Mind Journeys via Netflix: Japan

Let me just say up front that I am not a critical reviewer. Though I can be critical. But I tend to think of myself as an average person with an opinion, and I try to breakdown my opinions and provide some analysis.

Which is not to say that my reviews or opinions are objectively correct. Or even objective.

I may have mentioned that the purpose of these "reviews" (such as they are) is to study good, and bad writing or story-telling. And perhaps influence my writing.

That said, I also watch these series for personal interests, and because, this was late 2020 and early 2021, when the world was in lockdown, and there was no much travel between countries. And we have been travelling to Australia and Japan for holidays every year. So 2020 was a "lost" year.

And the only way to visit Japan, was via these shows.

I did not set out to find Japanese shows to assuage my unfulfilled need to travel. It just happened. And then these shows reminded me of times we were in Japan, and how much I miss travelling in Japan now.

So these are the series set in Japan that have provided some joy, some yearning, and some catharsis in a year (or more) of being stuck at home and unable to travel.

And also entertainment.

Note that these are not Michael Bay action extravaganzas. These are human interests stories. Often Poignant. Sad at times. Uplifting also. And very, very human. And apparently, these series were all from manga (Japanese comics).

Izakaya Bottakuri
https://www.netflix.com/browse?jbv=81344224

This izakaya has an unsettling name. What does "Bottakuri" mean? Cannibalism? Satanic Worship? You pay for your meals with sexual favours, perhaps? 

Nah! It just means "rip-off", as in "The Rip-off Pub". 

The Izakaya was thus named by the original owner because the food they offer is just home-style food that anyone could make at home. So for the Izakaya to charge their customers for home-style food, is a rip-off.

The stories are simple, even mundane crises. For example, episode 3 "Gyoza" is about a wife who asked the proprietress of the Izakaya to teach her how to fry restaurant-level gyoza as this was her husband's favourite dish. 

Other episodes are about work issues, excessive sweating, family issues, and how certain food triggers fond memories of people and places. 

One episode: I showed episode 2 "Carrot leaves" to my wife. In this episode, a new customer walks into the Izakaya late, just before closing to shelter from the rain. Mine (pronounced as two syllables - "Min-nay"), the proprietress, welcomes him, and offers him warm sake, and some appetisers. And then a meal. He is persuaded and enjoys the sake and the meal. When presented with the bill, he asks if she had made a mistake as he seems to be undercharged. Mine tells him she gave him a discount as it is his first visit. However, she promises to rip him off on his next visit.

At the end of each episode, the alcohol (sake or beer) featured in that episode is presented again with a brief summary of the drink's origins, characteristics, and suggested food pairings. Then there will be cooking tips for a dish featured in that episode. And Mine will end the episode by saying, "and with this tip, you too can be a ripoff."

There are just 11 episodes from 2018. There don't seem to be any more episodes. This series is based on a manga (Japanese comics).

Midnight Diner: (2014)
https://www.netflix.com/browse?jbv=80113541

[Note that there are two series on Netflix with almost similar titles. The first series, from 2009 - 2014, is the earlier series with three seasons. Then, Netflix commissioned a second series, Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories (2019), which seems to be a continuation of the earlier series. The series is about a Diner in Shinjuku that operates between midnight and 7 AM. This review is about the first series from 2014 - because I haven't watched the 2019 series ("Tokyo Stories") yet.]

The Midnight Diner has only one item on the menu - Miso Pork soup. And three drinks - Beer, Sake, and So Chu. However, he will make anything you ask for if he has the ingredients, and it is not beyond his abilities.

Season 1, Episode 5 (Butter Rice). In this episode, a regular brings a food critic to the Midnight Diner. The proprietor of the Diner was a little miffed. The mood of the other diners was depressed by the disdain of the food critic. Then another regular, Goro, the wandering musician comes in for his usual - Butter rice. His sheer enjoyment of that simple meal inspires the other customers to order butter rice too! 

Goro "pays" for his meal with a song - the same song he always sings, of love lost and left behind. The food critic returns, on another night, and asks about Goro. When he learns that Goro only comes in on Thursdays, he becomes a regular on Thursdays...

The first episode I showed my wife and kid was episode 5 "Butter Rice", because my kid is a picky eater, and I had hoped the show's presentation of butter rice would be tempting.

But more importantly, the opening scenes of Tokyo and Shinjuku got my wife excited: "I know that tunnel!" (This was the underpass in a massive junction at Shinjuku with train tracks overhead, and about 5 - or more - roads meeting at that point. Yes, we know that place quite well.)

Like Izakaya Bottakuri, at the end of each episode, there will be some tips on cooking (or just preparing) a dish featured in that episode. For the episode which featured butter rice, the instructions were simple. Put a pat of butter on hot rice. Wait for the butter to melt from the heat. Add just a bit of soya sauce.

However, I have watched up to the second season, and there were no cooking tips for episode 10 (season 1), and episode 11 (Season 2, Episode 1). Which was mildly disappointing.

The cooking tips came back in Episode 2, but in a song. They tried this for two episodes (singing the cooking tips, before reverting to the original format where the guest stars present the cooking tips. Which was engaging.

Samurai Gourmet
https://www.netflix.com/browse?jbv=80132738

[Nitpicking: As the "samurai" in the series is a wandering "masterless samurai", shouldn't he be a "ronin"?
And "gourmet" is used for food. One who enjoys gourmet food is a "gourmand". So this series should correctly be titled, "Ronin Gourmand"?]

This series is about a retiree living his retirement like a ronin (or Samurai). In the first episode, he gets over his qualms about drinking beer on a weekday afternoon. 

Resonates with me!

I have only watched a few episodes, and while there is enough food porn (main reason I am watching these three series), the stories are a little less compelling, less engaging, and are a little meandering. The protagonist is given to sojourns into memories of his youth, and fantasies of the wandering Samurai (ronin), which is the gimmick of this series, and how his philosophy of life would apply to the protagonist's conundrums. The protagonist is mostly meek, while his samurai "spirit guide" or inspiration is direct, blunt, and unapologetic about his opinions, and wants.

There is some pleasure in watching the contrasts between the protagonist and his imaginary friend (alter ego?), but it is not compelling enough. But there are only 12 episodes, and there is food porn, and there are scenes of Tokyo. 

And it makes me hungry, and miss Japan.

The Diner and the Izakaya

Here I will compare the Midnight Diner and the Izakaya Bottakuri.

The set of Izakaya Bottakuri is clean and "studio perfect". The kitchen equipment are professional and looks almost perfect. The stories are "G" rated, almost mundane  - a wife wanting to cook for her husband, a daughter wanting to get a gift for her father, Mine worried about the health of her patrons, and office workers (the Izakaya regulars) worried about their work and work relations. 

The Midnight Diner is more gritty, and the stories edgier, and they don't always have a happy ending. The set seems more "lived-in" and realistic, and seems almost to have been shot on location (as opposed to being shot in a studio). The pot the Master uses to cook his one dish on the menu (miso pork soup) looks cheap and even a little battered. The exterior of the diner has uneven steps (in one episode, someone had to provide a wooden ramp to bring a wheelchair into the diner). 

The stories are more emotionally engaging, and so when they have "happily-ever-afters" it is satisfying. At the same time, not every story ends with a happy ending. Some do not have sickly sweet endings. But this reminds us of how the real world works, and sad endings can be cathartic anyway. And emotionally satisfying.

We do like sad stories too.