OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)When their mentor Goro Kaze gets temporarily discharged from the hospital, likely for the last time, Ryu and Kitakate help him put together his old bar, Bar Kaze, one last time. Also, Miwa asks Ryu to help her track down a specific type of bottle her late father once used.OUR TAKEWe’re just one glass away from calling it a night for Bartender, and it seems this week’s drink was the hardest hitting yet. With Ryu’s past with Goro and Kitakate established, we can now cut right to the feels bone and show both some glimpses of Ryu’s past when he first came to work for them, but also how Goro’s two proteges, basically the closest things he’ll have to sons, go out of their way to give their mentor one last night of glory behind the counter. And dang if that didn’t threaten to bring a real tear to my eye quite a few times throughout the episode! Seeing Ryu in his fledgling years, going from dropping glasses and getting chewed out to becoming the cool headed and soft voiced drink server we know ended up being a lot more impactful than I expected, especially since I’ve been pretty lukewarm on this show as a whole up until now. Not sure that’s going to change my overall impressions, especially with what happens in the second half, but this drink down memory lane was actually quite effective in making me feel something for the characters involved, and that gets my kudos.Though unfortunately we gotta slide back to what I think are this show’s shortcomings in the other half of the episode. Now, don’t get me wrong here, I like Ryu and Miwa’s growing closeness well enough, even if it isn’t all that interesting when it does progress and seems to be going a rather predictable route. And I don’t mind them making use of lesser known alcohol packaging trivia in order to make a meaningful symbol for wanting to take back an argument you had with your dad before he died. The problem is that this segment of the episode felt a bit too much like it was leaning on the trivia more than prioritizing making the story as impactful as the first half because it’s just a bunch of history about glasses being made in a turtle shell pattern and I instantly lose any interest in what’s happening. Anyway, one more episode to go, probably going to end with Ryu getting over his traumas and taking up that job offer to work at Miwa’s grandfather’s cooler bar. It’s pretty much the only thing they haven’t done yet so they might as well I guess. Can’t wait to see how the last call goes, but unless this finale blows me away, I’m still probably going to end up on the side of thinking this show was a bit of a wasted opportunity. But hey, we’ll see what happens.