Billed as the first-ever “ramen western,” Tampopo follows a band of culinary cowboys—led by a stoic truck driver in a white hat—who ride into town to help a struggling widow transform her modest noodle shop into a ramen paradise. What begins as a quest for the perfect bowl of soup quickly expands into a delightfully unhinged tapestry of vignettes: from a gangster’s food-fueled foreplay to etiquette lessons gone wrong and the secret sensual life of an egg yolk. 

Much like the rest of this year’s Anime Club Presents series, Tampopo defies easy categorization—blending genre with total abandon and embracing a stylized, animated energy that feels right at home alongside the medium’s most inventive works. Restored in 4K and more delicious than ever, Tampopo is equal parts spaghetti western, slapstick comedy, and gourmet cinema. Sweet, surreal, and endlessly mouthwatering, it’s a one-of-a-kind cinematic feast.