The Art of 𝐹𝒜𝒩𝒞𝒴 Romance Anime

Japan use to have a LOT, of money. Times were good & everyone was happy. We don't talk about what happened after, but this only aired it at midnight. Mostly because this was the only anime to ever sell cigarettes. For legal reasons they couldn't even air it during the day. I don't think tha ever ever happened again either. I mean I guess the Flintstones did it that one time but this is the only other example I can think of. A look at relaxing romance Anime that's a slice of life from 80s japan. A light review / documentary about Heart Cocktail, an anime series that deserves more love. An anime that's only three minutes long doesn't really lend itself to a review, but there's 76 episodes , & it's so lofi I feel like there's something for everyone. An aesthetic, retro, classy anime for the hopeless romantics out there; heart cocktail is a reflection on the excess wealth & good times of 80's japan ,with a focus on the little connections people make in their everyday lives. It was made by Seizo Watase, who's series actually show up in museums. Probably the most pretty anime artist out there. I hope it gets fully subtitled one day. If you want to follow this up by actually watching it, most of the anime series is on youtube, so it's not lost media by any means. Elegant piano, business suits, expensive cars, & high fashion never go out of style. What you see here today is a classy, refined, beautiful snapshot of Japan that's really like no anime I've ever seen. I full expect to see AMVS, ASMR, & whatever else people do with looping animation use clips from this series soon.
Patreon: / kennylauderdale
Twitter: @KennyLauderdal3
Title: They Only Aired This At Midnight
#anime, #relaxing, #citypop

[@kennylauderdale_en]

Like or you'll never find true love.

[@KyleWhiteandfriends]

I was looking for this today, not love, but heart cocktail 🍸 💜

[@Mikewee777]

Good . Love is expensive and painful .

[@Claymann71]

😅 Kind of an odd ask.

[@JohnnyBurnes]

I liked, but you never returned my calls. 😭

[@jameshampton4772]

I feel like this is the type of anime that can help some people sleep easily, not because it looks boring by any means but just how relaxing it is almost like listening to smooth Jazz or Weather channel music.

[@seasononeboys6031]

weather channel music fucking slaps dude love that shit

[@jameshampton4772]

@@seasononeboys6031 Dude weather Channel music is the definition of chill music that anyone can listen to 😎

[@shonenjumpmagneto]

There's another anime Yokohama Kaodashi Kikou that's part of the "Healing" Genre of anime. I watched it & meditated to it lol. It's very good & on YT. Yokohama Kaodashi Kikou OVA 1 kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIjUh2SJir6Eqc0 *It's in 3 Parts, from OG YT days.

[@supplex3662]

@@shonenjumpmagneto thanks, I’ll check it out.

[@scratchpad7954]

You guys are literally describing what happened to me. I was sitting here trying to do my homework and I began to doze. Honestly, I'm amazed I didn't drop my phone.

[@griffx]

I think this artist used to draw one of the English textbooks for Japanese middle school before they moved to a new artist that made the books ultra anime.

[@g.sergiusfidenas6650]

I would say that's a colossal blunder but I don't think a lot of kids will be into this kind of artstyle.

[@LeoMidori]

@@g.sergiusfidenas6650 Not in middle school anyway. High school or college, sure.

[@mirai____]

It also looks a lot like the art style in the Situational Functional Japanese textbook series, which I used in university. It's from the 80s/90s so definitely possible

[@fl0atpvnk]

Japanese For Young People!

[@redcomn]

Actually this looked like my high school textbook for Japanese. That thing have not been changed even now.

[@mariobermudez1228]

Happy to see this video is back up. Such a relaxing unique anime.

[@theothertonydutch]

Why was it down?

[@oldfan4049]

It was banned?0o

[@PikaLink91]

I am more interested in the game 😁

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

Thought the video was sounding familiar. "Deja vu, I have been in this place before..."

