Day 30: Favorite Drama

I don’t have a favorite! Seriously, I don’t have one. This is the most difficult subject for me to rank because out of the handful (LOL) that I’ve watched, I have more than twenty as my top ranking. It’s a bit of a cop out, but if you pressed me I could probably pick one. The problem is that I wouldn’t want it to be indicative of my taste in dramas (I promise I’m not into destroying my heart/mind/soul with these heartrending shows), and that’s where I run the slippery slope of naming different dramas that I love for so many different reasons.

For example, I love “Hero” because it was the drama that set the bar (haha) for what a GOOD drama could be like, and it was a total game changer. I love “Mother” because it was the first emotional and character based drama I ever took a chance on, “Keizoku 2: SPEC” for the high concept and theories that had everyone talking, “JIN” for marking a change in the types of dramas I watched (hint, I got pickier), and “49 Days” for being the first edge-of-your-seat and hardcore melo I’ve ever witness. Or I’m just indecisive.

I’ve already talked about quite a few favorites of mine in this blog challenge, but I will talk another one that I love for being another “first”.

“Shinya Shokudo” (TBS / 2009)’s premise is simple, featuring a scarred chef (only known as “Master”), who makes any dish as requested. With each of these dishes is a story, and that’s where the appeal rests. I can’t explain why I enjoy this series so much, but it’s quiet and really comforting; going back and watching some of these episodes is like comfort food. It’s kind of slice of life-y, but that doesn’t stop it from being emotionally resonant.

It’s also back for a third season! Honestly, this post is just a ploy for anyone reading to watch Shinya Shokudo if they have not already. The amount of seasons don’t always equate to quality, but I think any accolades that it has received are well deserved.

(More) Reasons to Watch: Food, food, food! It makes you want to sit down with a beer and eat gyoza or something. Matsushige Yutaka also makes appearances in this series from time to time, which is funny because he now heads a drama about… food (“Kodoku no Gurume”). Shinya Shokudo was also one of my first midnight dramas, and these dramas typically handle material differently than primetime dramas.