With character animation that struggles to even be half as attractive as the usual ComiX Wave studio's output, this mixed bag film tries to do what stories such as Shinya Shokudo do by giving insight into the lives of a few different people via the food they like and how it has followed their lives. However, with overly poignant, faux-sentimental arcs (and an abundance of characters in the rain behind somber piano) revolving around the characters we're given far to little time to care about, everything falls as flat and lifeless as the rigid character movements and their stale designs. While there is a clear attempt to match the visual flair and style of the recent hit Your Name, something this film markets itself as coming from the same studio as, it relies too much on flashy lighting and the occasional detailed close up that just feel out of place against the rest of the bland visuals. While nothing offensive, this film or series of vignettes is as painfully average and run of the mill as you could expect from a Chinese produced anime trying to piggyback on the success of a recent commercial hit.
Review of Flavors of Youth