[@oldfan4049]

@@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley you've got it!^^ XDDDD

[@leonardticsay8046]

It was an aspirational anime for an optimistic time in Japan’s history.

[@DuwangKaizer]

Hey Guys, the Heart Cocktail anime returned in 2023 on NHK as Heart Cocktail Colorful. It ran on NHK General TV in two cours, with episodes 1-5 airing from March 28 - 29, 2023 and Episodes 6 - 10 airing from July 31 to August 4, 2023.

[@changer_of_ways_suspense_smith]

A sushi bar should just have the entire series playing on loop in the background. I feel like that's the kind of place it'd feel right at home in.

[@harrisonlee9585]

Life would honestly be better if we communicated more through fancy City Pop music

[@shinyagumon7015]

Finally an Anime for people with short intention spans! Also this Anime sounds classy and comfy.

[@goonerOZZ]

I'd suggest Girl and Dino...

[@FeralInferno]

I'm sure you had the best of intentions.

[@jmalmsten]

That reminds me of probably the best soap opera j-drama... Long Long MAAAAAA-AAAAAN!

[@chich-ai]

If you want another anime that's very short, there is Honobono Log, it has only 10 episodes and each has 2 minutes. It's also very sweet (though not nearly as beautiful as Heart Cocktail, obviously)

[@akiradkcn]

lol

[@albertamalachi3560]

This type of art style is so much a thing back then in the 1980s and the early 1990s. You'd find some illustrations similar like that on the cover of notebooks, pens, pencils, and those tin can pencil cases.

[@Slayerthecrow]

Have to admit, I love the choice of colors and the clothes the characters have, not over the top but not plain either, very elegant and simple.

[@LawrenceAaronLuther]

love his drawing style and he really pushed that へのへのもへじ thing in the faces へ　へ の　の 　も 　へ 　じ

[@BIGBUCKS_moneh]

Ah yes, that thing just looks nice

[@stizanley3987]

Moebius is the greatest artist to ever live, so never apologize about talking about him.

[@orenalbertmeisel3127]

I remember seeing the original, but you removed it to fix problems and improve it if I’m not mistaken. I respect how you care about the quality of your content Kenny. And I also appreciate that you talk about anime that is forgotten and/or less mainstream than what is usually covered by anime KZbin. You’re contributing with something completely different. I still have fond memories of watching your Silver Fang video. Keep up with the good content. Quality over quantity

[@apeaape]

Pretty sure it was for a copy strike and he decided to do some fixing while that was happening

[@gergom.8310]

@@apeaape Not really. He made a community post, that he decided to re-make this video but with more information and more effort on researching.

[@stefanoiulli5462]

Forgotten and Obscure Anime are My Type of Anime

[@KitaniRairakku]

I really love this art style. I think one thing that plagues a lot of anime series is that the characters don't always look like they belong in the setting they're drawn in. The setting will look beautiful and realistic and the characters will look pretty and stylized, but together, there's a disconnect that you just have to get used to. It's not necessarily a problem, and they are definitely notable examples that avoid this issue by stylizing the backgrounds as well, but it often results in the characters themselves getting more focus than the scenery they belong in. But these characters, with their simple lines and simple colors, clearly belong in the world they're drawn into, and they don't pop out in a way that's distracting. It's very pleasing to the eye, and draws your attention to everything n each frame, which is likely a big reason that the lack of actual animation doesn't really hold the series back. Thank you for making this video!

[@Soufriere84]

Glad to see this video back up. Every season there's usually at least one five-minutes-or-less anime. Nearly all are comedies. That's fine, but something simple yet atmospheric like Heart Cocktail is unusual and a welcome break. I'm not sure where, how, or why Kenny digs this stuff up but I'm glad he does!

[@kennylauderdale_en]

Each episode is technically 2 minutes & 50 seconds or so. I was rounding up from the title card. There's tons of episodes on youtube, you can check for yourself. It's amazing how short it really is.

