Yumeiro Pattisiere at a Glance

Tastes like happiness dreams.

Alright, I’m not gonna lie – Yume-iro Pattisiere is a show that is equal parts stupid and derivative, having taken from many, many shoujo shows to create its whole. But, at the same time… its pretty fun. It helps that the execution is nearly pitch perfect, enough so that I was able to forgive the more blatantly dumb features of the first episode. And although Ichigo is another typical shoujo heroine, her determination to actually become something other than lame is endearing in a way that shoujo heroines in many other similar works aren’t – consider how many leading ladies in magical girl-type shows (because there will be magical fairies in this!) just get dragged kicking and screaming, and remain stubbornly lazy and stupid.

Also, you can’t help but like something that has so many absurdities – and which, as part of its next-episode preview, has the heroine happily declaring how she’s surrounded by hot guys at her new school. The show knows that the scenario is pretty silly and impossible; yes, I’m sure that, after meeting a pastry chef once and being told I have good taste for pastries, I would then instantly decide to transfer to said pastry chef’s school… and my parents would allow me to. Just try to argue that, in the real world, that wouldn’t be at all creepy.

Oh well – I don’t care if it is dumb. This is pure fantasy, and the promise of fairies henceforth plays into this, even if it does come off as a blatant snatch at Shugo Chara’s successful formula for popularity.

My lone irritation is the use of the whole ‘average girl’ meme. Whenever we see this, the girl in question is, to put it kindly, not very bright. In fact, often she is an epic academic travesty. Hmm, and this means she’s average? Hardly, folks – anyone that dumb is WELL below average. Sakura Kinomoto was average – she did alright in school, she had a sport she was good at, she had things she wasn’t so good at. The ‘average’ shoujo heroine is not such. At least Ichigo doesn’t come off too badly, though – she mentions her grades aren’t so hot, but her transfer to the pastry school means we will mercifully not have to see her surfeit of tests wherein she would surely have scored in the 20’s and 30’s.

I’m not sure I can really recommend this show, per say – its too ridiculous, really. I mean, I liked it, but I feel like its one of those shows that most people aren’t going to like if they’re outside of the target group (if you are not a female age fourteen or younger, you are not in the target group). But, hey, if desserts and reverse harems and gigantic eyes are your bag, jump right on board.