[Drama Review] Kodoku no Gourmet

I had some high hopes for this series only to have it crushed terribly.

They had a promising actor for the main lead and it's about food. How can they go wrong? What I really didn't like was the pacing of the drama. I found it very slow and the contents almost repetitive. Your main character, Inogashira Goro, barely talks and most of the story is told through his thoughts actually. He runs a very small business selling dinnerware it appears and it is very mundane. The only way he spices up his own lonely life is by indulging himself in his lunches. He has a bad habit of being indecisive, unable to pick a place to eat and choosing what to order. In the end, he will always give in to his desire for delicious food.

Sometimes I enjoy the short narratives that give a peak into Goro's personal life. They can be a little bittersweet or even a bit funny. Again the problem is the pacing. It makes the narration really awkward to listen to and as a viewer, you no longer care what goes on in the story. Another problem is the repetition in the story. You know for sure Goro is going to enjoy his meal no matter what and it feels bland just watching a guy eat. Kodoku no Gourmet takes you to real eateries which is a cool feature giving a sense of realism. My criticism is that all the eateries that are featured are very similar. They're small, local, and feature nearly the same kind of food, a trait that can be found in Japanese local cuisine. While Japanese cuisine is admired for its simplicity and its emphasis on original flavor, there's not much more to add to it and it's hard to translate that into ten episodes.

I must add that Kodoku no Gourmet was originally a manga.  It appears that there is a Chinese version based off of this one, but taken place in a Chinese setting instead of Japan. I have no interests in trying it out however. Until Shokugeki no Soma continues, I'll be going back to my police dramas.