#Makanai

[stuff-diary]

The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2023

The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (2023, Japan)

Directors: Hirokazu Kore-eda, Hiroshi Okuyama, Takuma Sato & Megumi Tsuno

Writers: Hirokazu Kore-eda, Takuma Sato, Megumi Tsuno & Mami Sunada

Mini-review:

I love Hirokazu Kore-eda's style, and you can feel his hand throughout the nine episodes, even if he worked with more people. This show is such a lovely, soothing and relaxing experience. Nothing much happens (it's a classic slice of life story), but if you enjoy its vibes, it never gets boring. Sure, maybe it could have used a doses or two of drama, but at the same time I feel like that would have shattered the peaceful atmosphere it carefully builds from the first episode. I do wish the show would have delved into the many controversies and problems that surround the maiko/geiko industry, specially considering Kore-eda has strongly supported the #MeToo movement within the Japanese film world, but, once again, I get that something like that would have gone against the whole point of the show.

Anyway, I feel like I'm rambling here. The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House is quite lovely and as well acted and sensitively written/directed as one could expect from Hirokazu Kore-eda. Also, make sure to watch it on a full stomach, cause there's a lot of delicious-looking food here that will certainly make you go hungry.

[redsamuraiii]

The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (Ep2)

Sometimes when you fail at achieving your dreams, life is telling you that you are meant to achieve greatness elsewhere.

[iblamethenubbins]

My mum: been watching this Japanese show on Netflix about some Geisha students where nothing much happens, they just cook and talk about food all the time, it's very slow not sure if you'd like it

Me: sign me the fuck up

[forestal-ramblings]

I was in a bored slump , kinda a period where nothing interested me , but now I've discovered makanai and I'm loving it.

Everything is so pretty, the young maikos, kiyo and sumire's friendship.

The passing of the seasons and the absolutely delicious looking food.

The perfect show to watch and relax.

[missmyloko]

Review: The Makanai: Cooking For The Maiko House - Episode 1

I’ve been getting a TON of asks for me to review Maiko San Chi No Makanai San’s new live action adaptation, so now that I’ve had some time to finally sit down and watch it I can do just that! Episode 1: Change The show starts out in Aomori where Kiyo and Sumire are departing for Kyoto and are seen off by Kiyo’s grandmother and Kenta, their friend from school. This happens in the manga and the anime as well, but the show adds a line about Sumire’s parents not showing up because her father didn’t approve of her becoming a maiko. I honestly never questioned why Sumire’s parents were never at the station before, but that line actually makes the whole thing make sense now! Next we’re whisked off to Kyoto where, upon arriving in Gion Kobu, Kiyo and Sumire almost immediately run into maiko, who are played by none other than Mameaya of Ninben and Mami of Minoyae! On their way to their destination they spot even more maiko, who are Nanoha, Mameju, and Yuzuha of Tama! I really enjoyed the cameos and I bet the real maiko enjoyed playing themselves too. From there they meet the two okasan of the Saku yakata (the show uses the term yakata instead of okiya, so I’m also going to use the term yakata from now on), Azusa and Chiyo. This is a slight deviation from the manga and anime where there was only one okasan and they all just called her “okasan” instead of giving her an actual name. The girls then go to settle into their new digs when they’re confronted by one of the other girls who lives there, Ryoko, who quite rudely tells them that they’re not cut out for this and that they’ll quit soon enough (what a bitch :O!). It then skips ahead three months to the day where the yakata is changing out the sliding doors for summer, and the local otokoshi have come to help out. It’s here that we first get to meet the makanai of the Saku yakata, Sachiko. She’s a middle aged woman who’s brought ingredients to make everyone in the house some fresh somen noodles to cool everyone off on a hot day. It’s here that we’re first introduced to what a makanai is and Sachiko’s physical problems that ail her. After the lunch is over Kiyo tries to help massage Sachiko’s back, but things go awry when Sachiko ends up putting her back out when she tries to get up off the floor of the yakata. This spells the end of Sachiko’s time as the makanai for the Saku yakata. We then cut to lessons at the Nyokoba, where Kiyo isn’t exactly a master of flower arranging (her arrangement seems to just flop over), then to drum lessons where Kiyo can’t hold a beat to save her life, and then onto dance lessons where Kiyo just can’t keep up, to the point where she’s told to go sit off to the side by the dance teacher as she’s interrupting the lesson. Poor Kiyo is even reprimanded after the lesson and is made to question whether she should keep pursuing the career of a maiko or not. However, all Kiyo can think about during the exchange with the dance teacher is the teacher’s udon noodles (I’m guessing that they did this to show a pattern between Kiyo and food, but it did feel slightly odd). Sumire and Kiyo then walk home together and Sumire is clearly worried for her friend, but Kiyo just shrugs it off like the meeting with the dance teacher meant nothing at all.  Back at the yakata the maiko of the house are getting dressed and some explanation is given as to what they wear for certain months of the year. Kiyo’s clumsiness leads to Sumire taking over to help the otokoshi get the maiko dressed and following after the otokoshi to go help them dress a geiko called Momoko. In the manga and the anime Momoko is (spoiler) the onesan of Sumire once she debuts as a maiko, but we never actually meet her. Here she shows up in episode one, so we know that she’s meant to play an integral part in the show somehow going forward. Sumire follows Momoko around for the night like shikomi often do and is at one point rewarded by asking if she’d like to watch an ozashiki that Momoko will be performing at. It’s here that we can see Sumire’s passion for the profession as she watches Momoko dance and you just know that Sumire wants to dance like Momoko someday.    The next day, Kiyo goes to visit Sachiko in her apartment and cooks tomato curry for her, while Sachiko explains the secret to being a makanai: that you have to be able to cook something that will satisfy everyone’s taste buds since the residents of the yakata come from all over Japan and have grown up with different seasonings. Kiyo takes this to heart and returns to the yakata, where at night a mysterious phone call is answered by Chiyo and the episode ends.   So far I’ve really liked the show and while it’s taken some deviations from the manga and anime, it’s likely to explain them in the future, so I look forward to checking out the rest of the series ^^!    

