Monday, March 31, 2025

Preview of "Tokyo Holiday" - Spring 2025


Title: Tokyo Holiday / トウキョウホリディ
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 3 April 2025
Timeslot: Thursdays at 12.30am
Broadcast by: TV Tokyo
Insert Song: "Kanariya" by Sawamura Kirari
Cast: Kanawut Traipipattanapong, Takimoto Miori, Hayama Shono, Okamoto Natsumi, Paolo, Izuka Kenta, Murakawa Eri, Suwa Taro & Kazama Morio

Sunday, March 30, 2025

Preview of "Parallel Fuufu Shinda "boku to tsuma" no shinjitsu - Spring 2025


Title: Parallel Fuufu Shinda "boku to tsuma" no shinjitsu / パラレル夫婦 死んだ“僕と妻”の真実
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 1 April 2025
Timeslot: Tuesdays at 11pm
Broadcast by: Kansai TV
Cast: Inoo Kei, Ihara Rikka, Matsukura Kaito, Nomura Kouta, Saito Nagisa, Kizu Takumi, Kyon, Nozoe Yoshihiro, Minamino Yoko & Yashima Norito

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Highlights from TBS DRAMA COLLECTION 2025 Spring

The TBS DRAMA COLLECTION 2025 Spring event was held on 29 March 2025 which was streamed online and featured key cast members from the three upcoming dramas starting in April 2025.





Team "Taigan no kaji" (Colour theme: Pink & White) - Tabe Mikako, Eguchi Noriko, Dean Fujioka & Ichinose Wataru









Team "Ignite" (Colour Theme: Red) - Mamiya Shotaro, Nakamura Tooru, Kamishiraishi Moka & Miyama Ryoki









Team "Caster" (Colour Theme: Black) - Abe Hiroshi, Nagano Mei, Michieda Shunsuke & Okabe Takashi








There was a Q & A session where the cast members were asked 2 questions and if all 12 of their answers matched, they would get a luxurious fruit gift set sent to their filming studios. Here are the answers to the questions asked.

On the first day of filming, do you:
A - approach others proactively to talk?
B - wait for others to come and talk to you?

A- Eguchi Noriko, Ichinose Wataru, Abe Hiroshi, Michieda Shunsuke, Nagano Mei, Mamiya Shotaro, Kamishiraishi Moka, Nakamura Tooru and Miyama Ryoki (The "IGNITE" team chose the same answer)

B - Tabe Mikako, Dean Fujioka and Okabe Takashi 

What type of clothes will you wear to the filming location?
A - Comfort is the most important so anything which you can easily change out of
B - Being fashionable is the most important so you will put in effort to choose something nice and presentable

A - Eguchi Noriko, Ichinose Wataru, Dean Fujioka, Tabe Mikako, Okabe Takashi, Abe Hiroshi, Nagano Mei, Michieda Shunsuke, Kamishiraishi Moka, Mamiya Shotaro and Miyama Ryoki (The "Taigan no Kaji" team chose the same answer)

B - Nakamura Tooru (Actually, Michieda chose B at first because he saw the options wrongly so he changed his answer to A in the end. As for Nakamura, he said that since he drives to the filming location on his own most of the time, he makes sure that he isn't dressed too shabbily in case he needs to go shopping for things and people see him but doesn't go to the extent of being fashionable.)

Unfortunately, they did not manage to give the same answers until the end.

Towards the end of the event, when Ichinose was asked to perform a leg split in response to a question about their routines on the filming set, he accidentally tore his pants. He then had to leave the stage for a short while and came back with a black shirt covering his pants as he made his exit when the event wrapped up.

Quick Review #110: Kujaku no dansu, dare ga mita? - Winter 2025


Title: Kujaku no dansu, dare ga mita? / クジャクのダンス、誰が見た?

Rating: 2 / 10

Recommended for
Those who are fans of the cast and don't mind watching a frustratingly slow and illogical suspense-mystery

* Potential spoilers ahead!
* Disclaimer: I have not read the original manga

Liked:
- I admit that my primary motivation for watching this was Matsuyama Kenichi and as expected, I felt that he did a decent job as Matsukaze. Surprisingly, I enjoyed his interaction with Hirose Suzu as their characters developed a comradeship which somehow evolved to being that of a father-and-daughter dynamic with some funny and heartwarming moments.

- The part when the Endo father-and-son pair were reunited after 22 years was so bittersweet but such a joy to watch because of Sakou Yoshi and Narita Ryo's acting. I also liked their interaction with Kamii (Isomura Hayato) who was a key driver of their hard-to-come-by reunion.

Disliked: 
- I certainly did not expect to give such a low score to this drama because it did start off pretty promisingly - at least up to Ep 2. However, things spiraled downwards really quickly as the subsequent episodes felt like teasers with some miserable bread crumbs dropped along the way but nothing major or significant ever happened. This was further aggravated because of the fact that I was watching this one episode at a time and had to wait an entire week for each new release. If not for the fact that I really wanted to find out what was the truth and for the sake of watching Matsuyama, I would have dropped this around Ep 5 or 6. The pace then picked up considerably, in fact it felt like information overload in Ep 9. And yet, the ending was so underwhelming. How boring to learn the truth in this manner! What was even more damning was that there were so many questions which I felt were not properly addressed or the explanation felt unconvincing. This may have to do with the fact that the manga had not been completed until recently. 

