Bartender: Glass of God
[Music] you’re listening to Exploring Anime with Friends a JO for Real podcast on YouTube Spotify Apple and all major podcasting networks i’m your host Jaml and today’s friend is my wife and co-host how’s it going today Sarah hi everyone it’s going great today awesome awesome are you ready for today’s episode of Exploring Anime with Friends i am always ready today we’ll be exploring the world of bartender Glass of God a slice of life with focus on the Japanese bar scene released in April of 2024 first we will meet our main character Susakura then we will meet some of the many friends that Susakura makes along his journey afterwards we will meet the many lives that Sissakura influences and impacts finally we will meet the people who influence and impact Sasakura’s life and remember if you like what you hear today give us a follow on social media like and subscribe all right before we dive too much into this so talk to us a little bit about Susakura as a person and then I’ll set up why it’s important so Susakura he’s very down to earth his voice is very calm and honestly kind of soothing when he’s talking very he’s very mellow at the same time at the very beginning when we first meet him he’s kind of like not klutzy but like he forgets he he had a book checked out in the library and he was sitting out a park bunch and he’s like “Oh my gosh I got to go.” And he just completely leaves the book behind yeah i wouldn’t call that klutzy as much as like maybe a little absent- minded because his mind is always on his work yeah no definitely he’s just he’s a real chill guy like honestly as we’re watching it this is someone that I would like to get to know yeah and he’s very knowledgeable very intelligent he’s very well well spoken on everything he knows the history and his biggest thing is as he says alcohol can be either poison or medicine based off of who’s serving it and how they’re serving it and you know it’s funny because I’m not This isn’t my scene at all neither of ours yeah yeah we don’t drink but at the same time it’s this is one of those things where he handled it in such a way to where it looked like honestly I I’d probably go there once just to meet him if this was a real life person yep definitely so it’s he just observes everything about customers as they come in immediately identifies who they are what their story is and customizes the perfect drink to them yep this immediately makes him very appealing during this time Kurashima is looking for the perfect bartender for his hotel he’s opened a luxury hotel in Tokyo and this is one of the places where people will be coming the first stop for international businessmen as they come to Tokyo so he is handpicking the staff completely himself cuz he wants to know that they represent him and Tokyo to the best of their ability mhm and when he meets Sakura he needs a little bit of convincing at first but as Sasakura adapts and works his magic and shows him what he can do he’s like “That’s my guy that’s my guy.” Like th this guy is going to be my guy’s got it talk a little bit about the opening time that they meet each other so it’s actually really interesting kurishima goes to the bar where Sasakura is at and he has a strong opinion on only accepting drinks from a very specific person who’s who’s passed by this time and for some reason or other he gives Sissaka a chance and he’s like “Yeah make me this.” And he’s like “This is garbage make me this.” Makes him something else no this is terrible make me this and he goes through like four or five drinks and he’s just like “No none of them are good.” And ends up leaving and I was like “Wow that’s harsh.” Like so Sakura is a professional he’s been on the industry for a little while albeit a prodigy he’s been in for about it’s eight nine years long enough to know what he’s doing maybe not long enough to be like perfection but either way I was like “Man Kiroshima what’s wrong with you?” But Sasakur didn’t think that he’s like “What’s wrong with me?” Yeah so he reanalyzes everything and then he calls him back and he’s like “I want one more chance.” Yep and he makes them i think the drink was called an old pal that was also interesting if you have any uh any curiosity about like fancy drinks and all this stuff he tells you what they are he tells you the name of them and that honestly despite the fact it’s not really my scene that was really interesting to learn but he makes him this drink full history he knows everything about every drink and he knows how to not just how to make it not how just how to customize it made it first but yeah like everything mhm so he makes them this drink called the old pal and that’s the one that Kurushima actually appreciated part of the funny thing about Kurushima was originally he gets a group together to try to find the bartender the perfect bartender and he’s like “They have to be able to make the glass of God.” And you’re like they’re like “What the heck is a glass of God?” And he’s like “You’ll know it when you drink it.” Yeah and that’s all that’s all he says and you’re like “Well what the They’re like “Well what’s that supposed to mean you’ll know it when you drink it.” And it’s just it gives a little um humor to the moment but at the same time you’re you’re watching Susakura do it you’re watching Sasakura tailor make these perfect drinks for that perfect moment for that person and it’s funny because you find out later in a flashback that Susakura the reason why he joined and started training and everything was because he wanted to learn how to make the glass of God the perfect drink for the for the perfect person every single time yep and he really just kind of perfects it so obviously he joins up with Kurroshima and we’re going through his life at the hotel through this whole first season with the exception of the fact that he says no he says no no he’s he’s good in his bar his bar is Eden Hall he likes it there cuz Eden Hall is like it’s a little bit of a speak easy it’s in a mall but it’s in a secluded area of the mall so it’s a it’s one of those things where it gives that old like roaring 20 sort of feel despite the fact that this is in Japan and whatnot and it’s there for the people who