Gourmet Girl Graffiti: Complete Collection

The Japanese newspaper comic strip Happy Cooking Graffiti inspired this food-oriented shojo (girls) anime comedy. While the constant depictions of cookery and ingredients appear high-calorie, the plotting is on the decidedly lite side. Alone in Tokyo since the death of her beloved grandmother (and recipe mentor), sixth-grader Ryo fears that her home-chef skills have diminished and that she won't make a good wife. Ryo gets company—and a kitchen comrade—when her diminutive cousin Kirin moves in part-time to attend a Sunday "cram school." A few more BFF girlfriends round out the cast in this series featuring episodes that have Kirin preparing for Ryo a lavish bento meal for the school "sports day" when the martinet coach demands only rice; the pair celebrating friendship together on New Year's Eve; and trying to keep cool on a hot day not only with ice cream but spicy winter treats eaten out of season. Aside from the mouthwatering visuals and odes to bean, fish, meat, greens, and so forth, this is a relatively bland series, although it's hard to dislike a show that ends with the onscreen farewell “It was delicious!” Compiling all 12 episodes from 2015 in separate DVD and Blu-ray editions, rated TV-14, and presented in Japanese with English subtitles, this is a strong optional purchase. (C. Cassady)