[hhorror-vacuii]

[jdramablr]

[kinlog-kindle-log]

(舞妓さんちのまかないさん - kinlog -kindleマンガのすすめ-から)

[kaiyonohime]

Me: I finished watching this series and have a great idea for a fic! I wonder what else has been written in the fandom.

Me checks ao3

Ao3: there is a single fanfiction written in this fandom

Me: oh no. Oh no! I need to correct this immediately. And write enough to get this fandom a tag!

So yeah, I like the sweet Makanai show from Netflix. It's cute. And sets itself up for some fanfiction quite well.

So I need to write it.

[kimonotsuki]

Review - The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san)

I have already made a post about Maiko-san chi no Makanai-san, back when it was released as an anime. I loved the manga and I loved the anime, so I had very high hopes for this live-action adaptation. I am glad to say I was not disappointed. I binged through this show in two days and I'm already debating watching it again. There's something so incredibly wholesome and comforting about it; the food, the love and support the characters share, and the quiet and understated tone of the whole thing. There is so much tension in the world right now; we need more cozy shows like this!

This is ostensibly a story of two girls, Kiyo and Sumire, who move from Aomori to Kyoto to become maiko. Sumire blossoms during training but Kiyo stumbles out of training and into the job of makanai, who is essentially the cook for the house where they live, along with their adoptive geiko mothers and maiko sisters. This is where it's Kiyo's turn to shine, as she pours all her enthusiasm and support of Sumire and her sisters into her food. The manga and anime pretty much stopped there, presented in short vignettes followed by recipes or food trivia. Where this show differs is that there's less focus on the food and more focus on the interpersonal relationships and development of all the background characters, something we hadn't seen until now. It never veers into the mawkish or melodramatic tone you might expect of a house full of girls competing in an incredibly tough field. Instead the girls encourage and support each other, and what little tension there is eventually becomes a great source of charming comedy or personal introspection. (Yoshino, I am looking at you)

Another lovely thing about this show is how accurate it is. It was filmed partially on-location in the geisha districts of Kyoto, and you can tell they worked very hard to keep things close to the tradition-focused and rarified air that the whole city exudes. There are cameos from real working geiko, there are many mentions of the traditional seasonality of geisha life, the kimono are stunning, and while there will invariably be the occasional slip-up when it comes to minute details or accessories, it's very clear that all of the traditional elements of the show were done with a huge amount of respect and research, and love.

At its core, this is a show about the many forms of love. The passion an artist has for their craft, the connection of family (both genetic and found), and the unbreakable bond between two best friends. Whether you're a fan of food, geisha, or just want something incredibly warm and soothing to watch, I can't recommend this show enough. You can catch it on Netflix in the original Japanese with subtitles as well as dubbed into a multitude of languages. If you have Netflix and have any interest in geisha, food, Japanese culture, or just love warm uplifting television, I urge you to check it out! Read the full article

[bubblesandbubbles1]

Makanai Cooking for the Maiko House New Live Action Series

Makanai Cooking for the Maiko House New Live Action Series

Want to see anime food? you are in the right place. After the anime, Netflix is airing Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san (live action) series on January 12, 2023: “Set in the geisha district of Kyoto, this series follows Sumire, a maiko (apprentice geisha) and Kiyo, a cook at the maiko house where they live, and tells a story of their daily lives through delicious food.” “In January 2022, it was…

[thedramagarden]

The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House • Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san { 舞妓さんちのまかないさん } | Japanese Drama

• Adapted from the manga series "Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san" (舞妓さんちのまかないさん) by Koyama Aiko (小山愛子) Source: Netflix, 2023

[michaelise]

The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (Netflix series, 2023)

[idiosyncreant]

I watched this show over the last few days and it was such a tonic. I went into it knowing folks had said it was charming and cozy, and it lived up to that completely.

It’s a very contained piece, with humor sparked from peoples’ personalities and interest held more in seeing how the characters move forward. It was the perfect thing to watch while feeling fragile.

Though heartfelt it was low-stakes in the sense that while there are ups and downs for the characters, nothing awful or jarring happens. I was worried a few times about, say, plums that had been left out to cure--but everything turned out OK. It felt like a particularly beautifully shot and staged documentary, with interludes of food prep that felt like the GBBO insert shots.

I wish I knew how to find another show that felt exactly like it, but I have a feeling it’s getting a lot of buzz because of the fact that it’s an interesting meeting of slice-of-life fiction and cultural experience.

It did make me want to go back and watch the documentary I watched about a prospective maiko.... (I think I found it, the BBC Geisha Girl doc from 2006)

Makanai touched on issues of choosing art over the traditional paths of marriage without overgeneralizing the experience of women in the field, and portrayed the element of entertaining without making objectification the focus. The heart of the story is the heart of the house, where the maiko and geiko eat together, and it is a warm heart. A bit idealized but not sanitized.

Apparently there’s an anime, too, so that information is going into my pocket for a different rainy day...

[forestal-ramblings]

Makanai it's so good, but i can't help but think I'm lacking some content for parts of the plot , probably I'll check the manga once I'm done with the show.

[tsarinakat3rina]

This looks cute!