[@potatoperson9912]

@@kennylauderdale_en There are anime that are three minutes in length but still have the one and a half minute long opening most anime do. It's really weird. So literally half of your entire time spent watching the show is watching the opening over and over again.

[@Cheesuthebueno]

Reminds me of "Nouvelle Manga" movement that formed around the turn of the millennium which tried to create a connection btwn Franco-Belgian BD (Bande dessinée) and Japanese Manga through creation of comics geared toward adults. There's also "Manfra" which are Manga-influenced BDs and this is kind of the inverted version of that. I think Francophilia, especially in the 80s-90s (e.g. Olive magazine, etc.), is somewhat common in Japan and the influence is seen in other illustrators/manga artists like Kyoko Okazaki and Jiro Taniguchi.

[@nakenmil]

It's this kind of stuff that really makes me so happy this channel exist: stuff that I'd never even know about otherwise.

[@HawRazor]

I really liked those little asterisks points for a little extra information without breaking the flow of narration

[@kennylauderdale_en]

Thanks, those were just to clarify things. Most people don't even read them which is odd.

[@the_darkborne5440]

@@kennylauderdale_en most probably don't notice them to be honest. I always read them. Maybe. You can put them in a comment just for those that miss it by scrolling through the comments instead of watching!

[@shonenjumpmagneto]

@@kennylauderdale_en we do. Always use them when useful.

[@Claymann71]

They look like background characters in Detective Conan. I keep waiting for the Laughing Salesman to show up & mess with the plot. For the record, I really do like the simplistic art-style. It doesn't need to be complex if it's still compelling. The shell doesn't matter. Its what's inside that counts.

[@Gappasaurus]

_DOOOOON!!!_

[@neonnwave1]

There are quite a number of short anime from the 1980's that were essentially just extended music videos with stories in them. I remember one that had the song 'Boys Boys Boys' by Sabrina playing throughout an entire scene. I cannot recall the title, but the plot is that a young man who is a hopeless romantic runs into a former classmate at a dance club and starts dating her. She moves the relationship a bit quickly, almost having sex with him after one date (he struggled preparing and she fell asleep waiting for him). Days later, as they're about to get it on at her apartment, her ex enters to pickup his stuff and warns the protagonist that she's manipulative. She admits to the claims after the two guys fight and the protagonist breaks up with her. He returns to his life as it was before. If anyone knows the title, let me know.

[@RyumaXtheXKing]

It’s the ova 19.

[@neonnwave1]

@@RyumaXtheXKing Thanks

[@Sqwivig]

I've seen that one it's an OVA called Nineteen19. Not a very good OVA but AESTHETIC AS FUCK 😍 Not to mention the legendary Toshiki Kadomatsu sings some of the songs and it made me very happy! Nineteen19 is possibly the most 80's City Pop aethetic and it's eye candy the whole way through.

[@vustvaleo8068]

speaking of "manga with sound" we also have The Way of The Househusband anime as a modern example and that thing is a full series, lol.

[@liulfrmcshane]

Glad to see a version of this up again. This brief but beautiful anime looks gorgeously chill.

[@michailp3021]

The whole vibe of how Japanese art plays with minimalism and abstraction is super cool. When artists leave things open-ended, it's like a creative playground for our imagination. Pretty rad way to connect and feel stuff!

[@ReallyBakedGamer]

This channel has reinvigorated my love for anime. Thank you, Kenny. Also you helped find the random OVA's I saw as a kid on tv in the 90's and early 2000's. I almost completely forgot Dirty Pair existed, let alone that I watched it, until you randomly mentioned it in one of your videos. Keep it up dude.

[@baratacom]

This whole anime looks like a mood, the future we all born in the 80s were promised but it never came....

[@jordy_3d]

I'm actually a fan of 3-minute (ish) episode anime. They're a good little bit of extra between regular viewing. Hell, there's two I'm watching this season (Deji Meets Girl, at 2 minutes long each, including ED) and Ganbare, Douki-chan (4 minutes long each, including ED). Hell, season 4 of Yatogame-chan is set to air soon enough, which also has 4-minute long episodes, and Teekyuu has something like 8 seasons.

