Koufuku Graffiti Episode 1 Highlights

When the rice come apart one by one as the sweet tofu oozes out… is what happiness tastes like.

There are some things that need to be said of the people behind Koufuku Graffiti that raises our expectations. For one, the series is produced by Shaft and directed by Akiyuki Shinbo (Madoka Magica, Nisekoi, and the Monogatari series). The screenplay is written by Mari Okada (AnoHana, Blast of Tempest, Nagi no Asukara).

A simple story and food service are all you can find here. In a nutshell: family, friendship, food.

Summary
Ryou always wonders why her cooking smells so good but tastes so bad lately despite being an experienced cook. She’s learned her lot from her grandmother who passed away a year ago and now lives alone.

Her aunt informs her that a second cousin of Ryou’s age will be moving in with her in Tokyo to study at a cram school.

Her cousin, Kirin,  arrives but said she left her hometown having a dispute with her mother.

Ryou cooks up a nabe to comfort her and is surprised to learn that it tastes good.

Kirin catches a cold the next morning and comes down with a fever but insists on going to school.

That night, Ryou makes kitsune udon to eas Kirin’s fever. When Kirin finishes eating, they quibble about some inarisan. Kirin doesn’t reveal to Ryou that she has nothing tasty in her house when someone is sick.

Ryou tells Kirin that she’s glad she has someone to cook for again after she reveals that she’s been living alone for a year. Kirin then invites her to become family, affirming the notion that food tastes way better when eaten together and promising to make things up with her mother once she gets back.

The next day, Kirin plots to sneak away some inarisan but ultimately changes her mind. On the train ride to her hometown, she finds them packed in a bento that Ryou gave her.

Comments
It’s simple. It’s cute. It’s fluffy. Heartwarming and stomach-lining. It’s just the perfect anime to watch when one’s looking for those things.

There’s nothing wholly spectacular about it yet. It may not be the best of its kind nor do I think it will contain much depth later on. But it’s fun in its own little way and we’ll always appreciate a good surprise around the corner. The nagging question looms before us when it comes to pilot episodes: will there be more afterwards?

And be prepared: It will leave you hungry for more (food, that is).

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