S. Yue Michaelis

Natsuki Obana (Takuya Kimura) is a chef, specializing in French cuisine. He runs a restaurant in Paris that has earned 2 stars from Michelin Guide. Natsuki Obana is confident, but he suffers from pressure trying to attain 3 stars. An unexpected case takes place. Due to that, he loses his restaurant and colleagues. Under a very difficult situation, he meets female chef Rinko Hayami (Kyoka Suzuki). They decide to start a restaurant together and struggle to make the restaurant 3 stars. (asiawiki-2019)


Ahhh my kind of drama. I love to see underdogs getting together and fighting for the same goal, defeating the most powerful rival along the way. Yes, in a "One Piece" kinda way. There has to be a "leader", someone that glues the team (in this case, Obana and Rinko together); there has to be a common goal (to make a 3-stars Michelen restaurant); there has to be nakamas that come one by one (old coworkers from Obana, who used to resent him but who were also his best friends); there has to be good and capable sidekicks outside their team (the guy who sells the best vegetables in Japan); there has to be more grand rivals (a more expensive restaurant + a food connoisseur) and of course, there has to be a sort of competition that brings the best and worst of all teams.

The camera angles were excellent and it helped to make the food look even more delicious. Since this is a gourmet drama, there are tons of food screens, and many dishes were mouthwatering. I confess I prefer my meat to be well done (not rare) so everything that was meat was a bit MEH for me. But it is an inspirational drama at the same time, it made me long for a talent, the same these guys had and that made them spend hours and hour and even the whole night, to make a dish perfect.

As for the cast, my favorite was Suzuki Kyoka (Rinko), such a fine lady! The boss in the restaurant, the one that risks everything to have a 3-stars restaurant. Not only she is a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL lady, but she was also one of the best actors, in a veteran cast. The other one that I liked a lot was Onoe Kikunosuke (Tango)... he is a Kabuki actor (therefore, his strange features) and I have to say, are all stage actors so good?? So far, when I encounter a stage actor, i am amazed at their talent, they are even better than mainstream actors, by far. Yes, Kimura Takuya is good but not THAT good. And I still saw him as Kimura the entire drama, seems like his roles are all copies of him.

The worst I have to say was Tamamori Yuta (Sorry Tama!). It is not that he is a bad actor, but among all the veterans he was kinda bad, specially when he was shouting and pouting. So I am not even bothered that I didn't see his spin-off or that the subber didn't sub the last 5 minutes of every episode. Yes, I was a bit lost at the end, with his relationship with his girlfriend, etc, but it wasn't important to the main story, so it was fine.

ED song was MEH, 2 points out of 10. Didn't like the voice, and didn't fit the story.

Koichi Miyazawa (Koji Yakusho) runs a small, but longstanding company which makes tabi (traditional Japanese socks). He is the CEO of the fourth generation company with about 20 employees. Due to a decrease of demand for tabi, the company is struggling to keep afloat. Koichi Miyazawa thinks about launching a new product line. The new product is running shoes. For the company's surival, Koichi Miyazawa begins to develop running shoes using their accumulated knowledge for making tabi. (asiawiki-2017)


Five seconds into the first episode and I was "this is my favorite 2017 drama already". Not because of the setting, not because of some cute actor... no, the first line had already hooked me. Never happened to me before. I wish I was more eloquent in English, to describe how much I love this drama. Every second of it.

For people who want eye-candy, there is the Shoujo Prince and two Tokusatsu heroes... but their pretty faces can't beat the talent of the veteran actor Yakusho Koji. His gentle smile, his determination to achieve his goals, his frustrated tears... this man impressed me so much I was constantly posting about him.

Short version of my review: this drama reminded a lot of the anime "Haikyuu", in spirit.

