#tane kun

[allovelyhappily]

Tane-kun: "Two days left until Bokura no shokutaku's DVD release date!" (Sep. 2023)

#our dining table #bokura no shokutaku #tane kun #maeyama kuuga #japanese actor #jdrama #i love him sm

[blmpff]

Our Dining Table (2023) special episode

#our dining table #bokura no shokutaku #spin off #thank you for being born and glueing the family together tane-kun #favorite scenes #blmpff

[waitmyturtles]

I’m going to save Our Skyy 2 x The Eclipse for my watching tonight in my time zone as I’m absorbing all the chatter about the second episode (sometimes there’s a benefit to living on the far side of the international date line -- I get to take more time to process after an episode is released if I need that time before diving in).

Instead, I prioritized Our Dining Table, episode 5, and as usual, I’m so glad I did, because it continues to be the sweetest, most perfect show.

Yutaka and Minoru continue to be so sweet (I’M NOT FORGETTING ABOUT KING TANE-KUN HERE). I loved Minoru’s frustration when Ueda-san interrupted Minoru and Yutaka’s late-night conversation. But I just wanted to note one really sweet and quiet moment that moved me -- when Tane-kun spilled the juice on Yutaka after eating the ramen fried rice.

Yutaka handled the moment so kindly, wiping Tane-kun and taking Tane-kun to help change his clothes.

One thing I’m loving about the show is that very, very slowly, we continue to see Yutaka getting closer to Tane-kun and helping to take care of him. 

I love this, especially as juxtaposed with Minoru’s college classmate telling Minoru that he needs to get back to his own life. (@troubled-mind, do you know if this was in the original manga? I can’t remember this small bit, but I could just be forgetting.)

I get to be a mom in a dyad in watching this, and I think I wrote previously -- raising kids is absolutely NO. JOKE. THE EXHAUSTION. I am semi-permanently exhausted. The inability to have a full conversation, your meals getting interrupted, your sleep getting interrupted, handling emergencies, cleaning vom, making decisions every minute -- it’s wearying. Your whole body is sacrificed, from mind to skin. We do it because we love our kids, BUT IT’S WORK.

No wonder Minoru quit school -- it’s a huge weight to bear. (Single parents, STAND UP -- much respect.)

So the classmate telling Minoru to get back to his own life -- for Minoru, I get that that’s totally unrealistic.

But Yutaka is there now. In these little moments, he’s there, and he helps. Surely, Minoru is attracted to Yutaka. But Yutaka, separately, IS JUST THERE. And that “there” is so beautiful.

When Yutaka took Tane-kun to change his clothes, I sensed Minoru’s relief, even while Minoru apologized. I’ll do a deep mom extrapolation to say -- that “I’m sorry” might not just be about the spill. It might be about apologizing for the energy that Yutaka will expend in handling Tane-kun in those moments. It gives Minoru the tiniest of breaks -- and that, besides just being there, is something that I bet Minoru is so grateful for, and reflects on the kindness and generosity that Yutaka demonstrates that is so like Minoru’s mom. That compassion that’s been missing from Minoru’s life, that that classmate doesn’t represent, that Ueda-san might be missing a touch from his own personality (at least for now -- we’ll see later in the series). 

This is one of the most quietly compassionate shows I’ve ever watched, and I just can’t get enough of it. If I were Minoru, I’d be on my knee with a ring. But in their world, things don’t move as quickly, and I’m so grateful for it. 

(I said this, and I’ll say it again: this show is highlighting, more than the manga, the physical and emotional aspects of the brunt of parenting in a way that I truly appreciate, and I bet mom fujoshis in Japan are just swooning at it, like me.)

#our dining table #bokura no shokutaku #yutaka x minoru #minoru x yutaka #king tane-kun AS USUAL

[uweiy]

BOKURA NO SHOKUTAKU CERTIFIED UWEIY SEAL OF APPROVAL

it's SO GOOD. What is UP with Jdramas these days.

Anyway the characters:

Tane-kun (the kid) is so freaking CUTE it's unreal. And his energy makes for hilarious moments.

Where did they find this kid. You can't be mad at him for barging it at the right/wrong moment (or for eating Yukata's homemade rice ball) because

LOOK AT HIM.

Yutaka (the Main character, brown haired guy with glasses) being seeming aloof and closed off but he's really not? There is a process of opening up but it's more that AROUND THE RIGHT PEOPLE HE OPENS UP. He's never cold with Tane nor with Minoru (Blonde guy) for that matter, even though he's a bit shy in the beginning.

The themes of being there for one another is enough. Sharing a meal. Taking care of the sunshine goofball but loud kid, but not doing it alone I CRY. + COOKING

I like the nuance they gave to Yutaka's family as well. Allowing him to keep the hurts of his childhood while, mending some of the bridges in adulthood and seeing the reality of them now.

