Dutch Zellquist is a kindhearted, compassionate, but hopelessly spacey German woman that is unfortunately living through World War II in 1944. The whole situation is confusing, to say the very least, and her spinelessness certainly doesn't do any favors. After her husband Muschel is drafted into the Nazi regime, he lends Dutch ownership of his dilapidated bakery, located in the insignificant seaside town of Gezeiten. With devotion and the hopes that it may take her mind off things, she takes up the opportunity, and from there on is a charming slice-of-life full of heart, humor, and a poignant look at the horrors of war.
The series provides examples of:
- Beach Episode: Twice; the first involves Dutch, Schulz, Irma, and Marie go hunting for seashells and driftwood, and the second has Schulz and Tupfen kiting.
- Character Development: Pretty much everyone in the main cast of characters, though Dutch is no doubt the one who goes through the most growth. While she starts out as an often inept doormat, she eventual grows a spine and becomes more grounded.
- Close-Knit Community: Gezeiten itself is a ramshackle fishing town with a higher populace of homeless to more well-provided citizens.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Dutch, who always seems to be lost in her own delusions.
- Continuity Nod: Many of the changes that happen to the flophouse — including the photograph of Opa, the kitchen chair, the painted wall, and the jigsaw puzzle — appear in the background quite often.
- Cool Big Sis: Tupfen seems to perceive Lotte as a responsible older sister.
- Covers Always Lie: Averted. Most of the time the cover art depicts a chapter in the volume. For instance, Dutch and the Mittellos' stargazing in Volume 5.
- Demoted to Extra: Somewhere around the middle the series, Marie all but disappeared and only made an occasional appearance. She is given a larger role during the Spring arc.
- Fantastic Honorifics: Dutch has a tendency to call people by their last name, such as "Mrs. Lebensmude" or "Mr. Hofmann".
- Imagine Spot: Unsurprisingly involving Dutch, a woman notorious for how much she fantasizes. Plenty of characters are aware how much this happens that they frequently have to snap her back to reality.
- Meaningful Name: Some characters implement this.
- Mittellos means "destitute".
- Lebensmude means "world-weary".
- Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here: Irma holds the belief that Gezeiten is completely unremarkable and monotonous.
- Quirky Town: Gezeiten is definitely a strange place to live, from its colorful history to the peculiar townsfolk. The place is said to be so insignificant in grander Germany that it isn't even marked on too many maps, so for outsiders it's existence is almost like an urban myth. Many of the citizens are either poor or fishers. The residents treat certain things unusually seriously. We really could go on about the place.
- Shrinking Violet: Marie to a tee.
- Sick Episode: Dutch comes down with the fever in chapter 47.
- Sitting on the Roof: The cats of the town enjoy to sleep on the roofs. In chapter 29, Dutch, Tupfen, and Greta stargaze on the roof of the Zellquist Bakery.
- Slice of Life: There is quite a bit of character development, sure, but for the most part the series simply examines suburban life in Germany. Episodes typically portray pretty mundane and realistic things.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Dutch often tries to be optimistic, and Irma is the exact opposite. In the end idealism wins it out.
- War Is Hell: An overarching theme in the series. Rather than depict soldiers in battle, it deliberately tells the story from the average person's perspective, and the ways the war has caused them hardship.
Characters
Dutch Zellquist-Kleiser
Tupfen Mittellos
Irma Lebensmude
Lotte Zellquist
Schulz Hofmann
Amelyn Kleiser
Opa Kleiser
Greta Mittellos
Marie
Ursula