Moritaka Mashiro (Takeru Satoh) doesn't want to follow in the path of his uncle who worked as a manga artist, but ultimately died because of exhaustion. Moritaka Mashiro figures he will graduate from school and work at an office. Things change though when falls in love with a girl at school. The girl, who hopes to become a voice actress, tells Moritaka they can marry, but only after they both achieve their dreams. Moritaka then teams up with fellow classmate Akito Takagi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) to publish their first manga. (asianwiki)


I waited so much to see this movie. I think I have never waited so much for a movie before. When the cast was announced I was excited. I thought, and still did while watching it, that Takeru should have been Shuujin, and Ryunosuke should have been Saiko, but nevertheless, it was a good movie. The pace was well done, the special effects were very good as well. There isn't a single slow moment in the movie. All actors were spotted on. And the setting! The department looked exactly the same, the clothes were exactly the same. To see the real Shounen Jump building and offices (at least, I think they were the real locations) was as exciting as it was impressive. All those papers.. thousands and thousands of it. All those mangas!

Speaking about mangas, I was so satisfied to see that the manga used in the movie were done by the same mangaka that did BAKUMAN. His style is unique; any fan of his can recognize his work. And to see works like Otter in real life! Otter is a manga written by Hiramaru in Bakuman, and I always wanted to read it, even if it doesn't exist really.

So, the cast. There was a good chemistry between the lead actors, which didn't surprise me since I know they have worked together before. I liked that they could shake hands -or whatever you called that- only when they get serialized. It was a good point. I like that the "love story" with Miho wasn't as pathetic as in the manga/anime. In fact, they talk several times, over the phone and face to face, and it wasn't awkward, just 2 teenagers getting to know each other. She even sends him a photo of her! Something that lame Miho in anime/manga wouldn't have done. I think the scriptwriter or the director disagreed with the portrayal of the main female character in the manga/anime (it was sexist, let's be honest), so they made her less pathetic and less "I wanna be a seijuu to marry you".

Kiritani Kenta as Fukada-san was SPOT ON! He was excellent, he does this kind of character so well! The one who is rebellious and kind of a gangster but with a big heart. By far my favorite. I love his outfits, his expressions, and I am glad his role wasn't tiny. But well, all members of Fukada-team were good: Hinamaru had his moments of depression that did not fail to make me laugh, Nakai-san was there with his big belly helping his friends... True, no Aiko in the story, but it was understandable. Not all characters could be in a 2-hour-movie.

Yamada Takayuki was, I guess, a mix between the 2 editors the boys have, because he certainly wasn't confident Hattori-san. He even wears glasses and has long hair (again, not Hattori-san), and he is smaller than the boys, unlike Hattori-san. If I didn't have to compare, I'll say he was good, but nothing outstanding.

So, what was my main concern: Nizuma Eiji, who is one of my favorite characters, besides having an unique personality. Was Sometani Shouta exactly like Eiji is supposed to be? No. He wasn't as loud, as crazy, and with such weird and funny expressions and movements as Eiji. Was I disappointed? Well, not exactly. To be honest, Eiji is not a character that can be portrayed faithfully in real life, so what Sometani did was good. He did his role well, he did his research: he walked funnily, slouching, just like Eiji. He has a goody smile, like Eiji. When he has a -metaphoric- battle against Ashirogi-sensei (which was never used in the movie, btw... they go by their names, no pen-names there), he has the wings and when he is jumping, he does an Eiji-pose. Just with that I am grateful.

In the manga/anime, the guys form some kind of alliance when they encounter problems with their editorial. It begins when Saiko is in the hospital and the director forbids him to keep drawing while he is sick. All the other mangaka (Nakai-san, Aiko, Fukada-san, Eiji) support Ashirogi-sensei. Unfortunately, due lack of time, that alliance could not be done as in the manga/anime. Instead, the guys help Saiko to finish his work. I liked that, that we could see it, how the guys, although rivals, are all friends. And although Eiji did not help him in drawing (it would have been very OoC) he helps in another way. Very well done, scriptwriter!

I liked the end, that things remain not-finished: Saiko and his relationship with Miho; their career as mangaka... I liked that they have this brainstorming of ideas with a blackboard, because for us fans, it was meaningful. We know what other mangas there will be, so this was like a "to be continued..."

For fans of the manga/anime, and for people interested in how the mangaka work, this movie is highly recommended. I am very happy to say that I wasn't disappointed and that I highly liked it.