Minoru thinking Yutaka is in it for the kid and specifying "Tane-kun is not there" when Yukata asks if he has some time, and Yutaka just answers "Yeah it's also fine if it's just us two". ASHKGKsh

Minoru's actor was so good at acting like he's holding everything he's feeling in. istg even his microexpressions have character development. It goes from > I'm so sorry about my baby brother> wait do I like him ? > Oh man I do. > How do I NOT tell him

This is the face of someone who knows he's got it bad.

Tane-kun is both the matchmaker and the cockblocker in this

They don't even need to plan dates because the Kid has everything sorted out for them (eat, Zoo, Christmas Party. Hey big bro when is Yutaka coming over???). But then again they can't discuss things because he interrupts them to show them his dinosaur drawing or something

#iT was so GOOD #tane kun best boy #mc award #ISTG he almsot makes me think having children must not be THAT bad. #bokura no shokutaku #jdrama

[variinfreefallfalling]

I miss Tane-kun

#bokura no shokutaku #jdrama #tane-kun #maeyama kuuga #little munchkin #🥺

[guzhufuren]

Japan 🇯🇵 A Guide to Some of the Best Queer Asian Shows

Full list here.

1. Cherry Magic!   mind reading; secret crush; office setting

By still being a vіrgin at 30, Adachi gains a magical power – the ability to read other people's minds by touching them. At first, he’s overwhelmed by his new ability, and it’s not proving to be helpful to him. But that all changes when he accidentally touches their office’s most perfect guy Kurosawa, who he learns has romantic feelings for him.

WeTV (Cherry Magic) & no international streaming of Cherry Magic The Movie is available to my knowledge, so watch on bilibili or KissKH

2. Kieta Hatsukoi (My Love Mix-Up!)   misunderstanding; high school setting

Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, the girl in the seat next to him in class. But he despairs when he borrows her eraser and sees she's written the name of another boy — Ida — on it. To make matters more confusing, Ida sees Aoki holding that very eraser and thinks Aoki has a crush on him!

Viki

3. Our Dining Table food; child character

Salaryman Yutaka finds it difficult to share meals with other people. However, his life starts to change when one day, his cooking attracts the attention of a young boy named Tane and his older brother Minoru. The two brothers are impressed by Yutaka's cooking skill and invite him to their house to cook together. Yutaka's dreary life begins to change, and soon he finds himself looking forward to the meals he shares with the Ueda siblings together, as well as developing a taste for romantic feelings.

GagaOOLala

4. She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat wlw; neighbours; self-discovery; food

Nomoto loves to cook, but tends to make too much food and has no one to share it with. Luckily for her, turns out her neighbor Kasuga has a big enough appetite for the both of them.

No international streaming available, translated to english by Furritsubs, S1 & S2, watching instructions provided, please support translator on kofi.

5. Takara-kun to Amagi-kun high school setting; relationship exploration

Takara is a good-looking popular guy in class, while Amagi is a simple but bright and pure fellow classmate. The two begin to date in secret after Amagi's blurted out confession.

Viki or GagaOOLala

6. Old Fashion Cupcake! age gap; boss/assistant; self-discovery; office setting; food

At 39, Nozue realizes that by letting himself be carried away by his daily life, he ended up locking himself into his routine. It is Togawa, his 29-year-old subordinate, who shakes up his habits by offering him one day to go snack on pastries in an establishment more popular with girls. From one snack to the next, Nozue feels rejuvenated... But is it really the effect of these delicacies or rather that of emerging feelings?

Viki or GagaOOLala

7. Love is Better the Second Time Around second chances; adult romance

An associate university professor and an editor in their thirties, who promised to elope together back in high school but didn't because of a misunderstanding, find each other again after a magazine column ties them together.

GagaOOLala

8. Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss! lucky guy/unlucky guy; university setting

College student Fukuhara has bad luck that causes problems everywhere he goes. One day, Shinomiya, a student with super good luck, helps him out. Now, in order to divide the luck between them, Fukuhara needs to be with Shinomiya all the time.

Viki or GagaOOLala

9. Perfect Propose childhood friends to lovers; roommates

Hirokuni Watari, a cog in the corporate machine, faints on the street one day and ends up meeting Kai Fukaya, a childhood friend he hasn't seen in 12 years. With Kai having no place to stay, he ends up staying with Hirokuni and making home-cooked meals for him to soothe his exhaustion.

GagaOOLala

10. Two People Who Can't Fall in Love (Koisenu Futari) aromantism; asexuality; self-exploration

Sakuko finds it difficult to live in a society which operates under the assumption that people will fall in love with each other. She meets supermarket employee Takahashi and ends up living with him under one roof because of their similar values towards romance.

No international streaming available, watching instructions provided here.

11. I Cannot Reach You best friends to lovers; secret crush

Long time friends and total opposites, Yamato and Kakeru always stick together. When the reserved Yamato admits his feelings, can everything change?

