Thanksgiving is a holiday for gratitude and togetherness, giving folks some well-deserved time to spend with their loved ones. Of course, the celebration's biggest perk is the mountains of mouthwatering food that come with the festivities. Likewise, fans of anime are no strangers to the tantalizing and intricately illustrated meals that the medium has to offer.
While Food Wars! (Shokugeki no Soma) might be the most popular of the culinary series, there are plenty of other flavors waiting to be sampled. For those looking to prime their stomachs for the banquet to come, here is a specially catered menu of irresistible cooking and food anime to watch this Thanksgiving.
Isekai Izakaya: Japanese Food From Another World
When Shinobu Senke and Nobuyuki Yazawa open a traditional Japanese eatery in Kyoto, they're flabbergasted to find that the front door actually connects to a medieval fantasy world known as Aitheria. Still, no customer is turned away at Izakaya Nobu, showing how the power of food can unite people from all cultures. Serving up oden, karaage and much more, Isekai Izakaya recreates some of the most delicious Japanese dishes in vibrant detail, alongside the most refreshing-looking 2-D beer imaginable.
Moreover, each episode is followed by a live-action segment which either teaches viewers a new recipe, or takes to the streets to showcase real-life restaurants. This multimedia extravaganza is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and is sure to get stomachs rumbling in time for Thanksgiving dinner.
Shin Chuuka Ichiban: True Cooking Master Boy
A decent amount of families eschew the clichéd turkey and stuffing for alternative cuisines at Thanksgiving. For those who opt for Chinese takeout, Shin Chuuka Ichiban will complement those flavors nicely. The story follows cooking prodigy and Super Chef Liu Maoxing, a.k.a. Mao, on his quest to find and protect the eight Legendary Cooking Utensils from the likes of the Cooking Underworld.
Unsurprisingly, there's no better way to take down this syndicate than by whipping up some delectable meals. The attention to artistic detail is so precise that one can almost taste the food being prepared just by watching. Additionally, Mao's inspiration to cook comes from his mother, making this a good excuse to bond with family members over closely guarded recipes. Shin Chuuka Ichiban, which is a partial remake of the classic '90s anime Chuuka Ichiban, can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
Yumeiro Pâtissière
Yumeiro Pâtissière acts as an excellent dessert course to serve with some pumpkin pie. Ichigo Amano is an aspiring baker who inherited her grandmother's taste for all things sweet. After being accepted to the prestigious St. Marie Academy culinary school, she trains to make her dreams a reality with the help of her Sweet Spirit Vanilla.
Soon, Ichigo finds herself not just working to make a name for herself among her peers, but to win big at the Cake Grand Prix. Filled with some of the most alluring confections, Yumeiro Pâtissière mixes a cupful of competition, a dash of magic and a pinch of romance to create a shojo series that will please any sweet tooth. This sugary delight is currently available to stream in its entirety on HIDIVE.
Ristorante Paradiso
For something with a mellow tone to help digest the large Thanksgiving meal, settle down with a nice drink and a few episodes of Ristorante Paradiso. It tells the story of Nicoletta, who travels to Rome in an attempt to reveal the double life lived by her estranged mother Olga. Once Nicoletta arrives, however, she is swept up in the intoxicating atmosphere at a restaurant called the Casetta dell'Orso.
Working in the establishment, she finds herself surrounded by luxurious temptations, both edible and romantic. In between bits of scandal and intrigue, audiences will be treated to beautifully drawn gourmet meals accompanied by equally delightful music. For a series that will electrify all the senses, but especially drive taste buds wild, Ristorante Paradiso can be found streaming on Crunchyroll.
Toriko
Finally, to help wake up from the food coma, action-packed Shonen Jump series Toriko is a fun mix of feasts and brawls. To create the perfect full-course menu, Gourmet Hunter Toriko teams up with rising chef Komatsu to find the best ingredients the world has to offer. That said, in a world filled with outrageously exotic produce, deadly game animals and entire swaths of edible land, doing so is a tall order.
While Toriko's main appeal comes in its imaginative and fantastical recipes, its battle sequences also pack a punch. Combining the two together is a great way to get the metabolism running and make room for a second round of the Thanksgiving smorgasbord. The series is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
