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Bartender (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga
series written by Araki Joh and illustrated by Kenji Nagatomo. Its focus is a genius bartender who uses his 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 was broadcast between October and December 2006 on Fuji TV. In February 2011, TV Asahi
began airing a live action television version starring Masaki Aiba
of the Japanese pop group Arashi
in the lead role. The Drama has mostly an original plot but follows the manga.
of Ryū Sasakura, a bartending
prodigy who is said to mix the best cocktail
s 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 whom 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 upon their lives and decide on a course of action to tackle their problems.
's biweekly seinen Super Jump
magazine and the chapters collected into seventeen volumes with first one released on December 3, 2004, and the final one on November 4, 2009.
The series is licensed by Haksan Publishing in Korea.
The anime opening theme is sung by Natural High featuring Junpei Shiina
while the ending Theme by Natural High. Both themes were released inside the single "Hajimari no Hito/Bartender" produced by Sony Music Entertainment Japan
under DefStar Records
label on December 13, 2006.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written by Araki Joh and illustrated by Kenji Nagatomo. Its focus is a genius bartender who uses his talents to ease the worries and soothe the souls of troubled customers. The manga was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Super Jump
Super Jump
, is a biweekly manga anthology published by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. Released in Japan on December 20, 1986, the magazine provides serialized chapters of various seinen manga series. The manga series are published under the Jump Comics Deluxe imprint.- History :The magazine...
. The manga was later adapted into an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
which was broadcast between October and December 2006 on Fuji TV. In February 2011, TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
began airing a live action television version starring Masaki Aiba
Masaki Aiba
is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, television personality and radio host. He is a member of Japanese boy band Arashi.Aiba began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of...
of the Japanese pop group Arashi
Arashi
is a Japanese boy band formed under the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, which announced the formation of the group on November 3, 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii...
in the lead role. The Drama has mostly an original plot but follows the manga.
Plot
Bartender follows the nightlifeNightlife
Nightlife is the collective term for any entertainment that is available and more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning...
of Ryū Sasakura, a bartending
Bartender
A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...
prodigy who is said to mix the best cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
s anyone has ever tasted. Sasakura bides his time in a bar named Eden Hall, hidden in a nook of the Ginza
Ginza
is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi.It is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. Ginza is recognized as one of the most...
district in downtown Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. It is said that normal people cannot simply find and enter Eden Hall
Luck of Edenhall
The "Luck of Edenhall" is a glass beaker that was made in Syria in the 13th century, elegantly decorated in blue, green, red and white enamel with gilding. Its inscription, ihs, suggests it may have been intended for a Christian purpose...
, but they must be invited in by the host. Over the course of the anime, various figures of high and low stature, all of whom 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 upon their lives and decide on a course of action to tackle their problems.
Characters
- 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 spiritsDistilled beverageA distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
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. According to the manga, Ryū is 26 years old.
- Miwa initially comes to Eden Hall to ask Ryū to define 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.
Manga
The Bartender manga is written by Araki Joh and illustrated by Kenji Nagatomo. It was serialised in ShueishaShueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's biweekly seinen Super Jump
Super Jump
, is a biweekly manga anthology published by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. Released in Japan on December 20, 1986, the magazine provides serialized chapters of various seinen manga series. The manga series are published under the Jump Comics Deluxe imprint.- History :The magazine...
magazine and the chapters collected into seventeen volumes with first one released on December 3, 2004, and the final one on November 4, 2009.
The series is licensed by Haksan Publishing in Korea.
Anime
The Bartender was adapted into an eleven episodes anime series, and broadcasted on Fuji TV with the first episode on October 15, 2006, and the last one on December 30, 2006.The anime opening theme is sung by Natural High featuring Junpei Shiina
while the ending Theme by Natural High. Both themes were released inside the single "Hajimari no Hito/Bartender" produced by Sony Music Entertainment Japan
Sony Music Entertainment Japan
is Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
under DefStar Records
DefSTAR Records
, is a Japanese record label, a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan.-History:*1997 - Takashi Yoshida, the president of Warner Music Japan, founded the label as ....
label on December 13, 2006.
Episodes
| # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|