Favourite comfort drama of 2023
*story*Nice and simple and just involves 3 characters meeting up to eat good homemade food and make amazing memories together.
*characters*
The main 3 characters are all so distinct from each other. Tane and his big brother, Minoru, have such a sweet and genuine relationship, and seeing Yutaka with them is so great and fun as well. All in all, this is definitely character-driven.
*music*
I think it fits the drama perfectly.
*Overall*
It's definitely something I want to re-watch on a winter afternoon. It'll make you feel less lonely and more inspired to eat homecooked meals.
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This review may contain spoilers
Need to watch
First, I would like to say that this is the most wholesome Japanese BL I have ever watched.The plot was so good, and I love the stories and how they bonded. I don’t feel like this was rushed at all, like how some are where they jump into a relationship. I feel like they had time to grow.
For example, how they made lunches together and how they healed each other from their past traumas relating to their own family.
Plus the kid was very cute and a shipper without knowing and I will definitely be watching this again.
Overall, I feel like every one of these actors had very good chemistry where they were able to bond, and I would give anyone interested in starting out watching bl this to watch.
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Our hero Inukai!
I think I haven't watched such a heartwarming story in a long time. The plot is just great, pure wholesomeness. Watching it made me feel the same as when, in my highschool years, I watched teen dramas! And that's awesome in my opinion because the emotions and feelings in this drama were truly genuine.Shoutout to Inukai too, the man of the century, for he impersonates a new BL character every two minutes ahah (and we love him for that). He's like a guarantee to me at this point. Hiroki (Minoru) was just way too sweet to handle, he immediately gained my support.
I don't know the manga but this series definitely has a special place in my heart now, especially since I had to deal with loss and coping during last year. I spent one tear or two here, not gonna lie. There's not much I can say if not that I totally recommend it, especially if you're looking for a peaceful series with good ending.
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Simple, Cute, and lots of Food.
This is a sweet, cute story. Nothing too complex or heavy. There's lots of food in it which was a draw for me.I would say what MAKES this drama is the acting of Minoru's father and of Tane. Especially Tane. I have seen many full grown adult actors who don't have the same acting chops as the boy who plays Tane. He was sweet and cute and every scene he's in was fully believable that he was Tane. In particular when he accuses Minoru of making Yutaka cry and later when he's comforting Yutaka. He doesn't act in the same way most child-actors act which always feels like they're struggling to portray or understand what playing a role in a series is. Not this kiddo! He's superb.
I felt like it could have had a bit more complexity to its plot but generally speaking it's a nice story if a bit simplistic. I've rated the acting 10/10 for Tane's actor alone. Not that the rest were bad but he really was exceptional given how young he is.
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cuteness overload you cant get enough of it
this is one of the best shows already, when i started with ep 1 i was hesitating, and it turned out to be so goodthe plot doesnt have to be fast in order to enjoy this, as i see both MLS relationship develop over the time,its realistic serie where you watch how 2 people fall in love, they share their happiness and their dark times together..
i usually get annoyed about kids, but even this kid is adorable and im enjoying seeing those 3 together having fun and getting closer..
this is like a comfort show to me, i will probably watch it again in the future, i highly recommend this to you guys
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A Masterpiece!
This series, hands down, is one of the best BLs for 2023. It is sheer perfection – from acting, to production to total chemistry between all the actors. This is one of the best ensemble casts to come alone in a long time. The screenplay is brilliant because it surprises you with angst and pathos yet culminates with a beautiful sense of reasonable adult resolution. This is a surprisingly deeply emotionally charged series, well-hidden however. This is one of the better ones because it was told with devotion. And as close to a masterpiece in both screenplay and sheer quiet force as you can get. Well done!Was this review helpful to you?
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Food banalities done ok
Two lonely people meet and bond over food. The end!"No problem is too big that cannot be solved by sharing a meal." "The magic of food that brings people together." "The healing power of food preparation." These are the banalities repeated in every food drama I'd seen.This is a synopsis of a big number of japanese dramas. Japan excels in these. They are always interesting to watch but oftentimes the food preparation takes such a huge part of the drama that the plot is kept to a strict minimum. This can be a double edged sword. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not!
I love dramas where food takes the front stage: they are usually fun to watch. Nevertheless, I am not blind to their flaws. And while I love food dramas, I also need some drama in the dramas I watch.
This is a wholesome, heartfelt and kind drama with a star child actor. Here there is barely any conflict and when there is, is just people misunderstanding and making themselves miserables or sacrificing their own future. One is troubled because of a misunderstanding from childhood (he was adopted, he misunderstood a remark, retreated from any contact with the family who apparently never noticed it let alone talked with him about it) . The other one is looking after his kid brother full time (after the death of their mother he dropped out of college, their father is there but seems like a stranger) not daring to dream about a future for himself. Both these situations are rage inducing where parents pay no notice to their children who feel abandoned whether it is true or not. The two men are wasting their lives being unhappy but not knowing how to escape the trap they were forced into..
They bond over food and help each other heal. The actors are good and the child actor has a well written role, which is so rare, the kid is not overly annoying and whiny but cute and smart! It is worth the watch only for him. Beside these three characters, we barely see anyone else. There is the father going aimlessly in and out of scenes. There is a coworker helping by teaching one of the characters how to make a bento. Everyone is nice, kind and helpful. There is not one single evil character in this drama.