Just to name a number of them:
  • Why on earth and how did Haruo even get started to re-investigate the old case and arrive at his conclusion that Kyoko was involved? In order to live as a father with pride and not lie to Komugi anymore?
  • The Hayashikawa family murders - even though this case was a key event that set a lot of things going wrongly, what and how it happened felt like an afterthought from how the truth was presented in the last episode.
  • Same thing goes for Matsukaze's father Kuze - was that all to it? Nothing to do with the family murders?
  • Why did Endo Tomoya not reveal that he was called to go to the scene of the arson when he was arrested? And why did he do that anyway?
  • Why did Haruo move the baby to the second floor and hide this fact from his colleagues? The action itself wasn't bad or wrong so I fail to understand why.
  • Endo Rikiro could hear the baby's cries from outside the house but didn't hear the commotion between the Hayashikawa couple and Kyoko? Seriously?
  • How on earth did Akazawa know nothing about Kyoko's secret life? She set up a company, probably put her baby son in childcare, became pregnant with another man's child and disappeared for a while to give birth! By the time she brought the baby Uta to the Hayashikawa residence, that was 6 months after her birth. That means she must have been living apart from Akazawa for at least a year or so. Wouldn't Akazawa have attempted to see his son during that period and simply let her do what she wanted? And if she was still legally married to Akazawa, what about the birth registration of Uta?
  • I didn't quite get how Haruo managed to adopt Uta who was in a welfare home before she was about to be adopted by her money-crazy uncle. If there was a family member or relative, I struggle to understand how Haruo could have adopted Uta legally even with the forged birth papers because he was effectively a stranger. And wouldn't the fact that he was an interested party i.e. one of the investigators of the case make his adoption act seem a bit questionable? The police had no idea on the whereabouts of Uta who was the survivor of such a serious crime?
  • Where and how did Kyoko and the lawyer Narukawa link up? Did I miss something?
  • What was the reason for that letter Haruo left for Komugi? He foresaw that he was going to be killed for re-investigating the old case and wanted Komugi to expose her birth mother? Seriously?
In view of the above, unless you are going to watch when all the episodes have been released and don't mind the suspense being so half-baked, I would really suggest that you steer clear of this drama.

- Given that there was such a star-studded cast, I felt that the story did not allow them to shine as much as they could. It felt like a total waste of talent other than making everyone look suspicious up to Ep 8 but the ending was such a letdown. What was all that hoo-ha about if there wasn't really a mastermind or big baddie at the end of this journey?

- Nowadays, many dramas do not have a separate credits roll and simply integrate that into the ending scenes of an episode. The problem with doing this with this drama's theme song playing in the background was that the volume was not adjusted properly and often interfered with the scenes when characters were still speaking. The part when the singer was hitting the high-pitched notes simply was jarring to the ears. This really got into the way when viewing the episodes and inevitably caused me to be quite annoyed. That was a pity though because I do like the theme song itself but not when it prevented me from hearing what the characters were saying.

Friday, March 28, 2025

Preview of "Jofuu ~ Josei ni XXXX tte hitsuyou desuka? ~" - Spring 2025


Title: Jofuu ~ Josei ni XXXX tte hitsuyou desuka? ~ / ジョフウ ~女性に××××って必要ですか?~
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 1 April 2025
Timeslot: Tuesdays at 12.30am
Broadcast by: TV Tokyo
Original manga by: Yachinatsu
Ending theme songs: "Kimi no tokomade" by MA55IVE THE RAMPAGE  / "Shinkiro" by Hakane
Cast: Yamazaki Hirona, Yanagi Yurina, Kusumi Koharu, Yui Ryoko, Inoue Yuuta, Beppu Yuki, Kasaya Akira, Shirato Tatsuya, Matsumoto Daiki, Fujibayashi Yasunari, Sekoguchi Ryo, Shibue Jouji & Yamazaki Shigenori

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Quick Review #109: Yutori desuga nani ka - Spring 2016


Title: Yutori desuga nani ka / ゆとりですがなにか

Rating: 8.5 / 10

Recommended for
Those who are in the mood for a nice blend of light-hearted humour and serious life issues featuring great acting and lovable characters and/or are fans of the cast

Liked:
- While the story featured three guys who went through education in the yutori era, it was actually easy to empathise with their experiences and struggles because these are actually common themes across generations. For example, when we were younger, our predecessors probably also saw us being self-entitled and our behaviours incomprehensible to them. When it was our turn to be the seniors, we may have also felt the same way towards the later generations which came after us. As such, seeing how the yutori generation felt blamed and wronged by assumptions made about them and their struggles in life, it was actually more relatable and engaging to watch than I initially expected. Although some of the issues featured were a bit heavy, the light-hearted touch to projecting these topics made this drama a lot more palatable while not sacrificing the seriousness angle.