need it the most the people who are falling off the beaten path and Sakura is the perfect person to meet them because he customizes the journey once they’re there mhm and he makes a lot of friends along the way as a result of it let’s talk about some of the great friends that Susakura makes along the way starting with the granddaughter so you don’t know this at first but one of the people that’s put in charge of trying to find the bartender for the hotel is Kurroshima’s granddaughter Miwa and she’s cool she’s calm she’s frantic though too because she’s been they’ve been hosting interview after interview and every time this person is just “Nope that’s not the right guy nope that’s not the right guy.” And they’re getting to the point where they’re their budget is running out on trying to find this person they’re getting to the point where the budget’s running out like the hotel is going to stop funding them little ventures to like go to the bars and like to check the bartenders out so she’s starting to be like “We’ve got to find this person now.” Yeah and when she meets the Sakura she’s like “I know this is the one.” Like “I know this is the one i’m going to continue going back.” But as she’s going back she’s watching him interact with other people and he’s interacting with her and he’s he’s so despite the fact that he said no he’s so polite and kind to all of them because that’s the type of person he is very gentle and she’s drawn to that because she’s that type of person too she’s very respectful she really starts to develop a friendship with him so she continues to go back there and she’s like “Oh I need to bring my friend Yukari who’s also working on this project with me.” Talk to us a little bit about the differences and similarities in their two personalities and their relationship i mean they’re definitely very different i’m just going to focus on that so where Herma is generally speaking she’s kind of calm and collected despite like the anxiety of like trying to find someone because they need someone soon yukari is like the high-pitched go get them kind of type and she’s she’s just constantly like she’s I don’t want to say she’s loud but she’s louder than Mia is she’s also a good person as a whole and she’s also just trying to get the job done and she’s kind of getting deflated that it’s taking so long and the director um Kirishima is constantly like telling them “Nope that guy’s not good enough that guy’s not good enough.” So she’s kind of getting deflated like when are we going to find someone that the boss likes yeah it’s definitely watching the her fret over it and watching them the the persistence of it it’s both comical yet at the same time it’s kind of like you know that there’s something holding it back do you know that there’s he’s not really given the reasons he gives a bogus reason that he’s afraid of heights which he worked at one of the highest peaks in France so you know that it’s it’s not actually no that’s not that’s why yeah part of the whole first season is exploring the journey of you know what is really going on with Sakura and you slowly get there as he’s building relationships and friendships helping people saving people really when it comes down to it oh absolutely but we’ll get a little more to that towards the end of this episode for now I definitely want to just focus on maybe the friend group that goes together to the mecca of Japanese whiskey talk to us about each one of of that friend group so basic during this time they go to a distillery where they’re just they’re there and they’re not just a distillery the distillery yeah and it’s kind of a break but at the same time it’s also a learning point and the people that go Chen he’s very softspoken very quiet he’s very opposite to Kiyoko who’s incredibly out there and in your face and in a good not in a bad way but like in a I want to be your friend sort of way hey let’s all be friends sort of way and who’s also very different than Yuri who’s quieter but still outgoing chen has is much more like reclusive kind of but they all go to this distur and a lot of it is just like self-learning like learning who they are who they’re going to become while learning about like how interesting it is that this place picked this specific spot because of the quality of the water yeah they learn a lot about the history of why they do what they do at this point in time and you’re seeing the personalities clash and meld in other ways and you find a little bit about the story like cuz just isn’t there to have fun with them and enjoy the trip he’s also there to learn more about the friends that he’s making at this point in time and he sees the conflict in Chen realizing the story of the reason why he’s into this is because he’s trying to avoid being in the hotel industry he’s a student of Mr perfect to try to actually get to to try to become the best he can be because he’s finally taken that step away from that he wishes he took much sooner and it’s one of those things where you realize that it’s kind of like he didn’t take that step away soon enough and as a result of it it cost him a great relationship in the past and Sakra just helps him work through all that meanwhile he’s helping to bring some discipline into the life of Kiyoko because she is at the beginning is like you know I’m gonna quit because like this is too hard and Sakura is kind of like well you know if if you’re going to quit then why did you ever start doing it in the first place like yeah like her her reasoning for quitting was over something not necessarily insignificant but like it it wasn’t she was like I can’t even get this one thing right i should just quit and he’s like well if you did that then why why’ you even do this to begin with he says it so kindly though and so compassionately oh it don’t matter to her but it doesn’t matter no when someone’s like “Why’d you even do this?” It doesn’t matter the tone she’s like “Wow you’re a jerk.” Basically back to him it’s really one of those things where as she gets to know him better she starts to realize that I want to be like him like I I want to be someone who can help other people so he really gets her focus on the fact that yes it’s bartenders but we’re here to