Amaama to Inazuma

Title:Amaama to Inazuma
Sweetness and Lightning
甘々と稲妻
Overall:Buy
Keywords: , , , , , ,
Notables: Animation - Tokyo Movie Shinsha
Math teacher Kōhei Inuzuka is a widower with a young daughter named Tsumugi. Inuzuka isn't adept in the kitchen but with the help of his student Kotori Iida and his daughter, he embarks on a culinary adventure.
(Summary Courtesy of Anime News Network)


12-episode TV anime that premiered on July 4, 2016.
Animated by TMS Entertainment.
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Buy 8 8 8 6 8 8 Ggultra2764 [series:3322#1552]
Sweetness and Lightning is a slice-of-life title focused on widowed father and teacher Kohei and his daughter Tsumugi, who get together with one of Kohei's students, Kotori, to make delicious meals at the restaurant of Kotori's mother. The series mixes around some light humor and drama with exploring the everyday challenges that Kohei has with raising his daughter as a widowed father and establishing their current relationship with Kotori for the three to get together to learn to prepare meals.

What makes the premise for this series work is that it strikes a balance of both being relateable to audiences thanks to Kohei and Tsumugi's domestic situation, and the cooking component making for an immersive component thanks to the work and satisfaction that goes into cooking and eating them. With the mundane feel of the series, Sweetness and Lightning has Tsumugi believably behave for a child her age (and voiced by a child seiyuu as well) and undergo many of the typical quirks someone of her age would have such as amazement of experiencing new things. hating to eat certain vegetables, and raising tantrums if something doesn't go her way. It also believably explores the joys and challenges that Kohei can have with raising her on his own where he can lose his composure if Tsumugi misbehaves or does anything to concern him, and both of them also show signs of coping from the loss of Kohei's wife through enjoying the meals that they prepare with Kotori.

The cooking component of the series makes for the very heart of the series. While the premise would seem like a dull one due to the slice-of-life genre it is part of, the series offers enough focus on the developments of our trio of characters in cooking meals throughout the span of the series. Compare Kohei's skills with food preparation at the start of the series as a complete novice to how well he can manage by the end of it with the subtle improvements he has made in learning to cook. All the cooking scenes with the three show them getting satisfaction out of meal preparation and eventually able to salivate from the results of their hard work with a tasty meal. The visuals for the series also go to great lengths to show off believable detail with the food made, and make the viewer feel just as tempted to try out said prepared food.

Overall, Sweetness and Lightning made for a charming and surprisingly enjoyable slice-of-life anime thanks to the nice balance of believable focus on Kohei and Tsurugi's everyday life and the focus on their cooking sessions with Kotori. A definite recommendation for slice-of-life anime fans.

Last updated Friday, March 03 2017. Created Friday, March 03 2017.

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