Forum - View topicREVIEW: Ristorante Paradiso GN 1
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vashfanatic
 Posts: 3495 Location: Back stateside |
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Um, Ristorante Paradiso isn't a shoujo series. It ran in a seinen magazine, albeit one that has quite a few romance series and probably has a solid female readership as well. But that's the reason this isn't like a shoujo series: it's aimed at grownups, not teenagers. |
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Otaking09
 Posts: 637 |
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I really enjoyed the anime ver. One of few series I really enjoyed, despite not knowing anything about it.
Makes me want to pick this GN up. It's a quiet story, and that's a good thing. |
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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I watched the first few episodes of the anime but never ended up finishing it. I have a feeling that I might enjoy the series more.
And I do agree with the view that Nicoletta is a bit too immature for the story she's in. There were times I felt like the "adult" characters were adult in name only. But it still is very different from the other shows I've seen/manga I've read, which definitely warrants another look. |
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Moomintroll
 Posts: 1600 Location: Nottingham (UK) |
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I think Nicoletta's immaturity is essentially a side-effect of her character not being very developed or rounded in general. She's a bit flighty and insubstantial.
But that's no great detraction in this case - I think Ristorante Paradiso is much more about the tone and the atmosphere than it is about the plot or the character development. It works more than well enough on that level to be something I can wholeheartedly recommend (and even if it didn't, it would be worth picking up for Ono's wonderful artwork). On the evidence of this and Not Simple, Ono is far from flawless but she's also a breath of fresh air, her art's already great and her writing's only going to get better. |
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Pocky Monster
Posts: 237 |
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Agreed. 
I really liked the anime version of Ristorante Paradiso and the manga didn't disappoint me. I love the relaxed atmosphere. In fact, that was what drew me to the series. |
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LaFreccia
 Posts: 324 |
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I don't want to overstate this, because I don't completely disagree that Nicoletta is immature, or that, after she puts the moves on, she turns into a more traditional (passive/unsure) shoujo heroine, but I do want to defend her a little bit. Nicoletta is incredibly mature compared to her mother. If you think about Nicoletta learning maturity from her mom, it is a little easier to see her as reasonably mature. Also this is a story about falling in love, which means addressing insecurities to some extent. Having said this, I will also admit that I thought Nicoletta's mom was reprehensibly selfish. So being more mature than her isn't much of a bar.
Also I think Moomintroll's comment gets at something. In some respects Nicoletta, despite being the perspective character, isn't the main character of the story, Claudio is. In some respects this isn't a story about her love, but his. Anyways, great book. Get it. 
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Fronzel
Posts: 1906 |
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Apparently they mangaged to screw up the cultural setting in the anime by having people bow. Is that in the manga? |
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marie-antoinette
Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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This is true, however given the fact that Nicoletta was mostly raised by people who were NOT her mother, I think this explanation doesn't completely excuse things. However, from my anime watching the immature behaviour that bothered me most was actually from Claudio. When he spoiler[was blushing and all uncomfortable after Nicoletta came onto him] I felt like I was reading about a thirteen year old boy. I get some of the reasoning for it but the execution, IMO, was not only cliche but also jarring given the overall atmosphere. |
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portgas
Posts: 66 |
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"An entertaining and interesting group of male characters makes this the perfect refuge for the older female reader."
I'm an older female reader, and while I enjoyed both versions of Ristorante Paradiso very much even with their respective flaws, I hardly think of this as a refuge. I have a good idea what is probably under those aprons and I don't think man boobs and fallen asses are much of a "refuge". (Sorry guys, it will happen to you and we do notice.) I'm thinking more a "Youka Nitta" type consolation in my advancing years. However, I did enjoy this(and the anime so very much) for the interesting characters and for showing us a group of people we don't often see portrayed seriously in manga. edit: On reflection, it occurs to me that Vito is the possible exception, but you get my point. |
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Brand
 Posts: 1029 |
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I've watched the anime and for what I can remember there is no really out of place bowing. I can't say there was none, just nothing that stuck out. The most notable thing I thought stuck out (being from Italian American family) is that Italian people are very 'friendly' with the hugging and cheek kissing which was completely absent from the anime. Also not enough hand waving while talking. But considering Japan's portrayals of say the U.S., it was much more believable. I went out and bought Ristorante Paradiso yesterday and while I liked it, this might be a case where I liked the anime better. I think some things were executed better and had more emotional impact. Also since the anime incorporates Gente's stories into it the characters are more well rounded. Really this volume felt like the abridged version of the anime. Since anyone can watch the anime for free stream on CR, if you have a microhm of interest it's totally worth checking out. Now, if someone would release her yaoi titles like Kuma to Interi and Amato Amaro. I'd be all over that. They were a great change of pace from the normal yaoi fair. |
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marie-antoinette
Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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The only cultural complaint I have ever seen is that the Japanese seiyuu are really bad at any lines that are in Italian (I think the complaint wasn't pronunciation as much as it was that the lines had absolutely no expression to them and thus were pretty monotonous). Oh and I believe the name of the restaurant is actually something that would never be done (though they do somewhat address that).
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Moomintroll
Posts: 1600 Location: Nottingham (UK) |
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A yaoi fair? I won't ask what sort of rides they'd have... |
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