See You Tomorrow at the Food Court

See You Tomorrow at the Food Court - Wada and Yamamoto sitting at the food court, T A L K I N G. Talking and eating — that's what their friendship bumps onto. (If you know the pun of which this is from, it's cringe as heck...) They say, "it takes two (pairs of) hands for friendship to clap," and it's even difficult to keep the conversation going, regardless of whether it's seamless or always diverging from where it's supposed to go, that only true friends will know each other and let loose of who they really are to just bask in the moment. This isthe case for transgender mangaka Shinichirou Nariie's series Food Court de, Mata Ashita. a.k.a See You Tomorrow at the Food Court, a go-getter story about two high school girls being friends who can converse about just about anything under the sun...er, I mean, in the food court. With only 2 volumes out since its serialization, which started as a webcomic on the author's Twitter account, the series may be as bare-bones looking externally, but within the adaptation of its half-than-usual 12-episode set of the webcomic-turned-manga, you can get a feel for what the show will be like: a chill, true-to-the-bones, slice-of-life comedy drama about two girls of different high schools converging at their secret place to just talk gobsmackers of anything in relation to them or anything within their control. I think it's smart of Shinichirou Nariie to feature not just two high school gals who have this kindred friendship towards each other, but also, in hindsight, their own appearances are also misleading to think that a normal girl and a literate gyaru would talk smack and not get into constant friendship fights. For one, the two simple girls of the quiet, rich honour student Wada and her accompaniment, the intimidating gyaru Yamamoto, on the outset, look anything but a pair that will literally bring in the catfights for how different they are. "Different" is the word of relation here because more than being the straight-laced student that she is, Wada is anything but studious and gets pissed off over petty issues, from her life's struggles to the gacha game that she plays, featuring her love-hate SSR character Duke Abel that has her always claiming that she hates him to the max, but that deep down, she loves him to the max. Compare that with Yamamoto, as her intimidation is only but a farce given her flashy but supposedly carefree personality, the complete opposite of Wada, who is studious, very interested in urban legends, and often uses English words to express her emotions through normal talk in the hopes of visiting America one day. It's easy to see how both Wada and Yamamoto can easily bump heads without getting into needless conflict for dramatic reasons, given how different they are since the time they met each other in middle school to keep this secretive friendship going. Even towards Wada, who grieves about the other students that notice her, like the gorilla girl of Saito (whose face that's full of makeup we never get to see), and much to her chagrin, a doppelganger case where her worst fears are realized when she sees her partner be one of the flat-chested girl's sworn enemies, being a pervert at best since middle school. God, I swear that Wada is interesting on her own, given her flurry of stories that only serve to traumatize her, but pairing this up with the nonchalant Yamamoto, who tries her best to measure against her best friend's rambling and get her back into reality, is even more interesting. You can't get a friendship so frenetic and yet so sane, like both girls do. For a debut performance, newbie VA Hiyori Miyazaki did a knockout job portraying Wada as the mature-but-immature Wada alongside VA Yoshino Aoyama, featuring the calm Bocchi gal that keeps her temperament straight-laced and cool. And if I may add, it's the art of the voiceover skills that makes this show truly the talk of the town. Otherwise, it's a plain ol' simple show that needs just the right amount of effort, alongside a simple staff team that could do the job at half the usual quantity but with the quality of a full seasonal set. It's nice to look at, given that this is rookie studio Atelier Pontdarc's 3rd main production series that honestly needs no punches nor glamour just to get the job done. The music is honestly hit-and-miss, though it too gets its nuances just alright with Oisicle Melonpan's slow-beat OP, and the mingling of both Wada and Yamamoto's VAs with the playful ED (which I feel is the best of the 2). All in all, you could do worse than passing on this "looking ol' simple" show and not realizing that it actually has depth for what seems to be a rather simple premise about friends hanging out at their usual spot. Sure, the "food" part has its focus at times (since this is a food court after all), but it's the friendship of the central MCs that makes this show shine the most. It's undeniably "slice of life" at its core, charming at times, and is one show where this quote sums it up best: "Less is more." We don't need excessive bombarding of other shows this season; just friends hanging out at a food court and sharing about anything and everything they can is what brings us the feels for Chicken Food for the Soul, showcasing ordinary life at its most natural.

