Reception
Anime News Network (ANN) had two editors review the first two episodes of the anime: Carlo Santos commended the "eye-catching backgrounds" and "stylish characters" for displaying a "tasteful choice of colors and couture" and the "jazz-tinged soundtrack", but was critical of the series being a mostly plotless affair with slow pacing and "superfluous scenes" involving Nicoletta and the elderly harem either conversing or eating, saying: "It's a thin line between laid-back restraint and flat-out boredom, and Ristorante Paradiso is continuing to straddle that line very precariously."[12] Casey Brienza critiqued that the series' "carefully articulated European feel and unusual character designs" emit a josei manga style and its narrative make it "a refreshing change of pace from the oceans of otaku-type game and light novel adaptations." She concluded that: "Ristorante Paradiso is modest in all respects, including its ambition, but no other anime this season seeks to interpellate anything approaching the same audience demographic—and for this reason alone, it is a must-see."[13]
Brienza reviewed the complete anime series and gave it a B+ grade.[14] While critical of the "mediocre animation quality" and the "impressionistic, baggy narrative", she praised the slice-of-life story, the "Europhile atmosphere" throughout its Rome setting, the pleasing soundtrack and Fumiko Orikasa's performance as Nicoletta, concluding that: "Although it is perhaps a tad disappointing that an anime based upon a manga originally serialized in Manga Erotics F is not more, well, erotic, there is more than enough sensuality to please even the most discriminating of anime hedonists. Great Italian food and faithful love… what more could you ask for?"[14] Fellow ANN editor Bamboo Dong praised the series for being "pleasantly drawn" with its character designs and the "idyllic world" its cast occupies to display the overall vibe, concluding that: "Overall, Ristorante Paradiso is exceedingly pleasant, and I wish it was longer. By the time it drifted to an end, I felt sad that I had to leave the characters, just as we were beginning to befriend them."[15] Conversely, Rebecca Silverman gave praise to Ono's character designs making the transition from manga to anime and the "watercolor styled backgrounds" but was critical of the series' meandering pace, poor use of computer animation and the lack of development between Nicoletta and Olga.[16]
Fellow ANN editor Rebecca Bundy published a positive review of the manga's first volume in 2010. She wrote that: "[W]ith its focus on a grown-up setting and cast, a harem of sophisticated men (a role that's normally reserved to a single member of the genre) who oftentimes have wives, ex's, or (grand)children, and being open about your feelings instead of causing drama, this is the perfect pick for anyone who's tired of reading about shy high school girls and their cutesy little crushes."[17] Santos praised the "clear and expressive" romantic storytelling and Ono's linework for displaying "expresiveness and subtlety" but was critical of the two half-brother waiters subplot and the artwork being sparse at times, concluding that: "Certainly it has its flaws, but as a grown-up, complicated love story, this one really hits the spot."[18]