Netflix

12. I Want to See Only You best friends to lovers; coming of age

In the final summer of high school, childhood best friends Sakura and Yuma must start thinking about college and their futures. That is, until Sakura confesses to Yuma with a kiss.

No international streaming available, translated to english by Furritsubs, watching instructions provided, please support translator on kofi.

13. A Man Who Defies the World of BL breaking the 4th wall; comedy; university setting

It suddenly dawns on Mob that he lives in a BL world! So he must turn down any hot guys who approach him.

Viki or GagaOOLala (S1) & Viki or GagaOOLala (S2)

14. My Personal Weatherman roommates; under-negotiated kink

Yoh is a struggling ero-manga artist living with his Mizuki Segasaki, a popular weather forecaster. Yoh believes their arrangement comes with Segasaki providing for him in exchange for housework and sex. Segasaki always has sex with Yoh before the day when the rain season will be over, which results in Yoh being sexually frustrated whenever Segasaki predicts sunny weather for the next day.

GagaOOLala or Viki or Apple TV

---

You can watch some shows for free by setting VPN to Japan. In other cases I recommend paying for subscriptions to show appreciation and support of content in order to get more of it in the future, but if you can’t, watch on KissKH (better quality), Dramacool or get files from MkvDrama. Enjoy!  🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

#mygifs #mine #japanese ql

[charles-edwin]

Do you want me to pat your head to calm you down?

Tane-kun, thank you.

#our dining table #bokura no shokutaku #japanese bl #mjblr #I AM INCONSOLABLE!!!!!!! ACTUAL TEARS

[utsukares]

"- Do you want me to pat your head to calm you down? There, there. - Tane-kun, thank you.” BOKURA NO SHOKUTAKU episode 7

#bokura no shokutaku #our dining table #jdramasource #asiandramasource #asianlgbtqdramas #i cried :"}}} #this might be my favorite scene from this drama so far #the acting was so good you can feel so much love & comfort through the screen!!!! #look at how yutaka pulls tane for a hug... they love each other so much i'm so thankful they have each other #*gifs

[isaksbestpillow]

Our dining table interview translation

I translated a short interview with Inukai Atsuhiro and Iijima Hiroki about Bokura no shokutaku/Our dining table. Original is in the source with pictures. Please don't repost to Tiktok or Twitter without credit.

Inukai Atsuhiro and Iijima Hiroki are the stars of the drama Bokura no shokutaku/Our dining table that starts airing on April 6. Adapted from Mita Ori’s comic of the same title, this heartfelt drama depicts people bonding through food. Salaryman Yutaka is estranged from his family and struggles to eat around others when one day in a park he meets Minoru and Tane, two brothers many years apart, and ends up teaching them how to make rice balls. As the trio start having meals together, Yutaka and Minoru begin to get closer.

What were your first impressions after getting cast?

Inukai: I read the comic first and found it a heartwarming story. The script then possessed that same quality which made me excited to start filming.

Iijima: I too read the comic and found it a heartwarming story about people connecting through food. I couldn’t wait to play Minoru.

How do you see your respective characters?

Iijima: Minoru looks like a troublemaker, but he’s really family-oriented, he cares about his family so much that he can’t put himself first. In my performance I felt the growth that Yutaka gradually ignites in him.

Inukai: Yutaka is also essentially a person who is too nice to others, neglecting himself. He has a lot of baggage which I thought should reflect in my performance.

What was the first thing you did you did to get into character?

Inukai: I cooked rice in a clay pot like Yutaka. The rice turned out well. I felt like I understood my character after experiencing how he eats every day.

Iijima: I made it a point to appear like I don’t know my way around the kitchen. In my private life I do cook. Not that I’m any good at it.

Do you have any specialties?

Iijima: Not really. Maybe fried rice. Yesterday I made stuffed bell peppers. They were good.

That’s so fancy. The show also comes with lots of delicious looking food.

Iijima: They’re all delicious for real.

What did you like the best?

Inukai: The hot pot with kimchi, tomato and cheese. It was so good I couldn’t stop eating it.

Iijima: It was amazing. It’s the hot pot you see in the opening credits.

Inukai: Tane-kun doesn’t tolerate spicy foods very well yet, but even he ate it with a good appetite, it was that good.

Tane’s innocence is so charming on screen. How was it like to work with Kuuga-kun?

Iijima: He was the epitome of Tane-kun. I thought it could be intimidating for him to be surrounded by so many adults at his age, but he’d really boost the mood on set. He treated us like his actual brothers, and I was also chatting with him to establish that brotherly vibe.

What did you talk about?

Iijima: What’s popular these days and so on. We’d mostly talk about anime since I also watch it. We’d talk about what merch I’d get him etc. He likes Pokemon.

Inukai: Tane-kun is so cute and energetic, he brings the natural energy he has off camera into his performance. He was friendly since the first day of filming, his presence really helped me do my job. Thanks to him there were no gloomy moments on set.

