I’m not sure why
but lately I’ve been gravitating toward J-dramas that deal with food a
lot. The latest one that caught my
attention was called “Hungry!” starring Mukai Osamu. It aired in Japan from January to March of
2012. Eisuke (Mukai), having reached the
age of 30 and having his dreams of being a rock star frustrated over and over,
decides to quit the world of music and return to his mother’s French restaurant
to work as a chef. His skill at cooking
had always been recognized but certain events in his childhood prompted him to
veer away from developing his natural talent.
Unfortunately, just as he had gathered the resolve to continue training
as a chef, his mother passes away. Trials
and tribulations come in the form of Mr. Aso, a celebrity in the restaurant
/culinary world and owner of several popular restaurants. Aso had been urging Eisuke’s mother to sell
her restaurant to him for the longest time; and now that she is gone, decides
to take over by force. Eisuke and his
widowed father, together with Eisuke’s former band-mates are forced to
reestablish the restaurant in an old warehouse. Things sure looked pretty bad from there. To make matters worse, Eisuke’s personal life
is taking a toll from all the drastic changes.
His girlfriend, Mariya, is strongly against his move to run a
restaurant, and his first “fan” as a chef, a girl named Chie, develops a huge
crush on him. Facing the many
difficulties of running a fledgling business, developing his cooking skills,
maintaining his relationships with his best friends and girlfriend, and trying
to get a grip on his own tempestuous and rebellious personality soon makes the
whole thing seem like the beleaguered Eisuke has bitten off far more than he
could possibly chew. Nevertheless, his “hungry”
drive for success and self-worth continuously urges him to keep pushing for his
dream.
I found the series
quite entertaining, but not so different from the other series of similar
themes I’d seen before. Themes like
overcoming hardships, cultivating the bonds of friendship, showing appreciation
for family support, and falling in love at the same time – these have been seen
many times in many other series before.
But what set this series a bit apart, I think, is the villain. Inagaki Goro portrayed the part of Aso Tokio
very capably indeed. There were several
times in the series when you’d feel at odds whether to feel a profound kind of
pity for him, or a sudden deep loathing.
This actor really gets creepy down pat (see him as the villain in Nagareboshi). The series also had its comedic moments, such
as servings of rice made to look like a brassiere, an escaped lobster, an
obsessive rival chef, and others. And of
course there were the beautiful shots of delicious French dishes enough to make
the mouth water. What kind of cooking
drama series wouldn’t have those, huh?
All in all, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad or boring series, but it lacks for
originality in my humble opinion. Still,
if you’re interested, why not give it a try.
Oh yeah, the cast is eye-candy – in my book, a good bonus to throw in
anytime.
