I don’t usually do this. I do not take time off to write about my current favourite series. Now that I think about it, I’d love to write about how Breaking Bad, The Americans and The Wire made me feel. Before that, I must express my admiration for this new series on Netflix called Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories.
What is it? It is a series of ten short stories, each close to 30 minutes long, each named after a particular dish. Each story involves people who visit a certain diner in Tokyo that is open from midnight to seven in the morning.
What is so special about it? Well, for one, it is a window into the lives of the Japanese. It features people like you and me, with similar problems and familiar dispositions.
Midnight Diner is a safe place. People feel comfortable talking about their personal lives here. The proprietor of the diner, fondly called ‘Master’ has a unique policy. Apart from the usual fare of Pork Miso Soup Combo, beer, sake and shochu, he will make anything that a patron requests, provided he has the ingredients for it. He understands the effect comfort food has on people. No wonder everyone who comes to the diner hungry returns deeply content, touched not just by his delectable food but also by his warm and comforting words. No judgements are passed here, everybody is polite, yet eccentrically Japanese. Their exclamations and loud expressions are still tickling me, a couple of days after finishing the entire series.
Each story also has something that brings you closer to the characters. One episode has someone learning how to make something in order to give it to someone they care about. It sounds shallow when I say it like that but the treatment is where the beauty lies.
If you’re hungry while you’re watching it, brace yourself because you’re bound to get hungrier. Master cooking his dishes made me want to go to Japan now just to try those dishes. Never before has a simple broth of meat and vegetables looked so enticing on a non-cooking show.
Almost all of the series has been shot indoors, either inside the diner or in somebody’s apartment or workplace. This points at a cost-effective production but I’m glad the makers did not compromise on the writing, casting, art direction and direction because all of them come together to deliver what is an endearing set of stories that will make you sob, sigh and laugh.
If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend it. You can arigato me later.
