Hello, everyone! I've been so productive lately, hehe. As written in the title, today I want to share Japanese dramas with food as their themes.
1. Boukyaku no Sachiko (A Meal Makes Her Forget)
Screenwriter and Director: Santa Yamagishi
Screenwriters: Satomi Oshima, Kyoko Inukai
Genres: Food, Romance
Casts: Mitsuki Takahata, Taichi Saotome, Shono Hayama, and others.
Episodes: 12
Aired: October 12, 2018 - December 28, 2018
Sachiko Sasaki (Mitsuki Takahata) works in a publishing company as an editor. Recently, she was left by her fiancé (Taichi Saotome) on her wedding day. Stressed out, Sachiko finds comfort through food and while she's eating, she forgets about her fiancé.
This drama is hilarious. I mean, yes, we're sad when we saw that fiancé easily walked away on their wedding day, leaving Sachiko wondering what's wrong with their relationship, since Shungo (her fiancé) never said a word other than "sorry". But at the same time, innocent Sachiko with her stiff and straight forward manners is so fun to watch. Sachiko is a wholesome character. She's not perfect by any means; through the episodes, we can see that her character is flawed and how she reflects on that and tries to become a better person. But when she constantly imagines the reasons why Shungo left her, those scenes are hilarious because Sachiko is such an innocent person by thinking that way😂😂
That Shungo doesn't deserve Sachiko and I hate that he doesn't even bother to explain a bit to Sachiko. On the other hand, I love Shinichi Kobayashi (Shono Hayama). Although I didn't like his character at first, he grows into a mature person and truly cares about Sachiko. Sachiko's work as an editor is a fun thing to watch too. Sachiko really dedicates herself to her work. How the editors help the writers and others, is a fun insight.
And the food! They look amazing and mouth watering🤤 there are various menus shown in this drama; from original Japanese cuisines like udon, to Russian with Parisian styled cuisines. Sachiko eats the food deliciously and it makes us (well, me) want to grab a food too.
Overall, I give this drama 5/5⭐️ I love the storyline, the acting and the food, and actually, nothing I dislike about this drama. Highly recommend it!
2. Shitsuren Meshi (Heartbreak On A Plate)
Native Title: 失恋めし
Director: Akiko Ohku
Screenwriter: Masako Imai
Genres: Food, Romance
Casts: Alice Hirose, Kai Inowaki, Asami Usuda, Seminosuke Murasugi, Nico Ando, and others.
Episodes: 10
Aired: January 14, 2022
Miki Kimimaru (Alice Hirose) is a comic artist that draws a story from a person who is heartbroken and finds healing through a plate of food. As she goes finding the ideas of her story, Miki also finds her love and grows as a person.
This drama has a different vibe from Boukyaku no Sachiko even though both dramas have a connection to 'publisher world'. And that's what makes each drama interesting. Miki is a comic artist for a small company called STO. This company is unique because all of the workers have the same surname, Sato! So Miki calls them Sato number 1, Sato number 2 and on😆
For the first few episodes, it was fun (because the heartbroken backstory of the person Miki met is interesting and diverse), but it feels kinda repetitive since it repeats in several episodes. After that, the story becomes exciting again because Miki encounters her love interest. Miki's comics are fun to see as well. The drawing is cute and the dialogues are on point. The drawings also show the comfort of the food. It was pleasant to see it. My only complaint is the food shown on each episode is only one. Maybe because it will suit Miki's comic (one food theme in one episode). My rating for this drama is 3,8/5⭐️
3. Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san (The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda, Megumi Tsuno, Hiroshi Okuyama, Takuma Sato
Writers: Aiko Koyama (manga), Hirokazu Koreeda
Genres: Food, Life, Comedy
Casts: Nana Mori, Natsuki Deguchi, Aju Makita, Ai Hashimoto, Mayu Matsuoka, Keiko Matsuzaka, Takako Tokiwa, and others.
Episodes: 9
Aired: January 12, 2023
Kiyo (Nana Mori) and Sumire (Natsuki Deguchi) travel from their hometown, Aomori, to Kyoto to become a maiko. There, they live in a house with other maiko (Momoko Fukuchi, Kotoko Wakanayagi, Kotona Minami) and the caretakers of the house Chiyo okaa-san (or, Mother Chiyo in English, portrayed by Keiko Matsuzaka), Azusa okaa-san (Takako Tokiwa) and Azusa's daughter, Ryoko (Aju Makita). Sumire is talented in practising maiko routines (such as in mai practice), while Kiyo struggles to do so. It is decided that Kiyo can't be a maiko. Kiyo is sad, because she already promised to Sumire that they will be together. One day, a house makanai (someone who cooks for the maiko) is ill and Kiyo initiates to cook for the house members. Kiyo finds peace in cooking and a way to support Sumire and others.
Before my review, I will present the meaning of some Japanese words/terms. I find the meaning on the internet, mostly from Wikipedia and other sites.
- Maiko: is an apprentice geisha in Kyoto. Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the shamisen or other traditional Japanese instruments for visitors during banquets and parties, known as ozashiki. (Source: Wikipedia)
- Makanai: Makanai is the term used to describe both the in-house cook and the meal served in a boarding house. (Source: hitc.com)
- Mai: dance
- Geiko: Geiko is a term used to describe geisha in Western Japan, including Kyoto and Kanazawa. This term directly translates as 'woman of art', and is part of the Kyoto dialect spoken by geisha in Kyoto and Western Japan. (Source: Wikipedia)
I love this drama so much!💗 the cultures, the vibes, the cozy atmosphere, the interaction between the characters, I love them all. There's no singular thing I dislike about this drama. The pacing is great as well.
I learnt a lot of Japanese cultures like maiko, geiko, makanai, Japanese foods throughout the seasons, and others. Through this drama I learnt that maiko is a beautiful culture and it isn't the 'nightlife business' as Sumire's father thought. It's much more than that. The mai (maiko's dance), the music, the costume, they are so wholesome and very pleasing to look at. The foods look delicious!🤤 and because this drama took place in various seasons, the foods Kiyo cooked is vary, too, depends on the seasonal ingredients.
The plot centres around the Saku (house where the characters live) where the characters learn many lessons about life, friendship, love and others. The interaction between the characters is lovely. They support and care for each other. It's not only the friendship between Kiyo and Sumire, but also with other maiko and people in that house. Each character faces a specific problem, too, like Ryoko and Azusa oka-san, Momoko and her life's choice, Yoshino and her husband, and others. These characters are like a found family and they bond a strong relationship. And it's heartwarming and cozy while watching them. Kiyo and Sumire's friendship is one you'd wish you have this kinda friendship too, they are so real🥺💗 Kiyo is such an amazing character. She is kind hearted, has a big heart, and very supportive towards others. I hope my personality is like hers.
For some people, they think it's kinda unfair because in the end, Kiyo stays in Kyoto as a makanai. But for me, it's a beautiful ending because Kiyo is happy cooking for the maiko; it's something that she enjoys doing. And I think happiness can be found in such a simple thing, like accepting things the way they are. I give it 5/5⭐️
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I think that's all for today's post. I keep thinking about the foods while writing this, hehe😄 ah, and there are many great and meaningful quotes about love and life in these dramas. Highly recommend you to check these dramas out!😊 see you next time💗
Also, please comment which drama of the list that you've watched or which one is your favorite?😊
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