Akane’s suddenly softer personality makes Hayato suspect something is wrong with her.
Episode 7 — “A Year in My Life”
Hmm.
Goddess Café Terrace turned an anime convention on its head this week. In any gourmet cooking, healing, or slice-of-life anime, you’ll hear how cooking a meal with love makes the food taste better. Food Wars! (Shokugeki no Souma) took that concept to the extreme by having a chef make a dish for a consumer so specifically that clothes would obliterate from a “foodgasm” (flavor explosion to orgasm). Apparently, in anime, coffee is different from food. According to Grandma, a coffee’s flavor depends on the feelings of both the brewer and the drinker. The roasted beverage will land flat if a consumer’s heart is not in the proper place to receive the Coffee Master’s flavor.
However, a seasoned Master should notice a customer’s mood and serve the perfect beverage to soothe her emotions. That’s true for the Bar Masters we see in anime and the Coffee Masters. The Master chooses the ambient cocktail or coffee blend to suit his patron’s taste. I don’t think Hayato had picked up on that distinction from how Akane described Grandma’s instructions, but he has at least a year to learn that nuance.
The Bathos Melodrama Meter!
Akane’s gap year gave Goddess Café Terrace the fuel for bathos and melodrama for this week. The bathos points piled up as Akane remembered the moments she learned how to brew coffee with Grandma. Likewise, some of those memories counted in the Grandma’s Little Girl column. By comparison, they were much happier than the ones she had of her mother teaching her the tea ceremony. All the sentimentality came to its proper conclusion when Mother Hououji’s eyes cleared up, and she saw her daughter as a person with agency. Indeed, a child standing up to her parent is a common theme in coming-of-age stories, so one of the goddesses unsurprisingly dealt with this issue. The melodrama came when Hayato tag teamed with Mother Hououji to force Akane’s confident statement of her goals. Then the bathos hit hard as the other goddesses piled into the café and stepped all over Hayato.
In addition, when Mother Hououji recognized Hayato’s name, Goddess Café Terrace laid the foundation for a future melodrama. So, manga readers, please be patient and avoid revealing spoilers to us, the anime-only viewers. The anime teased us with the possibility that Hayato was Akane’s arranged marriage partner. But we are watching a long-running serial adaptation of a harem manga, so I expect Mother Hououji’s “small world” remark hints at much more intricate circumstances. Still, the knowing glances Akane’s mother shot her about Hayato’s “competitors” landed the recurring joke of Akane’s alluring appeal vanishing under the heat of her affection for the rude café owner.
Protecting the Nest Points.
Two people scored points when they protected the nest in Goddess Café Terrace. Hayato started the run by asking Akane on a date but disappointed her when it was only a business meeting. Because he needed to know what she knew about the best coffee brewing practices at the Familia Café Terrace before she left. Then Riho scored one point by insulting Hayato’s coffee. The café was sure to suffer losses without Akane brewing coffee!
Grandma’s Little Girl Points.
Akane scored all the points in this week’s Goddess Café Terrace episode. She noticed when Hayato did the same things as Grandma did after the café closed for the day. How can you still believe you’re in a pretend family when someone can say to you, “You are your grandmother’s grandson”? Mother Hououji scored an assist by hinting their families have a prior connection. Whether that’s an arranged marriage or something else is a question seeking an answer.
Baka Charm Points.
The Baka Girl of Goddess Café Terrace scored the most points again because Ami will do what she does best. But the other three goddesses joined Ami’s silliness. Specifically, they eavesdropped, took things out of context, and violently blamed Hayato for deeds he did not do. That’s what Ami does every episode!
Akane scored specific points when she believed Hayato invited her on an actual date instead of a business meeting to receive her last bits of café experience before she left. They couldn’t have that conversation at the house because the other girls would overhear and deduce Akane’s exit from the house! Akane had stupidly hoped for more opportunities for Hayato to fluster her again. And then her wish came true by the end of the episode.
Drunk Girl Points.
No alcohol consumption occurred during this episode. Not even a flashback! The preview hints at Shiragiku suffering wardrobe malfunctions in a state of besottedness, so I award future points to her.
