The anime series "Megami no Cafeteria," which will begin airing in April, is based on a magazine serialization. It's a harem romantic comedy about five beautiful women living together, with each episode essentially being a one-off, slapstick comedy. Here's a quick summary of the first volume of the manga! It's the prologue, a preview of what's to come.
Story Part 1: Familia
Kasukabe Jun, a freshman accepted into the University of Tokyo, returns to his hometown after hearing the news of his grandmother's death, with whom he had a falling out. During his lifetime, his grandmother ran a coffee shop called "Familia." When Hayato visits the cafe, which served as both his home and workplace, he encounters five mysterious beauties getting changed. University students Ryusei Tsukishima and Shiragiku Ono, high school student Shusui Atsukawa, vocational school student Ouka Makuzawa, and part-time worker Momiji Hououji were live-in employees who cared for his grandmother until her death.
Familia 2
In an unfortunate encounter (lucky pervert), Hayato ends up getting beaten up by the five women. As the current landlord, Hayato demands that the cafe be demolished and turned into a parking lot, demanding that they leave. With nowhere to go, the five are desperate and try various solutions, but are brushed off. However, Hayato also has a deep attachment to the cafe and his grandmother, whom he has known since childhood. Upon learning that his grandmother had lived happily with the five of them and passed away in laughter, he decides to take a leave of absence from university and become the new owner and manage the cafe for a year.
Story Part 2: A Promise with Grandma
Hayato sets out to improve the cafe's business, but is stunned when he sees its books. The business is almost entirely in the red. He must improve the business situation together with his five employees. Hayato, however, is a brilliant and rational man, having been accepted into the University of Tokyo. He's also foul-mouthed and unreserved. While he clashes head-on with his employees, he pushes them around as a manager should, and begins his new life.
Promise with Grandma ②
However, the five girls' lives often become a source of trouble for Hayato, and they don't like him very much. Among them, only university student Shiragiku Ono is relatively friendly. Apparently, when their grandmother was alive, no one did much cleaning, cooking, or other household chores, and if Hayato hadn't insisted that everyone share the housework, the timid Shiragiku might have ended up being the one to be burdened with the chores. However, Shiragiku was adamant about her promise to her grandmother that everyone eat meals together, and thanks to that promise, Hayato didn't feel isolated, even though he received frowns.
Story Part 3: Pre-Opening
In preparation for the reopening of his store, Hayato conducts a rehearsal for the pre-opening. As the store manager, Hayato serves coffee to his employees, hoping they can at least brew it themselves, and asks for honest evaluations. He nearly loses his temper when he's criticized as a complete scumbag, but his competitive nature keeps him practicing. Then, Hououji Momiji, the one who criticized Hayato the most, calls out to him.
Pre-Opening ②
Momiji learned how to make coffee from her grandmother, and the coffee she serves is different from the one Hayato makes. After tasting her coffee, Hayato puts his pride aside and goes to Momiji to ask for her advice. Momiji's personality—sulking easily when things don't go her way, but ultimately apologizing—is exactly what Hayato had heard from his grandmother. While teasing Hayato, Momiji teaches him how to make coffee.
Story Part 4: Making the Rounds
Hayabusa asks Tsukishima Ryusei to guide him on his business visits to greet his clients in celebration of his store's opening. He chose Ryusei by process of elimination: he doesn't have a bad look or bad attitude, and he's not shy or stupid. Ryusei is charming and polite with his clients. After criticizing Hayato at every stop, Ryusei finally stops by a shrine. Hayato's grandmother made it a point to visit the local shrine to greet her clients whenever she started something new.
Greeting Rounds ②
Ryusei then explains why he's been criticizing Hayato wherever he goes. He'd been trying his best to support Hayato, saying that if he'd simply told them he was reopening the shop with a sullen face and no bow, it wouldn't be a greeting or show any resolve. Having been told the truth, Hayato sincerely reflects on his actions and goes on another round of greetings alone. Despite his harsh mouth, Hayato sees that he's sincerely reflecting on his actions and making an effort, and while he finds him unreliable, he accepts him.
Story Part 5: The Bitter Ending
Unlike the other four, who quickly became friendly with each other, one of the employees, Ouka Makuzawa, and Hayato clashed fiercely. They were both vocal about what they wanted to say, so it was fair to say they were at odds with each other. Ryusei pointed out to Hayato that, as the manager, he needed to get along with his employees a little better. Hayato consulted with the other employees and tried to find a way to get along with Ouka.
Battle Royale Part 2
However, Hayato was extremely bad at lying and flattering, so they ended up fighting whenever they met. One day, Hayato spotted Ouka wearing her employee uniform. Trying to compliment Ouka, who had nothing to praise, Hayato praised the uniform itself instead of Ouka. Naturally, Hayato would get angry and expect a fight to break out, but it turns out the uniform was actually designed by Ouka. Having heard from her grandmother that Hayato couldn't lie, Ouka was truly happy.
Story Part 6: The Night Before Opening
It's the night before the opening of the cafe "Familia," and Hayato has somehow managed to get along with the other employees. However, thanks to the stock investments he's been steadily investing in since high school, Hayato has some kind of insurance even if things don't go well. Meanwhile, Shusui Atsukawa, who Hayato considers the most foolish of the employees, says something meaningful to him: "Important things can break surprisingly easily." He then adds, "I'm sorry if I'm the cause of that." It's an ominous message that the relationships Hayato has built up may one day fall apart...
The Night Before Opening②
That serious story I was talking about earlier wasn't about interpersonal relationships or anything like that, but rather about Hayato's computer and smartphone. Shusui's hand slipped while he was working out, destroying both his computer and smartphone. What's more, the stocks Hayato had invested in plummeted, and because his computer and smartphone were destroyed, he couldn't sell them, and his savings were wiped out in an instant. He punishes Shusui for laughing, and it's confirmed that he'll start the new business with almost no savings.
Story Part 7: Opening!
Opening day finally arrives. Since it's the first opening, all six employees, including Hayato, come to work, and Cafe Familia begins anew. Ryusei tells them to remain calm and not get worked up, as there will be both good customers and rude ones. Immediately after the opening, old customers flock in, and the coffee is highly praised.
Opening ②
Just as Ryusei feared, an arrogant old man appears. He is a wealthy man named Fuwa, who had lent money to the previous owner while he was alive, but he was always harsh to him. His behavior was so awful that he even forced Hayato to bow his head. After Fuwa's harsh criticism of the store and Hayato's grandmother, it was the five employees who first reached their breaking point. In the end, they chased away Fuwa, who even sexually harassed them.
[Goddess' Cafeteria] Volume 1 Story Summary
I've summarized the story of Volume 1 of the Goddess' Cafeteria manga. The first chapter focuses on the protagonist's encounters with the heroines and their first encounters. The heroines are charming, but the protagonist is also incredibly strong-willed, possessing a strong personality that often leads to conflicts with them. What's interesting is that, in addition to the charming protagonist and heroines, this slapstick comedy with plenty of laughs is a genre that I think will be well-received in anime, so this may be a must-watch for next season! It's a great work, so I recommend the anime too!