[@Soufriere84]

I was finally alerted to Douki-chan a couple weeks ago. It's better than it has any right to be given the premise.

[@g.sergiusfidenas6650]

Thanks for reminding me of Yatogame, I have yet to finish the last season and I know now that a new season is incoming great news indeed.

[@bigedwerd]

Working buddies and chi's sweet home. There's a couple on Vrv and I think Crunchyroll

[@GodzillasaurusJr]

I also like the completely ridiculous あっくんとカノジョ / Akkun to Kanojo / My Sweet Tyrant. 25 episodes, 3 minutes a piece.

[@SamGarcia]

Try Space Battleship Tiramisu if you like space opera. The episodes lasts 7 minutes though, not 3-4, though more 6 minutes if you skip the OP.

[@blakechildress944]

Kenny, your channel is like a treasure trove of Japanese media that I wish I could keep all to myself. Thank you, for making these wonderful videos for all of us to get nostalgic over.

[@mariuspoppFM]

Series is being subbed and posted on Nyaa

[@davidgusquiloor2665]

I'm glad the video is back. I really like your stuff Kenny. This anime has such lovely aesthetics i would love to have a gian screen in my house only playing it on loop just to look at it continously.

[@JohnnyBurnes]

Why can't KZbin be as chill as this anime?

[@ahpocrypha]

aw this looks like such a peaceful and comfy anime to watch. thanks for covering it!

[@Sealdeam]

This anime looks just so very pretty, if I ever go to Japan will try to go to the museum mentioned here just to get some second-hand feeling of nostalgia, maybe they might even sell some of his mangas, that would be quite the catch.

[@0verkill161]

Pleasant anime to subside the psychotic rage building inside, as you wait for an actual human operator to pick up your call to pay a damn bill.

[@BknMoonStudios]

This is the first time I've ever heard of Seizo Watase and I've fallen in love with his art. Thank you Kenny. It is because of your videos that we, your audience, discover many incredible things that enrich our lives.

[@hughmahn484]

Thanks for this recommendation! A lot of people push entertainment to be 'timeless' yet I kind of hope we'll always have a place for these very contemporary shows of their time. They serve as time capsules that capture a period in a way that's wholly unique and hard to recreate.

[@mariuspoppFM]

HC is so abstract it's very timeless tho

[@ytsus4995]

Thank you for making this video! I have never heard of this "anime" and the style is just beautiful now I want to know more about this artist

[@kennylauderdale_en]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@GodzillasaurusJr]

Indeed it does remind me of Moebius, but also that most 80's of artists: Patrick Nagel! edit: Specifically the frames with deep colors, but where the faces are pure white, like at 0:38 for example.

[@TheBronyBraeburn]

Thanks for covering this, Kenny. It's the first one I sought out to watch on my own and I really enjoy it.

[@afrikasmith1049]

I always think of Vaporwave whenever I see art styles like this.

[@gildedpeahen876]

The art is so beautiful. Characters don't need names explicitly said to convey a story. I love the stylistic use of 80s pastels color block, the shadowing, how appealing to the eye.

[@tvstellar]

It really fucks with my head how often the titles of these videos change LMAO

[@heavysystemsinc.]

Keep the obscurities coming. I enjoy learning about parts of history that happened in my early lifetime when it comes to entertainment than trying to figure out if I even want to bother watching new stuff. Then again, my taste in anime is closer to this than the seemingly endless stream of big eyed highschool magical hijinks. I'm an adult, this doesn't relate to me any longer.

[@GideonMadu]

Thanks for redoing this video again. It's making me go watch Heart Cocktail Again, since I've already enjoyed the original shorts. The one with the horse just so happens to be one of my favorite shorts.

