Ristorante Paradiso episode 3

Whoa, Nicoletta loves Sant-0

Hehehe. I don't know why I have a very favorable impression of this series, but whatever it does, its definitely working for me. On one hand, we have this 20 year old chick who falls for someone old enough to be her dad and on the other, we have a set of geriatric, bespectacled "gentlemen" who pretend they don't like a taste of pussy. All combined, it makes for something quite original and effective in luring fans dismayed by the crap flowing out of this season's line up.

Maybe it's Nicoletta's strong personality (mixed with childishness though) that proved key to her being likable, to me at least. Most often, girls in anime aren't pushy. Worse, they are shy, feminine and generally useless pieces of shit (cough*Nagisa*cough), especially in the harem crap shits that we unfortunately have in abundance. Not here though. Aside from series' like Paradise Kiss or NANA, I have never seen any romance angle viewed from the POV of the female, not until Ristorante Paradiso. Usually, it's always the same routine, which is the males POV and quite frankly, it's getting old. Good thing that Ristorante Paradiso is going in the not-so-usual track. Kudos! One more thing, most male oriented romances are pumped full of adolescent rage, not this.

Or Maybe it's because of her mom. Her quite carefree way of being one and the nature of her relationship between her and Nicoletta, which resembles something more like intimate friends or sisters rather than the traditional parental role. I've also gotten tired of moms being portrayed as plain homemakers with no redeeming uniqueness or just as wallflowers, partly because my own mom was neither. But this series is different. The mom is a significant part of the entire story itself. Just like other moms in real life, there are things she does for herself, and she has her own quirks. Olga is a solid character for a role that's usually very flat. Her individuality makes her unique, unlike Nana (Hachiko's) or Caroline's mom.

I like this series. Maybe this and Eden of the east are only the two worth my time.

Stay tuned.