Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna (作りたい女と食べたい女), the NHK live-action drama, may well be the very best adaptation from a manga I have ever seen in any media.
Nomoto is an office worker who cooks as an outlet for stress. Many things stress her out, including the men in her office assuming that her cooking skill is meant to make some man happy. One day, she encounters a neighbor entering the apartment complex at the same time as her, carrying quite a lot of KFC. Upon asking if it was a party, the woman says, “It’s for me.”
Next time she’s super stressed, Nomoto introduces herself to the neighbor, offers some of the too-much food she’s made and a friendship is born. Kasuga is a woman of little affect, and is clearly not in the habit of making friends. She and Nomoto become closer as they spend time together, cooking and eating. Slowly, Nomoto starts to realize that her feelings for Kasuga are more than friendship..
Of course, going into a story like this, with a fandom who undoubtedly has feelings TM for the story and the characters, is challenging. This is a story that openly addresses Nomoto’s feelings for Kasuga. The word “lesbian” spoken out loud. As I sat down to watch on NHK Plus, (a system for which I am appreciative but have a deep loathing for it’s cumbersome process), I had all my digits crossed that they would come close to the feel of the original.
They nailed it.
Higa Manami is absolutely brilliant as Nomoto. She wears her every emotion openly, so we can burn with repressed rage, or tear up in amazed relief, or joy. Equally, Nishino Emi does a fantastic job of the sincere, eager, yet reserved, Kasuga. I was thrilled with the supporting cast, Nomoto’s co-workers felt utterly real, and my sympathies to Nakano Shuhei, whose role exists largely to be cheerfully clueless, annoying and occasionally despised. Poor guy. He did a great job.
So yes, the cast is terrific, and – at least, in my opinion- they handle the material well. We get all the key moments of the first manga volume and a half or so. There are way too many excellent moments to claim one as a favorite, but perhaps my vote goes to the conversation Kasuga and Nomoto have about their periods when Nomoto is struck down by hers, and Kasuga comes over with pads and a cooling patch, energy drink, etc, and makes Nomoto food. This scene – in which two non-related adult women care about and take care of one another in a way that I have seen in the real world a million times, but rarely in media – brought tears to my eyes. But really, this is one of a dozen wonderful moments. Nomoto squealing her way around the farmer’s market had both my wife and I grinning because…yes, been there, done that. ^_^ Like the triumphant moment when Kasuga and Nomoto return to the karaage restaurant where Kasuga had previously been given a small rice portion because she is a woman, when the proprietress was now asking whether people wanted a small, regular or large rice order – moments like this trumped even the moment when Nomoto recognizes that her feelings for Kasuga are more than friendship.
All that said, my absolute most favorite thing about the series is…their apartments. Whoever did the set design for Nomoto and Kasuga deserves an award. They live in studio apartments. Nomoto’s bed is under the window, her furniture and kitchen are all wood. It gives the room a warm, homey feel. I love the dresser they found for Nomoto. It’s behind Nomoto in this image below. Look at how wonderful it is.
Kasuga’s room is mostly white and unadorned, with a soft, blue comfy sofa chair and large TV. It really nails the “feeling” of these women’s lives… .
OH!…and the way they film Kasuga eating. Can I just tell you a story quickly? When I was a kid there was a Bill Cosby Show long before the Bill Cosby Show you all remember, back in 1969. And in one episode he was hired to film a commercial about a breakfast cereal. They do a gazillion takes and he gets sick to his stomach from eating so much cereal. The child actor with him tells him to never really eat the food. That scene has lived rent-free in my head for 50+ years. So…watching Kasuga eat is a big part of this story. How are they going to handle that? Well…they film a take from 7 different angles, then keep using it, so it looks like she’s eating, but Nishino-san doesn’t have to get sick. I thought it quite clever. ^_^
I sincerely hope NHK will bring this over to NHK World so more folks can enjoy this series (not that NHK World is any less annoying and cumbersome than NHK Plus, mind you, but if you have cable you can just get it added. Still grrrr, let people watch your shows!) In the meantime, if you can manage the byzantine labyrinths of NHK Plus, sign up and definitely give this a watch!
Ratings:
Cinematography, staging – 10
Story – 10
Characters – 10
LGBTQ – 6 Solid opening
Food – 7 Easy to cook stuff that looks yummy. We were dying for karaage….
Overall – 10 I can’t think of anything they could have done better.
In the meantime, Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3 and Volume 4 of Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna (作りたい女と食べたい女) are out from Kadokawa in Japan, and Volume 1, Volume 2 and Volume 3 of She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat are out in English from Yen Press to keep us happy and emotionally fed until Season 2!
Get yourself someone who looks at you the way Nomoto watches Kasuga eat.
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