This special has all the feel-good energy of the drama, which I consider as heartwarming as the meals they prepare in it. If you liked the food, the feels and the domestic fluff of the series, this has all of it.
Storytelling-wise, it doesn’t add anything too crucial (aside from Miyazawa Rie making an appearance as the famous Mitsuya Mami), but it does develop interesting elements upon what the show discussed. There’s more about Shiro’s feelings towards his relationship with Kenji, about their plans of growing old together, and details about his relationship with his mom, past and present. This drama has never shied away from difficult subjects while remaining positive, and the special is no exception. A specific scene with Shiro’s mother got me feeling all sorts of emotions.
The special is divided into three mini arcs, the first and last centered in Shiro and Kenji, whereas the middle one is centered in Kohinata and Wataru, which I could have lived without, but I think it’s amenable enough, all things considered.
All in all, it’s an extension of the series that delves into some of the aspects outlined there but doesn’t add anything too major. Still, this is such a feel-good series, I come back to it when I need some pick-me up energy, and this is a good way to come back. The food is still amazing, by the way.
Apparently, there will be a movie, so maybe this special was meant to tie the two. In any case, it’s as enjoyable as the series, so if you liked it, I’d give the special a go.
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excellent follow up to season 1
Overall: because there is more comedy I actually enjoyed this a bit more than season 1. The special is 1 hour and 15 minutes. GagaOOLala picked this up in September 2023 which is when I watched it (GagaOOLala picked up the whole franchise and the order to watch is: season 1, special, movie, season 2 which is airing October 2023).What I Liked
- comedy, I burst out laughing several times
- cute moments
- communication progress
- Wataru, yes he's immature but he's honest and his partner enjoys their dynamic so I won't judge them
- tighter pacing than the series
Room For Improvement
- the fake out (I'd rather they show nothing at all than the 'stop right before it happens')
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Continuing Saga
It is a worthy way to spend your time as you will see two imperfect older men come to grips with getting older, slowly grow to love one another more deeply, and enjoy each other’s company mainly around the dinning room table. They would and I would conclude that their lives are content. Perhaps there is nothing better than that!This is a story not about food but about the companionship of them and others. Along the way is the food! It would seem that food is their center of attention. And this series does a masterful job of almost making it feel like you are watching a cooking show, what with its almost step-by-step instructions on how to cook many meals. But it is the finished product that is really the aim and goal. It is their sitting down, eating and being together that is reinforcing, not the food.
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Food and...love?!?!?
I know that this whole franchise has a big fan base so they are probably not going to like my musings on this special episode!I am sorry but I do not see the chemistry between these two men. They act like a stern father and a naughty kid pair. The stern lawyer is the adult in this relationship while the middle-aged hairdresser is the kid, hiding and scared of being told off. I had the same impression when I watched the first season of the drama: they looked like two best friends sharing an apartment. If I am not mistaken, they each had their own room so they are not sleeping together. There is a scene in this special episode, when the lawyer comes home late, sleeps and leaves without his "partner" noticing it.
Some would say that they had been living together for a long time, the routine has been set and the passion felt at the beginning of a relationship never lasts forever. That is true here, if that is the case! They obviously care for each other but the intimacy is not there. And I do not mean the NSFW kind of intimacy but simple, daily, spontaneous touch of hands, the obvious ease of being together, a sense of content and happiness. Nothing is there! Maybe it has to do with their generation, the culture, their upbringing which forbids them from expressing emotions? Kenji, the hairdresser, is obviously in awe of his "partner", wanting his approval and very jumpy around him when he thinks that he's done something wrong. I haven't read the manga, but Kenji's exaggerated gestures and twirling around is very cringy to watch. He looks and acts like one of those trans thai BL characters used for comic relief, very OTT! But he can be serious and not overact which he showed in a couple of scenes when he suddenly stopped fidgeting and started talking normally and not with the usual baby voice!
There is the interesting second couple: funny to watch, completely toxic and happy to be so! And with so much more chemistry than the main couple!
This special brings nothing new to the drama or any development of their relationship. At one moment, the lawyer falls asleep on the couch and Kenji, trembling like a leaf, tries to steal a kiss, but the lawyer wakes up before he manages to do anything. What kind of relationship is this when you cannot kiss the man of your life freely, at ease at your own home?
Therefore, I wish they would stop selling this as a BL: it is a simple roommates bromance, though one would like to be more! No matter how much the lawyer claims to be gay, he does not act like someone who is in love with the person they are living with. He seems to be what people nowdays call Aroace. Right?
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Bacana, mas não especial.
É um episódio legal de assistir, porém parece um junção de diversos episódios em um só. Não tem um arco principal, parece diversas sketches. Se for pra ser assim, melhor só continuar na sequência na série.Foi interessante ver um pouco mais do personagem Wataru/Gilbert. Confirmou que ele realmente é um insuportável e que aquela barbicha ridícula é de propósito, mas também mostra que ele se importa com o que Kohinata pensa dele (porém a vontade de que ele desse um chega pra lá no menino é forte).
Vimos um poucos mais da rotina e evolução do Shiro e Kenji.
Mais receitas deliciosas sendo feitas. E foi isso.
A essência da do jdrama permanece. Leveza, bom humor e reflexões.
Mas como episódio ~especial~ não acrescenta em nada.
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