This review may contain spoilers
Zetsumeshi Forever! ^____^
I've found out about this dorama by chance (I loved "Bank Over!" so much that I thoroughly searched the - pretty vast! - filmography by the screenwriter, Mori Hayashi, and this title was the one that first caught my eye) and I'm sooo glad I did! ^___^It's at the same time pretty addictive and quite relaxing, to follow the adventures of this funny salaryman, who roams the roads of Japan aboard his minivan in search for "endangered meals" (that is, delicious meals in old, inexpensive restaurants that risk disappearing in the future).
The dorama shines, needless to say it, thanks to a very nice and original script, to a convincing performance by the whole cast (Hamatsu Takayuki and Yamamoto Koji - who wouldn't want a friend like him, right? - really steal the show here) and last but certainly not least to a beautiful soundtrack (both the ending credits song and the various pieces accompanying the whole series are extremely good indeed).
But the real cherry on top, imho, is the photo, shown at the end of every episode, portraying the real people who run those "endangered restaurants" next to the actor/s who impersonated them. That small detail gives so much more depth to the whole thing, as it makes the viewers fully understand and appreciate the beautiful humaneness behind the ML's (at first glance, a bit weird) hobby. Thanks to that, this isn't the Nth shallow food-drama about a glutton stuffing his or her face day in and day out, but rather a bittersweet and oh-so-Japanese tale of the real people behind those dishes, their stories and dreams, hopes and difficulties.
Very, very nice indeed!
The only reason I don't give this a "perfect 10" is that a coupla questions are left unanswered: did Kaburagi eventually reconcile with his wife? Did he meet again with the ML and maybe with his daughter too? And then again, did the ML's wife finally see the beauty of her husband's hobby - just like their daughter had done? It could be that all those questions - and yet some - get answered in the SP, but since I couldn't find it anywhere, I have no way to know for sure.../.___.\
But hey, there's always hope that they'll come up with a second season, right? If that's the case, here's one who's totally looking forward to that! ^___-
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30 minutes of pure bliss and tranquility
My first advice for everyone that is planning to watch this on Netflix or everywhere: do not binge-watch this series.Zetsumeshi Road (or in English, The Road to Red Restaurant List) offers a simple story, minimum no-conflict drama: about an average working father who was left alone in Friday nights because his wife and daughter were a fan of boyband and always goes on concert tours, secretly trying a Saturday hobby to discover rare and endangered restaurants in Tokyo suburbs or satellite cities. "Rare" and "endangered" because these classic restaurants were owned by older chefs with no clear descendants or going out of business for good whenever the actual owner died or retired.
The series will tell his experiences visiting the restaurant and his interaction with the owner (and sometimes, other visitors). If they are interesting enough, the visit will also tell the background story of the restaurant, which is (!) based on real story.
The way this series gave the experience is simple, fun, and tranquil. Slow-paced, narators speaking gently and calm, and the visuals are full of bright natural lights to make simple Japanese meals looks really tempting. Unlike all the high stakes drama other TV series can offer, Zetsumeshi Road is designed to have you settle down and relax for 30 minutes (note that in Tokyo, this series were broadcast at Friday 24:52 and always reran on other channels past midnight). Due to this unique approach I have decided NOT to binge-watch this series and have myself enjoying 30 minutes of pure bliss for twelve weeks. It feels much better.
Hope all the viewers of this series (and me, too) could be visiting any one of these twelve endangered restaurants soon, or to have you inspired searching for real hidden gems in your city. Long live zetsumeshi!
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