"For those of us who deal with stress at work and in real life, isn't a snack kind of like another world?"
Adulthood is funny, isn't it? As kids, we dream of becoming great individuals admired by others. Our visions of the future are limitless, with the innocence of youth shielding us from the challenges that might get in the way. But as we get older, insurmountable challenges—or just plain bad luck—get in the way. The twinkle in our eyes gets replaced by the cold, bleak cynicism of adulthood.
Well, that is the case for a lot of us, anyway.
Instead of becoming great people whose names are etched in history, we live in anonymity. We get yelled at at work, balance our budgets, and take care of the kids. We are saddled with the responsibilities of life.
It is this burden that causes us to long for some reprieve—a place where we can just hang out and decompress while talking about nothing in particular. For Tatsu, Yamada, Morita, and the rest of its customers, Snack Basue is that place.
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Akemi gets the people in Snack Basue hyped as she sings a Thai song... she doesn't speak Thai...
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Snack Basue is a comedic anime about the eponymous bar, or “snack”—a type of small Japanese drinking establishment—in Hokkaido and its patrons. The show is anchored by the bar’s manager, Akemi, who is voiced by the talented Rie Takahashi. This detail is particularly important for one of the show’s drop-dead jokes.
Snack Basue's comedy is rooted in conversations among the characters at the bar. There is no real storyline progression, and there are few limitations on what can become the setup or punchline of a joke.
Jokes can come from conversations about how Morita isn't popular with girls or from the characters trying out advice from a self-help book. But a few episodes later, familiar guests might show up at Snack Basue and Basue, the owner of the bar, might suddenly degrade into a pixelated mess.
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| Natsuki, first name unknown, visits Snack Basue in episode 6 |
With Snack Basue's gag-driven comedy, the anime doesn't rely heavily on visual spectacle. It doesn't need an elaborate soundtrack to make its jokes work, either. This isn't Frieren, nor is it Chainsmoker Cat. The comedy comes primarily from the characters themselves—their conversations, personalities, and the ridiculous situations they somehow find themselves in.
Snack Basue doesn't break new ground in this regard. Its animation and soundtrack are deliberately simple. The show mainly takes place in a small bar in an isolated alleyway, away from the busier parts of Hokkaido. There is no need to wow viewers with elaborate animation or a bombastic soundtrack when the characters themselves provide most of the entertainment.
The staff of Snack Basue understood the strengths of the source material and elevated them. The casting of the aforementioned Rie Takahashi as the series' lead, Akemi, certainly elevates the show's comedy. For example, Akemi asking Tatsu to take her fishing and lend her a fishing rod eventually devolving into a conversation about the male organ is brilliant. The sheer smoothness with which the line is delivered reminds the viewer that you have to be on your toes with this show.
Jun Fukushima's Tomiki was also brilliantly cast. Whether he's trying to get Akemi to fall for him or trying to convince Kosame to let him rub her feet, the sleaziness oozes from this character in every scene.
Jun Fukushima also lends his voice to Kazama, Yamada's rowdy senpai at work. Asking your coworker in front of a female bartender if you look like you have a big dick in a curious, rather than a pompous or overtly sexual, way takes a level of skill one can only dream of.
The voice acting is certainly one of the show's greatest strengths.
The moments of breaking the fourth wall and looking at the camera to poke at Kadokawa or Shueisha or how the jokes may not be suitable for TV are also great comedic touches. The irreverence for the world-building is akin to our irreverence towards our bosses and whatever Lean methodology or whatever corporate bullcrap we are fed every God-given weekday.
A lot of what makes Snack Basue what it is is the complete opposite of the illusions of grandeur we had when we were kids. It's a deliberately unremarkable anime technically, about a bunch of people talking about the mundane aspects of life. And that is where Snack Basue's charm lies.
Snack Basue is an anime that knows exactly where the lines are and how to elegantly cross them. The show understands that small talk is boring. While adults pretend to care about a sporting event, Snack Basue will come in and somehow lead the conversation into how 8-bit games were the embodiment of artistic value, where quality and technology reached their ultimate balance, all while Kazama ends up not having pants on.
Snack Basue won't appeal to everybody. But if you just want a comedic reprieve from everyday life, you can always enjoy a diluted shochu at Snack Basue.
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