Skip to main content
NEWS EVENT SPECIAL SERIES

Revolutionizing Drama: She Loves To Cook, And She Loves To Eat Ushers in a New Dramas Era

2024.3.1

#MOVIE

©NHK
©NHK

The television drama She Loves To Cook, And She Loves To Eat has been airing every Monday to Thursday at 10:45 PM on NHK. Season 1 aired from November to December 2022, and Season 2 has been broadcasting since January 2024. Based on the manga She Loves To Cook, And She Loves To Eat by Sakao Yuzaki (KADOKAWA) is a manga ranked 2nd in the Women’s Division of “Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2022” and has surpassed 800,000 copies in cumulative sales, establishing itself as a popular work. The drama adaptation generated buzz from the time it was announced.

The reason for its popularity lies not only in the heartwarming daily lives of the main characters, Yuki Nomoto, the “Woman Who Wants to Cook,” and Totoko Kasuga, the “Woman Who Wants to Eat,” along with the delicious-looking meals but also in its careful depiction of the uncertainties women face in their lives. It goes beyond the relationship between Nomoto and Kasuga, addressing the complexities of various human relationships, including those with colleagues and relatives. The series has been a source of courage and encouragement for many readers as it portrays the characters facing each challenge with a thoughtful attitude.

In the process of adapting this popular manga into a drama, one significant hurdle was the casting of Yuki Nomoto and Totoko Kasuga. Following the preferences of the production team, Aimi Higa was chosen to play Nomoto, while the role of Kasuga went to the musician Eimi Nishino, who had no prior acting experience (reportedly discovered by producer Anki Otsuka and scriptwriter Yuri Yamada during one of her live performances). Season 1 concluded with Nomoto realizing her feelings for Kasuga and coming out as a lesbian. As eagerly anticipated by fans of the original work, Season 2 is currently being broadcast, with the much-awaited final episode scheduled on February 29th.

This article aims to explore how She Loves To Cook, And She Loves To Eat has become a groundbreaking drama by reflecting on Seasons 1 and 2, delving into the themes, motifs, narrative approach, and the composition of the cast and crew.

This article contains descriptions of the drama.

The Uniqueness of She Loves To Cook, And She Loves To Eat

The drama basically depicts the friendly relationship between Ms. Nomoto and Mr. Kasuga. Although they originally lived next to each other across one room on the same floor of the same apartment building, they happened to have a fateful encounter in the elevator. When Ms. Nomoto heard about the large amount of fast food that Mr. Kasuga was carrying, and that he would eat it alone, she then shared the large amount of rouleau rice she had made with him, and thus began the “woman who cooks and woman who eats” relationship. After that, they cooked and ate decadent food, had gyoza parties, went for drives, and spent Christmas and New Year’s holidays together. The viewer watches the heartwarming daily life with a sense of contentment.

However, the viewer is also confronted with rude comments from men, menstrual cramps, and other female anguish, as well as difficulties in family relationships. Although there are no clear answers to each of these problems, they face them with the help of those around them, such as Ms. Nomoto’s colleague at work, Chiharu Sayama (Nozomu Morita), and live positively. Despite being the same 15-minute per episode drama, there are no major incidents or sudden developments as in NHK’s “morning dramas. It takes all 10 episodes of Season 1 to develop in a relaxed manner, with Ms. Nomoto finally realizing her own love for Mr. Kasuga. But that is just right for watching at the time just before most people go to sleep. Although there are scenes that make you feel excited or moved, it is a safe 15 minutes that does not give you strong stimulation. This is what makes this drama unique in its epoch-making nature.

A Fresh Approach in Naturally Portraying People with Diverse Backgrounds

In Season 1, Nomoto, Kasuga, and their work colleagues were basically the only characters in the drama, but in Season 2, the number of characters has increased significantly.

First, there is Sena Nagumo (Karin Fujiyoshi), who moved into a room between Nomoto and Kasuga’s rooms, and Kaname Yako (Rie Tomosaka), who meets Nomoto through social media. Then, Nomoto is involved in a new project at her company, and her boss Yuko Tanaka (Shoko Ikezu) and web design manager Ko Eiei (Wenning Duan) also join the project. Furthermore, Takako Fujita (Momoi Shimada), a clerk at a supermarket with which Kasuga does business, also appears in an important role in the 18th episode.

Although Hiroaki Migami (Ryota Miura) and Hiroki Sawada (Shota Oishi) appear as members of the project in which Nomoto is involved, the basic characters are women. As season 2 progresses, Nagumo is diagnosed with a “fear of eating” that makes it difficult for her to eat in public, and Yako tells Nomoto and the others that she is asexual and a lesbian who has little or no sexual desire for other people, but the focus is not on those symptoms or their sexuality. The film does not focus on their symptoms or sexuality, but rather shows the daily lives of these women. The film does not focus specifically on the symptoms or sexuality of the lesbians, but rather shows the daily lives of the women.

Also, working with foreign nationals is now a common practice for many people working in Japan, but it was refreshing for a Japanese drama to have a Chinese national, Gao Xing, as Nomoto’s colleague, played by a Chinese actor (Wenning Duan, who has appeared in “Chinese on TV” and other TV programs). The characters are all women, and people from various backgrounds appear naturally in the drama. You may not notice it unless I bother to point it out, but She Loves To Cook, And She Loves To Eat takes an approach that I have not seen in many other Japanese dramas.

RECOMMEND

NiEW’S PLAYLIST

NiEW recommends alternative music🆕

NiEW Best Music is a playlist featuring artists leading the music scene and offering alternative styles in our rapidly evolving society. Hailing from Tokyo, the NiEW editorial team proudly curates outstanding music that transcends size, genre, and nationality.

EVENTS