- The acting from the cast was definitely top-notch with the three male leads delivering such brilliant performances. I especially liked the trio's chemistry as their "friendship" developed due to odd circumstances and it really came across that they had a close relationship with one another. While there may have been less than desirable traits about these characters, you would find it hard to dislike them and I would dare say, they were so endearing and adorable to watch onscreen.
The pairings with the ladies in their lives were also very interesting. In particular, Okada Masaki and Ando Sakura were really good as an on-and-off couple and the wedding scene towards the end was such a classic. Seeing Mikami-sensei (Matsuzaka Toori) and Koreeda-sensei (Yoshioka Riho) in a romantic entanglement as Yamaji and Etsuko in an entirely different universe was so funny. Yagira Yuuya's wife played by Eren who rattled off criticism and harsh words so naturally in that fashion also provided much comedic relief and her husband who cowered in front of her despite acting tough outside - that was so hillarious.
Even the supporting characters such as Yoshida Kotaro did their part to elevate the story so there wasn't really any redundant or boring character.

Disliked: 
- There were some junctures which I felt that the humour dragged on a bit longer than desired (at least to me) so I thought that these could have been cut out to make the story flow a bit more smoothly. 

- The beginning of the story was a bit abrupt and out of the blue so it took me a while to immerse myself into the developments as I was a bit bewildered by the direction. I would have preferred a more "proper" start to introduce the characters rather than be thrown into the deep end from the start and feel disoriented.

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Preview of "Sado off-road" (Drama SP)


Title: Sado off-road / サ道 off-road
Official website: here
Official Facebook: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Date: 26 March 2025 at 2pm
Broadcast by: TV Tokyo
Original manga by: Tanaka Katsuki
Cast: Harada Taizo & Miyake Hiroki

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Preview of "Yabusaka dewa gozaimasen" - Spring 2025


Title: Yabusaka dewa gozaimasen / やぶさかではございません
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 2 April 2025
Timeslot: Wednesdays at 12.30am
Broadcast by: TV Tokyo
Original manga by: Marita
Opening theme song: "Tick-Tack" by DXTEEN
Ending theme song: "Koi no guidebook" by Karen na Ivory
Cast: Matsumura Sayuri, Komagine Kiita, Hama Shogo, Tabata Shima, Katayama Moemi, Ando Sei, Sakurai Atsuko & Tonesaku Toshihide

Monday, March 24, 2025

Quick Review #108: Mikami-sensei - Winter 2025


Title: Mikami-sensei / 御上先生

Rating: 9 / 10

Recommended for
Those who want to watch an unconventional school drama with suspense elements and great acting from both the adults and "students"

* Potential spoilers ahead!

Liked:
- Unlike many school dramas to date, this story stood out for its unconventional and brutally honest take on various issues - some longstanding while others were more recent ones in this current age. Honestly speaking, there were quite a number of times when I wondered if TBS would get into trouble for being so point blank and critical with these viewpoints. At the same time, I also chuckled at how it poked fun at itself and others at times e.g. the Kinpachi-sensei style of passionate teacher being not so suitable for the current era. For the first time in a long while, there were no raised voices, incessant preaching or shouting matches and physical clashes between teachers and students but this didn't mean that there were no sparks flying within the classroom. Most importantly, the drama did not try to shove standard, right or single answers down the viewers' throats and kept emphasizing how important it was for us to think about issues and decide for ourselves only after knowing or finding out more about these topics. As such, this was reflective of how life should be - there are no best or single answers, what's good for you may not be for me and that we can all make informed decisions by not relying on others to think on our behalf or simply relying on groupthink.

- With regard to the suspense element, I thought that the story was pretty good at weaving seemingly unrelated events together to form a grand scheme of things naturally. Frankly speaking, while I thought that the bribery-rigged entry into Rintoku part was kind of predictable and a bit underwhelming towards the end, the other elements such as how one's action gave rise to unexpected events e.g. Kanzaki's "harmless and self-righteous reporting" setting off a fatal stabbing incident unwittingly were comparatively gripping and very engaging to watch. 

- Another thing which sets this drama differently from many of its predecessors was the positioning of Mikami-sensei (Matsuzaka Toori). While the drama's title was as such and that you couldn't ignore the fact that his presence was a huge factor in setting things into motion, he was never hogging the limelight and the people around him actually all had their moments to shine. As such, nobody really felt like an outsider or afterthought as the story progressed and really brought home the message that nobody and nothing is unimportant. One line that appeared in the drama had a similar nuance with this - "even though you said that now is an important period of life, is there really a period of time in life which is unimportant?".
Many a times, school dramas tend to focus a lot on the adults or teachers rather than the students especially for stories like this which dabble in revenge and revamp of the school or education system. However, I felt that the actors who played the students this time actually stood out more than initially expected and gave their seniors a run for their money. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that their popularity and name value were secondary in the selection process which was done via auditions and their suitability for their roles was the key deciding factor. As such, it felt like some of them were especially fitting for their characters and really brought their roles to life - my favourites were Okudaira Daiken, Makita Aju, Kubozuka Airu, Kiryu Sakura and Kageyama Yuka. On the adults' side, Okada Masaki, Yoshioka Riho, Tokiwa Takako and Hotta Mayu were really brilliant in their acting alongside Matsuzaka.

