far on the outskirts, there’s a discreet door at the top of a flight of stairs, and if you have a sad story to tell while drinking and maybe listening to some karaoke, Snack Bar Basue is there for you. Tonight they have a rare new face, Yamada, a shy, overworked, and sometimes surprisingly blunt salaryman with glasses. Yamada is testing the waters of Basue as a possible place for his company’s after-party. When Akemi, the junior hostess, asks him what in the world has prompted him to consider them, he admits that this is just the nearest place. But the very odd and very purple Mama Basue and Tatsu-ni, one of the clients, as well as Akemi herself, won’t let Yamada drink without telling them about his troubles. Nothing too serious, though, as it might ruin the mood. It turns out that he has had to cover for an unfeeling senpai at work today. Nah, that’s lame, says Akemi, whose eyes turn red when she reveals that she’s working and working to repay the enormous debt her boyfriend let her get into before abandoning her. Cue the laughter?

One of my first articles here at BtT was about Bartender, an anime that sang the glories of this kind of small, secluded Japanese bar with kind waiters, built as safe harbors for wandering souls, weary of the battles of life. Snack Basue hits some of the same notes but as a farce, more in tune with (what I imagine to be) the style of Adult Swim-esque shows like BoJack Horseman. It’s Billy Joel’s Piano Man… with only three people in the bar. We’re told that the place is cheap and random, and the animation intentionally tries to echo that: think Mob Psycho 100, but with the static air of a Visual Novel. The characters are caricatures, and the gags tend to have an uncomfortable air to them, hinting at the despair behind the fast comedy numbers. Some land better than others, but you seldom get to smile without discomfort, while the randomness of it all numbs the tragedy. If you combine that with some pretty messed up behavior by the last customer, you’re left with… well, some half-hearted laughs and a vague sense of unease. Unless you’re a pretty committed existentialist philosopher, I do not recommend this one. Bartender was so great, though.

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If you are up for it anyway, you can stream Snack Basue on Crunchyroll.