What was your impression of each other starring together?

Iijima: He was the same Inukai-san he’s always been. He marches to his own drum both at work and in private. He’s totally different from me, he’s just himself.

Inukai: Iijima-kun was cute and cool in his early 20s, but now he has that mature sex appeal to him.

Iijima: Thanks. I’m excited to get older and expand the range of my acting.

How was it to act with each other?

Inukai: The directors wanted performances that feel realistic instead of entertainment, so we were able to work organically. There were elements that wouldn’t have transpired otherwise.

Iijima: It was easy to work with Inukai-san. Neither of our characters is a macho, so we were able to bring warmth into our performances. I also enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere in Mima, Tokushima Prefecture where we were filming. Saw huge mantises and stuff, it was laid-back.

Inukai-san, you hail from Tokushima Prefecture.

Inukai: It’s where I spent my formative years. I felt right back at home, which made me able to be even more true to myself.

The drama also depicts a love story between your characters. What was your experience portraying it?

Inukai: Iijima-kun and I can understand each other even without words, so the experience was very comfortable.

Iijima: After reading the script I thought trying to intentionally set up a romantic mood would feel out of place here, so I went about it without overthinking it, digesting those romantic feelings that arose as the filming progressed.

Were there any scenes that you found particularly memorable?

Iijima: For me it’s one of the early scenes where I feed Yutaka the rice ball. It was one of the first scenes we filmed. It’s when Yutaka and Minoru begin to get closer, and I felt like were able to establish an emotional connection there so I feel sentimental about it.

Inukai: It has to be the scenes of us all eating together. We’d continue to eat even after the cameras stopped rolling, sometimes that’d be my lunch for that day. It was a happy time in my life.

Just hearing about it makes me hungry. Sounds like the show is going to be food porn.

Iijima: The vibe of the show may make you feel less guilty about eating.

Inukai: If it makes you happy, who cares.

Iijima: Most of the dishes are easy to make, so I’d like everyone to try them at home.

Inukai: I want to make rice balls as I watch the show.

Last but not least, please leave a message for the viewers.

Inukai: The story is sprinkled with small daily observations. Sometimes we forget to appreciate food, but this show will remind you how wonderful it is to share food with others. Whether you’re a fan of the manga or a new viewer, I hope you’ll enjoy the story.

Iijima: We have to eat to stay alive, but food also connects us to other people. What we offer may not be big, but I’d like everyone to enjoy these small moments of happiness.

#bokura no shokutaku #our dining table #iijima hiroki #inukai atsuhiro #my translations #this won't show up in the tags but i hope someone sees it :(

[lurkingshan]

Our Dining Table and Complex Family Trauma

I finally caught up on Our Dining Table this week, just in time for the big penultimate episode. (I must give a shoutout to @isaksbestpillow here once again for giving me life with her excellent subtitles, which are so much better than the ones on Gaga). And unsurprisingly, I love love love this show. It’s just as good as everyone has been saying. I love the undercurrent of melancholy running underneath this very cute storyline. I love Minoru and Yutaka’s gentle dynamic as they become friends and then more. I would obviously throw my body in front of a moving train to protect Tane. I love Ueda, the ultimate shipper and Good Dad. 

What is most on my mind this morning, however, is the reveal in yesterday’s episode about the more complicated dynamics at play in Yutaka’s family. I’ve been reading some of y’all’s posts and I understand that 1) this perspective shift is not fully elaborated in the original manga; 2) some don’t like it much because they feel it asks us to put blame on Yutaka or absolve his family of their neglect. I've been chatting a bit with friends @wen-kexing-apologist @bengiyo @kyr-kun-chan @shortpplfedup @waitmyturtles about why I don’t feel that way and I wanted to talk a bit more about it (she says as she prepares to write a thesis). 

First, I think the show played fair on this. Despite grounding us firmly in Yutaka’s entirely valid perspective on how it felt to grow up in that house, we saw hints from the start that this was not as clear cut as his memories implied. We see his mom reaching out to him constantly, inviting him to come spend time with them. We see that the memories that shaped his trauma are from what seem to be his first few days with the family - when they first brought him home, and when they first sat down and ate a meal together - and that his brother Yuki was quite young at the time. We see that adult Yuki looks at him with genuine confusion and frustration when he runs into him at the grocery store, and seems to feel wronged by Yutaka’s refusal to talk to him or visit their parents. With no reason to think otherwise, you can read all of that as a neglectful and willfully obtuse family being unreasonable toward him, but the show left some gray space there so that we would be able to go back and recontextualize it when new information was presented. 

Second, this introduction of Yuki’s perspective makes so much sense and makes the family backstory a lot richer. Yes, absolutely, teen Yuki was being a little asshole when Yutaka was first brought into his home. This is not surprising. He went from being an only child who was used to having his parents’ sole attention to being told he has a new little brother he has to share everything with. He was a child and he behaved childishly about it, lashing out at this poor kid who truly did nothing to deserve it. And their parents, in an effort to appease their son who they probably felt guilty toward, let him get away with it, and did not properly tend to Yutaka’s emotions or provide him with the reassurance he needed. 