Disliked: 
- Perhaps the biggest issue with this drama was how emotionally charged and heavy the story was. As I outlined above, while the drama may not have very dramatic moments like shouting, raised voices, passionate expressions and the like, there were a lot of undercurrents and emotions boiling underneath the calm facade. This made me feel quite drained emotionally after each episode and certainly not the kind of mood I would like to be in on a Sunday evening with a new week ahead.
Likewise, the huge number of lines and a lot of content to consider and think about in the story created much work and overloaded my brain. I think you really need to be in the mood to savour the good things in this drama and pace yourself rather than attempt to binge-watch this.

Sunday, March 23, 2025

Highlights from Matsushige Yutaka's Q & A session at the Singapore premiere of "Gekieiga Kodoku no Gurume" / "The Solitary Gourmet"



There was a 30-min Q & A session featuring Matsushige Yutaka i.e. the director, scriptwriter and lead actor of the movie "Gekieiga Kodoku no Gurume" (The Solitary Gourmet) at the Singapore premiere held on 19 March 2025. Note that the following is not a word-for-word transcript of the session but rather highlights. Some questions and answers have been edited/rephrased and additional information included for the sake of clarity and context.

Before the screening, there was a QR code flashed on screen for the audience to submit questions. You could either choose to stay anonymous or include your name. As such, during the actual Q & A, some of those who had provided their names were called upon to ask Matsushige their questions directly. Otherwise, the host was the one who asked the questions. As some questions were either similar in nature or asked about the same thing, it was clear that the staff had organised the questions to be asked beforehand rather than going through all the questions that were submitted through the QR code.

While questions raised here were largely in English, save for some Japanese greetings here and there, Matsushige had an interpreter with him onsite in Japan. As such, there were some gaps in the session as the translations were taking place both ways.

Although I felt that it was a good arrangement to submit questions beforehand rather than have awkward pauses in between the session and waste precious time waiting for people to raise their hands, it would be good to let the audience know beforehand that they had a chance to talk to Matsushige directly by submitting questions with their names. It was obvious that those who were called were quite taken by surprise so they were obviously nervous and fumbled with their questions. It was inevitable that the questions came out a bit messy and lacking in context than what I actually saw on the submission site. I also submitted a number of questions which were addressed during the session but without providing my name since it was a hassle to type that repeatedly before the screening was about to start.

Disclaimer: As I was seated very far at the back, there were some points when the audio from Japan was slightly muffled and I may have misheard certain parts. If you notice any discrepancies below, please feel free to let me know.

Questions are in bold/italics:



Matsushige-san, the "Kodoku no Gurume" series which is based on a manga has been made popular around the world after 10 seasons on TV. This time in the movie, you are not only acting as the lead character Inogashira Goro but also taking on the roles of the director and scriptwriter. How do you feel about this?

It's been about 13 years since we started with the TV drama series on a very small scale with a small number of staff members. As the only person who has been a constant in this series all these years, it was a natural move for me to lead the production of the movie.


As travel content creators on social media, we love sharing great food spots in Japan. However, we constantly worry about these places getting overwhelmed by tourists due to the tourism boom in Japan and whether these shops can handle the influx of customers. What are your thoughts about this issue when introducing food spots in Japan through the "Kodoku no Gurume" series? (question from audience)

There are indeed a lot more tourists in Japan these days especially from South Korea, China and Taiwan. While there are many places nationwide especially outside the major cities which may be pretty unknown even to the Japanese, we are very pleased to see that these delicious restaurants have received attention and favour from the fans as seen from the long queues that have formed. 


Have you been to Singapore and what is your favourite dish here? (question from audience)

I used to work part-time in a Chinese restaurant so I'm quite familiar with Chinese cuisine. I have the impression that Singapore has plenty of delicious Chinese food as well as other Asian cuisine to offer. While I may not know about a lot about these, the first thing I can think of is Hainanese chicken rice. It would be great if you can share more with me about the delicious food in Singapore which I should try.


Hi Matsushige-san, thank you very much for featuring my family's restaurant i.e. the chanpon place in Goto Islands. I was very excited to see this on screen and wanted to take this opportunity to say hi and thank you. (question from audience)
* The speaker is the eldest son of the family which owns the chanpon restaurant featured in the Goto Islands arc of the movie. His grandparents are running the place and he is currently based in Singapore with his family.

You should have told me earlier! (laughing) Wow, it's amazing to have this connection all the way from Singapore!

Due to the location of Goto Islands, the food and culture there have been heavily influenced by foreign nations such as China and South Korea so it has evolved into something which is uniquely different from that of the rest of Japan. The chanpon is an example of such a special dish.


