Ramen Akaneko

I like four panel, slice of life, little 4-panel comedy manga. They are probably my favorite genre as they are perfect to unwind with shows like My Deer Friend Nokotan and A-Channel. This wasn’t quite up there at that level. It’s mainly an issue with the animation because it’s a weird combination of 2D animation and 3D CGI which is disappointing. But at the end, it’s definitely heart warming and you get to have some fun with it with a couple of dramatic moments thrown in but overall, it’s decent and I would definitely come back for Season 2. Plus it’s a comedy with anthropomorphic cats,who wouldn’t love that.

Red Cat Ramen - Cats running a restaurant? Interesting. It's insane to know that there are all kinds of works featuring anthropomorphic animals, but when it comes to actual anime representation, they're far and few in-between. But let's cut to the chase, from the absurdly weird Egumi Legacy to the fantasy-laden Bye Bye, Earth, only one show in this Summer 2024 season, will I tempt to request you to take a second chance to watch: mangaka Angyaman's Ramen Akaneko a.k.a Red Cat Ramen, which has an interesting tale of how it got from the books to the small screen. Created by mangaka Angyaman, his first foray beingthe short-lived 2-volume series Yoru wo Higashi ni a.k.a East, Into The Night, as a Shueisha Shonen Jump+ title, it was intriguing, but nothing much more from that. Then came the breakthrough that would be Ramen Akaneko, which got its start on Jump Rookie, attracting a fanfare attention of a record 400k views within 3 days, enough for the manga to be serialized as an indie series, and then promoted to regular serialization, all within the space of less than a year from November 2021 to October 2022. And mind you, this side project for Indie series in Jump+ was brand new at the time of its inception in April 2021, and this manga alongside mangaka You Chiba's Yochien Wars a.k.a Kindergarten Wars, are the only 2 series that achieved this unpredecented record. This leaves the manga (as of this review) at 9 volumes and counting, which is a testament that Shonen Jump+ titles like mangaka Masaoki Shindo's massively popular RuriDragon have a spot at achieving big things whilst getting attention like the heavy hitters out there. But I'm getting ahead of myself. If you have to define a slice-of-life series, Ramen Akaneko would be it, and it embraces the genre to its full potential. The titular establishment of a ramen shop that's run by talking cats, it has always been the bread and butter of operations, until a human comes around seeking a job at said restaurant. This human would turn out to be a young woman by the name of Tamako Yashiro, who quit her job at an advertising design company, citing its toxic environment. The admission of Tamako being that she's more of a dog person than a cat person, she soon takes responsbility of upholding the restaurant's unique morales and values, led by the orange tabby cat of head chef Bunzo and the grey tuxedo cat of restaurant owner Pudding Sasaki. Alongside its other unique characters, the black cat of sous-chef Sabu, the white cat of customer service manager Hana, as well as the Siberian/Bengal-offspring tiger of in-house noodle maker Krishna, a day in Ramen Akaneko always has unexpected surprises in store for Tamako and the cats. Despite being a series full of episodic vignettes, the strength of Ramen Akaneko lies in its characters, who're all quite the unique animals they are, as much as Tamako is relegated to kitten-brushing duty for the cats who're constantly shedding their fur, and that would not be good if it got in the way of the delicious and sumptuous ramen that the restaurant makes and serves to its loyal customers who come back time and time again for some unique ramen served by animals instead of humans. Take Krishna for example: despite being voiced by (surprise, surprise) Saori Hayami of Spy x Family's Yor Forger fame, the tiger, despite her big size, sharply contrasts her shy and kindhearted nature so much so that she's always at the back of house making ramen noodles, never to be seen at the restaurant only until everyone is gone, or if she needs to be involved to resolve conflicts. Most certainly, a day in Ramen Akaneko will bring comfort and wholesomeness, no matter what will happen. The animation is serviceable enough but is notable since this is legendary director Park Sunghoo and his new studio of E&H Production at the helm. Even though the Korean director has received an amount of flack given the atrocity that was Winter's Ninja Kamui, this show may not showcase great production values, but it's not the aspect of what you came here for in the first place. The unusual art style actually compliments the show enough to make it look like a 2.5D anime, and I have to say that it works to good effect. The music is rather fine, though Wednesday Campanella did put out a decent OP, as well as Rikon Densetsu with its ED. The OST is rather lacking, and considerably little more effort to this would've helped elevate the show even by a shot. Not the best, however. In the end, what you came for for Ramen Akaneko a.k.a Red Cat Ramen, is its comforting atmosphere and subtlety that less is more, simplicity beats complexity, and happiness is all you need to rest for a show that can make you feel like a couch potato to sit, watch, and just relax in all of its goodness. It's an easy show to pass up, but please don't skip because of its ugliness and unrefined animation, but come to a warm-hearted, fuzzy feeling that you're home, just sipping on some ramen and having a solitude with anthropomorphic cats. And within the cusp of the progressive life, slowing down will help you regain your senses to savour a hearty meal, which sometimes, is all you need.

Red Cat Ramen surprised me. You ever wanted to watch an anime about cats running a Ramen shop? Well now you can! The anime focuses on a woman who applies to work as a part timer at the Ramen shop..run by cats. First off, The voice acting is great and one of the standouts is freaking KAGURA FROM GINTAMA. I recognized the voice right away and had to double check and yeah, she voices one of the cats. The other cats There are only 12 episodes and they just revolve around the day to day life of the cats from the perspective of the femaleworker. The cast is very likable and the comedy is pretty solid. I found myself laughing at some scenes, like the handsome repair man or they can't decide how to dress the female worker up to make her appear "cat friendly". None of the customers care that cats run a Ramen shop, in fact they come FOR that reason. They love the cat Ramen and even go crazy when one of the cats announce special noodles made with their own paws. They love the atmosphere and the vibe of the place. The cast revolves around the human girl, the tough boss cat, the chef cat who is a pro gamer, the Kagura cat who is the waitress basically and a cat who manages the finances and has shady connections. There is also a tiger who makes the noodles in the back as well as some human characters who help out the cats. The animation is fluid and a mix between 2D and 3D, it isn't fully 3D like Kengan for example but its not traditional 3D either, it does a good job seemingly swapping between the 2 at times. I went into this anime kinda hesitant and the first episode was kind of a miss but honestly as I kept watching, it got better and better. It's cute and relaxing. It's funny. I recommend Red Cat Ramen if you like cats and you just want a chill anime about Cats running a Ramen shop.

I came in with low expectations, as I remember watching a trailer and thinking it looked "mid" but I really did enjoy this series! It is a cozy SOL. All the cats feel very unique in each of their personalities. The episodic format works well, giving time for each character to be fleshed out. Each episode or vignette is enjoyable. After the credits, the "Daily Akenko" is a neat addition that gives us more insight into the vignettes. What I wasn't a fan of was two main things. The animation leaves much to be desired and the MC was very bland. Despite that, it isa solid feels-good SOL about Cats & Ramen what's not to love?