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Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san. An anime oft passively deduced to be no more than a show of seasonal exploitation, a show with no original themes to be seen, and no content worth praise. After all, how could a show about nothing more than eating ramen noodles be anything worth mentioning? Well, to those of you who have not the eye to discern how revolutionary this show is, I shall help to guide you to a conclusion of better knowledge.

The most common critique I have seen for this show is that it has no substance. It is simply one episode after another displaying women eating ramen ... noodles in a provocative manner, as to bait the lowest of men into viewing it. And yet, this very simplistic principal is just what makes the show so great. As Leonardo da Vinci once said: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” This holds quite true in the case of Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san. To say that this show is shallow would be no more than pure sophistry, for in its simplicity lies true sophistication. In the show we follow a young woman by the name of Koizumi as she compares the delicacies of different ramen noodles, and in this premise we see just how indescribably variegated the show becomes. In each and every scene depicting the consumption of ramen noodles, the viewer is met with far more than a simple dining experience, for in such scenes, Koizumi exudes such an immaculate style of eating that any form of etiquette is suddenly nought but an antiquity to be forgotten. Every single movement is captivating, from the first bite to the very last masticate of every bowl of noodles. My words can bring no true description of the beauty of Koizumi’s eating, for there exist no words so prepossessing as to describe such an image. In each and every scene I find myself feeling enlightened, and yet utterly crushed at the same time, for I now know the image of perfection, and yet can never accomplish it. Thus is the true complexity found in this show.

But to this you say no. Simply watching a person eat could bring no such clarity to one’s life, but to you who say this, I can give no more than great pity, for you shall never comprehend the true image of perfection, but perhaps that is for the best, for one such as you may be driven mad by knowledge that perfection lies so far from yourself. And if this still does not give you satisfaction enough to understand, I provide you with the following. It is said that a good show should bring forth the simplest meanings, yet still allow those who look to contrive a far greater understanding. But just what is the meaning of Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san? That is simple. Ramen is tasty. But how could a statement so unembellished bring forth greater meaning? I ask you to consider this statement once more: Ramen is tasty. This declaration is no more than pure genius, for the scope of all civilization is found within it. For centuries, man has continued to evolve, to develop, to adapt, simply to find what they desire. In this case, the desire is something tasty, for who could not have such a desire? And yet there are those who believe that to desire is to be untrue, to be unwhole, to be lesser than those who find purity in wanting nothing. To this I ask, is a man not entitled to what they wish for? 'No!' says the man in Washington, 'It belongs to the poor.' 'No!' says the man in the Vatican, 'It belongs to God.' 'No!' says the man in Moscow, 'It belongs to everyone.' I reject these answers, for through the light of ramen noodles, I have found true clarity. I will listen not to the sputtering of propaganda against that which I want, saying that true enlightenment can only be found in following the beliefs of others, that to go against the majority is foolish, that only under a single united mind could true understanding be found. But this is wrong. A man chooses, a slave obeys. And I choose to search for that which I find to be tasty, just as Koizumi has before me. I will hold the right to decide my own fate, for no other could ever guide me. What is the greatest lie ever created? What is the most vicious obscenity ever perpetrated on mankind? Slavery? The Holocaust? Dictatorship? No. It's the tool with which all that wickedness is built: altruism. Whenever anyone wants others to do their work, they call upon their altruism. Never mind your own needs, they say, think of the needs of... of whoever. The state. The poor. Of the army, of the king, of God! The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words “think of yourself”? It's the "king and country" crowd who light the torch of destruction. It is this great inversion, this ancient lie, which has chained humanity to an endless cycle of guilt and failure. Only in finding what we truly desire as an individual can we ever be enlightened, for enlightenment comes only when it is a part of your accepted belief. And thus I say once more. Ramen is tasty. Not because it was written so in stone. Not because it was declared by a great leader before the masses. Not because it was said by a holy being that humans cannot perceive. No. It is because I believe it to be true, and therefore, no greater truth exists.




I thank you, Andrew Ryan.