Costumbrismo is a genre deeply rooted in Japanese culture. Go discovering the psychology of the characters through their daily life It is something that they know how to do better than anyone and a good example of this is ‘Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories’. If you liked ‘Makanai, the Maiko Cook’, you can’t miss this anthology series available on Netflix.
the midnight canteen
When the day is over, there are people who still don’t want to go home. The owner knows it well. this small restaurant, open from 00:00 to 7:00 and prepare any dish, as long as you have the ingredients. A cozy place that bears witness to the stories of each of its clients.
‘Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories’ (‘Shinya Shokudou’) is the adaptation of the seinen manga ‘The Midnight Cantina’ by Yaro Abe, which in Japan accumulates 26 volumes and continues to be published. The story was previously adapted, with three seasons airing between 2009 and 2014.
When Netflix bought the rights, it produced two seasons in 2016 and 2019, which would be equivalent to season 4 and 5 respectively. However, as it is an anthological series, in which each chapter is a different story, it is not necessary to have seen the previous ones to be able to enjoy them.
throughout their 20 episodes, 25 minutes each, we attend the different stories carried out by the clientele of the restaurant. Each one is self-conclusive and, with the exception of a few punctual brushstrokes, practically have no continuity and can be viewed independently.
Without a doubt, this is a series that should not be rushed. Despite not having a slow pace, his argument by itself does not propose a roller coaster of sensations but rather invites the viewer to take a seat in the restaurant itself and peek into the lives of the other diners while tasting one of their dishes.
Indeed, food plays a key role and they take pains to present you with the main dish, which symbolically refers to the protagonist of that episode. It is those moments in which they prepare to eat that really They talk about how each character is and their concerns.
The stories usually have a relaxed whole and sprinkled with humoralthough we find a bit of everything: plots that lean more towards comedy, dramas that are revealed in time and even some surprising turn towards the supernatural.
Of course, the series is deeply rooted in the culture of Japan, so It can be shocking if you are not familiar with Japanese society. Not only in a matter of traditions, but because it reflects as something daily their way of being and living, on many occasions radically different from our reality in the West.
A detail that in the end is not so important because it is difficult not to get wrapped up in the warm and calm atmosphere that builds from the first episode.
‘Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories’ is a cozy traditional series, perfect to watch in those moments when you want to relax with short stories that make you smile. A dish that never fails both to devour one after another and to taste in small doses.
In Espinof | Series and movies that are happy places and you can watch them on streaming