First Impression: Ramen Akaneko

Tamako Yashiro is on the all-too-familiar job hunt. After quitting her former job where she was mistreated, she is looking to make a change with a brand new employer. At the prompting of her aunt, she goes to Ramen Akaneko to put in an application. There’s just one thing—it’s run entirely by cats. Led by head cat Bunzo, the restaurant thrives by providing good service and excellent ramen to their customers, though there is always a risk of a stray hair falling in the soup. After a one-question interview about her preferences for cats over dogs (she’s more of a dog person than a cat person), and after a round of brushing for all the employees (something that human resources in any normal business would typically frown over), Bunzo decides that Tamako is just the right fit for their restaurant; after all, even a cat needs a hand from a human. And so our young new hire begins to learn the ins and outs of working in a ramen shop that just so happens to have a feline workforce. I hope you like cleaning up fur, sweetie. Cue the Kitty Shenanigans!

Yeah, there’s nothing too much to write about this one guys. It’s cute kitties doing cute things. It’s a lighter version of last season’s Tonari no Yokai-san. Apparently, everyone in this town is cool with a bunch of walking and talking cats serving them food. It’s no big deal! It’s even more of a nothing burger that a Bengal tiger makes noodles in the back and also acts as a bouncer for unruly customers. Typically, whenever I see a Bengal tiger anywhere, I’m a little cautious… Heck, I even give Mike the Tiger, the mascot of LSU, a cautious glance whenever I find myself on campus walking past his rather large yet very secure enclosure. You just never know, after all. But I digress. I love that this show gives our feline cast human traits without making them too human. They run the business with the same dedication and aplomb as humans, but they still have those feline quirks that we know and love…and sometimes hate.

From a production standpoint, Ramen Akaneko doesn’t really do much special. Created by relative newcomer E&H Production Co., the animation is good for what the show is. Just make the felines look adorable and make sure our female lead has ten fingers, ten toes, and eyes that look in the same direction at the same time, and you’ll be just fine. As weird as this may sound, I like the animation of this one better than their first production, Ninja Kamui. The OP, “Akaneko” by Wednesday Campanella, is upbeat and cheerful with some gorgeous, wallpaper-worthy animation. The ED, “Honjitsu no Osusume” by Rikon Densetsu, is, well, simple and cute, featuring our cast dancing and doing, well, cat things. It’s effective and perfect for the show. I also love the shot of our boss cat tying on his headband! It reminds me so much of Soma from Food Wars…except, you know, a cat.

So where does that leave us with Ramen Akaneko? Simple. This show is the feel-good, warm, and fluffy slice-of-life anime of the season it seems, and as such, I think I’ll be giving this one a follow. While at present this show doesn’t look to be more than cute girl in cute circumstances, for those who are looking for a respite from the shounen action torrent that we seem to find ourselves in every season, Ramen Akaneko looks to be a prodigious port in the storm. I’m just thankful that I didn’t have to brush my coworkers when I got hired on at Beneath the Tangles.

Ramen Akaneko is available for streaming on Crunchyroll.

Josh
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2 thoughts on “First Impression: Ramen Akaneko”

  2. This was by far the best slice of life anime I’ve watched this year! I’m so sad that it’s over and recently started reading the manga, and damn did the anime adapt it almost EXACTLY. It felt like I was rewatching the show and I got that warm feeling again : )

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