I would like to ask how you manage to make eating look so appetising! I remember that there was a season of 5 episodes where you had to eat rather "adventurous" food so how did you manage to do that even for such foods? And please come to Singapore for a special season, thank you. (question from audience)

Oh, that should be about the "misadventures" in Season 5, right? Although I cannot recall all the dishes from then at this moment, there was a wasabi-don which was especially memorable. And of course, if you have any special food or those to be eaten in an unusual way at places not frequented by Japanese tourists, please share that with me too.

Since we deal with a variety of ingredients and dishes in the series, we usually ask the restaurant owners about the best way to enjoy the dishes so this helps me to show that to the viewers.


In Singapore, we sometimes have disputes with our neighbour Malaysia over the origin/birth rights of popular dishes. What are your thoughts about this issue when there are controversies of a similar nature surrounding Japanese food? (question from audience)
* The speaker used the term "being attacked by Malaysia" multiple times in this question. From what it seems, the question's context is probably with reference to controversies or arguments to date over which place was the origin of popular dishes such as chicken rice and chili crab.

I'm not sure if I understand this question correctly because we don't seem to see this kind of terminology used here in Japan.

In Japan's case, we do have some disputes (both historical and ongoing) with our neighbours at times. However, I think that at least through food, there is a lot that we can share with one another
as seen from how the women from different places co-exist in harmony on the remote island featured in the movie as they work towards the common goal of food research.


What is the next project that you are working on that we can look forward to seeing in future? (question from audience)

I think there is a need to discuss with related parties such as TV Tokyo on our next step so I do not know for now what's coming up. Our initial goal for this movie was for it to be well-received by the domestic audience so for this to go international and be loved by the world, this has been an amazing and unexpected adventure. In any case, I hope to continue the engagement with food through this series and that there will be an opportunity for us to share it with all of you in Singapore.

Saturday, March 22, 2025

Preview of "Eien ni tsuite no shoumei" (Drama SP)


Title: Eien ni tsuite no shoumei / 永遠についての証明
Official website: here
O.A. Date: 22 March 2025 at 8.30pm
Broadcast by: NHK
Original novel by: Iwai Keiya
Cast: Sugino Yosuke, Ryuusei Ryo, Sekimizu Nagisa, Kakei Toshio, Kishimoto Kayoko & Ozawa Yukiyoshi

Friday, March 21, 2025

Review of "Gekieiga Kodoku no Gurume" (劇映画 孤独のグルメ) / The Solitary Gourmet


Disclaimer and clarification:
  • While I like the "Kodoku no Gurume" drama series and have read and do own the Japanese version of the manga, I haven't actually finished watching all seasons of the drama version. As such, while I have watched up to Season 2, my review is primarily centered on the movie and just have a few references from the drama based on what I know so far.
  • During the Singapore premiere of this movie, the host of the Q & A session said that there were 10 seasons of the drama series. Strictly speaking, this is not accurate because there were actually 2 seasons in 2022 and 2023 which were streamed exclusively on Paravi, Hikari TV and Lemino. In addition, there was a special edition titled "Sorezore no Kodoku no Gurume" shown last year to commemorate TV Tokyo's 60th anniversary. If these three are also taken into consideration, the entire "Kodoku no Gurume" series should have 13 seasons in total.
For those who are not aware of or unfamiliar with the "Kodoku no Gurume" series, one concern that you might have is whether you can still enjoy this movie without this prior knowledge. Based on what my companion who attended the premiere with me said, that wasn't an issue since the movie had an easy-to-follow plot. This being said though, if you are aware of some of the things which went on in the past or have some idea of who Inogashira Goro is, it might help you to enjoy this movie a bit more. 

To begin with, you might be wondering why the title of this movie is "Gekieiga" (劇映画) rather than "Gekijouban" (劇場版) which we tend to see in movie versions of drama series, novels, manga or anime. Both terms actually mean the same thing i.e. full-length feature films which are shown in cinemas. However, there is a difference in the usage of these terms and nuances surrounding them. Gekieiga usually refers to feature films where actors act in fictional stories. However, feature films which are non-fiction in nature and do not feature people's acting are classified under genres such as documentaries and cultural films. On the other hand, the term "gekijouban" tends to be used for remakes or re-edits of audio-visual works like anime and TV dramas or works and places a stronger emphasis on the original work which the movie is based on.


As such, based on the term "gekieiga" used in the title of this movie, it gives you an idea that most, if not all movie-goers, regardless of whether you have read the manga or watched the drama before, should be able to enjoy it as a standalone movie. If it was termed as "gekijouban", chances are, you would need some prior knowledge to make sense of the story. In fact, Matsushige himself chose the term "gekieiga" to signify that the movie is not merely an extension of the drama series and is a standalone feature film.

In a nutshell, the movie describes how Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) embarks on a journey to various places to find the ingredients needed to make a legendary soup called "Icchan-jiru" as requested by the elderly father of his ex-girlfriend Sayuki. This is where I thought that knowing who Sayuki was would make a bit more sense to those who might wonder why Goro had to accept this request and go to such great lengths to fulfill this mission. In the movie itself, it doesn't really say clearly who Sayuki was other than hinting that she used to be a longtime acquaintance of Goro and she had asked her daughter Matsuo Chiaki (An) to look for Goro in case she needed help in future.

