Recap

Minoru and his father rush to get Tane out the door to school on time but take a moment to wave goodbye to a picture of their mom. Minoru works at a ramen shop, having left school to help his dad raise Tane. 

Tane is really looking forward to having curry with Yutaka. Their father notices that Minoru is also excited. Tane insists on calling Yutaka to have him come earlier than planned. Yutaka, who has also been anticipating their next meal, is pleased by his eagerness. 

The day of though, Tane has a fever from all the excitement. Yutaka shows up and doesn’t mind, finding him cute. Minoru thinks Yutaka’s nice, a lot of people get frustrated when you have to change plans this way.

The two go to make Tane something for dinner and Minoru admits he and his father aren’t good cooks. Yutaka gently takes over, adding an egg and crab meat to some instant porridge. Minoru is hard on himself for not being a better cook. Yutaka pats him on the head, startling both of them. But he tells Minoru that trying his hardest and enjoying a meal together is enough.

He reflects that a much fancier meal where you can’t smile is much worse. Minoru picks up that this is part of Yutaka’s past.

Take wakes up, eats his porridge, and starts running around again. Their father comes home with love and more instant food, which they turn into an instant food party. 

Yutaka and Minoru discover they are the same age when both thought Yutaka was older. They agree to talk informally, but Yutaka struggles to say Minoru’s name. Tane insists on continuing to call him Yukata.

On his way out, Yutaka mentions feeling he’s not reliable. Minoru tells him that he’s enough. They make plans for another meal next week. Yutaka goes home happy.

Minoru pats a sleeping Tane’s head and makes a vague reference to Yutaka being the guy from back then.

Thoughts

Important staples of drama land: Porridge for sick people and vague dialogue about prior meetings.

Let’s skip the second trope until later and focus on the first. Instead of making porridge from scratch or getting it from the best place in town, they had instant porridge fancied up with random stuff from the fridge. What a great message to serve, about something that simple being enough when it’s shared with love. 

That’s what this show is for, when all you can manage is an instant-pouch meal and you want to feel like you’re enough. 

Did you see that gigantic kewpie mayo in the fridge? And speaking of Japanese products, when Tane gets sick Minoru put one of my favorites on his forehead. I cannot recommend the cooling gel sheets enough if you are the type of person who gets migraines (like me). (You can also find both of these things easily in Japanese markets.)

Anyway, where was I? In this episode we get to see more about Minoru’s struggles, having given up the typical life of a guy his age to help take care of his brother. He’s a very down-to-earth guy, very different from our quiet salaryman. But they are both set apart from others. Yutaka because he’s so self-conscious and withdrawn and Minoru because he’s abruptly become a parent after his mother’s death.

Yutaka also touches Minoru’s hair in a scandalous display of intimacy. If you’re a Pride and Prejudice/Jane Austen fan this level of physical interaction should feel just about right.

Our Dining Table is currently available in the US on GagaOOLala.