When it comes to picking which restaurant you want to order some takeout from, many of us rely on the photos of menu items to decide which meal seems most appetizing. With the perfect lighting, camera angle, set-up, and filter, a plain avocado toast with eggs can seem like a Michelin-starred meal. That's how important it is to consider the quality of a meal's appearance before ordering since this can often lead us to make judgments about its taste. Although photos in real-life may not come out beautifully as we want them to all the time, stills of food from anime scenes seem picture-perfect no matter what. With rapidly-advancing technology and editing software, it seems like food in the anime world is beginning to emulate, and dare I say, look even more appetizing than their real-life counterparts. Here are 5 anime food comparisons in anime and real-life that could hopefully inspire you to watch the films or series they came from, or motivate you to try making yourself!
1. Kiki's Delivery Service - Kiki's Cake
What better way to start this list than introducing Kiki's cake from a beloved Hayao Miyazaki film, Kiki's Delivery Service? Although the scene doesn't actually show what the cake looks like on the inside, the filter, angle, and shine-effect of the chocolate ganache-like glaze make this delicacy look ever so lovely and appetizing. With perfectly-cut out fondant letters spelling out the main character's name, "KIKI," and the setting on an intricately-designed doily, this still makes the cake look almost too perfect to eat. Here's a comparison with a real-life version of Kiki's cake:
With a strikingly similar background and set-up right to the detail of the doily, both the real-life and anime cakes look like mouth-watering masterpieces.
2. Flavors of Youth - Ramen
When it comes to Japanese cuisine, one of the first things that comes to mind is ramen. Although instant ramen can provide a quick relief for a spicy, savory craving, nothing beats carefully, handmade authentic ramen. This is no exception when it comes to the film, Flavors of Youth. Paying tribute to its name, the movie includes a scene of a hot bowl of ramen basked in warm honey-golden tones, almost as if trying to invoke a sense of nostalgia and homey-feel to remind the audience of their youth. The rising of the steam, reflection of the natural lighting against the broth, and the picture-perfect gooey yolk of the egg placed carefully on top of the ramen make this meal look too good to be true. Below is a similar photo of Japanese ramen:
With the same basic ingredients and set-up, the ramen in this photo is almost an exact replica of one shown in the Flavors of Youth film. From these photos, it's obvious that both the real-life photo and movie still do an excellent job of leaving viewers captivated and, unsurprisingly, craving some ramen.
3. Food Wars - Soufflé Omelette
When it comes to food in anime, it's impossible to leave out the popular anime series centered around food- Food Wars! This series showcases an endless variety of cuisine that leaves fans speechless by the outstanding imagery and editing that makes each meal look like it came out of a professional cookbook. One dish growing in popularity is the soufflé omelet, as seen in the photo above, with its heavenly light texture, perfectly golden edges, and finishing garnishes on top. With the perfect plating, color scheme, and extra fluffiness of the center, it'd be hard to turn down a meal this beautiful in real life. Speaking about real-life, here's a similar recreation of the omelet below:
Though taken from a different angle, this real-life soufflé omelette looks absolutely amazing. With its flawless golden-browned crust on top, extra fluffy center, and the rich texture of the sauce carefully poured on top, there is no other word to describe this meal other than "perfect."
4. Your Name - Waffles
The ultimate breakfast or brunch meal comes in the heavenly form of waffles. The photo above is from the popular movie, Your Name, and showcases two perfectly layered waffles and fruit, with a dollop of whipped cream on the side, all covered in beautiful chocolate syrup. It's no wonder that the character above is taking a picture of this sweet meal, as it is undeniably post-worthy, just like the real-life waffle from the photo below:
Though not exactly the same as the waffles from Your Name, the photo above does an excellent job of creating an aesthetically pleasing visual that adds on to the already mouth-watering view of the waffles. Topped with fresh raspberries and blueberries and drizzled all over with syrup, these waffles are a classic take on a perfectly sweet breakfast. If you feel more adventurous, check out some unique variations of waffles that have been on the rise, such as the Hong Kong egg-bubble waffle or the croffle (croissant-waffle hybrid)!
5. Weathering With You - "Potato Chip" Fried Rice
Last but not least on this list is the "potato chip" fried rice unique to the film, Weathering With You. This film scene demonstrates that a common dish like fried rice can take an unexpected turn by the single addition of the beloved comfort food, potato chips. In the photo above, the intricate details of the ingredients, warm yellow color scheme, and the perfect, shiny golden egg yolk on top make this interesting combination look undeniably appetizing. As soon as this film hit theaters, many were eager to try and recreate this dish to see what it would taste like! Here's a real-life take on the unique "potato chip" fried rice:
The real-life version of this dish looks almost identical to the one from the movie, right up to the details of the potato chip garnish and sprouts! From this side-by-side comparison, it can definitely be said that the re-creation was a success.
All in all, it's amazing to see how similar animated meals are to their real-life counterparts. It almost seems as if foods in animated films and foods in real-life have an influence on one another, yet are continuing to grow and develop wonderfully in their own ways. If viewing the visually-appealing dishes above left you wanting more, try watching the films or series they came from or attempt a re-creation of one of the meals yourself!