Amaama to Inazuma or Sweetness and Lightning was definitely an easy pick when it came to the summer anime season this year. There's a cute little girl with a widower father, his high school student, and a lot of food. It could go anywhere, I tell you. Anywhere.
Inuzuka Kohei is a high school teacher who is raising his young daughter, Tsumugi, on his own after the death of his wife. Busy with school work and not as adept with house work, Kohei usually depends on convenience store meals for Tsumugi's meals at home and at school. A chance meeting with his student Iida Kotori leads to visiting her mother's restaurant, where Kotori invites father and daughter to learn how to cook together.
Every episode featured a new recipe for Kohei and Kotori to try, and for all of them to enjoy. They started with the basics of cooking rice to the more complex recipes that are a staple in Japanese homes. While Kohei attempted to follow the instructions written by Kotori's mother and taking care of cutting the ingredients, Kotori assists and helps with seasoning to ensure that the taste is accurate. Tsumugi also helps out, but is mostly there to benefit from the results of their shared experience and efforts.
It could just have been about the food and I would have been content to watch the series. Instead, Amaama to Inazuma gave viewers something more to look forward to in its storytelling. The dishes they choose to cook aren't random, though Kotori can dream and think of suggestions all day. Most of the time, they are requested by Kohei who wants to cook the food that Tsumugi likes or food that she might be interested in trying out for the first time. In every episode, there is a story of why they chose a certain dish, such as a failed attempt to eat okonomiyaki at a restaurant or trying to get Tsumugi to eat bell peppers. But the dishes that are most important are the ones that were special to Kohei and Tsumugi... the dishes that his wife used to cook for them when she was still alive.
Kotori learns to cook alongside Kohei, and finds that their cooking sessions are a source of joy as much as eating itself (and boy, does this girl love her food). She is always concerned about the father and daughter, and is usually very sensitive to their relationship, even offering mature advice when Kohei is finding it hard to deal with a toddler ready to burst out in tantrum. It's not hard to understand Kotori's affection for the two, especially after understanding her rather lonely home life... a child of divorce and a mother who is usually too busy to even run her own restaurant. Kohei and Tsumugi are exactly what she needed and even helped her learn to interact with others outside of her friendship with Kojika Shinobu.
For the most part, however, Amaama to Inazuma is Kohei and Tsumugi's story, who try to make the best out of their situation even if they do miss Tsumugi's mother. Tsumugi is a mostly happy child, but she is also prone to outbursts and emotional fits, especially if she feels that she is misunderstood or scolded. The series chronicles Kohei's journey as a single parent, one who initially struggles to fit in all of his parenting duties on top of an already demanding career as a teacher, requiring the occasional assistance from his friend Yagi Yusuke. He eventually learns to cook for his daughter, finding her positive feedback on his cooking a much rewarding experience. Outside of the cooking sessions, Kohei also learns from other parents and by listening to Tsumugi to cover other parenting responsibilities that he would have overlooked had his wife still been a part of their daily lives.
The colorful animation of Amaama to Inazuma gave me the impression that I was going to watch a light anime fare. In a way, that is true, with the series featuring both food that you just want to try cooking yourself and characters who are easy to relate to. But there is a deeper layer to its storytelling, covering loneliness, loss and parenting challenges... the layer that I didn't expect would tug my heartstrings as much as it did.
I suggest you give Amaama to Inazuma a shot if you haven't yet... come for the food and stay for the great story.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Amaama to Inazuma, Anime, Comedy, Drama, Food, Must-Watch, Slice of Life, TV