While most slice-of-life anime blend with other genres to create the foundation of their stories, See You Tomorrow at the Food Court makes slice-of-life its strong point: forget convoluted plots and hyper-complex characters, because the show is exactly what its title suggests: two girls meeting at the food court to chat about whatever crosses their minds. As you might guess, the plot is very simple, and the centre of attention is the interactions between Wada and Yamamoto, two high school girls. Most of the situations presented are entertaining and able to bring a smile to your face. The two main characters are developed enough to make theirconversations feel natural and make you care about them over the course of the anime. This wasn’t a given, considering that they mostly talk about trivial things, and it shows that the dynamic between Wada and Yamamoto works pretty well. The production quality is solid, though not groundbreaking, and the heavy lifting is actually done by the VAs, who have all done a great job (especially Wada’s voice actress). So, why does this review have a “mixed feeling” tag? Because its simplistic slice-of-life nature will probably make it uninteresting to most people, who may find it lacking in substance. If you're a fan of the slice-of-life genre (like me), See You Tomorrow at the Food Court will be a great watch. If not, it is unlikely that you will appreciate it. Score: 7.5

After finishing this already a very short show I can´t but find it a bit funny and sad how it might have more to offer than most main stream or other vice high-profile shows that we have seen over the past couple of years. Admittedly the premises being "two girls are having a chat" is not a very high stakes of a story, but it is the feeling of realism that wins you over. That and the quality of those chats. Plot is simple: two girls meet at the food court and talk over all kinds of things possible. If you are expecting some deep andmeaningful conversations with buckets of drama, you might find it in a form very familiar to you. Reality is reflected in these conversations reminding us how some of the best memories we had could have been from those small moments with our best friend, as you could literally talk about anything and without masks. While having a snack of course. Yoshino Aoyama is voicing Yamamoto, young yet mature gal who plays the straight man of the duo. We get a solid performance with slight grin as she mainly is the listening party of the two. Hiyori Miyazaki is voicing Wada, young and definitely the one who wents out the jokes. "Who starts a conversation like that" could be used describing her. For Miyazaki´s first actual leading role we get a multilayered performance from lows to riches and I truly wish we can see more of her work in the future. She has talent and here is her proof. Watching this duo is like watching "Rush Hour". One serious but relaxed and the other yapping like there is no tomorrow. And I loved every moment of it. Great casting choices, for these two work together like it was meant to be. If you want to spend - as the show is finished for now - a couple of hours just emerged in a something that could be like watching a pod-cast, this might be for you. A short break from it all with a company of friends. And maybe a snack on a side.

See you tomorrow at the food court is slice of life in its purest form. It’s quite literally just a peep into the lives of two young girls who spend their free time together at a food court talking about the most mundane and typical high school kid things. While that might sound simple, that’s actually its biggest advantage. This truly feels like we’re watching two real people talk about their day, play around with one another and grow closer on a daily basis. The dialogue feels natural, conversations flow organically and the girls are loveable. It’s an extremely simple premise, but therein lies thebeauty of it. It’s a shame this was only 6 episodes. Again, I can’t stress this enough, don’t come into this show expecting some grandiose storytelling or much else besides KFC promo and two cute girls talking about their day. It’s like watching a livestream of friends hanging out rather than an anime because of how authentic everything feels and that’s why I enjoyed this. Wada is the perfect extroverted and lively compliment to Yamamoto’s laid back introverted personality, a contrast to her Gyaru exterior. I had so much fun watching the girls bounce from topic to topic much like two high school buddies would, saying anything and everything that comes to mind whether it’s gacha game pulls, food, boys at school or manga, there was never a dull moment with these two. It’s such a nice show to sit down and unwind with at the start of the week and it just managed to create this cozy wholesome atmosphere that made you feel at home, almost as if we were the third wheel to their relationship. Miyazaki Hiyori and Aoyama Yoshino really make this show special. They work so well together and make the conversations feel very believable. The more realistic voice Aoyama goes with for Yamamoto fits her so well and it always feels like she’s Wada’s older sister, as Hiyorin goes with a more playful tone. Yamamoto calming Wada down and keeping her level headed constantly was a joy to see. Hats off to these two young ladies for taking the show to the next level with some awesome voice acting! There’s not a ton to talk about with this one, it’s extremely straightforward and if you like slice of life, you’ll enjoy this. If you’re a person who doesn’t enjoy static images and needs a lot of dynamism in your anime, it’s not gonna be for you. I personally love shows like this, they’re right up my alley. They’re simple, wholesome and just feel real. This was a great experience and hopefully as the manga continues to be published, we’ll get another season someday. See You Tomorrow at the Food Court gets 9, out of 10.