“A ‘bar’ is a perch upon which to rest. ‘Tender’ means gentle or kind. So bartender means a ‘gentle perch.’”

Sometimes a show can convey all its points well, present its story in a captivating way, and still be completely incompatible with your tastes. I questioned whether I should even check out Bartender: Glass of God, as I suspected I might not be capable of connecting with the subject matter. In truth, I was curious whether the show could change my mind. There was even a period where I was on board with the plot of the premiere, but the climactic moment that should have emotionally invested instead found me laughing.

Again, I don’t know if this is the show’s fault, but I’m truly baffled by the attempts to wax philosophical about its subject matter. If you haven’t guessed from my tone, I don’t drink. I don’t like the taste of alcohol or its effects. I can’t say how Bartender: Glass of God will land with viewers who enjoy a nice cup of expensive cough syrup after work, but for a teetotaler, it does absolutely nothing to sell me on the innate poetry of the potent potables.

I’m going to state here and now that I’m not going to continue making jabs regarding how I don’t like the taste of alcohol. Different people have different tastes, and I certainly enjoy plenty of foods and drinks that others would consider unpleasant. My reasoning in bringing up those aspects earlier was to establish that not only am I not part of the target demographic, but that Bartender does not appear to be a show that will have crossover appeal.

However, there were elements that I enjoyed. Much of the episode focused on a pair of hotel employees, Kyoko and Yukari, who have been tasked with finding a bartender for the hotel’s exclusive new bar. Much of the focus on searching for an appropriate bartender is actually interesting, because it involves more analytical analysis of why the drinks those applicants prepare aren’t properly taking into account their customers’ needs and tastes. Of course, this becomes laughable later when the exact 3 drinks that got botched early in the episode are prepared perfectly at the end, but maybe I could buy into that more if I was part of the demographic. 

Despite having watched this first episode, I’m still questioning whether this is a reboot or a sequel to the original Bartender anime from 2006. I’m also unsure whether either series is a direct adaptation of the manga. Either way, familiarity with the extended Bartender universe is unnecessary to engage with this adaptation. It may sound like I’m joking, and I am slightly, but this is a franchise with more installments than I would have presumed.

This entry is being produced by Liber, the studio behind last year’s The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague and nothing else. I have to hand it to them. Even though I find the subject matter moderately disagreeable, their production values are average to above average, which is worthy of praise for a fledgling studio. The character models are a bit dated and underwhelming, but the detail applied to the drink preparation is robust. The OP and ED are both lowkey affairs, which matches the tone of the show, but neither left a mark in my memory. I suppose that too matches the impact this show had on me.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• This is a pretty truncated review, but I don’t have much else to add on the subject… unless you want me to continue to riff on alcohol a bit more, but there are probably better ways we could spend our time.
• Can we all agree that the “gentle perch” line about the (wildly incorrect) etymology of the term ‘bartender’ is one of the dumbest lines in anime? I keep hearing it in my head, but repeated in English and in Tommy Wiseau’s voice.
• If the show hadn’t tried to make the act of preparing club soda and liquor sound like it was akin to godliness, I might have been on board for sampling another episode, but I was cringing throughout those final scenes.

I can’t review Bartender: Glass of God for a general audience. My annoyance and distaste for it feel unique to my own experience. However, I will say that those who abstain from alcohol will probably struggle to connect with this series.

Score: 2.5/5