All of this sucks, but it’s so real, y’all. Anyone who grew up in a blended family can tell you as much. When new siblings come into the mix, whether by adoption or marriage or new relationships, there is nearly always resentment. I can recall one particularly bratty moment in my youth when after a remarriage my mom told me she was pregnant again, and because I was worried about my own prospects in life and already pissed at her for getting remarried, I said something along the lines of “we’re already poor enough, don’t you think you should stop having kids?” I said that! To my mother! I made her cry! It was horrible! And she forgave me, because she understood why I was so anxious and already carried a lot of guilt about not being able to provide for me the way she would like. Which is to say, I do not like Yuki, but I get him.

But the crucial piece here is we now know, via Yuki’s perspective and the supporting commentary from their parents, that this period of resentment only lasted a short time, and not long after Yutaka joined the family, he did accept him as his brother, he did care for him in the ways he knew how, and he did try to reach out and connect with him.

Which brings me to my third and most important point: Yutaka does carry some of the responsibility for how estranged he has become from his family, these behavioral patterns repeat in his struggles with accepting Minoru, and that is good storytelling. Two things can be true: Yutaka’s family did a poor job of making him feel loved and emotionally cared for as a traumatized child and never took the proper steps to make up for it, and Yutaka has made himself willfully blind to the love and care others try, albeit imperfectly, to give him.  

Stemming from losing his birth parents and then that first bad week with his adoptive family, Yutaka fears abandonment, emotional vulnerability, and rejection, and so he rejects others first. He shut himself down to the point he didn’t even perceive it when his brother was taking care of him. He literally did not remember that happened, like his brain forced him to forget. He accepts his family’s care when it comes to material things and financial support, but won’t connect with them emotionally. He ignores his mom when she reaches out to him, blows off his dad’s birthday, and avoids contact to the point he has no idea how they actually feel about him. He isolates himself at work and in his community, living a very solitary life. All of this is deeply sympathetic, because we know he is doing it out of a sense of self-preservation and a deep fear of being faced with something that could emotionally break him. 

But ultimately, this is unhealthy, and the show is very clear on this. We see how lonely and miserable Yutaka is until he meets Tane and Minoru. We see how he slowly opens up to them, how their particular style of straightforward communication, easy warmth, and gentle pushing connects with him in a way his much more emotionally staid family could not. We see how Yutaka blossoms as he essentially joins their family, but we also see how his own unresolved family trauma gets in the way. How easily he shuts down when he runs into Yuki, and how that causes him to backslide and begin pushing his new family away, as well. And we see how absolutely overwhelmed and unprepared he is to hear Minoru’s confession, how that also causes an emotional retreat, how his own fear about opening himself up to that kind of love (and therefore that kind of potential hurt) sends him hurtling back into his patterns of self-preservation.  

Finally hearing Yuki’s perspective on their childhood and allowing himself to briefly connect with his adoptive family didn’t magically fix the years of neglect and hurt between them. There is a lot of work to be done there if he actually wants a decent relationship with them, and that work has to be mutual and reciprocal. But those moments of connection did give Yutaka the push he needed to examine his own perceptions and his tendency to shut people out and realize he needs to change this aspect of his behavior. If he wants to be with Minoru, and be a family with him and Tane and Ueda, and if he wants to have joy and love and care in his life, he absolutely must allow others to connect with him. Which means he has to open himself up to hurt again, because you can’t have one without the other. And at the end of yesterday’s episode, he made the incredibly brave choice to do exactly that.

#our dining table #bokura no shokutaku #japanese bl #jdrama #these shows really got me in my feelings this week #shan shouts into the void

[bl-bracket]

Best Siblings Bracket

Round One

Pat & Pa (Bad Buddy) vs Tops & Thunder (Ingredients: The Series)

Prapai & Plerng & Phan (Love in the Air) vs Akira & Hitomi (Life: Senjou no Bokuro)

Akk & Im & Egg (Enchante) vs Koichi & Younger Siblings (Eternal Yesterday)

Siwon & Siyeong (Blueming) vs Day & Night (Love Syndrome III)

Thian & Yang (To Sir With Love) vs Diao & Dao (Rak Diao)

Kuafah & Daonuea (Star in My Mind/Sky in Your Heart) vs Yoo & Vee (Love Mechanics)

Cher & Thoop (A Boss and a Babe) vs Aek & Tho (Don't Say No)

Jiang Yanli & Wei Wuxian & Jiang Cheng (The Untamed) vs Livy & Mikey (Rainbow Prince)

Tankhun & Kinn & Kim (Kinnporsche: The Series) vs Vlad & Judit (Like in the Movies)

