The content of this piece was written during a viewing of the first episode of Antique Bakery on March 26, 2011. Edits have been made for spelling and grammar, but the rest is completely untouched, and un-edited from its original format.
2:41 PM: Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to a Saturday Showblog! :)
2:42 PM: Today we’ll be covering something that could be a tasty treat at this somewhat early hour.
2:42 PM: This morning’s feature is Antique Bakery.
2:42 PM: I’ll be honest in saying that I know next to nothing about this show, so we’ll be in for a few surprises together today!
2:42 PM: Anyway, before I begin, I’ll get the basic info out of the way:
2:43 PM: Created by Fumi Yoshinaga (All My Darling Daughters, Ooku: The Inner Chambers)
2:43 PM: Directed by Yoshiaki Okumura (Bakkyuu HIT! Crash Bedaman, Element Hunters)
2:43 PM: Music by Takefumi Haketa (Someday’s Dreamers, Debutante Detective Corps)
2:43 PM: Character designs by Akio Uchino (_Summer)
2:43 PM: Produced by Shirogumi & Nippon Animation (Hunter X Hunter, Dog of Flanders)
2:44 PM: Opening Theme: Life goes on~side K~ by Chemistry
2:44 PM: Closing Theme: Life goes on~side D~ by Chemistry
2:44 PM: Released by [email protected]
2:45 PM: Now, let’s get this rolling!
2:46 PM: Opening to some guy running down a hallway, some bearded fellow trying to catch him
2:46 PM: Beardo looks upset… and we’re in the present >_>
2:46 PM: Apparently, it’s a guy listening to a Cold Case program
2:47 PM: Gotcha – the guy was the one kidnapped, beardo’s some pedophile that’s trying to give him free candy. This looks legit already. >_>
2:47 PM: Well, cakes… and he wakes up.
2:48 PM: To some sunglassed man candy named Chikage.
2:48 PM: “I’d be lying if I said I’m not lucky guy :o” I see… loving family, very rich, starting a cake shop.
2:49 PM: He’s giving up a high-powered CEO job to run a bakery – this doesn’t sound like a cheesy sitcom at all! ;)
2:49 PM: And awesomely bad CG pan over the property! Like Initial D bad
2:50 PM: “There’s a dark void that refuses to be filled T_T” oh god, that beardo DID screw him up
2:50 PM: And opening credits… which are surprisingly upbeat for the mood so far O_o wtf
2:51 PM: Funky paper cut-out in playset motif for the opening credits. Very stylish, for just the intro.
2:51 PM: And it open to more bad CG pan-ins. :D Where’s the Eurobeat? Come on!
2:52 PM: And we’re inside >_> Our main character, Tachibana, meets his old classmate – a guy who had a crush on him in high school
2:53 PM: The guy was fired from his last job… this is getting awkward
2:53 PM: d’aww… he made Tachibana a pastry ;3
2:53 PM: THREE pastries – sorry
2:54 PM: Tachibana remembers, but this fellow seems to act like it never happened
2:54 PM: Here we go – why the guy was fired:
2:54 PM: He’s man candy. o_o The oweners keep falling in love with him
2:55 PM: And it come out – Tachibana’s still his type.
2:55 PM: Forgot to mention his name: Ono
2:55 PM: “I don’t have a gay bone in me! D:” poor Ono :(
2:56 PM: “Promise you won’t laugh? :D” “No T_T” …Tachibana = dick
2:56 PM: Ono: “I’m… the Gay of Demonic Charm! :O” wtf XD
2:56 PM: And Tachibana starts laughing.
2:57 PM: Poor Ono just keeps attracting guys, even if he doesn’t try to. :(
2:57 PM: And he’s changing now… damn, he’s good looking o-o
2:57 PM: CG kitty! :D
2:58 PM: And now we’re watching boxing? >_>
2:58 PM: Ah, here we go – Gym owner and a worker named Eiji – Eiji’s a boxer with a detached retina, so he can’t box anymore.
2:59 PM: Poor Eiji’s really torn up D: Boxing was his life
2:59 PM: “I have connections :3” mafia?
2:59 PM: Oh… ramen shops >_>
3:00 PM: Some stereotype I’m not sure about there, I think.
3:00 PM: Back to Ono and Tachibana, who are now in Shinjuk Ni-chome, aka the Tokyo’s Rainbow District
3:00 PM: Going to a bar in the area called Lollipop?
3:01 PM: Lots of attractive guys cuddling and talking quietly.
3:01 PM: Ono’s cruising, I guess o_o
3:02 PM: Bartender is awesome :D
3:02 PM: Hah.. Ono’s reputation precedes him.
3:03 PM: The exaggerated expressions are such a weird juxtaposition compared to the show’s serious demeanor so far
3:03 PM: Ohp – Ono’s opening the wound now.
3:04 PM: And he’s moved on from high school, to talking about his first experiences…
3:04 PM: Apparently, he’s irresistible to all guys o_o
3:04 PM: And Yu just picked up his company for the night… that was quick o-o
3:05 PM: Outside the bar now… Ono’s talking about working at Antique – he can’t now that he wants Tachibana.
3:05 PM: And he’s forward o_o wow.
3:06 PM: The truth finally came out – Tachibana was the ONLY guy to dump Ono… Ono seems relieved.
3:07 PM: Ono: “am I scary? :D” No… no he’s not – he’s a pretty cool fellow, though
3:07 PM: Looks like Ono’s happy that he can keep his job – even though Tachibana WAS a jerk to him.
3:07 PM: Apparently, Ono takes it as a water under the bridge thing.
3:08 PM: “Why do you keep holding my hand?! T_T” Awkward conversation end leads to happiness for Ono – cute guy from the bar is back for him :D
3:09 PM: The mood just changed completely there… talk about flighty
3:09 PM: More flashbacks – this time from Ono’s dumping. :(
3:10 PM: Wow… Tachibana was a hateful bastard. T_T
3:11 PM: Back at the bakery: we’re back to Eiji, who’s walking by
3:11 PM: And end credits.
3:11 PM: Verdict: This is surprisingly good. o_o
3:12 PM: I wasn’t sure what to expect, since I missed the buzz on this, but I’m honestly pleasantly surprised.
3:12 PM: It’s a sweet story so far, that has a lot of potential to get better.
3:13 PM: My only real complaint is with the overuse of CG – they use it to the point that the beauty of the character designs is lost in ugly scenery
3:13 PM: Other than that, I absolutely recommend things so far.
3:15 PM: Antique Bakery hits on 4/5 through [email protected], so look forward to it! http://bit.ly/fi4wMv
