Our Dining Table (2023) 僕らの食卓
Also known as: Bokura no Shokutaku
Directed by Yuho Ishibashi, Kashō Iizuka and Naho Kamimura, starring Atsuhiro Inukai as Yutaka, Hiroki Iijima as Minoru, and Kūga Maeyama as Tane.
Watched 17 - 28 November 2024 — 10 episodes (DAILYMOTION/DRAMACOOL)
Yutaka Hozumi is a lonely salaryman who is estranged from his family and finds it difficult to eat with other people. One day in the park, he meets brothers Minoru and Tane Ueda. Minoru and Tane find his cooking delicious and ask him to visit and teach them how to cook. Soon, Yutaka begins visiting and eating with the Ueda family. At the same time, Yutaka and Minoru's relationship begins to grow deeper as the two confront each other's past loneliness. (Synopsis: Wikipedia)
*This came recommended to me by my elder sister who gave it the highest rating on MDL. It's my first Japanese drama and also first BL (boys' love) drama. And I love it!
*With only 10 episodes of 23 minutes each, this show is a quick watch. It only took me so long to finish because I was watching other dramas at the same time. It's a great healing drama, slow-paced, at times very cute, and with plenty of heartwarming moments. It actually feels like comfort food, and I love how sharing a meal with other people can be so therapeutic. I also love the simple recipes.
*Atsuhiro Inukai as Yutaka (he's my fave character, I also love the actor!) and Hiroki Iijima as Minoru have great chemistry. I love the way Minoru looks at Yutaka! It leaves little doubt about his feelings for Yutaka. I thought their relationship developed naturally and didn't feel rushed, despite the short runtime of the series.
*Tane is a very cute kid.
*All characters are likeable. Only Yutaka's older stepbrother was less likeable but it turns out that he had already accepted Yutaka in his family a long time ago. He had even taken care of Yutaka when he was sick as a child. Fortunately Yukata reconciled with his family.
*Yukata's feelings of fear of losing loved ones is very relatable. I really felt for him when he almost distanced himself from Minoru (who himself had said "I'm so happy that I'm scared"), preferring to leave before Minoru and his family would become too important to him. Yukata's emotional talk with Minoru's dad makes him realise that it's okay to love and be scared, and that feeling pain when experiencing loss is part of life.
*Right after finishing the show I discovered that there's a special episode, known as: Our Dining Table Spin Off or Our Dining Table - Our Holiday. I watched it right away but was slightly underwhelmed. It's an extension of the series, with the Ueda family and Yukata going on a holiday to celebrate Tane's birthday, but it doesn't add anything new. Just awkward moments between our lovebirds and a display of Minoru's jealousy because of a misunderstanding. It was nice to spend some extra time with the characters and I liked Minoru's decision to study at the university but I'd rather wished they would have left it at 10 episodes.