From this point onwards, if you do not wish to read spoilers about this movie, please skip the portion below and return only when you have watched the film!

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Despite the fact that the story was pretty straightforward, I felt that it was pretty well-structured and didn't feel like a prolonged version of the drama's episodes. While some settings may seem ludicrous or simply too good to be true and the shifting between arcs was a bit abrupt at times, I think that the movie turned out to be better than I thought in terms of the story. I was quite concerned initially as to whether the eating and visiting of restaurants alone would be sufficient to shore up a full-length feature film but thankfully, my worries were unfounded.


One thing which kind of bothered me was Goro's "drift" from Goto Islands in Nagasaki (the red circle in the Google Maps screenshot above) to some remote island in between that and Gujora in Geoje, South Korea (the red marker on the map). While I may not be that familiar with South Korean geography, I roughly remember where Geoje is based on my years of watching 2 Days 1 Night. Somehow, I had the impression that Goto Islands and Geoje are so far apart that it didn't seem logical for Goro to be swept towards there and survived in one piece. Looking at it on Google Maps sort of confirmed my hunch that it seemed way too wide with hardly any island between both places other than Tsushima and Jeju. Of course, given that the movie did not specify where exactly the remote island is (could have been much closer to Goto Islands than Geoje) and how long it took to travel from the island to Geoje when Daniel sent Goro there, I have to give the benefit of the doubt to the movie and assume that the scenario Goro was in could be remotely realistic.

I must say, Goro (Matsushige) doing what he excels in i.e. making solo eating look like such a relishing and gratifying experience was definitely the highlight of this movie. My viewing companion commented how good he looked when eating and making everything look so delicious so I guess this speaks volumes of Matsushige's success in bringing Goro to life and being able to win over first-time viewers of this series through this movie. Be warned though, don't watch this on an empty stomach because you might feel so hungry and craving for food while watching the movie. Truth be told, I was feeling peckish after watching this but had to suppress my urge for supper since it was already quite late at night by then.

One thing I wanted to highlight is the guest lineup for this movie. In many cases, the cast and staff credits tend to appear towards the end of the film so that there is a surprise element for the audience to see unexpected stars appear as guests. However, this movie laid out its "cards" from the start and I was especially excited to see Odagiri Jo's name on screen. Prior to watching this movie, I only knew about An, Isomura Hayato and Endo Kenichi's guest appearances so Odagiri turned out to be a nice bonus for me. Too bad that he and Uchida Yuki didn't have any scenes together despite playing a married couple who were taking some time off each other due to some issues. Special mention also goes to the actor playing Daniel who definitely made a strong impression on screen.

Endo's portrayal of Matsushige himself in the movie really cracked me up because he nailed the key characteristics of Goro and Matsushige and this was especially meaningful considering that they are good friends in real life. Oh, and the token of appreciation which Goro was given for appearing as an extra in "Kodoku no Gurume" which was filmed at Sincerite - that might not have meant much to those who didn't know. However, that pen with the banana character is actually the mascot of TV Tokyo i.e. the TV station that spotted a gem in "Kodoku no Gurume" and took a risk to make the drama series despite the skepticism over its commercial viability back then. 

Yoo Jae-myung's special appearance in the Korean arc cracked me up as his character and Goro were communicating in a mix of English, Japanese and Korean as well as body language. I would have loved to see more of Yoo though since he's one of my favourite Korean actors but I guess, it's better than nothing.


Considering that the movie seems targeted at an international audience, I thought that the subtitles left much to be desired. To begin with, there were chunks of dialogue which did not get translated for whatever reason e.g. some of Goro's monologues and the Korean parts from Yoo. I don't know if the subtitles have the same issue for all versions circulated outside of Japan but if the assumption is that a language is common knowledge in that country and you omit those lines on purpose e.g. English in Singapore or Chinese in Hong Kong or Taiwan, I feel that this defeats the aim of having subtitles in the first place. 

While the intention of having subtitles may be primarily to translate foreign language lines, there are also other uses for them such as those who can understand the spoken language but the diction or audio is not clear enough to be understood. And for those who have hearing difficulties, these subtitles allow them to enjoy the film as well. As such, I would have expected more care and effort in making sure everything gets translated. In addition, having translations alone is not good enough because you do need to get it correct. Even with my limited Korean proficiency, I could pick out some inaccurate or slightly off translations in the subtitles so this problem definitely did not help in the understanding of what was spoken.

And probably because this movie showcases a variety of foods from different countries, I felt that the Japanese influence of the movie was comparatively weaker than that of the original drama series. I get it that the nature of the story this time required the inclusion of non-Japanese dishes but it would be nice to have a film next time with a stronger Japanese angle beyond the usual things we already know.


This time, there is a new theme song by THE CRO-MAGNONS titled "Kuufuku to Ore" (空腹と俺) which literally means "an empty stomach and me". While I missed hearing the signature Goro tune from the drama series, I get it that the movie needs to distinguish itself from that so that explains a different theme song. Nonetheless, it would have been better if the lyrics of the song were translated so that non-Japanese speakers can get the fun and relevance of these with the theme of the movie or Goro's universe as a whole. For those who are interested, you can hear the song and view the lyrics here.

