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REVIEW: Bartender Glass of God Anime Series Review




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Eilavel



Joined: 16 Apr 2024
Posts: 115
PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2024 12:54 pm Reply with quote
Now, I don't think there is anything wrong with preferring the episodic and avant garde original run. But I can't personally agree with this review myself.

The stories of characters like Kelvin had a lot added to them by not having to be compressed into one episode. The series kept the thematic elements but combined them with greater realism and with reflections on work and life that I found fairly touching.

The comparison to Yuru Camp is especially bizarre; the new series basically is Yuru Camp with adults, booze instead of camping, and something more to say. Theres basically no parallel between the original theatrical glass of god oriented anime and Yuru Camp except they both contain some information on an interest (which, really, is less and less a Yuru Camp focus).

I would say, if you want a more episodic anime which is - in a quiet and stylish way- extremely bombastic and theatrical with a lot of details about alcohol, the original Bartender is a great choice. Its like a more self-serious Death Parade, perhaps.

If you want an adult workplace drama, thats about real people dealing with moving forward through lifes difficulties and endings, that also is about alcohol, I think thats exactly what the new version delivers.

I'm happy to have both; I prefer the latter, but I think they have quite different approaches and despite adapting the same material I don't think either really overshadows the other.
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LinkTSwordmaster



Joined: 23 Dec 2005
Posts: 477
Location: PA / USA
PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2024 1:06 pm Reply with quote
This is the recurring nightmare I have when something like Ranma 1/2 gets mentioned for a remake - if the original is really solid and you're not telling stories about something that's either an entirely separate set of characters in that same world or something that's absolutely-positively a sequel, then the likelihood of exceeding the quality of the original is really low by default.

I'm really disappointed to see that this apparently dropped the ball because the original Bartender show was the perfect "I'm sleepy and want to chill before bed" sort of show to wind the evening down with. Was rough to read - it straight up just kinda sounds like a misfire from whoever it was that was in charge of adapting the show.... once all of the episodes are up somewhere I can give it a fair shake but wow.... a real downer to hear!
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Glordit



Joined: 11 Sep 2020
Posts: 607
PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2024 2:40 pm Reply with quote
The new series was great! This was never marketed as a continuation from what I remember, it was basically a reboot of the series, and I thought it had a great balance of trivia, cocktails and storytelling.
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BadNewsBlues



Joined: 21 Sep 2014
Posts: 6191
PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2024 4:34 pm Reply with quote
LinkTSwordmaster wrote:
This is the recurring nightmare I have when something like Ranma 1/2 gets mentioned for a remake - if the original is really solid and you're not telling stories about something that's either an entirely separate set of characters in that same world or something that's absolutely-positively a sequel, then the likelihood of exceeding the quality of the original is really low by default.

A remake shouldn’t solely attempt to make succeed the quality of what it’s following but match it. And granted it may never do that depending on a variety of factors but sometimes just as good, close/close enough is fine.
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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2634
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2024 5:17 pm Reply with quote
BadNewsBlues wrote:
A remake shouldn’t solely attempt to make succeed the quality of what it’s following but match it. And granted it may never do that depending on a variety of factors but sometimes just as good, close/close enough is fine.

The thing with Bartender is that, from what I can tell, the original anime from 2006 wasn't actually a "proper" adaptation of the original manga, while Glass of God here actually is a direct adaptation of the manga. This is a common thing when it comes to Yasuhiro Imagawa, who was head writer of the first Bartender anime, as he tends to diverge from the style of a manga when he's hired to write, even if the anime is technically accurate to the original story; he doesn't always do this, but more often than not he does. For example, Imagawa took The Violinist of Hameln, which was a comical fantasy adventure manga, & turned it into a very serious & operatic dark fantasy tale, all while still technically adapting the manga's plot, for as long as the anime ran. If you want a more manga-accurate anime then you'd have to watch the movie that came out before the Hameln TV anime, as that's accurate to the manga's comedic style.

Therefore, Glass of God wasn't aiming to remake the original anime, but rather deliver a more accurate adaptation of the Bartender manga. In that case, it is even a "remake"?
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TheOnePieceIsReal



Joined: 06 Jul 2024
Posts: 57
PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2024 6:05 pm Reply with quote
Lord Geo wrote:
Therefore, Glass of God wasn't aiming to remake the original anime, but rather deliver a more accurate adaptation of the Bartender manga. In that case, it is even a "remake"

Well the Google definition says that a "remake" is:
Make something again or differently
or
a movie or piece of music that has been filmed or recorded again and rereleased

The shows are still based on a material that once existed in one form. And heck there are other reasons to remake them other then to be more accurate to the manga.

