Emiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan is one of the newest editions to the Fate anime franchise. Animated by the venerable Ufotable, the company that produced Touken Ranbu: Katsugeki, and Fate: Unlimited Blade Works, this is a stand-out series in the Fate family.
Emiya-san is probably my favorite Fate anime up to this point. Instead of sticking to the usual fantasy throw-downs of its predecessors, this one is a feel-good, slice-of-life cooking show.
Each Emiya-san episode revolves around a recipe and what causes Shirou to make that particular dish. Along the way, the number of familiar faces increase to include other servants and masters as Shirou cooks his way through the traditional Fate cast. Emiya-san also explores what the servants are doing in their down-time before the holy grail war actually begins.
For example, when Shirou goes to purchase fish for a meal, he runs into a familiar face who’s working part-time at the fish stand.
Unperturbed by the fact that Shirou is an enemy master who he will have to try and kill later on, Cu Chulainn (aka Lancer) is nothing but friendly. In fact, he goes as far as to invite himself over for supper.
Guests over for dinner, even if they’re random servants, is a major running theme in Emiya-san. Everyone from Medea to Hercules winds up involved in Shirou’s culinary shenanigans as the show progresses. Cu chulainn isn’t a special case, but he’s the easiest to use as an example. His track-record of being a guaranteed death/tragedy in anything Fate related is the best illustration of how kind Emiya-san is to its characters.
Emiya-san is a refreshing turn for the Fate franchise to say the least. I enjoy a good Fate series now and again, but there’s only so much character abuse a person can take. Watching your favorites be re-introduced only to die all over again in a new and horrific way is tiring.
The sweet purity of the interactions and stories in Emiya-san are delightful and unforced. Everyone is there because Shirou is really good at cooking and everybody loves food. The soft animation style gives away the fact that there’s nothing dramatic going on.
Don’t think for a moment, however, that this isn’t a cooking anime. If you know your way around a kitchen, you can make the episode’s dish with little trouble. I don’t personally follow the recipes because I’m uncomfortable if I don’t have measurements. (I don’t measure everything when I cook, but I like to know how much to use the first time I make something)
All in all, Emiya-san is one of the most uplifting anime of its season, and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something soft and easy to watch.
Four stars.
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