help people and customize the experience to their story so he really kind of molds her in almost sort of a mentor sort of way despite the fact that they’re friends and he just inspires all three of them that come along and they’re all going to take part in the big new drink competition that’s coming out and it’s really kind of a stepping stone for each of them mhm so Sakura really molds those journeys and meanwhile this whole time Miwa is just watching him weave his magic and she’s like “This is the guy we need this is the guy who like you know is becoming my best friend this is someone who I need to make sure ends up in my grandfather’s hotel.” So if you like what you’re hearing so far be sure to watch this for yourself on Crunchyroll it’s It’s really just a great anime one of my favorites from 2024 now let’s just go into some of the other lives that he impacts like obviously I’ve already pointed out how he’s impacted the lives of his friends there but let’s start talking about let’s talk about the couple the lady with the cigar and the guy who was having a rough day at the office so the guy who was having a rough day at the office his name is ISA and he just tried he’s like his third day in trying to quit smoking and there was a big office meeting he’s one of the heads of whatever this corporation is and he’s just getting lashed out at because he’s taking the fall for someone that his compatriots think he should just blame one of his like underlings for and he’s like “Nope I signed off on this it’s my fault.” And he’s just getting a lot of backlash for it so he just had a rough day he’s 3 days out from having his last cigarette and he’s just I’ve never um gone through withdrawal like this but like he’s having a hard time so he goes to Eden Hall just trying to kind of get away from it all and there is someone there just holding a cigar that’s lit she’s not actually smoking it at all she’s just holding it and it’s just getting all the cigar fumes everywhere and he kind of takes a personal offense against that and even the first time he he asked her to put it out he doesn’t do it very kindly he’s just like “Hey can you can you put that out?” And she’s just like “Um hey Sasakura is there anything wrong with me having a cigar here?” And he’s like “Nope that’s open bar you can do whatever you want as far as that goes.” and she’s like “Nope not going to put it out.” And this just grates on him which from that perspective I understand like her attitude back would be grading he wasn’t really great there either and insanely enough in his anger and frustration and withdrawal syndromes and everything he just reaches over and he just breaks the cigar and he drops some money basically on the bar and he just leaves and then he comes back the next day and he apologizes for his actions and Sakura is like I don’t talk about customers but come behind the bar look out with me and he invites him behind and the guy’s like so this is what it looks like from back here and he’s like must be difficult trying to reach everyone where they’re at and he’s like do you know who that person was and he’s like I have no clue and he’s like her name’s Kimishima and she was a she’s a doctor who was given that cigar when a baby was born because that’s it was a tradition that’s tradition by the way to give it uh to to give it out and she worked tirelessly to save the life of this baby cuz it was born with a defect mhm she kept on telling herself I I can’t smoke it until the baby saved until everything’s good yeah and the baby never made it yeah so she lit that in memory of the baby that she couldn’t save and refused to smoke it yeah she just she didn’t she felt like because sometimes people take it on themselves something is when it’s their fault they feel like it’s their fault i don’t necessarily believe it would have been her fault if this was a real life scenario but she felt that she didn’t deserve to smoke it but she still wanted to honor the baby and at this point the guy’s like “Oh my goodness what did I do?” Yeah no he’s really beating himself up which he should so he he goes out and he buys a full box of it and it’s an expensive uh box of cigars it’s not something easily gotten either I think and he brings it back to Sissakura and he’s like you know next time she comes in give this to her and at that point in time she walks in well don’t skipping over the fact that he kept going back he he kept going back cuz he knew she was a slight regular she coming in in the evening so he would just show up hope she comes and then eventually Yeah he was like “Hey next time she comes in give it to And then yeah she appears yeah so and it’s one of those things she appears they’re there and she’s like well you know I can’t accept this and it’s kind of like it it’s too much and he’s like well you know how about So Sakura is kind of like well how about you guys share the box together while you’re here and you’re watching Sakura really kind of bring healing to both of them just by listening yeah and you know it’s there’s another instance where they eventually agree to go on a date and the date doesn’t happen the first time and then they meet up another time because they’re both having their rough times and they they head to Eden Hall and they Sax soccer helps them repair it then too so it’s just kind of beautiful the way he weaves how he makes this a relationship and the final thing is he’s going to get transferred to America and he’s like so he meets up with Sakura and Sakura’s like you know what we’re going to go to my buddy Kitikata at the North Wind and we’re going to talk to him about it this time because this is one of those things where like I’m the guy who heals he’s the guy who heals on the front lines yeah he’s the one who they come to with the lowest of the low and Kitakata is playing with dice at that point in time and he he just walks him through the whole thing it’s a Sakura walk which is Kitakato the guy who trained him yeah weave his weave his like personal skills that are very different from Sakuras and he eventually gets the guy to realize yeah he needs to take the chance on this girl mhm and they end up becoming a wonderful couple as a result of it because Sakura not only