Cool Charm Points.
The other girls were way too excited as they jumped to conclusions in this episode. So, they weren’t coolheaded enough to display their charms. Akane tried to stay calm by paying compliments, but that drew suspicions. On the other hand, her aloofness allowed the audience to enjoy a joke and a callback about squeezing boobs gently. Goddess Café Terrace found a path to fanservice humor through the power of groping.
Heh.
The rainy season on Goddess Café Terrace. I sense gray moods to match the weather for this episode! Huh? Akane hands out compliments like candy. That’s so out of the ordinary that the other girls notice it. Hoho. Ami’s boobs are still sensitive after Hayato’s rough treatment. Do it gently, Hayato. Gently. What a weird mood Akane is in. She’s ready to accept Ami’s rubber ducky! The other girls remark they’ve lived together for a year now. Pay attention to that marker.
Nice. Hayato takes a Coffee Master’s duties seriously. Customers’ tastes for coffee change throughout the year, so he needs to predict the proper blend and brew. But can he do that for an individual’s taste yet? Ha! Called out! Hayato noticed one individual’s mood: Akane acted like she’ll say goodbye to the Familia Café Terrace soon. Instead of arguing, Akane confirmed Hayato’s hunch and offered a free squeeze in gratitude. The baited one did not take the bait! Blush harder, Akane. Oh, but Hayato did ask for a date! Is this Akane’s big chance? Ack, melodrama! Ouka’s bangs eavesdropped on the conversation.
D-D-Date-o!!!
Still raining. The other goddesses of Goddess Café Terrace can’t believe Hayato and Akane would go on a date in such abysmal weather. Har. They think Hayato is such a grass eater that Akane must have been the aggressor. Ami isn’t sure about that after his less-than-gentle squeezing. Terrible. Akane does not approve of this “date.” Hahaha. She’s so flustered when Hayato offers to do date-style afterward. Ah. Grandma shared the Bar Master’s trick to detect a customer’s mood for flavor.
Ah, finally. Akane explained she had a gap year from her family duties of an arranged marriage and taking over the family business. Hayato and the other girls can’t stand it. Don’t call them “pretend family,” Akane! Tell them what you want! Of course, Akane wants to stay but needs Hayato’s help to tell her mother.
O-kaa-sama Knows Best
Reputable family? A Rolls Royce in Japan is levels above a black Mercedes Benz. Mother Hououji has plain eyes as if she doesn’t need to focus on insignificant details. Oho. Both Mother and Hayato, despite their differences, would like Akane to use precise language to express her desires directly. Whoa. Mother Hououji started paying attention to Hayato. Akane didn’t take to making green tea but expertly handled brewing filtered coffee grounds. And bathos. All that emotional buildup brings us to Kunoichi Ami giving her report. At least Goddess Café Terrace foreshadows ridiculous conclusions to emotional scenes.
All this time, Mother Hououji just needed an extra jolt of caffeine to open her eyes. Beautiful. Uh oh! Mother Hououji knows Hayato’s name! Was he the arranged marriage candidate? Or is there something deeper between the Kasukabe and Hououji families? Welp. Forget all that serious stuff. Ami’s circus needs to perform! Mother Hououji says she’ll refuse the arranged marriage offer, but who was it from? Does she think it’s a mere formality now? Do your best, Akane! You have competition.
Looking Ahead
Next time, it’s the Beach Hut episode. Oh yeah!
Goddess Café Terrace (Megami no Café Terrace, The Café Terrace and its Goddesses) streams on Crunchyroll.
I love drinking coffee as my first beverage of the day, but there are various kinds of coffee for whatever time of day, wherever you are. Please check out Coffee Kizoku’s art in the J-List store. We have both volumes of the Free Friends visual novel by Coffee Kizoku available for purchase now!
Did you enjoy Akane’s character arc? I didn’t expect her to be the first official member of Hayato’s harem, did you? She has first dibs now, but who’s next? Let us know in the comments below or online on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.
