Samurai Gourmet

Samurai Gourmet is the story of a 60-year-old Japanese man, newly retired, and still figuring out what to do with all the time he now has on his hands. He explores a variety of different simple, local restaurants, and at each meal he encounters some kind of moral dilemma. For example, should he intervene when a chef is being rude to two young foreign customers? He is a cautious man and tends to keep himself to himself, but daydreams of a vigorous, wandering samurai from the middle ages – what would a samurai do in these circumstances? Each short episode tends to follow this format, so becomes a little predictable, yet it has sufficient charm to still be enjoyable. The main character Takeshi Kasumi, played by Naota Takenaka, loves his food and has a great range of facial expressions whilst eating – the pure enjoyment of a good meal really comes through. There are plenty of lingering shots of the dishes being prepared and cooked, and there are some touching scenes with the Takeshi's tolerant and caring wife. This series is the very opposite of a Hollywood drama: the characters are just ordinary people, very little happens in dramatic terms, yet somehow each episode, with its little story of a small incident in a man's life, manages to be engaging and uplifting.

The stories surrounding each episode aren't particularly interesting but I couldn't help but smile during every episode as this 60 year old man sat down and ate a meal.

I have really fallen in love with the series. It's not food porn at all, which what it first assumed it to be. It's the story of Takeshi Kasumi, recently retired salaryman. After 40 years of never doing anything besides work, he suddenly finds himself thrust into a world without expectations. He's lost at first. But he ventures out, meeting up with an imaginary, unnamed Ronin who gives him lessons in being free. Along the way, he eats a lot.

It's tempting to say it's all about the food, but that's not really the point at all. It's a warm look into someone discovering the simple pleasures of life - food, people, and memories. Kasumi is child-like in every way, but that just adds to his charm. And his expressions are just so over the top comical that you cannot help but be enchanted by him.

It's a slow series, with very little action. But it's so much fun to watch. It's probably not for anyone who needs a lot of action, conflict, changes of scenery, or characters, but it will appeal to those of us who have experienced that slowing the pace of life and appreciating every moment brings happiness.

Well there is no plot so nothing to be spoiled. This series is the visual equivalent of a tone poem. It goes nowhere but it is relaxing and pleasurable. For me very much so. Retirement is an adaptation process. After a lifetime of the self-discipline and regimentation of the salary man, what does one do? Travel? Volunteer? Start a new career or hobby? None of the above in this case. The food and the imaginary samurai are mcguffins. The series explores the exalted state of personal freedom to structure one's day however one wishes.

The show is pretty simple, and its worth is exactly the highlights it gives to ordinary stuff of life. The attention to the details, the beautiful looks on the food, and the smoothness of the story sustain this great show. Don't expect the episodes to be full of drama and extraordinary stuff. This is just a charming, sometimes comic and, above all, very light and buoyant series.