Intouch & Ahn (Until We Meet Again) vs Tian & Longtae (A Tale of a Thousand Stars)

Dean & Del & Don (Until We Meet Again) vs Leo & Neo (3 Will Be Free)

Lan Xichen & Lan Zhan (The Untamed) vs Noey & Nidnhoi (I Will Knock You)

Pi & Duean & Wan (Fish Upon the Sky) vs Chien Teng & Yu He (DNA Says Love You)

Korn & Krit & Kard (Until We Meet Again) vs Cairo & London (Gameboys)

Tai & Tien (La Pluie) vs Tan & That (Manner of Death)

Vegas & Macau (Kinnporsche: The Series) vs Mork & Meen (Fish Upon the Sky)

Black & White (Not Me: The Series) vs Shintaro & Sakurako (Minato Shouji Coin Laundry)

Payu & Saifah (Love in the Air) vs Jim & Jam (Moonlight Chicken)

Tonhom & Long Pao & Seeiw (My Only 12%) vs Ritsu & Shuji (Jack o' Frost)

Haoting & Yongxing (HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count) vs Seefoom & Seenam (Ghost Host Ghost House)

Hoon & Teh (I Told Sunset About You) vs Man & Q's Mom (21 Days Theory)

Leo & Leon (Don't Say No) vs Mob & Ayato (A Man Who Defies the World of BL)

Kim & Khett (The Shipper) vs Gu Xiang & Chengling (Word of Honor)

Wan & Win & Wiew (Between Us) vs Tine & Type (2gether: The Series)

Porsche & Porchay (Kinnporsche: The Series) vs Vee & Pan (You're My Sky)

Tang Yi & Zhuo Hongye (HIStory 3: Trapped) vs Kurosawa & Older Sister (Cherry Magic)

Nie Mingjue & Nie Huaisang (The Untamed) vs Bai Qing & Bai Lang (My Tooth Your Love)

Tharn & Thorn & Tanya (Tharntype: The Series) vs Pluem & Prim (Ghost Host Ghost House)

Wen Qing & Wen Ning (The Untamed) vs Tsubasa & Younger Brother (Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-Kun Desires to be Recognized)

Sun & Rain (Dark Blue Kiss) vs Zeshou & Xueching (Plus & Minus)

Jeng & Jaab (Step by Step) vs Gu Xiang & Wen Kexing (Word of Honor)

Minoru & Tane (Our Dining Table) & Sarawat & Phukong (2gether: The Series)

#bl bracket #bl drama #bl shows #best siblings #bad buddy #ingredients #ingredients the series #love in the air #lita #life senjou no bokura #enchante #eternal yesterday #blueming #love syndrome iii #love syndrome 3 #to sir with love #rak diao #star in my mind #sky in your heart #love mechanics #a boss and a babe #don't say no #the untamed #rainbow prince #kinnporsche the series #kinnporsche #like in the movies #until we meet again #uwma #a tale of a thousand stars

[blmpff]

Most commonly used words in My Dining Table aka text you can hear:

First: YUKATA!!!

Second: Tane kun~

Third: thank you

#our dining table #bokura no shokutaku #in my feels over here dont mind me #blmpff rumbles

[waitmyturtles]

[I’m flipping furiously through my manga volume of Our Dining Table, making sure that I’m correct: I believe Our Dining Table, episode 3, is not canon to the manga (which is FINE, I’m not a canon fascist!) -- but if this zoo/bento episode appeared in any web/Twitter specials, I very much stand corrected!]

Another lovely one from Our Dining Table/Bokura No Shokutaku. Such a quiet, well-paced, lovely show. 

Inukai as Yutaka does almost-cringe really well, as the comments of this post discussed last week, and this week, Yutaka really almost took it to the edge. His approach to his colleague to ask for help to learn how to make bento.... oof. I was this close squirming to the edge of my seat. So well done.

I think this framing of Yutaka 1) needing to learn how to make a bento, 2) needing to learn how to ask for help, 3) getting that help, and 4) receiving the warmest gambatte ever from his colleague -- I think, for the dorama’s sake, it was a necessary vignette to help build up Yutaka.

Because next week, when Yutaka runs into his brother in the grocery store -- it takes him out in the manga, and I have no doubt that Inukai is going to nail it in real time in the dorama. 

So: in this episode, we see Yutaka going through a process of gaining confidence. He’s already feeling validated as a human through his developing relationship with Minoru and Tane-kun.

But I like that, in the dorama, this spreads to Yutaka’s social life/workplace, and that his colleagues are also seeing this change in him.

I didn’t quite put it this way when I was reading the manga for the first time, but we see blips of what happened in Yutaka’s childhood -- he was pushed away while groups of people, his family, ate. I didn’t call it this back then, but it was dehumanizing. 

So what we’re seeing in Yutaka NOW, through Minoru and his family, is Yutaka’s REHUMANIZING. And a lot of that process, I realize, will totally be awkward! And Inukai is toooootally nailing how awkward it is for Yutaka to be going through this growth/regrowth process.

