Ristorante Paradiso

Ristorante Paradiso (Japanese: リストランテ・パラディーゾ, Hepburn: Risutorante Paradīzo), also known as Rispara (リスパラ, Risupara), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Natsume Ono, detailing the daily lives of the staff of a restaurant in Rome.^[2] The first iteration of the series was serialized in Ohta Publishing's Manga Erotics Fmanga magazine between May 2005 and March 2006; it spanned one volume.^[2][3] A continuation, Gente: The People of Ristorante Paradiso (GENTE～リストランテの人々～, Gente ~Ristorante no Hitobito~), was serialized in the same magazine from September 2006 to January 2009.^[2][4] An anime adaptation, produced by David Production, aired on Fuji TV's late nightNoise programming block from April to June 2009.^{[2][3][5][6][7]} The anime was also officially streamed with English subtitles by Crunchyroll.^[8] Both manga series, Ristorante Paradiso and Gente, have been licensed by Viz Media for an English-language release in North America.^[9]

Nicoletta (ニコレッタ, Nikoretta)

Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa

The protagonist of the series. 21 years old, Nicoletta is an energetic girl whose parents divorced when she was young and was as a result raised by her grandparents. Upon graduating from cooking school, she began working as an apprentice at the Casetta dell'Orso restaurant and is its only female staff. She has a crush on Claudio.

Santo Claudio Paradiso (サント・クラウディオ・パラディーゾ, Santo Kuraudio Paradīzo)

Voiced by: Jin Yamanoi

The head waiter of Casetta dell'Orso. He and his first wife Gabriella separated a few years previous to the start of the series. He still wears his wedding ring to dissuade women from pursuing him.

Luciano de Luca (ルチアーノ・デ・ルーカ, Ruchiāno de Rūka)

Voiced by: Mitsutaka Tachikawa

A waiter at Casetta dell'Orso. A very blunt but occasionally shy person. He is a widower, but still cares deeply for his departed wife, and ignores the advances of other women. He has a daughter, Rosemary, and a grandson, Francesco.

Vito (ヴィート, Vīto)

Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda

A waiter at Casetta dell'Orso. A very jovial person, he is married to a young woman who is a college student, whom he met through their mutual workout routines. He is a very flirtatious man, but openly reveals that he is already married and very much in love.

Gian Luigi Orsini (Gigi) (ジジ, Jiji)

Voiced by: Shigeo Kiyama

The sommelier at Casetta dell'Orso. A taciturn person, he is Lorenzo's half brother and cousin. Gigi rarely speaks, but by observing people, is able to tell what they are thinking, including perfectly matching one's taste with a wine. He is currently single.

Furio (フリオ)

Voiced by: Kazuhiko Nishimatsu

A chef. A friendly person. He is a devoted husband to his wife, Angela. He and Claudio previously worked in a hotel together when they were much younger.

Teo (テオ)

Voiced by: Yōji Ueda

A chef. The youngest member of the restaurant staff; he is a talented pasty chef.

Olga (オルガ, Oruga)

Voiced by: Haruhi Terada

Nicoletta's mother. A sought-after divorce lawyer in Rome. She left Nicoletta with her grandmother at a young age so that she could get re-married.

Gabriella (ガブリエッラ, Gaburierra)

Voiced by: Misa Watanabe

Claudio's ex-wife. A lawyer who works in the same office as Olga; they are best friends, and is the only person Olga tells that Nicoletta is her daughter.

Lorenzo Orsini (ロレンツォ, Rorentso)

Voiced by: Kenji Nomura

Olga's current husband and owner of Casetta dell'Orso. 51 years old.

Vanna (ヴァンナ)

Voiced by: Yōko Sōmi

A former chef of Casetta dell'Orso. She left to live in America with her family a few years previous to the start of the series. Teo looks up to her as a mentor.

The Ristorante Paradisoanime adaptation aired on Fuji TV's late nightNoise programming block from April 5, 2009.^[2][5][6][7] Produced by David Production, being the studio's first anime television series production, the series aired for 11 episodes. The anime has been licensed by Right Stuf Inc. and was released under their new label Lucky Penny on November 6, 2012.^[10][11]

Opening theme

"Marigold" (マリーゴールド, Marīgōrudo)

Lyrics: Tomoko Nagashima, composition and arrangement: Kazuma Fujimoto, performance: orange pekoe

Ending theme

"Suteki na Kajitsu" (ステキな果実; literally "Lovely Fruit")

Lyrics: Yuho Iwasato, composition: Lisa Komine, arrangement: Rie Hamada, performance: Lisa Komine

Theme song

"Palette" (パレット, Paretto) (episode 3 only)

Lyrics: Natsumi Kiyoura, composition: Shun Yoshida, arrangement: Ko-ko-ya, performance: Natsumi Kiyoura

Anime News Network (ANN) had two editors review the first two episodes of the anime: Carlo Santos commended the "eye-catching backgrounds" and "stylish characters" for displaying a "tasteful choice of colors and couture" and the "jazz-tinged soundtrack", but was critical of the series being a mostly plotless affair with slow pacing and "superfluous scenes" involving Nicoletta and the elderly harem either conversing or eating, saying: "It's a thin line between laid-back restraint and flat-out boredom, and Ristorante Paradiso is continuing to straddle that line very precariously."^[12] Casey Brienza critiqued that the series' "carefully articulated European feel and unusual character designs" emit a josei manga style and its narrative make it "a refreshing change of pace from the oceans of otaku-type game and light novel adaptations." She concluded that: "Ristorante Paradiso is modest in all respects, including its ambition, but no other anime this season seeks to interpellate anything approaching the same audience demographic—and for this reason alone, it is a must-see."^[13]

Brienza reviewed the complete anime series and gave it a B+ grade.^[14] While critical of the "mediocre animation quality" and the "impressionistic, baggy narrative", she praised the slice-of-life story, the "Europhile atmosphere" throughout its Rome setting, the pleasing soundtrack and Fumiko Orikasa's performance as Nicoletta, concluding that: "Although it is perhaps a tad disappointing that an anime based upon a manga originally serialized in Manga Erotics F is not more, well, erotic, there is more than enough sensuality to please even the most discriminating of anime hedonists. Great Italian food and faithful love… what more could you ask for?"^[14] Fellow ANN editor Bamboo Dong praised the series for being "pleasantly drawn" with its character designs and the "idyllic world" its cast occupies to display the overall vibe, concluding that: "Overall, Ristorante Paradiso is exceedingly pleasant, and I wish it was longer. By the time it drifted to an end, I felt sad that I had to leave the characters, just as we were beginning to befriend them."^[15] Conversely, Rebecca Silverman gave praise to Ono's character designs making the transition from manga to anime and the "watercolor styled backgrounds" but was critical of the series' meandering pace, poor use of computer animation and the lack of development between Nicoletta and Olga.^[16]

Fellow ANN editor Rebecca Bundy published a positive review of the manga's first volume in 2010. She wrote that: "[W]ith its focus on a grown-up setting and cast, a harem of sophisticated men (a role that's normally reserved to a single member of the genre) who oftentimes have wives, ex's, or (grand)children, and being open about your feelings instead of causing drama, this is the perfect pick for anyone who's tired of reading about shy high school girls and their cutesy little crushes."^[17] Santos praised the "clear and expressive" romantic storytelling and Ono's linework for displaying "expresiveness and subtlety" but was critical of the two half-brother waiters subplot and the artwork being sparse at times, concluding that: "Certainly it has its flaws, but as a grown-up, complicated love story, this one really hits the spot."^[18]

• Official anime website(in Japanese)
• Ristorante Paradiso (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia