Our Dining Table – Recap and Review – Complete

A 2023 Japanese BL drama about a lonely salaryman, a pair of brothers, and some very big onigiri.

You can watch the trailer here.

Country: Japan 
Local Title: 僕らの食卓
Year Released: 2023
Number of Episodes: 10
Genre: Modern found family BL

Main Actors:
Inukai Atsuhiro as Hozumi Yutaka
Iijima Hiroki as Ueda Minoru
Maeyama Kuuga as Ueda Tane

Pre-Recap Thoughts:

Right now I’m in the mood for something gentle and easy and this show is just that. Not that it’s fluff, it’s more of a healing-found-family show with some BL to go along with it. There are no bad guys here, no stressful conflicts or things to really worry about, but there are very relatable characters who you care about and want to see grow and reach for happiness.

One of our leads I’ve seen everywhere, Inukai Atsuhiro, usually playing more extroverted characters. He’s a lot of fun in the BL satire “A Man Who Defies the World of BL”. Here he’s a lot more quiet and restrained and it’s nice to see. I’m less familiar with Iijima Hiroki, but he manages to be rougher without being unlikeable. He has good chemistry with the young actor playing his brother, so they really feel like siblings.

I’m really allergic to “cute little kids” on shows, but for the most part, Tane is a realistic cute I can get behind. He’s not annoyingly precocious. He’s not a particularly interesting conversationalist. He’s just a kid who wants things.

The production itself isn’t anything impressive, but it’s also nice and mellow compared to the more over-the-topness of many Japanese shows. While I love silly, over-the-top Japanese dramas, this is not one of those. The production matches the more simple, straightforwardness of the story.

It’s a good show to watch after that stressful kdrama yanks your heart through the wringer. I’m looking forward to going on a journey with “Yukata” and the Ueda brothers again.

This drama is based on a manga I’ve read that is available in English! 

Recaps and Thoughts:

Final-Watch Thoughts (Mostly Spoiler Free):

Since I’m all about the food metaphors lately, I would call this a “Comfort Food” watch. It’s not going to stress you out or upset you, and it probably won’t excite or thrill you either. There’s nothing unexpectedly spicy or crunchy here. It’s just going to feel you with a soft, warm feeling.

Something I forgot before rewatching — it’s a show that is really about comfort foods. While I love watching characters prepare elaborate meals that I can dream about making, this show is all about food that most people could easily make. Starting with onigiri and moving onto other dishes like udon and hotpot, the show’s message is that who you share your meals with is more important than the Michelin Star rating of the food.

My main complaint is a pretty mild one, it could easily be an 8 episode series. To get the original manga story to fit the episode count there is some needless flashbacks and some additional plot stuff that I didn’t love. Neither of these things spoil the show.

I recommend this show for a dreary day, or when you’re feeling uninspired in your cooking, or when you want to feel like people are inherently good, or some similar kind of situation.