Out of Restaurant to Another World‘s supporting cast, Victoria is one of my favorites. Her half-human/half-elven heritage, the adversity it causes her, and how she overcomes it forms one of the most interesting backstories in the plot. I admit that it’s a silly how her favorite food, pudding a la mode, motivates her magical research (and I’m still not over that magical icebox) but it is super cute how her trips to Nekoya help her feel content with the life she’s been given and chosen for herself. Like with Adelheid earlier this season, I’ll gladly take another segment with Victoria in the spotlight.
Technically speaking, Season 2 Episode 4’s first half isn’t entirely dedicated to Victoria. It also features Victoria’s nephew and niece, Prince Alfred (Akane Kaida) and Princess Margarette (Mio Hoshitani). Like with Hannah, these two previously appeared in a cameo back in Season 1 though it’s only now that the show gives them more prominence. I don’t know if this will continue to be a pattern but I like how this season has taken the most minor characters from Season 1 and feature them more prominently in their own segment.
In this segment, Alfred and Margarette try to figure out the identity of the witch who lives in the West Tower of their castle, only to then learn that witch is actually Victoria. Honestly, it’s really funny that these two never knew this about their aunt. Given Victoria’s reclusive lifestyle, you’d think they could connect the dots and realize that Victoria and the witch are one and the same. Honestly, I don’t really get why Alfred and Margarette’s parents neglect to tell them about this. I don’t believe they’re on bad terms with Victoria so it’s not like they’re ashamed of her or anything. Maybe it’s just to allow Victoria to study magic in peace.
At Victoria’s castle, Alfred and Margarette stumble upon her icebox and eat her last cup of pudding, before getting caught by the witch herself. After the kids apologize for eating the pudding without permission, they ask Victoria to show off her magic. Rather than perform an actual spell or the like, Victoria instead takes the kids to Nekoya the next day, presumably because she noticed that they like the pudding. To explain the door, Victoria has the kids think it’s one of her magical creations, which seems like an unnecessary white lie but whatever. Having Victoria take her nephew and niece to Nekoya is also a very cute idea. This more than anything feels like a family get-together and after last episode’s segment with Jack, Kento, and Terry, I realize that this show needs to show more children getting fascinated with Nekoya and its food.
I like how this episode explores the kids’ view on non-human races a couple of times. We know from Season 1 that neither Alfred nor Margarette are prejudiced towards Victoria for being a half-elf but it’s nevertheless touching that these two think it’s unfair that Victoria’s heritage has forced her to live a reclusive life, even if Victoria herself has managed to feel happy about it. I also like the brief scene between these two and Aletta. They’ve probably heard all sorts of bad rumors about demons so their apprehension towards Aletta is understandable but they also get over it very quickly, much Victoria’s (as well as my) relief.
For lunch, Victoria decides to order a “children’s lunch” for her nephew and niece. The kids meal is actually comprised of smaller portions of previous dishes such as the omelette rice, the fried shrimp, and even Victoria’s pudding. Funnily enough, Victoria doesn’t immediately get to her pudding a la mode. She quickly realizes that she’d set a bad example to the kids if she only eats a dessert so she decides order some carbonara for herself first. A customer eating something other than their favorite dish? Pinch me, I must be dreaming.
I admit that I have way less to say about the second half of this episode but it’s still pretty charming as per usual. This segment introduces us to two new characters: Pikke (Minami Takahashi) and Pakke (Yuuki Takada), a married couple of halflings who travel from place to place selling their cooking. Here, we see these two sell a stew inspired by the food they’ve seen at Nekoya. Both characters don’t see seem to care too much about money. In fact, they actually help a local baker sell his bread by pitching it alongside their stew and Pikke later teaches the baker offscreen how to make the stew.
After selling their stew, the halfling couple heads off to locate a door to Nekoya that they’ve heard about. Apparently, they make sure that any town they travel to is near one of the doors. It’s funny. In the last post, I said I wouldn’t mind a half-episode where Jack, Kento, and Terry leave their village and travel the world in search of other doors and we more or less get that here with different characters. I’m now picturing in my head a scene where Jack, Kento, and Terry coincidentally find a door at the same time as Pikke and Pakke does. Actually, it seems that Pikke and Pakke have a policy of avoiding doors used by the other characters, particularly the lizardmen and the Red Queen. I’d be shocked if either party actually retaliates violently but understandably, the halfling couple would rather not take their chances.
In this episode, Pikke and Pakke order some cream croquette. Curiously, they order it because it’s the special for that particular day so I don’t know if cream croquette is actually their favorite food. Knowing Restaurant to Another World, this might be the dish they order in every future appearance. That is this show’s M.O. after all and it is easier to remember each character that way. It would be very funny however if in every scene they’re in, the couple eats something different.
Watch Restaurant to Another World 2 on Crunchyroll
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