Shiragiku and Riho have a sandwich contest, Ouka worries about Ami’s quiet mood, and Hayato has a busy day at the café.
Episode 6 — “Two Months!”
The Bathos Melodrama Meter!
Goddess Café Terrace showed scenes of bathos twice in this episode, but only one vignette built up its pathos to descend into melodrama. Recall how I explained how bathos works when a story piles on pathos: increased suffering turns into an anticlimactic conclusion. Hayato suffered from doubts that his adopted family had bonded together. He felt that way because the girls didn’t want to pitch in and help serve customers during a busy day at the café. Family members sacrifice time and energy for each other, but strangers would not feel that compunction. Hayato asked for help five times and received five refusals, so those girls couldn’t possibly be family. So transactional. The letdown, causing bathos, came when the girls shined Hayato on because they were preparing a surprise party for his two-month anniversary of reopening the Familia Café Terrace.
But the overly dramatic moments of Hayato’s suffering emotional damage produced a positive development. The young man realized the girls had been eavesdropping on him when he talked to himself! I complained that Goddess Café Terrace used this narrative device in the first episode and hoped it would stop. That might happen now, which would make me happy because the girls will try harder to get at Hayato’s secret feelings.
Bathos Done Right in Goddess Café Terrace.
Speaking of things that make me happy, Ami’s bathos story showed us how to make an anti-climax into a comedic punchline. The anime started laying the groundwork for the hilarious conclusion in the fourth episode when Ami defeated a trio of punks with Street Fighter kicks and punches. So I asked, “Where’s the Hadouken?” Well! Here it is! Not only that, but the comedy routine broke Hayato’s laptop and phone again. Goddess Café Terrace nailed this funny moment when it brought up Ami’s past adventures in muscle-head idiocy. So I couldn’t be happier with how we worried about Ami’s desultory mood and how ridiculous the reason for it was. That’s how to use bathos properly in writing: for comedy or irony.
Protecting the Nest Points.
This week, Goddess Café Terrace showed us the clash of priorities between Protecting the Nest and upholding Grandma’s traditions by Grandma’s Little Girl. Add the spice of jealous rivalry in a cooking contest so that Nest Protector Riho and Grandma’s Little Girl Shiragiku sandwiched Hayato between their legs of romantic tension. Well. Toasted sandwiches. Riho pays attention to foodie trends, so she had valid reasons to modernize the café’s menu. Because Riho protects the café best when she uses her marketing skills. And she’ll work for headpats, so it’s in Hayato’s best interest to dole those out.
Grandma’s Little Girl Points.
Shiragiku scored all the points as Grandma’s Little Girl when she taught Hayato how to make Grandma’s version of a toasted sandwich. Hayato had never tasted it because Grandma created the sandwich in the three years he was a prodigal grandson. Shiragiku saw a chance to connect him with the Grandma she knew. Naturally, that familial intimacy drew Riho’s jealous ire, so the pair competed for sandwich points and headpats. Unfortunately, Hayato filled up on his gross-looking sandwich, which caused both Shiragiku and Riho to lose. I’m sure it tasted better than its presentation.
Baka Charm Points.
Look. We know Ami would run away with all the Baka Charm points every episode, but she outdid herself when she believed she could shoot out a Hadouken as her winning move in a match. The lesson she learned in Goddess Café Terrace about her limits is one she will remember until she’s distracted by another shiny thing.
So here’s a shiny thing: Akane continues to pick up Baka Charm points! She tried to convince her bandmates to change their group’s name to a nonsensical mustache theme. What happened to my cool Akane?
Drunk Girl Points.
Why? Why does Riho continue to let Shiragiku drink wine when a smelly, sweaty boy is in their house? She heard Hayato groping Ami and couldn’t resist the urge to join the shenanigans. Alcohol-fueled, of course.
Cool Charm Points.
Did you see Akane’s face when Hayato barged into the communal area as she undressed? No angry tsundere blushing as Ouka had. Why? Because she has the confidence to coolly control Hayato’s reactions to her silky black underwear. Oh, but listening to her sing? That’s totally different! Baka.
Heh.