Last but not least, do keep a lookout for the little quirky things onscreen which probably make a bit more sense if you already are familiar with the series or know the Japanese language. For example, the license plate on Goro's car i.e. 5-6-3 is actually a pun on his name Go-ro-san. If you notice other interesting titbits from the movie, please feel free to share them with me.


On the whole, I felt that this movie was good in the sense that it offers a low barrier to entry for those new to the "Kodoku no Gurume" world yet establishes itself as a proper standalone film with a decent storyline rather than a remake of the drama/manga. At the same time, it also offers some things old, some things new for existing fans to look forward to. Despite this being Matsushige's directorial debut and he also had to juggle the role of writing the script and playing the lead character, I look forward to seeing more of his works especially if he is going to make more movie versions of this series. 

If this movie is playing in a cinema near you, do go ahead to check this out and indulge!

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Thoughts about the Singapore Premiere of "Gekieiga Kodoku no Gurume" (劇映画 孤独のグルメ) / "The Solitary Gourmet" - 19 March 2025

While I haven't had a lot of luck in winning at lucky draws or giveaways, I managed to get a pair of free tickets to the Singapore premiere of "Gekieiga Kodoku no Gurume" / "The Solitary Gourmet" on 19 March 2025, thanks to Japan Creative Centre. To be honest, I wasn't expecting this at all and had prepared myself mentally to go and watch this when the movie is released here at the end of this month. As such, winning the tickets came as an unexpected but very pleasant surprise.

Actually, I hadn't even expected that the movie version of "Kodoku no Gurume" would make it to our local cinemas. That's not because I have doubts over its popularity or the appeal of the title but rather, I've always had the impression that awareness of this series and the manga here in Singapore should be fairly limited to 知る人ぞ知る i.e. those who know know or those who follow Japanese pop culture. In fact, I was guessing that another food-themed movie "Grand Maison Paris" had a higher chance of making it here because the drama series "Grand Maison Tokyo" is available for viewing here on Netflix and Kimura Takuya is arguably more well-known than Matsushige Yutaka even to those who are not that familiar with Japanese stars. On the other hand, all seasons and SPs of "Kodoku no Gurume" can be viewed on Netflix Japan but not in Singapore. As such, to see that "Kodoku no Gurume" is coming to our shores first as compared to "Grand Maison", this speaks volumes of the series' popularity and the distributor's/sponsors' confidence in this title. Hopefully, the box office takings will be at least enough to cover the costs, considering that this is offered exclusively at The Projector and it's unknown as yet how the screening schedule will be like and how long this movie will run here in Singapore. 

The size of the hall is also worth considering when determining if the release is a commercial success. If the screenings are held in venues like the Yangtze Hall which was the venue of this premiere, it's considerably bigger than the usual theatres used for Japanese films in the past. This could be a good or bad thing though. While it will definitely be more difficult to fill up one hall, it will allow more to fit into one session rather than have multiple screenings with smaller audiences. I would assume that more sessions and bigger halls will incur higher costs so striking a balance is definitely challenging. I certainly hope that things will work out well because if Japanese films don't do well here in the box office, it can mean that we won't get to see more releases in future other than those which are featured during film festivals or not released on a commercial scale.

On the whole, this was a good event which went reasonably well, save for the undesirable behaviour of some members of the audience. Actually, at the beginning of the screening, there was already a "warning video" from The Projector reminding people to be mindful of their behaviour in the cinema and not disrupt others' viewing experience. I personally found that video quite interesting and witty - it was rather unlike similar warning clips in the past because it was so direct in highlighting the bad habits of some movie goers. 

However, there were still many who were late for the screening and made so much noise while looking for their seats. And even if you needed to find your seats in the dark, your mobile phone's light should not be moving around and shining into other people's eyes instead of being pointed downwards to the floor and onto the seat numbers on the chairs. The bewildering thing was, the seat numbers and rows were already illuminated in the darkness and there was quite a bit of light from the screen so do you really need that additional light from your mobile phone? I also had the misfortune of being seated behind this latecomer who came in past 8pm - the movie had already passed the halfway mark by then and our view was blocked for a while as a result. I can't help but wonder, shouldn't there be a cutoff point to prevent these latecomers from interrupting everyone else who made an effort to be on time? Of course, given that the timing of the screening coincided with the evening rush hour and the traffic situation was probably worsened by the rainy spell for the entire day, I get it that people could be held up despite their best intentions. However, it might be good for organisers to consider whether to set a cut-off time for admission for the benefit of those who are on time for future events. If I was at a movie which I paid for and my viewing experience was marred by this, I would be even more annoyed. Not that anyone deserved anything less for a free screening though.

