348th G-View: Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san

The following anime is a case of a show whose entire plot is explained in the title, meaning the saddened were only saddened because they expected much more. Question now is whether the show is worth watching relying solely on the title as a plot description. Let us find out as we take a look at Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san.

Alternate Title: Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles

Genres: Comedy

Themes: Cooking, Food, Ramen Noodles, Yuri

Number of Episodes: 12

G-Rating: 7/10 (personal) 6/10 (overall)

Plot Summary: Koizumi is a high school girl who looks like a cool beauty at first glance, but actually has an unexpected side of her that loves ramen.

Koizumi-san after eating ramen.

Put simply the show is softcore food porn similar to the likes of Koufuku Graffiti, but not as hardcore as Shoukugeki no Soma, where the characters eat food erotically or get a joygasm while eating. Basically cute girls eating cute things erotically. That sounds like a fun time and for the most part it is. Why the low rating then? Because other than CGECTE there is, for the most part, little else to fully relish. Let me explain.

Expect to learn a lot about the different kinds of ramen when watching this show.

One could say the show would be appreciated more by food connoisseurs, especially ramen lovers who are interested in the fine detail that goes into as many kinds of ramen dishes as possible in the span of 3-4 sketches per episode. I would say 75% of the show is Koizumi-san visiting different ramen restaurants and relishing the dishes she orders with unhindered glee. This would not be an issue if the show were around 12 minutes per episode or so, like Takunomi. or Wakako-Zake. However, it is the regular 20+ minute runtime, meaning that viewers can expect it the show to feel repetitive. Again this is not a problem for viewers who love them some ramen or the sight of yummy food because it gets the job done in that regard (making people really hungry as they watch).

Koizumi’s (not really) friends from Left to right: Misa, Yuu and Jun.

The repetitiveness does not become noticeable until near the third quarter of the show. Reason being because there is other stuff going on from time to time. That other stuff usually centers around the (not really) friends of Koizumi-san. First up is Jun who will not win many “best girl” awards but serves her role as the megane cutie well. Her “finding my path to the future” storyline can also be related to. The second (not really) friend is Misa who enjoys being the center of attention and is admittedly sexy enough to pull off the “look at me. I’m hot.” archetype. At first she is irked by Koizumi-san getting all the attention but like Jun they both find common ground with her through ramen and realize she is not too bad. There are other one-off and frequenting side-characters who are of varying entertainment, especially a certain foreign little cutie and a cousin. As for the deuteragonist of the story…we will get to her in a bit.

The animation looks pretty good. It has to be in a show where half of its appeal are the yummy dishes. The ladies look nice and most of them get to bless viewers with their beauty at some point. The soundtrack is fitting for the show while the OP is a personal favorite of the Winter 2018 season and the ED is also catchy.

Koizumi-san and Yuu. The two main characters of the show.

While Koizumi-san is clearly the main character at first it did not seem that way. See, that spot was initially perceived as being Yuu’s. This leads us to the yuri of the show. Long story short Yuu falls madly in love with Koizumi-san at first sight to the point of following her wherever she goes. Basically a stalker. Yuu’s role is that of a lovesick puppy who wants nothing more than to be together with her self professed soul mate. Problem is her methods of getting closer to Koizumi-san…are not the most sound. There are times she comes up with great ideas but most of the time her quest ends in failure. On the bright side it is both commendable and fun seeing her never give up. The bright side is that despite Koizumi-san considering her a nuisance she does not outright hate her, brutally punish or humiliate her. She often lets Yuu tag along to prevent her from being a bigger nuisance. Her (not really) other friends give her less of a difficult time. Another noteworthy trait of Yuu’s love for Koizumi-san is…let me put it this way, it serves as preparation for shows starring…the obsessed. It will be made clear when viewers see “that side” of Yuu. Funny thing is the only reason I personally give the show a 7 is mainly because of Yuu. Otherwise it would be a 6. Also there is additional side-yuri from a certain attention seeker.

Overall Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san is an okay semi Girls Club show. Viewers will learn a lot about ramen and be drooling over the tasty dishes and the main cast is neat with a few side-characters who stand out. However, viewers need keep in mind that as the title of the show suggests 75% of it is about Koizumi-san eating and talking about ramen. The other 25% is entertaining but I do not know if it is enough to please everyone. Still worth checking at least once if only to see the delight that is Yuu’s mad quest for love.