Ugh -- and it’s SO BEAUTIFUL TO SEE. HOW QUIET HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH MINORU ARE. How quiet that confession was to Minoru about not knowing how to make bentos, how nervous Yutaka was -- and, clearly, how moved Minoru was to be one of the recipients of those bentos.

Man, it gives me the shivers that this show is taking the time to fill in the emotional craters that Yutaka has from his upbringing. And I continue to love the portrayal of Minoru’s parenting towards Tane-kun -- and slowly, slowly, how Yutaka brings energy and skills to that shared parenting as well, because that’s what we’re seeing develop.

I knew I loved this manga because of how directly sweet it was. But what I didn’t realize, watching it in dorama form, is that it is SERIOUSLY breaking a HUGE Japanese paradigm of queer couples not being able to be married on paper and have official families. (In TsukuTabe/She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat, a Japanese lesbian is shown on social media as living overseas with her partner and a child.)

As a mama, I’m seriously getting chills watching Yutaka and Minoru grow in their very unofficial (as of now) partnership in sharing care for Tane-kun, and it is BLASSSSTTINNNGG my mom heart to wonderful little bits. ALKJSDKLJFSDF I LOVE THIS SHOW! This show is SUCH A MUST-WATCH, PEOPLE!

#our dining table #bokura no shokutaku #inukai atsuhiro #iijima hiroki #yutaka x minoru #minoru x yutaka #TANE-KUN AND HIS STUFFED PLUSHIEEEESSSSSS #my living room is the same just covered in stuffed animals all over lol #i need to make a living room zoo for my kids too!

[tanenigiri]

*punches through wall* OUR DINING TABLE

(Thoughts and ramblings on episodes 8 and 9 under the cut. Some manga comparisons but I don't think any of them constitute as plot spoilers since there's one episode left, but if you plan on reading the manga and don't want the differences from the show to be spoiled, fair warning.)

The corresponding chapter of Episode 8 in the manga is actually where we find out all about Minoru's backstory. We see a good chunk of it here in the flashback in the cafe, when he and Tane first cross paths with Yutaka. But most of the other things we've seen about Minoru's past up to this point in the show - that scene with Nao where Tane spills a drink on her, that flashback scene with young Tane which looks like it just happened right after their mom's funeral, and the general sense of Minoru bearing the weight of being a second parent to Tane - all of that comes to head in this chapter of the manga. I know I've said it repeatedly over my previous posts, but I really have to say it again because it deserves the praise - Minoru's plot arc was handled so, so well in this show, and I genuinely think all the decisions they made to spread and flesh it out was to its benefit.

There were already a lot of other posts last week that pointed it out but I still wanna highlight it - the silence that pervades this episode was really effective in conveying the conflict Yutaka and Minoru were facing. Giving them all this space to think about it could be dragging for some, but I found it quite necessary for what they were dealing with. This show has always used the quiet moments effectively and I think this episode isn't an exception.

I also wanted to highlight how that whole idea of "things being the same" is important to both Yutaka and Minoru. Before the events of Episode 1, Yutaka was living a very monotonous routine, down to the meals he was feeding himself. And Minoru's life has been nothing but one massive change after the other, so I don't blame him in wanting to find something that he could keep from changing. But, of course, both of them know that what happened between them isn't static, and that the change is something they either have to accept or have to let go of.

Gotta dedicate a bullet point to Ohata, who finally got her one manga-canonical scene in this episode (Hozumi-kun you're so easy to read!), but really her character has quickly become my favorite addition to the series. She's a much-needed confidant for Yutaka in the same way the dad (and his manager at the ramen shop) is for Minoru, and these past two episodes also bring up the fact that she was having relationship troubles with her boyfriend. I guess I can point out how her own issues seemed a little too convenient in terms of giving the right advice to Yutaka to move the plot along, but I honestly don't mind it - partly because I think those conversations also serve to show how far Yutaka's come in terms of breaking out of his shell and partly because I always cheer whenever her character shows up haha. (And can we talk about how she's constantly the best-dressed character of the show? Like I know she doesn't really have much competition but still?? Did you guys see her hair in that last scene???)

Speaking of which, I'm so glad they added that last scene with Yutaka joining his officemates for drinks. This was only mentioned in the manga, but I think this is as big of a deal as the confession in terms of Yutaka's growth. This is the same character who, in Episode 1 (which was only a few months prior to this), was known by the office as someone who would turn down any invite, and the manga even goes further with this in that they wouldn't invite him at all because they know that he would just reject them. Not to mention that the literal first thing we find out about Yutaka is how he doesn't share meals with anyone! Seeing him in the bar with his coworkers is absolutely massive in terms of how much Yutaka has changed, and while Ohata is right in teasing him that it's because of a special someone, I do think it's a testament to how much progress Yutaka has made over the course of the show both because of Minoru and because of his personal growth.

