Bartender (manga)

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Bartender


caption = Ryū Sasakura
ja_name = バーテンダー
ja_name_trans = Bātendā
genre = Drama, Slice of life storyInfobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Araki Joh (story)
Kenji Nagatomo (art)
illustrator = Kenji Nagatomo
publisher = flagicon|Japan Shueisha
flagicon|South Korea Haksan Publishing
demographic = Seinen
magazine = Super Jump
first =
last =
volumes = 11 (ongoing)Infobox animanga/Anime
director = Masaki Watanabe
studio = Palm Studio
network = Fuji TV
first = October 15 2006
last = December 30 2006
episodes = 11

Nihongo|"Bartender"|バーテンダー|Bātendā is the title of a Japanese manga series written by Japanese mangaka Araki Joh and illustrated by Kenji Nagatomo. Its focus is a genius bartender who uses his world-class talents to ease the worries and soothe the souls of troubled customers. The manga was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine "Super Jump". The manga was later adapted into an anime which began airing in Japan on October 15, 2006.

Plot

"Bartender" follows the nightlife of Ryū Sasakura, a bartending prodigy who is said to mix the best cocktails anyone has ever tasted. Sasakura bides his time in a bar named Eden Hall, hidden in a nook of the Ginza district in downtown Tokyo. It is said that normal people cannot simply find and enter Eden Hall, but they must be invited in by the host. Over the course of the anime, various figures of high and low stature, all of who share unusual troubles and heavy burdens, are "invited" into Eden Hall and are treated to Sasakura's fine drinks, which, with guidance from the young bartender, lead the customers to reflect on their lives and decide on a course of action to tackle with their problems.

Characters

;Nihongo|Ryū Sasakura|佐々倉溜|Sasakura Ryuu:Ryū is a genius bartender who helps the people who come into his bar. Although not thoroughly explained at first, Ryū actually runs the bar by himself, and Eden Hall was his first bar. He worked as an assistant for a senior bartender before he opened Eden Hall, and that gave him the experience he needed to handle the job. In episode 9, it is revealed that Ryū has in fact made a mistake by serving an incorrect cocktail to a lady, as she requested a different drink afterwards, despite his almost flawless outlook. Due to this, for every year after he opened Eden Hall, Ryū has reserved that one special night for the woman's husband, and he was Eden Hall's first customer. Often, Ryū maintains his composure and throughout the story, puts on a brave and sincere effort to help the customers who fret and seem disturbed in his bar. He has been shown to handle all sorts of spirits and know most of the history of the drinks he serves. Ryū is also known to serve the "Glass of the Gods", and being entitled to this, made Eden Hall a pleasurable venue for customers seeking the menu of their hearts. Ryū is also noted to be able to decanter from seemingly incredible heights. According to the manga, Ryū is 26 years old. ["Bartender" Manga; volume 1, chapter 1; page 8.]

;Nihongo|Miwa Kurushima|来島美和|Kurushima Miwa:Miwa initially comes to Eden Hall to ask Ryū to divine what spirit was contained within a bottle she broke during her childhood. Miwa, when she was little, was shown to be the only child of the family. Her father decided one day, that he'd propose to Miwa's grandfather to change the inn that he has been running into a fully-comfortable hotel-like bar, due to the change in era and customer's requests. However, Miwa's grandfather was hesitant, and decided not to take in his son's proposal. They later became apart and distant from each other, until the day came when Miwa's father called her grandfather and asked him to taste a special drink that he would like to present to him. On that fateful day that Miwa broke the glass as she gripped the bottle and ran towards her grandfather. She tripped and the bottle, which was encased in a bag, broke and its contents spilled. Miwa felt guilty as she thought if only they had the drink together, her father and grandfather wouldn't be apart like they used to. Not long after that, Miwa's parents were killed in a car accident, and this has halted her chance of ever finding out the name of that special drink. After much discussion with Ryū, the mystery of the drink was solved, and Miwa had the chance to finally allow her grandfather to have a taste. The drink was Suntory's Kakubin (referred to in the show as "Kaku"), and shortly after this episode, Miwa appears almost in every other episode as a side or minor character, and she usually narrates part of the story. She has been known to be a regular visitor at Eden Hall, and has invited one of her friends to the bar. In episode 7, Miwa takes care of Ryū after he has fallen sick, although she was unable to fetch a doctor. In the manga version of Bartender, Miwa works for Kamishima, the first customer featured in the anime. [Bartender manga; volume 1, chapter 1; page 29.]

Media

Manga

The "Bartender" manga is written by Araki Joh and illustrated by Kenji Nagatomo. It is published by Shueisha.

Anime

The "Bartender" anime first aired in Japan on October 15 2006 and contains 11 episodes. [" [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6816 Anime News Network page] "]

Episodes

Theme songs

;Opening theme: :Nihongo|"Bartender"|バーテンダー|Bātendā by Natural High feat. Junpei Shiina;Ending Theme: :Nihongo|"Hajimari no Hito"|始まりのヒト by Natural High

References

ee also

* Bartending

External links

*ja icon Official|http://sj.shueisha.co.jp/contents/bartender/index.html
*ja icon [http://www.bartender-tv.com/ Official website for the anime]
*ann manga|id=6815|title=Bartender (manga)
*ann anime|id=6816|title=Bartender (anime)