Episode 14 — “A Bolt from the Blue”
The Bathos Melodrama Meter
Did you know Goddess Café Terrace has a supervillain? That’s right! Mr. Fuwa is so evil that he spawns immature playboys who retaliate against beach shacks for not letting him hit on female staff. His diabolical plots are so complex that no one can figure out why he would build a knockoff restaurant. Diabolical genius! Recall that the Familia Café Terrace owes this man loan payments. Mr. Fuwa thought he could scoop up the restaurant after Grandma Sachiko died. But Hayato foiled his plans by, uh (checks notes), making food and drinks for paying customers. Curses! Foiled again! How will Goddess Café Terrace solve this plot chokepoint?
Fuwa has a new plan: spend more money building a brand-new restaurant to drive Familia out of business. What a savvy corporate raider! He’s (does math) spending more money to lose more money… Okay, like I said earlier — this certified super-genius has such intricate schemes that no one can pierce them! Yes, yes, it’s all ridiculous. Count on a silly revenge motive for Fuwa’s actions to create even more anticlimactic conclusions. Fuwa as Goddess Café Terrace’s dramatic plot engine is laughable: the definition of bathos.
Goddess Café Terrace Harem Points
Protecting the Goddess Café Terrace Nest Points.
Mr. Makuzawa wins all the points for taking Hayato’s misunderstood marriage proposal. But he tied with Hayato for promising to keep Ouka employed as long as possible. That necessarily requires keeping the Familia Café Terrace afloat for the near future.
Grandma’s Little Girl Points.
All five goddesses count here, but Ouka scored the most points because she had a live grandma to talk to about Sachiko.
Baka Charm Points.
Ninja Ami had robust competition from Hekiru Yoshino, her phony version at Family Café Restaurant. But for pure airheaded ignorance in Goddess Café Terrace, Moemi Souya beat everyone. Will she express surprise after she discovers who cooks the restaurant’s food? Hint. It’s her!
Drunk Girl Points.
Boo. None of the girls or their phony counterparts expressed any intoxication or fetishistic flirtation. I hope Goddess Café Terrace doubles up in the next episode.
Cool Charm Points.
Glasses-wearing Akane kept her cool and calmed Ami down, but not after her Brazilian copycat sambaed her bamba in her face.
Goddess Café Terrace Makes Me Go Heh.
What is this show doing? Is Goddess Café Terrace a superhero anime now? The goddesses of the Familia café have evil clones!
The Goddess Café Terrace opening and ending credits heavily lean into the flower motif for the girls. Will the show explain the flower language behind each species? Also, the evil clones show up in their dark café uniforms. Those phony counterparts might side against Fuwa and join the harem race for points.
Oh, dear. Ouka’s father wants to meet Hayato. Here we go. Everyone will misunderstand each other, and then, somehow, Hayato will become Ouka’s fiancé. Blame Kikka for teasing Ouka into admitting her feelings for Hayato. Mr. Makuzawa asks about Hayato’s plans for his daughter, but Hayato thinks they’re discussing the restaurant. Ah. I see Ouka’s father has a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey.
Goddess Café Terrace Puzzle Piece to the Past
Aha. Kikka and Ouka’s grandma is there to add to the overarching drama of the season. Hayato resembles his grandfather, Masahiro, so she thought she saw a ghost. Ouka’s grandma feels relief that Masahiro married Sachiko. Dramatic backstory! Haha. Mr. Makuzawa wants to drink whiskey with Hayato, but Ouka’s father has to wait a year. He’s a police officer. That info will be necessary later.
Was it a coincidence Sachiko gathered the granddaughters of the women she used to work with? In Goddess Café Terrace? Of course not! And, speaking of the current devil, potentially the author of past “circumstances,” what about the new circumstances? A competing knockoff café restaurant! Uh oh. Hayato said the waitstaff crew is prettier! The Familia girls claim they landed at the café through different events. All accidents. Fate works differently. Never mind that. Why do those knockoff girls all have massive mammaries? Shiragiku isn’t worried, though.
Hired Guns Develop the PLOT in Goddess Café Terrace
Time for reconnaissance. Let’s meet the phony doppelgängers.
Mao Takasaki (Rie Takahashi — Ai Hoshino from Oshi no Ko) is an amateur model who takes on an older sister persona with tsundere tendencies. She likes lower humor. Ouka is her Familia counterpart.
Hekiru Yoshino (Kana Hanazawa — Ichika Nakano from The Quintessential Quintuplets) is an aspiring novelist who loves shoujo manga and romance novels. She’s drawing inspiration from the harem dynamics at the Familia Café Terrace! Ami is her Familia counterpart.
Valentina Azuma (Yuu Serizawa — Tsukuyo Aoba from TenPuru) is a half-Brazilian who brews coffee at the Family Café Restaurant. She’s a capoeira master! Akane is her Familia counterpart, but Ami will be the closest analog of the first set of Goddess Café Terrace girls.
Moemi Souya (Reina Ueda — Sahara Wakasa from Chained Soldier) has an airhead persona until she puts on a Japanese cap. Her family runs a famous Japanese restaurant, and she is a talented chef, too. Shiragiku is her Familia counterpart.
Ririka Chiyoda (Ayana Taketatsu — Kotori Itsuka from Date A Live) is a former idol and current YouTube streamer. She knows Riho Tsukishima from the idol industry and considers her a rival. And Riho is her Familia counterpart.
The Familia girls take offense. Their hairstyles and uniforms made the cheap knockoffs into caricatures. I wonder why! They all have outstanding “personalities.” I like the half-Brazilian the best! Ask me why!
Goddess Café Terrace Heads into Spooks and Pumpkin Spice Season
Ugh. Hayato lands on the bathos meter, too. He thinks the recon trip backfired and demoralized the girls, but they feel extra motivation now. Such a cringy scene. Ami should stay the same, though.
The Café Terrace and its Goddesses streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio and multiple language subtitles.
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Next time, the Familia Strikes Back! But can they afford it? Are you as excited about watching the Evil Goddess Clones in action? Valentina can barely contain herself. Me too! Which of the new girls are your favorites? Let us know in the comments below.
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