took it to the point where he influenced a life and actually was able to bring healing to lives but then when he realized that this is a little beyond me he takes it to Kitakata who specializes in the harder cases i think here we’re going to talk about the healing that Kitakata and the granddaughter bring to Susakura and weave it in with the healing that Susakura brings in the final episode so Susakura’s been hiding a secret this whole time yeah it’s it’s a pretty rough one too tell the secret so in his previous job when he was working in France he again it’s it’s one another one of those plays of when people take on too much where they think something’s their fault he had the opportunity to try to save someone from going over the edge and unfortunately it didn’t pan out well the guy took his life later that night the guy took his life and and Susaka was the last person he spoke to yep so Susaka kind of blames himself again don’t don’t just for all the people out there don’t blame yourself for things that you honestly didn’t do i mean you can only do so much but if you want to continue with how how Sasakuro was healed as well yeah so Kitikata tells the story to the granddaughter and she’s like “Oh I get it now.” So Sakura doesn’t feel worthy of this appointment despite the fact that he influences so many different lives despite the fact that he impacts so many he has never been able to forgive himself for the death of this person and she’s like “But it’s not his fault.” And Kitakata is like “Well you know you could say that all you want you could say that to me all you want if that happened to me I would blame myself too i mean it’s it’s understandable but he’s like it’s it’s our job like people in their final hours they either seek out a preacher or they seek out a bartender and he’s like and if you can’t save a life at that point in time then you’re always going to fail like you’ve failed mhm and they’re going through the whole thing and at this point in time like there’s a very honest moment between her and Sasakura and she’s kind of like you know you need to heal too and that episode ends with Sakura crying in the rain and he’s like I focus so much like I can’t show that weakness in front of a customer because I need to be strong for everyone and he’s like but maybe it’s time that I start to go on my healing journey and the final episode begins with a writer at the end of his rope he cannot meet the deadline and he comes into Eden Hall miwa’s sitting there she’s talking with Sakura and Sasakura immediately realizes this is the moment yep and I’m not going into anything else because we spoiled a lot already we did we did the 12th episode the 12th and final episode of Bartender Glass of God’s first season is a is one of the greatest anime episodes the last four episodes of that season oh my gosh yeah are four of the greatest consecutive anime episodes of all time i agree with you on that one i think I Yeah I was I was glued I was glued to the TV yeah and that that’s I’m just going to leave it at that cuz a lot of what we learn about Susakura and what he’s going through starts in uh the fourth to last episode of the season and yeah this is um I as I gave all my rewatches to the 2024 stuff I realized oh man like I actually enjoyed Elusive Samurai and Sign of Affection more than I remembered enjoying them i was like this there might be a little bit of a rearrange and it’s like after I watched Glass of God a second time I was like “Wow no it actually hit harder the second time.” Yeah and I’m not even sure like not even sure why this is I’m not going to call it a masterpiece start to finish like because I don’t want to overuse that word and we definitely use that in your name and I’m not going to back off of that at all no way but these final four episodes were the the stuff of legends definitely uh any final things that you want to say about Bartender Glass of God i don’t know it’s just um it’s impressive like all the stuff that like you just kind of learned throughout it about everything again the bar scene isn’t our scene and no judgment for those that do but it was just it was really unique because when I think of bars we live in a touristy area so I’m thinking of like we live in the Jersey sure it’s it’s very different from the high scene that we’re witnessing yeah we’re used to like loud noisy rave almost bars whereas these ones are very they’re they’re the speak easy like like we said they’re they’re very mellow they’re very calm and it’s just it was a really interesting watch yeah and I like I can’t say that the artwork was anything too special that the storytelling throughout was super special that the you know that there are so many things that we talk about the in other anime that we watched that really stood out like I don’t but I didn’t need any of that like it didn’t need to be the best in anything because the way it made you feel and like the the down to earth approach of it and just the way that the end of the season just it’s kind of like oh my goodness you you couldn’t stop watching once you hit that force from the last episode so it’s it’s one of those things where this will go down on um this will go down like not not in my top five spots of all time but man I’d have to think that even if not another episode never comes out for it mhm that this is definitely flirting with my top 10 anime of all time and I’m not going to say that often anymore i said it a lot during the first season but I was covering a lot of my favorites during the first season but this is this has solidified itself in in that in that range for me so once again we explored the life of Sasakura some of the friends that he made the people he influenced and the people who influenced him and we got to journey through what it means to him to be a bartender in Japan i hope you had as much fun exploring the world of Bartender Glass of God as we did and consider watching this anime so if you like what you heard today make sure you listen to us on YouTube Spotify Apple or wherever you stream your podcast listen to all of our Jail for Real podcast and hit us up on social media like subscribe and follow once again 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