Uh oh. What are Shiragiku and Hayato doing behind closed doors? Because it sounds kinky to Riho’s ears! Note to self: Riho has a dirty mind! That’s not the dirty kind she expected because it’s a messy sandwich. I’m sure a metaphor is in Goddess Café Terrace, somewhere, about thick tomato slices and mayonnaise splashed everywhere. Welcome to Hayato’s first FFM hentai tag because Riho insisted on “teaching how to cook” with Shiragiku. Hahaha! Riho sees the close mood between Shiragiku and Hayato and feels the need to break that up! Then disarmed by headpats! Ha! Shiragiku also wants headpats but should first do something to get one as a reward. Quick aside: Ami is desperate to create a Hadouken. I’ll file that away for later, but back to Riho’s slowly building jealous rage.
Sandwich building contest, start! Riho channels her envy into marketing motivation. How about a new, trendy, flashy model instead of the old-fashioned sandwich that Grandma used to make? Catfight through a sandwich fight! Another aside: Akane suggests mustache-related themes for a new band name. Ah. The reason for Akane’s aside, as with Ami’s Street Fighter frivolity, is to introduce plot development while Riho and Shiragiku are in the kitchen. We see a foundation for Akane’s character development when she avoids a specific phone call.
And we still don’t know what Akane’s official band name is in Goddess Café Terrace, but let’s get back to the threesome in the kitchen. Riho’s new sandwich has fancy deli meats, but it doesn’t matter because Hayato can’t sample it. He’s full of eating all his sandwich failures, which means a stalemate for the sandwich contest. Ha! Hayato took the indecisive harem king route, which should create later headaches. Ami likes all the sandwiches!
Street Fighter Ami!
Suddenly, the genki Ami stares listlessly into the sky. What happened? She’s paying attention to her chores and not jumping around everywhere. That’s not normal because it’s weird for Ami to act normally! Uh oh. I have a feeling: Hayato’s new “not-VAIO” laptop is not long for this world. And neither does Ouka! Oh. Akane knows what happened to Ami: the genki girl recently lost a karate match. Oh my. The Shounen coming-of-age themes are so strong you know the reason Ami lost will be ridiculous.
Ah. Ahahaha! Ami tried to use a Hadouken against an opponent! Hahaha! She knows better now that she’ll stick to a Shoryuken and practice that Tatsumaki Senpukyaku! Ack. There goes Hayato’s new laptop. Oof. He’s so mad he took Ami’s offer to feel her up! Oh no! There goes his new phone too! Shiragiku can’t sit still when indecent behavior is afoot! Ami took some steps up the stairs to adulthood today.
Family or Familia?
Nice lack of transition, Goddess Café Terrace. The café is busy, and the girls are preoccupied. Shouldn’t family help when someone needs it? Riho, Ouka, and Akane are at home but unavailable to work. Why? Is Riho designing a new uniform? Because why would Ouka and Akane undress in the communal area? Suspicious! Also, watch out for Ouka’s aim at throwing shoes at Hayato’s face. Ack. The bathos is strong here. After half an anime season of talking about family, Hayato doubts the goddesses’ feelings. I’ll expect a sentimental reason for the girls’ cold turn against Hayato. And the dude needs to stop talking to himself out loud.
I knew it! The girls hid their preparations for a surprise party! Totally fair. It’s a two-month anniversary party because everyone hated Hayato so much at the first-month mark. Riho researched Hayato’s weakness: looking at women in their underwear. Uh. And how much time did that take? Because indecisive grass-eater harem kings are notorious for that. Fuuuu… The girls overheard Hayato talking to himself about “strangers” and “pretend families.” So stop talking out loud to yourself, Hayato! Here we go. Akane’s backstory will come next because clues for her issues are how her contact info for her mother calls her “okaa-sama” and how she talked politely to her over the phone. Akane is a secret ojousama!
Looking Ahead
This is the first episode without an Omake comic strip, but that’s no good because I like those! Next time, the girls worry Hayato turned into an oppai zombie. So whose fault is that, exactly? Oh, also something poignant about Akane’s family life.
Goddess Café Terrace (Megami no Café Terrace, The Café Terrace and its Goddesses) streams on Crunchyroll.
Did you become an oppai zombie when you saw Ami take a couple steps up the stairs to adulthood? Then you’ll enjoy the array of Oppai Toys in the J-List store. I love the artwork of Sei Shoujo, so I recommend this Oppai Board Cover of Marie Mamiya from Sleepless.
Did you enjoy Ami’s Hadouken adventure? Or when she learned that the power of oppai is dangerous, and Hayato turned “making sandwiches” into a euphemism for a threesome! Who’s in your preferred FFM combo in Goddess Café Terrace? Let us know in the comments below or online on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.
