The BARTENDER Glass of God series wrapped up this past week, with its final episode debuting on Wednesday. The episode follows a special interaction between bartender Ryu Sasakura and a customer, as well as Sasakura and Chairman Taizo Kurushima making a deal about the future of Edenhall over a game of catch. The audience discovers the true meaning of the “Glass of God.”
Recap of the Episode
Famous mystery author Kurosawa Junichiro has writer’s block with current manuscript “Will,” following the winning of the “Mystery Novel of the Year Award.” As a result, he’s locked himself in his room at the Hotel Cardinal during the day, and barhops every night.
Miwa Kurushima and Sasakura discuss Junichiro and his work, who happens to walk in, seemingly distressed. Sasakura and Junichiro talk about life and death, and Sasakura serves him a Sledgehammer: The drink that helped him learn what “maintaining professionalism” means. Junichiro’s mood drastically improves, he gains inspiration from Sasakura, and promises he’ll be back. Miwa realizes that the “Glass of God” is really a drink that saves one’s soul; Sasakura just created the Glass of God.
Sasakura meets with Chairman Taizo Kurushima and they converse over a game of catch. They finally come to a deal: Sasakura will work at Hotel Cardinal, on the condition that the Edenhall sign and the memories from the bar can make its move into Hotel Cardinal.
The grand opening of the new Edenhall inside Hotel Cardinal has finally arrived. Miwa opens the door alongside the group that worked so hard to recruit Sasakura. Guests from throughout the show visit the bar, and Sasakura bows, as if welcoming the audience into the new Edenhall.
BARTENDER Glass of God Final Episode Review
Much like Sasakura making the perfect drink for Junichiro, this anime ended in perfect taste. The audience finally learns what the Glass of God is, Sasakura gets to keep the Edenhall name, and the staff at Hotel Cardinal’s recruiting efforts have finally paid off.
Sasakura creating the perfect drink for a customer experiencing thoughts of suicide, and saving him in the end, is almost redeeming. Sasakura previously struggled with the death of a customer, and feeling like he saved someone else with his drinks has allowed him to move on.
The anime dropped a clever hint in previous episodes and a flashback in the finale, with what the Glass of God might have been. This quote by Kitakawa: “When a man is considering suicide, he’ll choose one of two types of people to be his final companion. One is the priest, and the other is the bartender.” With “Glass” referring to the bartender, and “God” referring to the priest, the answer was slowly building up in front of the audience throughout the series: A lifesaving drink.
Overall Thoughts on the Series
BARTENDER Glass of God was the perfect anime made for adults. Whether a viewer likes to have alcoholic beverages or not, BARTENDER Glass of God was a fun, relaxing anime to help get through the week (especially premiering on Wednesdays). The show is educational, providing not only delicious drink ideas, but history that ties into each character’s situation. The anime did a great job weaving in a main story in the background, while also having new characters with different backstories and drinks to fit the occasion.
Sasakura had many layers throughout the anime, and each episode revealed more about his values, character, troubles and reasoning for staying at Edenhall. His fear of moving on from the customer’s death and abandoning Edenhall before paying his respects to the bar were addressed in the final episode, and done well.
The series had excellent characters, the ambiance and score were calming, and the drinks looked delicious. The ending was what the audience was waiting for the entirety of the series, and wrapped up beautifully with no true loose ends. Though deep down I wish Miwa and Sasakura had a love story, I found that the ambiance, Sasakura’s love for the bartending art form, and fun yet professional connections between all the characters were all enough for me. BARTENDER Glass of God is refreshing and a hidden gem, much like the drinks, Edenhall, and Sasakura.
All 12 episodes of BARTENDER Glass of God can be streamed on Crunchyroll in Japanese.
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