Bokura no Shokutaku (2023)

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.

Leia Mais

A bit disappointing

I expected more. This is just slow. The story progression is slower than a snail and it honestly just makes it dull to watch. I had to fast forward multiple times to get through the final three episodes.

And if you are watching it, expecting BL, then don't. The BL part of the story is at the last couple of episodes, and it honestly felt forced. It would've almost been better if they ended up as friends instead of lovers.

I finished the series because of Tane (he is such a precious angel). Yutaka was just annoying and made every situation awkward.
The dishes looked good tho.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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!

Leia Mais

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!

Leia Mais

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!

Leia Mais

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 :/

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

SO CUTE

one of my fave bls it's jsut so cute and sweet i love it. i first read the manga (go read it if you haven't!) and it was sooo good so when i heard about the show i HAD to watch. supringly it did not disappoint, a lot of bl manga and webtoons have actually been destroyed by being turned into a tv show.

this is one of the cutest bls out there, their connection is so pure and sweet. it really is perfectly paced, it didn't feel rushed at all and i felt like i really saw a genuine connection grow between the characters. the storyline with the food was just so unique too, there nothing else like it. and how can i write a review about it without mentioning tane! god he is soooo adorable and really was so sweet. he adds this pure and childlike element to the romance between the two mains, and the way he plays into interuppting or starting romantic moments between minoru and yutaka. also he's just really cute and always made me smile when he was on screen.

overall this is just so cute (i know i've said that a million times but it's because it's TRUE!), and such a beautiful story. also sweet that they didn't remove the kiss scene that's in the manga cuz i find its rare in japenese bl.

Leia Mais

Trauma healing through love and found family

Wow, I really don’t have much to say about this drama than it’s very much a must watch if you love fluffy romance.

It’s rare that I love a Japanese bl as it’s uncommon for me to find one that doesn’t include ten thousand tropes or some kind of scene that makes me feel uncomfy. This show did great at balancing the trauma background with the wholesome sweet moments that helped heal that trauma.

First off I really want to speak on tane’s importance to the story. Some could argue that tane wasn’t as important to the plot as minoru, but after watching this, there really were so many moments where tane pulled the plot together in such a perfect way. the way tane was able to consistently break the tension when it got too thick was perfect, even if annoyed us because it always happened at what could be considered at the worst times. It was honestly necessary though, because I doubt minoru and yutaka would’ve been able to get as close as they did without him. I honestly feel that if minoru had to deep of a talk with yutaka too early, then it would’ve broken any sense of comfort yutaka built with minoru.

now on to the relationship side. For those who only consider a relationship in a drama real with a really apparent really big kiss scene, I doubt this is your drama. For those who like slow burn romances, this is definitely up your alley. This show is definitely for those that love a story where the characters heal each other, without it being obviously in a romantic way. Minoru and yutaka both had traumatic backgrounds, minoru’s being growing up in a family with a sick mother who passes early, leaving the oldest son to help take care of the younger sibling, and yutaka being the adopted kid who had trouble fitting into his new family. Minoru helped yutaka get over his trauma and find an understanding of what it means to be mutually important to someone, while yutaka helped minoru regain the smile he lost after losing his mother. Minoru’s family becoming yutaka’s family really honestly is the most important plot line in this drama, and the romance coming second if you ask me, but I also just have a weak spot for found family tropes.

All together, please give this drama a chance, especially if you’re tired of the gritty, painful bl dramas that can often be found within the Japan bl category. It was so sweet and wholesome and the way everything unfolded perfectly really kept me hanging onto to this drama for dear life. Even the sad parts of this drama come out with a heartwarming solution. Definitely going to be rewatching this drama so many times.

Leia Mais

Found Family

This is a great JBL from start to finish. The pacing, the story, the end game... everything felt right from beginning to end. The overall touching point being gathered around the dining table was very unique and really drove home the overall feeling of all of us wanting to belong somewhere. The navigation through both of their stories, of love, loss, and a sense of not belonging are very human concepts and are touched on beautifully. To love is special, a miracle in itself, and it does not come without risks. But to love, is to also risk the most of ourselves, and I loved how this was explored also.

I couldn't complete this review without mentioning that Tane was a highlight throughout, the actor did so well and the series wouldn't be half of what it is without him. He definitely has a bright future if he chooses to continue acting.

Leia Mais