This is a very sad drama trying to be uplifting. The two men have not lived well until they met, their lives are true tragedies. The fact that they help each other in spite of their innate pessimism is a sign of character development and that was nice to see.
The drama is a nice watch if you do not pay attention to all the darkness surrounding the main characters. I was sad and angry when I expected fluff and good food. There was not much of either!
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My New Comfort Show
This series will make you feel like you're being wrapped in a cozy blanket. Just finished the manga - since this series will probably follow its plot points for the most part, there thankfully won't be any low-effort/petty drama. This is the sort of slice-of-life where you can feel the warm atmosphere through your screen. I'm only exaggerating a little bit when I say that my soul feels immediately cleansed after watching a single episode.All of the characters are lovable and have great chemistry. Yutaka and Minoru are both finding happiness and peace in each other's company while on their journies of healing from their pasts. Even though there's not much going on yet, I'm looking forward to seeing how their love will blossom and some of their mysteries unravel. And Tane takes the cake when it comes to being adorable and absolutely unhinged. There's also an emphasis on tasty-looking food, so be warned if you're hungry before watching an ep!
This series is the one I most look forward to each week for a calm and lighthearted ep. I'll definitely be rewatching this series whenever I need a quick serotonin boost!
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Basically: It's cute but too plain :(
I love the plot, I love the story, but I gave it a 7 and I will explain why!I think that the plot is so cute, right? I also believe that food is a very fluffy way to bond, and it's special to me. It's cute, short, and simple, and Yutaka story it's sensible. But, after all, it's a little boring.
Ok, the romance exists, but it's not romantic, yk? It's too plain for me and I understand but they don't look like a couple. More like brothers, and it's a little weird to me.
About the acting, I really fell strange about Minoru's actor because he doesn't look like a person with emotions? Besides being happy and sad, and it feels a little weird. But Yutaka's actor is INCREDIBLE. He's so good that he makes me anxious watching because Yutaka was anxious.
But that's it :/
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The series is wholesome but a bit lacking in chemistry as a BL
The series is wholesome. It's actually most awaited once. It creates a homely heartfelt feeling of a family meal. The story is heartwarming and healing. Minoru's family is so warm.The drama fills up some plot holes in the manga in some parts, but uneccesary in some parts.
However, the biggest problem is the chemistry between Yutaka and Minoru as well as Yutaka and Tane. It feels much off compared to the manga. It it is a bit lacking in terms of "couple feeling". I think the drama lacks a bit of chemistry because I've seen better chemistry between Hiroki and Shono in even a short 50-minute SP drama. Hiroki and Kuuga did their job perfectly: 10/10. I could see Hiroki was striving to lift up the chemistry with Inuka and Kuuga, despite his young age, has a knit for acting.
Inukai's performance was erratic, sometimes it's natural, but sometimes I feel it's lacking something and a bit forced. He wasn't at his peak. The atmosphere between Minoru and Yukata is often times awkward - it's so forced.
One important detail is that ironically, in the manga the kid is much closer and more clingy to Yukata than his brother, but in the drama, the kid did try. Interaction between Tane and Minoru is not that close as we could feel from the manga, let the dry interaction off-show.
From the photoshoot, to the promo and actual drama, it’s bitterly dry. Inukai is pretty and Hiroki is handsome, but it’s just it.
The drama is still wholesome overall and is recommended.
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Whichever aspect I consider -- story, acting, the pace, the set design, the message, how music and silance are used -- there is nothing I would want to change.
"Our Dining Table" is a gentle, slow-paced romance, tied together by simple but delicious food and an energetic little boy.
Both young men are missing something in their lives -- Yutaka is the more obvious one; since the story is mostly told from his perspective, and his loneliness and his problem with eating in a group is at the centre of the story -- but Minoru is also alone in his own way: Caring for a pre-schooler as a 23-year-old, he is only met with incomprehension from his peers, and so has lost most of his social circle.
While I was interested in Yutaka's story about how he found his own family, as well as delighted by Tane's overwhelming cuteness, it's Minoru who makes me come back to this drama. I love watching his face, and especially his eyes when he looks at Yutaka, and how their expression subtly changes over the course of the story, from interest to happiness to resignation and finally, to a gaze that is so full of love that it almost feels intrusive to watch him.
And it's not only Minoru's actor's ability that elevates a lovely story to something special -- it's all of them. The child actor, of course, but also the father's actor, who infuses the character's silliness with genuine fatherly love for his sons.
"Our Dining Table" is one of two dramas I choose to rewatch whenever I despair of humanity.
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One of the most heartwarming, brave and beautiful stories I ever seen
See theses two fall in love with each other and deal with this in their own way was truly the most heartwarming story I ever seen, Heal all my feeling, because was the first time that I noticed how was I am dealing with all my feelings in my way and this is not wrong. The acting I have to be honest, is perfect. For me I didn't noticed any bad points, the ost was pretty good too, all good balanced. The rewatch value for me is funny because I'm "late" writing this review because I rewatch again just after the moment I finished. It's worth. The story was beyond off just a superficial love, we can fall in love for EVERY detail without forcing. I just want to say that I need more dramas like this and see them again and again.Was this review helpful to you?
