What Did You Eat Yesterday? is a Japanese drama based off of the manga of the same name created by Fumi Yoshinaga who is well know worldwide for her earlier series titled Antique Bakery which gained her wide spread acclaim and many awards. This drama also was received well in Japan along with the manga as both won prestigious awards, such as the Kodansha Manga Award and many television academy awards. A book of recipes from the drama was released this year in Japan as well, titled "Shiro's Simple Recipes". The drama stars Hidetoshi Nishijima(Mozu, Creepy) and Seiyo Uchino.
Two men in their late forties live together as a couple in Japan. One man is a lawyer and the other is a hairdresser. Both men must face the conflicts of living as a gay couple on top of other life problems but at least they can look forward to having a meal together at the end of a hard day.
I was shocked inside of my delight when I saw that this series was made into a television drama. It didn't seem like something that would happen but here it is. Plus that cast is top tier actors in Japan, automatically bring the spotlight on the production. Japan is in this phase where gay themed dramas now being broadcast on primetime television which is a good thing in a way. What Did You Eat Yesterday has a pretty simple premise dealing with cooking as the core foundation of the storytelling. The drama follows the manga much of the time except for a few minor changes. So if you're a fan of the manga or have read the manga, you are in for a treat consisting of a trip down memory lane. What's most interesting for fans is how the retelling of this series was to be done. I didn't know if I would accept anything less than perfect and the drama honestly gave me that in a realistic way. Many of the cooking actually takes the viewer step by step into the recipes used to make the food shown. Also the food looks good in real time causing you to run get pen and paper to write down these Japanese food recipes. Outside of Shiro's daily cooking, other side stories happen that involve that people around the two main characters. A lot of the issues are normal human problems which turns into an equal balance when talking about gay issues that arise in the story. You get the opportunity to see how issues involving couples of a man and women aren't much different from the issues that involve gay people. Differences they do have are painfully relatable even if you're not gay because anyone who can't be who they are out of fear can't help but be a shared connection we all have among one another. Still while addressing all of this, What Did You Eat Yesterday manages to keep an air of simplicity. The show doesn't try too hard to be a social avenger to answer all the problems gay people face. Instead the drama is a informer, shedding light on Japanese gay life surrounded by food. I'm not sure how much of the manga the drama covers because the English version has been halted after volume 11. I believe volume 12 will be released next month and I know that there are 15 volumes in all so far. What Did You Eat Yesterday won't just fill your stomach with all the tasty recipes, it will also fill your heart warmly.
Hidetoshi and Seiyo make this adaption the smash hit that it was. Many of the scenes require a certain connection between the two characters. They both couldn't be more different, however they're various personalities balance each other out well. This is actually addressed in the story(both the manga and drama) on how they have a strong relationship despite not being each other's normal types. There's also a lot of comedic moments making light of some situations that if not acted out correctly, would of fell flat in a live action adaption. Fans might remember the " this is Shiro and he's gay!" line from the manga. Seeing it retold in the drama was even more hilarious than reading it in the manga thanks to the performances. Let's also not forget Shiro shopping habits or Kenji's teasing tendencies. Wacky situations like these happen often to give a release from the serious times that occur. Watching both actors get emotional comes as a cold hard slap since you don't want to see the laughter end. As a gay couple in Japan, problems are going to come. That's life. At least they can always look forward to a hot meal to keep them grounded. Oh, I forgot to mention the masculine verse feminine thing. Stuff is switched up when you think about who you stereotypically think the top or bottom would be. Seiyo does a wonderful job blurring the line by changing his voice from light to deep depending the situation. I don't know how some of the other cast looked better than their manga counterparts. Well, not Gilbert. He was better looking in the manga in my opinion. Can we talk about how Gilbert's boyfriend put his manga counterpart to shame? Fun cast overall though. [INSERT ME LAUGHING.]
What Did You Eat Yesterday is highly recommended in both manga and television format. Especially if you love to cook. Inside the story is a huge recipe book waiting for someone to try them out.
No comments:
Post a Comment