Sweetness and Lightning – 06

Kotori is busted!

Invite all your friends, because it’s time for a gyoza party!

Too Many Cooks

What is this sorcery…

The halfway point of Sweetness and Lightning sees Shinobu and Yagi jumping right into the thick of things. It was definitely a nice change of pace to watch those two at work in the kitchen, as they clearly know what they’re doing. But as much fun as it is to entertain a larger dinner party, the magic is lost for Kotori. Because gone are the experience of struggling through the trials of preparing a meal and the joy of success after persevering through failure. The process is just too streamlined and efficient with capable cooks at the helm, plowing through tough tasks for newbie cooks and even outright altering the recipe as they see fit. Of course, Kotori and Kouhei will eventually get to this point. But taking away the joy of the journey is what makes this week’s culinary adventure ring hollow to Kotori. And what really stands out to me in this episode is how Shinobu noticed this very quickly.

Best Friend

MVP of the episode.

Of course, one might take this as a given considering she is made out to be Kotori’s one and only best friend. So clearly she should know all about the subtle emotions behind Kotori’s smiling facade. But I still think that it was very considerate of her to be on the lookout for her friend despite having so much fun preparing a veritable feast for the party Truly, Shinobu is a paragon among friends for the behavior she demonstrated here. Not only was she perceptive enough to realize how she and Yagi were troubling Kotori, she also had the wits to return control of the kitchen to Kotori and Kouhei in a natural manner by pulling Yagi aside with an excuse and explaining to him the importance of the experience to the new chefs. Shame on you for not realizing it for yourself, mister elder. Even though she politely turned down Kotori’s invitation to stop by and join the cooking party again, I sure hope that Shinobu shows up more in the future, if only to aid in the taste testing.

This week’s episode pulls at our heartstrings for a bit with yet another flashback. This time, it relates to Tsumugi’s desire to have a party with her friends again. While her mother may not be around to make the world’s best snacks anymore, her father is quickly getting used to cooking. So whenever the next party with the schoolmates does take place, I am sure that Kouhei will do his very best to make it a success. And it would be interesting if we get to see how the party turns out in next week’s episode, because I think it’ll be Kouhei’s first time preparing food for a large group on his own. Unless some of the other parents or family friends drop in to provide culinary reinforcements, that is.

Tsumugi’s fond memories.

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