Genres: Drama, Romance

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Set in modern-day Rome, a young girl named Nicoletta seeks out a small restaurant near the heart of the city.  When she finds the Casetta dell’Orso, she becomes wrapped up in its mystique… not to mention the gentlemen that work at the establishment.  Her original goal of outing her mother, who abandoned her as a child, to her new husband falls to the wayside.

In a quick aside, her mother begs her not to tell him, as he said he would not marry a woman who has been divorced before.  In exchange, Nicoletta is given an apartment in Rome to use until she departs.  It is important to know that the two no longer consider each other family, for their own reasons.  Nicoletta falls into the role of a daughter of a friend to keep this secret.

One of the waiters, an older man named Claudio, catches Nicoletta’s eye and she begins to obsess over him.  Not knowing if it is love she is feeling, she is determined to test her feelings for him.  In an uncomfortable moment, interrupted by her mother’s entrance, she mounts him while sitting on a chair in her apartment.  After a strained discussion with her mother, Nicoletta decides that she needs to find her purpose in life and joins the restaurant as a chef.

This series is definitely not one I would have interest in on its own accord; a romantic drama featuring older men, etc…  BUT the characters have a depth that has only been scratched in the first two episodes.  This series has a few good things going for it, it will be interesting to see where it ends up.

Overall Hook Rating: B

Tags: anime, drama, romance