it is time when my day starts.
This is our menu.
If a customer orders something else,
I'll make it as long I can.
That's my management philosophy.
My diner opens at midnight,
and stays open until about 7am.
People call it "Late Night Diner".
You wonder if I get customers?
In truth, I get a few...
Shinya Shokudo (Late Night Diner)
A rare gem I found while haunting www.dramacrazy.net. As you probably know, I'm a sucker for dramas that has capture the struggle of normal people that are lost, confused and lonely in their everyday life. This is one of those dramas. I was capture by this particular description for this drama which lead me to watch the 1st episode.
Description: Set in a small diner in the corner of a shopping district. The unusual eatery is only open after midnight, and its standard menu consists of just a single choice. However, the customers still come for the amusing chatter and the proprietor's willingness to cook any dish that they request. This drama depicts the lives of the diner's patrons, including a yakuza, an unsuccessful actor, a group of office ladies, a newspaper delivery boy, and a stripper.
After watching episode 1, there was nothing that could stop me from watching the other 9 episodes. Watching this drama makes me wish there was such Late Night Diner here too. A small and simple diner situated at one hidden corner of the busy city, A quiet place where you can escape from the chaos, A place where you can spend you lonely time at, A place where you can eat your favorite simple meal.
The main character, a rather old man that we only know is called "Master" is the owner of a small diner located in the back alleys of the busy city of Shinjuku. This diner opens from 12am to 7am, and only has one thing in their menu, . However the Master policy is that anything else that the patrons want to eat that the master can dish up, he will cook it. Most of the patrons of this diner come to eat their favorite dish and to have a friendly chat with the owner and as well as the other patrons there.
Every episode typically tells the story as the Master recalls it of the patron of this diner. Among the patrons are a yakuza, a rather old gay, 3 office single aunty, a karaoke box enka singer, a porn star (Got a holy shit scene where he do japanese p0rn thing with a bunch of naked actresses), a newspaper boy, and etc. Each tale is linked to a simple dish that these patron order at the diner which hold special significant to them. In the heart of each story lies the hidden wisdom of live life as simply as the simple dish that we enjoy to eat. The Master main involvement in each of these story are often minimal, often just to cook the dish for the patron and offer friendly chats with them. He does however on rare occasion offer simple advice, not the fancy long winded explanation or soul touching advice, but often is his advice is straight forward simple.
Who really is this Master is a question that was never answer through this series, as unlike most series that often have at least 1 arc that resolves on the main characters, there was none that resolve on Master. Only a small teaser was released in the final episode near the end on the Master's scar on his eye but the mystery on who is this Master and why open this diner remains unresolved (Maybe season 2?).
The scenes are well taken, especially the amazing strolling scenes of the streets of Shinjuku at night. The music is well matched with the show's overall theme, rather slow & traditional styled especially the OP. Also alot of dishes are showcased (For instance Neko Manma, Butter Rice, Potato Salad, Ramen, Katsu Don) and at the end of each episode there is a short segment where the Master teaches or give tips on making these dishes.
The major complain I have for this series is the length of each episode which only span around 30 minutes. This results in the inability to connect with some of the characters as some of the patrons only featured for 1 episode.
Overall a great non action drama series to watch. Love the overall concept, theme, characters and storyline for this drama. I heard that this drama is actually an adaption from a manga, I definitely will hunt down this manga.
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