Ristorante Paradiso

21-year old Nicoletta comes to Rome to see her long-estranged mother, who lives with her new husband, the owner of a popular restaurant. Along the way, she discovers that "love can come in many shapes" as she falls for Claudio, a older man who is a waiter at the Ristorante Casetta Dell'Orso.

How it looks, how it's paced, how its characters act and the story it has to tell – all are indications that Ristorante Paradiso is not your typical manga. Its slice-of-life charms will bore fans who prefer more action-packed fare, but this romantic and satisfying one-course manga meal is a rare treat for grown-up readers.

When Nicoletta was a child, her mother left her with her grandparents because she didn't want her new husband to know about her prior marriage. Now almost 15 years later, Nicoletta arrives in Rome to confront her estranged mother only to discover that she's happily married to a man who owns a popular restaurant.

As Nicoletta takes in the ambiance of Ristorante Casetta Dell'Orso, she notices something intriguing: all the waiters are handsome older men with glasses. Even more interesting, she sees that many of the female patrons are enjoying the food while savoring the sight of the suave wait-staff and kitchen crew. Eventually, Nicoletta finds herself attracted to Claudio, a gracious, low-key waiter who, like Nicoletta, is nursing a past heartbreak.

While many manga stories are like Hollywood blockbusters filled with action, drama and larger-than-life characters, Ristorante Paradiso's character-driven, slice-of-life story feels more like a European art house film. Refreshingly enough, it's primarily about grown-up characters dealing with the complexities of adult relationships – like divorce, family feuds, and a romance between a young woman and a man who's twice her age.

Ristorante Paradiso has a simple story that provides a basic framework for Ono to showcase her memorable characters and allow them to interact in a way that feels natural and unhurried. While the story provides opportunities for emotion-drenched outbursts, there's very little drama for the sake of drama. Every event, every glance, every smile has a purpose: to provide the reader with insight into the personalities and thoughts of the characters.

What's also striking about Ristorante Paradiso is its art – it's stylized in a way that feels realistic yet cartoony. It's a refined version of the style introduced in Ono's earlier work, not simple, but retains a look that is hers alone – a feat that's not easy to pull off in manga. The facial expressions are still somewhat abstracted, but the poses and gestures of her characters are more related to realistic body proportions. This grounds her story in a real-life atmosphere.

Admittedly, Ono's art and storytelling will not appeal to all manga readers. It's too languid, too grown-up and too off-the-beaten-path of established manga tropes to appeal to the crowd who prefer supernatural ninjas and heartsick school girls. But for readers who are ready for something more subtle, thoughtful and original, Ristorante Paradiso is here to serve up a romantic one-course manga that will leave them smiling, satisfied and perhaps craving more stories about these suave guys with glasses in Gente, Ono's sequel to Ristorante Paradiso.