[@sirgroot9]

i love how much more detail you went into with this reup! thank you so much! 🥰💖✨

[@kennylauderdale_en]

No problem 😊

[@ShinGoji1987Official]

Keep up the great work Kenny your videos are a absolute treasure for anime/art history!

[@VarangianGuard13]

This seems like a beautiful, heartfelt labor of love, and if I can find any episodes, I'm going to watch them! The guy sitting in the rain, however, makes me want to walk slowly out of that cafe, open my umbrella and ask if he'd like to come inside, maybe sit near the fire, or at the bar, because its coming down out there, and even if you're having a bad day, pneumonia isn't worth it. On an unrelated note, it's happy, fun and full of cheerful music! Who needs dialogue when you have such deep, meaningful expressions and great music?!?!

[@mariuspoppFM]

They're being fansubbed and torrented

[@digitalbooklett9357]

Really loving this extended version of the original video. Great work, and honestly I'm definitely going to check out what I can.

[@retroanimemike]

Well that was relaxing! One could talk about the optimism of peak consumerism or something like that but really this anime is just a boatload of chill. We should all know when to just stop for a moment and relax, often we're in too deep to realise we need a break.

[@spaalonebabaguuscooties]

this has to be one of my all time favorite videos on this channel, I'm so glad I heard about this

[@cuoyotoconti]

I love your channel for discover animes like that. Thank you

[@albi3365]

My mom seemed to remember this show, and she liked how stylish it was

[@pepperchini3620]

something about this anime is so warm and comforting :) it’s so sweet and i’m just like wow!

[@rudetuesday]

I haven't seen this art for long time. It's lovely to see so much of it all together. Wonderful video.

[@garrettmandujano2996]

The jazz and anime in the ending credits made me pass out, bravo 👏🏼

[@AiEdgar]

I think this is the best review you have ever done.

[@darrelgreene7094]

I appreciate you sharing all these anime gems!

[@MasterAkiDraw]

thanks so much for spotlighting these animes! wouldn't have known about something that looks so amazing!

[@LetsNeverPlayAgain]

Who needs subtitles for a series with feels this deep

[@zipperwookie4926]

I’m loving this channel and all the super unique media that gets spotlighted

[@iStricer]

Reupload? Yes ❤️ So glad to see it back again!

[@xpredatoryoutube7596]

Wow, The Art style of this anime is so simple, yet beautiful. I love it.

[@igodreamer7096]

Great video, Kenny. Relaxing and quite, just like a warm coffee over the sunset, after a well worth work

[@jonathansims5924]

This looks like incredible and unique art, and it makes me thankful for a platform like youtube and for your channel, because how else would I ever learn about it??

[@loganwendigo937]

I'm so happy this video is back

[@TheWickedWizardOfOz1]

I'm hoping that Kenny's recommendation gets some fansubs going, since a whole lot of the show is on KZbin - and is excellent, near as I can tell.

[@TheWickedWizardOfOz1]

LOL at the new video title. As an update, one fellow has subtitled the first episode, if you want to see it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJKqkp6EbM-shs0

[@mariuspoppFM]

Orphan and Lonely Chaser picked it

[@deanfinder503]

The entire soundtrack got added to Spotify so happy rn!

[@greenbriar07]

Yay! Thanks for bringing this one back.

[@AkaiNeko4]

Glad to see this back, and even better than the first time!

[@pouncelygrin6699]

Very well presented! The art for me is very captivating and feels homely

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

I think someone hit it on the head when they described this as an "aspirational" anime. It reads like advertisements for prosperity through conformity, showing the viewer scenes from a sort of yuppie paradise that probably never existed. Maybe I'm just overthinking it.

[@namedrop721]

While this is probably true, I am watching the kids now idolize and attempt to recapture a decade I am familiar with in my own country ; while they haven’t gotten it entirely right they are correct it was a much more stable and classy time in multiple ways. Nothing probably matches boom times in countries, even if no country was ever a utopia.