The other thing which was truly unpleasant to watch, were the people who left before and during the Q & A session with Matsushige Yutaka. No doubt that he was not physically present here in Singapore, the fact that he dialed in from Japan (which is one hour later than SG) and the logistics, time and effort put into the preparation surely warranted more respect from those who turned up for this screening. While I understand that there may be many who came for the sake of the free screening and may not be fans of the series or Matsushige himself, it was basic courtesy not to leave while the Q & A was ongoing. At least for those who left while the credit roll was shown, the cinema hall was still dark and their movements were not that conspicuous and seen by Matsushige himself. However, those who left in the lighted cinema and while Matsushige was talking, it was downright rude. I wonder how he might have felt when he saw those people moving out of the hall. And those empty seats in the hall - it did come across as pretty embarrassing and not the kind of thing we probably want to show a guest from afar. In this sense, while I did feel that it was a pity that he could not come to Singapore personally to promote this film, I also thought that it was good for him not to see such discourteous behaviour in person. Would less people leave the theatre like this if he was appearing in person? Maybe not in his face but I suppose there would still be those who would try to leave before the lights come on.

Another possible reason for the disdain shown towards the Q & A session: the 舞台挨拶 / stage greeting culture is not so prevalent and strong here that people don't necessarily see this as something important or of value. The thing is, if the organisers tried to add value to the screening by arranging something like this and it's not often that we get to "see and talk" to the cast of a Japanese movie, we should show our appreciation by being physically present. And if organisers see that such add-ons are not appreciated, who would want to go to the trouble of arranging these things in future?

Last but not least, I was actually hoping for something special to commemorate the event rather it being just a pre-release screening where we watched a movie and left the cinema. Considering that this was a premiere, I was hoping to see some decorations or feature wall for people to take pictures with or the movie's pamphlet being given out so that it can be posted on social media for PR purposes. While there was a stand-up panel of the movie, it didn't quite stand out since it was placed alongside that of other movies. And the pamphlet which I got was actually placed at ABC Cooking Studio rather than at the screening venue itself. I don't know if this was actually made available at the venue but I didn't see it at the collection desk. It might be a far stretch to expect more such as being able to buy the movie's pamphlet booklet or merchandise but perhaps some small memorabilia for the audience might be good.

As for my review of the movie, I will be posting that on another day. With regard to the post-screening Q & A, highlights from that section will appear in a separate post. Do keep a lookout for both posts coming your way soon! 

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Preview of "Sannin Fuufu" - Spring 2025


Title: Sannin Fuufu / 三人夫婦
Official website: here
Official Instagram: here
Official TikTok: here
Official X: here
O.A. Start Date: 8 April 2025 / Pre-release on Netflix from 1 April 2025
Timeslot: Tuesdays at 12.58am
Broadcast by: TBS
Theme Song: "Cheek to Cheek" by IMP.
Cast: Asaka Koudai, Asakura Aki & Suzuki Taiga

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Quick Review #107: Ore Monogatari!! (movie)


Title: Ore Monogatari!! / 俺物語!!

Rating: 7 / 10

Recommended for
Those who are in the mood for a simple and cute first love story involving unbelievably innocent and cute characters and/or are fans of Suzuki Ryohei, Nagano Mei and Sakaguchi Kentaro

* Disclaimer: I have not read the original manga.

Liked:
- While I haven't read the original manga and cannot comment on how well/close the movie mirrored the plot, the story was straightforward so it was definitely stress-free watching and suitable for those who are in the mood for light entertainment. Considering that this was something from 10 years ago, it was also interesting to see the key actors/actresses in their younger days.

- Suzuki Ryohei actually beefing up for real and displaying fully immersive acting as Takeo, the cuteness overload from Nagano Mei (definitely irresistible for the guys) plus a cool-looking Sakaguchi Kentaro (eye candy for the girls) really helped to elevate this movie. Frankly speaking, given the simplicity and predictability of the story, it would have been difficult to sit through this if not for the great performances from the three of them. Although I had been concerned over the huge age gap between Suzuki and Nagano, they actually did look convincing enough as a high school couple.

Disliked: 
- The downside to the straightforward plot was definitely its predictability so it wasn't difficult to see where the story was heading. I thought that the film could be more concise in the last 30 minutes or so and leave some time for the happily-ever-after scenes instead of dropping these breadcrumbs of cuteness only in the ending credits. And the part about misunderstanding each other's feelings right from the start - that could have been averted if some of the characters did not engage in misleading moves but I guess that had to happen so as to propel the plot forward. While the criss-cross feelings situation might seem cute initially and provided much comedic relief, I was getting annoyed by this went on and on until someone finally gave a much-needed nudge to the leads.

Monday, March 17, 2025

Preview of "Jishin no ato de" - Spring 2025


Title: Jishin no ato de / 地震のあとで
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 5 April 2025
Timeslot: Saturdays at 10pm
Broadcast by: NHK
Total number of episodes: 4
Original novel by: Murakami Haruki
Cast: Okada Masaki, Hashimoto Ai, Karata Erika, Kita Kana, Izumisawa Yuki, Fukikoshi Mitsuru, Narumi Yui, Kurosaki Kodai, Tsutsumi Shinichi, Watanabe Daichi, Shibukawa Kiyohiko, Kurokawa Souya, Kiryu Mai, Igawa Haruka, Sato Koichi, Nishikido Ryo, Tsuda Kanji & Non (voice acting)