Bushi no kondate

I love Japanese films. I also love films about cooking--such as "Babette's Feast", "The Big Night" and "Mostly Martha". So, I would have thought that a Japanese movie about cooking would be something I'd love. Well, although "A Tale of Samurai Cooking: A True Love Story" is pretty good, I certainly was not in love with it. It could have been a lot better.

The story is set during the feudal period in Japan--specifically in the 18th century. During this period, not all the samurai are trained for warfare. There is a class called the 'bushi' who are trained as the greatest chefs in the land to the richest and most powerful lords and even the emperor. A young woman, Haru, is a cook for a prominent family. As the years pass, her cooking skills become somewhat legendary. One day, a famous bushi chef tastes her food and is captivated. He MUST convince Haru to marry his son, Yosunobu! It seems that the chef's oldest son recently died unexpectedly. So, Yosunobu must give up his dreams of being a warrior and join the bushi. Not surprisingly, Yosunobu is NOT excited about being a chef and he struggles with this. Additionally, he resents his father picking him a bride and makes Haru feel a bit unwelcome. Still, Haru is a devoted wife and makes it her goal in life to help this family and Yosunobu to become among the greatest chefs in the land. And, over time, perhaps she can win Yosunobu's heart as well.

This story has a lot of great elements that should have made it work well. So why wasn't I bowled over by it? Well, there are two main reasons that the film is only fair in my estimation. Unlike great cooking films, "A Tale of Samurai Cooking" actually spends very little of the film focusing on cooking itself. When I watched "Babette's Feast", for example, the food stirred my senses--the food and the footage of the cooking were very sensuous. You cannot help but feel hungry and have your emotions stirred as you watch. But in "A Tale of Samurai Cooking", my senses were rarely piqued like they were in the best cooking films. Additionally, midway through the movie, a LOT of political intrigue occurred--with lots of names I didn't really care about and scheming which never seemed to pay off. In other words, the main thrust of the love story was diluted by these other plots and the two plots didn't seem to work well together. However, I did say the film was fair--the acting was good, the film interesting. But to me it seems like a case where there are just so many Japanese films out there, perhaps you might want to keep looking for one that it more compelling.

I might be very biased towards this, but I feel that contrary to what another review says about this movie, it's subtlety and restraint is really what makes it as good as it is. It might be dull for action-thirsty viewers as it shows more of the calm daily life of the characters, while hinting at political conflicts and whatnot, but strictly as part of that daily life. The lack of serious elements in the political side of the story is why something like giving up the sword for a kitchen knife was mentioned at the beginning. You would know for sure that this wasn't going to be that type of movie. I personally adore the hype and action and engaging events that really get you absorbed, but once in a while, this type of slow and steady flow of ordinary everyday life events is just the right thing to sit through. It was wholesome and realistic to a degree. It was healing, but in the end it really depends on one's own preferences.

As someone that appreciates Japanese Culture and has a craving for feudal-era details.. I found this delightfully insightful!

I didn't know there were "Kitchen Samurai" in charge of serving meals to Daimyo and other important guests. I always thought something like that was completely relegated to woman. Cooking approaches are also something I'm interested in.

But this is a romance at its core, albeit quite weak.

It also has prominent elements of cooking and politics that drive the movie, but both are too diluted to stand out. All together make a dish that doesn't leave an impression. The script is too simplistic and safe, meaning the plot provides no uncertainty or tension.. and might as well be described as "executed in a straight line". These kind of soft stories are occasionally right. Still, Aya Ueto's supporting character is quite charming, even without having the spotlight on her. It's a shame stern and stoic male leads don't make for good partners. But romance in Japan was something else at the time.

It is very well made (production, cinematography, acting and even some songs that caught my attention), but is too generic to properly recommend to those not already interested.

I'm a blood-and-thunder action fan myself, so A TALE OF SAMURAI COOKING wasn't exactly my ideal film; however, I'm occasionally surprised by art-house cinema in general, so I decided to give this slow-burning drama a chance. Plus it has the word 'samurai' in the title, which is promising.

Unfortunately, it turns out to be a largely dull film, a movie whose subtleties are wasted on the international viewer. The story is ostensibly about a young wife teaching her husband the delicate arts of cookery, but in reality it's more about gender politics in Edo era Japan. Scenes of cooking and feasting are actually few and far between and while samurai action is hinted at, it never goes all-out.

So what's this film about then? Well, not a lot, as it happens. It certainly looks fantastic, with close attention to period detail, and the performances are as subtle and realistic as you could wish for. But everything that happens in it feels so slight, so restrained, that I ended up getting bored by the whole thing. When I watch a film, I want to be involved in high stakes drama and tension; I want to be taken out of the humdrum of everyday life to experience human existence at its most dramatic or involving. I didn't get that from A TALE OF SAMURAI COOKING; it didn't even teach me anything new about the human condition.