And since I mentioned it, I'm pretty happy with how they translated that playground confession scene into the show. In particular I enjoyed how generally awkward it was because it was very in-character, and I think giving the scene a more laid back vibe instead of a serious one was a really good decision. That whole "you're very important to me" spiel destroyed me though.

It's only recently I realized that the whole "BL male lead running to other BL male lead" is an actual trope that's seen in almost every series and I find that so funny. I've only watched a few before this and they do all have running involved.

Screaming at Mr. Ueda literally dragging his son out of the house and telling him to get it together before the New Year rings in. We don't really get a lot of scenes between the two of them so I'm glad we got this.

Tane-kun takes a bit of a backseat in these two episodes as the plot shifts to Yutaka and Minoru's relationship (the same thing happens in the manga), but the scenes he does get are still really good. In particular I like that once he realizes that Minoru and Yutaka are "fighting," all Tane says is that Minoru should apologize because, for him, Yutaka would always understand and accept their apology.

Ok so I'm of two minds about that scene with Yuuki (Yutaka's adoptive brother), which I was pretty surprised to see as it wasn't in the manga. On one hand, I'm glad that we do get some sort of closure for this, and that at the end of the day, Yutaka does have an adoptive family that cares for him. But on the other hand, I really don't think that the apology was anywhere close to undoing the damage that Yutaka's had to bear all these years? Like, I get that it's a misunderstanding on both ends and that proper communication would've solved it (and this is, in fact, the takeaway Yutaka needed for his confession to Minoru), but I'm not a fan of the implication that just because Yuuki was apparently not that much of a jerk to Yutaka as we thought that he's forgiven for his clearly traumatizing actions? I don't think they're gonna address this further in next week's episode (though I'd love to be wrong), but I dunno - it's not the note I would've liked that plot point to be left on. Sure, put some forgiveness in there, but I guess I wanted either party to acknowledge that while Yutaka could start mending his relationship with his adoptive family, there's still a lot of damage that they need to process? I know that's a pretty big ask for what is essentially a minor plot point, but eh. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it (and on the show in general).

The preview gave me a glimpse of the one other scene in the manga that's in my Top 3 (up there with Yutaka's cartoonified backstory and Minoru taking care of a sick Yutaka) and I am soooo ready to break down because of it. For manga readers who want to know which one: It's the scene without Minoru.

Love this show so much. I don't want it to end and I'm both anticipating and dreading the finale next week.

#our dining table #bokura no shokutaku

[aprilblossomgirl]

Minoru softly looking at Yutaka talking gently to Tane-kun is such a comfort space. *clutching them tightly to my heart*

#my drama journal 📝 #bokura no shokutaku #our dining table #talking with a slight fever and a bit of daydream. #that said. this family is so precious 🤍

[colourme-feral]

Rules: List 10 of your comfort shows, then tag 10 people

Tagged by @lurkingshan. Unlike you, I am not the biggest of readers. I am currently struggling to even hit my targeted number of books read for the year. I am very much an avid consumer of tv. It is what keeps me charged and going.

Since my memory is poor and I tend to change my mind a lot, I will mostly focus on shows that I completed this year listed alphabetically.

A Tale of Thousand Stars Admittedly, I haven't actually rewatched this this year yet, despite feeling like it was time for another rewatch, but if anything can make me feel things, it's got to be their Our Skyy 2 proposal scene.

Bokura no Shokutaku / Our Dining Table Firstly, TANE. Secondly, the way that the show approached the story of two strangers who meet, fall in love and how they change because of each other (and the Ueda family). Absolutely comforting.

Genius Chef Junior (Season 1 only) My Ghost Month watch. I absolutely loved how it was a show centred around a young protaganist who learns to come to terms with death of his grandfather, while growing up and making ghostly friends.

Kinou Nani Tabeta? / What Did You Eat Yesterday? I only just watched the show for the first time recently and the way that the characters all accept life for what it is is both realistic and at times, gently painful.

Moving This show was so much all at once. I absolutely loved the details, which you only realise connect certain scenes, people, or situations, in later episodes. The very core of the show is love and family and even side characters got their own small arcs, so they never felt one dimensional.

My School President Sometimes you feel too old and cynical for shows set in schools, then you watch a show which is sincere and absolutely not what your school experience was like, then you ignore the singing and find yourself thinking that one more show set in high school isn't so bad.

Old Fashion Cupcake I am rewatching it now and that was the right decision.

Our Dating Sim Friends separated by a misunderstanding, only to meet again as adults. Sold. I realised I like the relationships that start with misunderstanding and then the gradual learning and understanding of each other.

Taikan Yoho / My Personal Weatherman Ditto

Takara kun to Amagi kun Ditto lol

No pressure tagging: @blmpff, @callipigio, @sparklyeyedhimbo, @telomeke, @wen-kexing-apologist

#the ask game