Like Ranma 1/2 and Magic Knight Rayearth have old and outdated animation. Sure, I'll admit that the old animation can still have their own level of charm to them but they're still not up to date compared to modern animes.

Or in One Piece's case the infamous pacing issues that plague the Toei anime which could scare people away so remaking the anime from the starting point again could be in favor for it. And I should point out that out of the animes I listed One Piece was the one that was more manga accurate compared to Ranma and Rayearth.

So these anime remakes can still be called remakes because they are about taking an already existing anime and retelling it differently from the original anime. Whether that's being more accurate to the manga, better animation, or cutting out the fat (IE filler). They're still remakes because an anime existed before the announcement of a new anime. Same medium, but retold again differently.

EDIT: Didn't like what I typed in the last paragraph so I fixed it.


Last edited by TheOnePieceIsReal on Wed Jul 10, 2024 10:33 am; edited 3 times in total
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Zhou-BR



Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Posts: 1456
PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2024 7:13 pm Reply with quote
As someone who didn't watch the previous adaptation, I liked the new one just fine, and I appreciate the fact that it managed to tell a complete arc over 12 episodes. Each episode left me with a pleasant feeling and really made me want to go out and have a drink, which I sadly couldn't because I had to work the next morning.

Also, it sure was a great commercial for Suntory's products, and I was surprised to find out they distribute Brazil's own Cachaça 51 in Japan. I went bananas when Ryu used it to made a caipirinha, which I consider a contender for "glass of God". Really, the show could have ended right there as far as I'm concerned.
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
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Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 16961
PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2024 10:44 pm Reply with quote
I have not finished the new version, but I have watched half and I did watch the original. I agree to a point that this new version perhaps does not have quite the emotional impact the original did. Perhaps some of that is due to this not really being new for those familiar with the original. Maybe those not familiar with the original version might feel a bit more emotional impact for the stories in the new version.

That all being said I do think this remake/retelling is decent enough. I don't mind seeing more of Ryu and losing a bit of the "mystique" he may have had. Nor do I mind Miwa having a bit of a larger role. Part of that might come down to my personal preference regarding remakes in that they don't do a 1:1 retelling. I figure I am more in the minority with that. I'd say this version is rather good, but perhaps not great like the original.
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Cardcaptor Takato



Joined: 27 Jan 2018
Posts: 5047
PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2024 11:41 pm Reply with quote
Are bartenders really expected to server as basically therapists for the customers? I enjoyed the show mostly and I don't drink so I'm not that familiar with bar culture, but I can't imagine real life bartenders are that deeply involved in being expected to fix the personal problems of their customers for little pay.
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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2634
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Wed Jul 10, 2024 7:59 am Reply with quote
Cardcaptor Takato wrote:
Are bartenders really expected to server as basically therapists for the customers? I enjoyed the show mostly and I don't drink so I'm not that familiar with bar culture, but I can't imagine real life bartenders are that deeply involved in being expected to fix the personal problems of their customers for little pay.


Not really I Imagine (though I'm sure it exists here & there), but it is an old & common storytelling technique, in general. The calm & experienced bartender/barkeep/proprietor who regales patrons with wisdom to deal with their problems, or at least just act as a sound board for them to bemoan to, in exchange for a drink is an idea that's essentially as old as time, simply because it's cool & reliable.

And, for Japanese stories, if the person is a woman then they're often nicknamed "Mama" by the patrons, re-enforcing the concept even more.
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
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Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 16961
PostPosted: Fri Jul 12, 2024 1:12 am Reply with quote
Cardcaptor Takato wrote:
Are bartenders really expected to server as basically therapists for the customers?

It really depends on the place/environment. Before I got back into vet med as a tech I worked in restaurants as a cook/bartender. Sometimes people just want a time/place to let word vomit come out. I feel often it's easier with a stranger as many people feel less insecure or nervous as opposed to talking to someone you know and who's opinion matters to you. Often alcohol can loosen lips and your inhibition/desire to keep those thoughts/words bottled up even if you didn't intend to share them. Again though, it really depends on the place you're drinking and the vibe/environment. Plus on the attitude of the bartender as well. Many are not that personable and just sling drinks to fill orders.
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Piglet the Grate



Joined: 25 May 2021
Posts: 717
Location: North America
PostPosted: Fri Jul 12, 2024 7:51 am Reply with quote
Redbeard 101 wrote:
Cardcaptor Takato wrote:
Are bartenders really expected to server as basically therapists for the customers?

...Again though, it really depends on the place you're drinking and the vibe/environment. Plus on the attitude of the bartender as well. Many are not that personable and just sling drinks to fill orders.


Of course many drinking establishments are just too loud to have a conversation in.
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