Flavors of Youth

Genre(s): Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Coming of Age

Age-Appropriateness: 13+ (implied child abuse)

Platforms: Netflix

Episodes: One 1 hour 15 min. movie

TheAwersome Rating: 7.4 / 10 (Neat, nothing to write home about)

Premise: The rigorous city life of China, while bustling and unforgiving, contains the everlasting memories of days past. Three stories told in three different cities, this movie follows the loss of youth and the daunting realization of adulthood. Though reality may seem ever changing, unchangeable are the short-lived moments of one’s childhood days. A plentiful bowl of noodles, the beauty of family and the trials of first love endure the inevitable flow of time, as three different characters explore the strength of bonds and the warmth of cherished memories. Within the disorder of the present world, witness these quaint stories recognize the comfort of the past, and attempt to revive the neglected flavors of youth.

TheAwersome’s Thoughts: I was duped again; this isn’t a food or cooking anime at all. Doggone it. That being said, it was still a nice watch. Three separate stories touching on different ways in which we all grow up and certain things change and can never truly be replaced. That isn’t to say that growing up sucks, but there is a bittersweetness to the realizations made in maturing and how the seemingly mundane becomes tremendously meaningful in hindsight.

Animation is gorgeous and cinematography has a very professional feel to it, so it’s certainly an appealing watch. I wasn’t particularly impacted or moved by this though, so if you’re really craving something good, find something else. If you want something to kill the time that you won’t get annoyed at, go ahead and give it a go.

TLDR: Beautifully animated coming of age vignette piece, but not very memorable.