Drama: What Did You Eat Yesterday? (literal title)
Romaji: Kinou Nani Tabeta
Japanese: きのう何食べた？
Director: Kazuhito Nakae, Katsumi Nojiri, Kenji Katagiri
Writer: Fumi Yoshinaga (manga), Naoko Adachi
Actors: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Seiyo Uchino
"Accepted means ignored" that's what I always hear when people describe the LGBT scene in Japan, and this drama clearly shows that in the most honest manner. They will ignore it if they are outside their group, like people on the streets, etc, but once they are a member of their family, friends or a co-worker, it's a different story. But you can't also blame them because they are just worried as society is very unforgiving. As a straight guy, this is an eye-opener to me, it shows me the struggles gay couples have in our society, the stereotypes on gay people and the lack of knowledge on gay couples. This is somewhat similar to Ossan's love, I'm not saying this is better than Ossan's love, it is less funny and zero fan service, but this drama to me is heavier and explored LGBT theme way deeper.
No need to worry if you don't like heavy drama, it won't be that of a heavy drama at all, the overall cozy ambiance compensates for its heavy subject matter. This is a slice of life/food drama after all, so you can just chill, watch and enjoy. This is very similar to the Japanese movie "Little Forrest", they will show you how they cook the food then proceed to story, but unlike "Little Forrest" where it is 70% cooking 30% story, this drama is 80% story, so it has more plot and you won't lost into the story.
If you think it's already a big deal when Ossan's love uses mainstream actors to a BL drama, then this is more big deal than that. They not only have mainstream actors but established A-list actors. To give you an idea Hidetoshi Nishijima has a reputation of a tough guy in Japan, similar to Jason Statham in Hollywood. I also think it's a genius idea to cast him as the closet gay, his demeanor matches the character very well. Uchino Masaki (Tonbi, Jin), another A-list actor, portrays the more feminine character. Among the two I considered him the better and the more versatile actor, and this character he portrayed just added up to the vast range of characters in his resume. The chemistry of them both is phenomenal, they argue and makeup like a real couple. They also made decisions that even straight couples will be able to relate.
One of the highlights of this drama is when Kakei's mom told him "tell your co-workers you're gay, there is nothing wrong with being gay", and the actress who said this savage line is none other than Meiko Kaji, famous for Lady Snowblood series, the granddaddy of revenge movies which inspired Tarantino when he made Kill Bill. If you just realize what Lady Snowblood represents that time, and how it connects to what this drama represents this time you would also say the casting for this drama is really something, it's freaking genius.
Watch it not because it's a BL drama, watch it because it a very good story portraying a couple having struggles in our society and how they overcome those hurdles to become happy. This is a little gem here my friends.
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