[@mariuspoppFM]

Definitely overthinking the conformity part

[@MoocowLuau]

i actually got a lil verklempt watching this - you did an excellent job of conveying the nostalgia and ultimately, a bit of the japanese theme of 'mono no aware', or very loosely 'the bittersweetness of life'. great review, buddy

[@iamtoxic4663]

Seizo Watase seems like a chill guy. Like he can just warm hearts ya know. Good work to you too sir Kenny! This was nice and fun

[@acsaudiodramas]

This was a video likea relaxing vacation! Absolutely beautiful and greatly researched

[@ItemHazard]

Thank you for introducing us to an amazing artist.

[@deanoor9391]

I love this video in so many ways and I love this channel. I'm glad I've been following him for so long 😎😎

[@LolTollhurst]

Pleasing the algorithm is a burden, but its an easy burden when its for a good creator

[@lorenaquintero1074]

I'm always amazed by the amount of time you put into investigation. Thank you 👨‍🍳😘

[@CtrlAltBacks]

Are we not going to talk about the absolutely amazing subtitles?

[@millennialboomer6780]

Glad to see the video's return. There's something to this melancholic series

[@richardavery2894]

This is my new favorite channel on KZbin. Thank you Kenny Lauderdale...

[@hemidas]

A E S T H E T I C: the Anime.

[@Komplexitet]

So glad its up again!

[@Bullet-ve2it]

This video I think turned out great! Well done on the rework!

[@kennylauderdale_en]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@TherealIgorVelvetroom]

Kenny you are extremely appreciative and make great content. Keep doing you my dude!

[@GayAndDog]

The aesthetic is so... lovely, I really love it. An romantic piece of art what I felt in love with it haha

[@TaiZidek]

Glad to see this back up and including new information!

[@treetheoak8313]

The irony is that this retrospective is nearly as long as the season

[@waltercomunello121]

a masterpiece of "show, don't tell"

[@ash-qw6jf]

Thank you for introducing me to new artists and anime that are so inspiring

[@yusukeelric]

I love this man visual style. Its the kind of style you instantly recognize

[@darianstarfrog]

Classic and comfy.. timeless

[@humbug575]

thanks for covering this. i really dig the art style and gonna look up more about the artist and his works!

[@kennylauderdale_en]

it's really under rated, I can imagine this playing in a bar in japan somewhere next to a bowl of cocktail peanuts.

[@humbug575]

@@kennylauderdale_en true that. there is something so relaxing about the style. I'm obsessed now lol

[@andyhampsten4252]

It's a great show. Thanks for posting.

[@ClearSkiesGM]

whelp, it might not have been city pop before, but thanks to this, I expect a tidal wave of city-pop with these looping animations now!

[@unripetheberrby6283]

The way you describe it it does reminds me of commerical bumpers, like Cartoon Network's CN City, but with more story it seems; can be relaxing and nice to listen to and to looks at. What a lovely discovery.~

[@kennylauderdale_en]

You see his art in japan from time to time. He does mostly advertising now.

[@MrCenturion13]

I was stationed in Yokosuka from '82 to '87. Age 22 to 27. Good times, people. Very good times.

[@zaberfang]

This is not just anime, this is high art.

[@InsanityCyber]

Ohhh my goodness. When you mentioned Kingo Hamada and showed one of his albums while discussing the relation of Heart Cocktail's connection with City Pop, that made my City Pop loving side really happy about the info you mentioned. His song Dial 045 was one of the first songs that I got introduced to on the genre of City Pop about probably 6 or 7 years ago, thanks to a guy known as Van Paugam, who put compilations of City Pop with clips of anime to play with em. But anyway, thank you for letting me learn the history of Heart Cocktail and Seizo Watase! Really loved seeing and learning from this episode! :J

[@katykatmeow5159]

I am absolutely obsessed with the aesthetics of this anime and honestly it has inspired me to start drawing more

[@Seloliva1015]

80s Japan looks so chill