Recap

Yutaka still eats lunch alone, but he smiles as he remembers Minoru’s reassurances that he’s enough. Even better, he gets a text inviting him to join Minoru and Tane at the zoo. 

Yutaka is in his suit at Minoru and Tane’s, so he must be coming by after work and not just on weekends now. Tane ignores Minoru’s objections and cutes his way into Yutaka making them bento for the zoo.

At work though, Yutaka seems down and has bad family memories of bento. He asks a startled coworker for help making bento since he’s never made any. She’s happy to do so, giving him adorable hand-written instructions. He works on it and while his efforts aren’t quite there, she continues to give him advice to help him improve. 

Minoru’s father teases him for smiling at Yutaka’s texts. Yutaka smiles at receiving Minoru’s too though.

Yutaka impresses his colleague with his improved bento-making skills. He admits he’s nervous about making them for other people, and she encourages him kindly.

Yutaka still eats dinner at home, but he watches a video Minoru sent him of Tane and smiles.

The day of the trip pouring rain keeps them from going to the zoo, but Yutaka improvises a stuffed animal version in the living room. The brothers are both thrilled with the bento that Yutaka has made them. Tane falls asleep after and Minoru thanks Yutaka for everything.

Yutaka admits he’d never made a bento before and got help. It really makes him happy to see the people he likes say it was delicious. The sun comes out, Tane wakes up, and Yutaka and him get ready to go to the zoo.

Minoru still sits, caught on Yutaka’s words. 

Thoughts

Minoru and Tane’s fights are just loops of Tane wanting something and Minoru forbidding him, which are perfect for siblings their ages. Tane works for me as a little kid character, he’s adorable but not overly precocious and randomly insightful about the nature of the universe. He throws fits and wants things and can be charming too.

In some ways this episode feels very similar to the last episode: plans were made, something gets in their way, Yutaka saves the day. But you can also see Yutaka’s growth in this episode. He’s still eating alone most of the time, but Tane and Minoru have become a part of his life even when he’s not with them, via memories and texts. At the same time, it looks like he’s visiting them more and more.

The biggest change though, is that his relationship with them is causing him to grow in other ways. All the previous meals have been things he knows how to make, but in order to make bento he not only learns new cooking skills but reaches out to a coworker. His narrow little world is slowly expanding.

First onigiri, then porridge, and now bento. I love the emphasis on these everyday kinds of foods. Bento in Japan is a whole thing and very different from the boxes you can get at restaurants in the United States. Not all bento in Japan are made by family members, there are amazing bento at train stations too. But it’s not too hard to find bento boxes and recipes to make your own Mr. Octopus or just amazing pictures to look at online instead of doom-scrolling.

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