Midnight Diner (Japanese TV series)

Midnight Diner (深夜食堂, Shinya shokudō) is a Japanese anthology TV series directed by Joji Matsuoka, based on the manga of the same name by Yarō Abe. It focuses on a late-night diner in Shinjuku called Meshiya, dubbed "Midnight Diner" by locals; and its mysterious chef, known only as "Master", and his interest in his customers' lives.

Midnight Diner
Also known as	Shinya Shokudō
Genre	Comedy Romantic Slice of life Food
Based on	Shinya Shokudō by Yarō Abe
Directed by	Joji Matsuoka Nobuhiro Yamashita Shotarou Kobayashi
Starring	Kaoru Kobayashi
Country of origin	Japan
Original language(s)	Japanese
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	50 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Hitoshi Endo Natsuko Mori Takeshi Moriya Shogo Ishizuka Jun Takahashi
Running time	25 minutes
Distributor	MBS Netflix
Release
Original network	MBS
Original release	2009 (2009) – 2019

Setting

The setting of Midnight Diner is a small 12-seat Izakaya called Meshiya in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Despite being open from midnight to 7 am, it is popular in the Shinjuku's busy and diverse nightlife.

Storyline

When people finish their day and hurry home, my day starts. My diner is open from midnight to seven in the morning. They call it "Midnight Diner". That's all I have on my menu. But I make whatever customers request as long as I have the ingredients for it. That's my policy. Do I even have customers? More than you would expect.[1]

"The Master", the main character of the show, is the owner, chef, and bartender who runs the titular diner. While he has a very limited menu (consisting only of tonjiru, sake, beer and shōchū), he always offers to produce any dish that a customer may want, as long as he has the ingredients on hand. Master refuses to cook any dishes that are beyond his skills or overly complicated. Sometimes, customers contribute the ingredients, particularly if they are out of the ordinary or a very specific craving. The diner is frequented by a range of customers, ranging from salarymen to yakuza and prostitutes, all of whom generally get along well; only occasionally is there conflict between the characters while inside the diner.

Generally, each episode deals with a drama focused on a particular customer. The plot will introduce the characters of the episode, often using well-known archetypes and tropes, before then detailing their personal challenges. Master, although generally taciturn, offers help and advice to his customers.[2] The plot will generally offer a philosophical life lesson as part of the story, be it simple or complicated. The stories are usually lighthearted in tone, while others venture into more dramatic territory with melancholy resolutions.

Most episodes will focus on a particular Japanese dish, often the favorite meal of the character that the episode is about. The dish also relates in some way to the story, and the episode will end with Master giving a brief demonstration of how to prepare the dish while a character from the episode gives verbal instructions directly to the audience.[3][4] Master also occasionally breaks the fourth wall, to speak to the viewers (e.g. in the TV series, to announce the upcoming movie or to announce the end of a season). Master cooks everything by himself, only requesting help if he knows he cannot do something or if he is incapacitated (e.g. In the first movie, Master is assisted by a homeless girl, (Tabe Mikako) after Master sustains an injury).

While the characters are largely transitional, and are mainly seen in their own self-contained episodes, some are often seen in the background as minor characters or cameos in one or two other episodes. Several characters are regular customers of the diner and reappear regularly.[5] A few stories adopt magic realism overtones, including elements that are supernatural, while others utilize montages and time skips to fully tell a character's story.

Cast and characters

Main Character

• Master (Kaoru Kobayashi): Master is the only character to appear in every episode of the show. He is a somewhat mysterious figure; well-regarded for his cooking prowess, his background is largely unknown. He has a visible scar down the left side of his face, implied in one episode to be from a sword attack in a past life, however, its origin is never properly explained. Master's actual name is never given, and all characters simply refer to him as "Master". He is generally sympathetic, despite the various problems his customers have, though he never gets too involved in their affairs. Generally, he is not directly involved in outside scenes with them, only interacting when they come to eat at his diner. His main ways of assisting people are to bring them comfort by making food, and to provide advice. His character is similar to a bartender in the way that he functions as an adviser/psychiatrist, as the characters project their insecurities or issues onto him, or discuss and mull over their problems with him. Most of the time, he is seen cooking, cleaning dishes, or having a cigarette either in the diner or on the small balcony attached to his upstairs apartment. Master has a few unwritten rules for the customers: the limit is three drinks per person, as he does not run a bar, and any fights have to be taken outside.[6]

Regular Customers

• Tadashi/Mr. Chu (Mansaku Fuwa): Frequently addressed as "Chu-san", he is the character in the show that most frequently appears (apart from Master). He is a cheerful older man, who is always seen wearing a blue cap. He occasionally offers advice and harmless banter to the other customers in the diner. Generally, the stories don't involve him, he instead sits in the diner to pass comment and reminisce about his youth.

• Kosuzu (Toshiki Ayata): A homosexual cross dresser who owns a successful restaurant/gay bar in the same neighborhood as the diner. Kosuzu is often seen dressed in eccentric outfits while at the same time chastising others for their appearance or behavior. He enjoys gossiping but is quick to defend his friends at the diner and his restaurant employees from scrutiny.

• Komichi (Shohei Uno): An amateur photographer who takes photographs of the diner customers and occasionally has exhibitions in a local gallery. He is a bit clueless when it comes to proper etiquette and he is often distracted by other characters so that he does not embarrass himself.

• The Ochazuke Sisters (Risa Sudo, Asako Kobayashi, Nahoko Yoshimito): Collectively called "The Ochazuke Sisters" by Master and other customers, Miki, Rumi, and Kana are three office ladies who go to the diner after a long day of work to unwind and gossip. Like Tadashi, they are generally not involved in the drama and are among the most frequently recurring characters. With bowls of ochazuke in hand, they offer commentary on the drama, being generally sympathetic to the involved parties whilst complaining that they are still unmarried.

• Detective Noguchi (Ken Mitsuishi): A diligent police detective, who visits the diner when he is on a case or to indulge in a specific craving. A baseball player in high school, Noguchi enjoys eating food from his youth that remind him of traveling during baseball tournaments.

• Ryu Kenzaki (Yutaka Matsushige): Yakuza boss Ryu stops by the diner randomly, always asking for Master to prepare dishes from his childhood. Ryu's storylines largely take place outside the diner and despite being a member of the Yakuza, the other customers worry about his well-being.

• Kanemoto (Kiyofumi Kaneko): A divorced alcoholic, Kanemoto works as a salaryman and comes to the diner because the other customers are the only people he enjoys interacting with. He is generally moody and carries a serious face, only becoming cheery when he gets to show off his intelligence or gets a new girlfriend.

• Katagiri (Joe Odagiri): A mysterious patron, he always sits in the back-corner of the diner closest to Master's kitchen area. He drinks sake and is frequently seen playing with food (namely peanuts and egg shells) before arranging them in neat rows. Unlike the other customers, Katagiri dresses in traditional Japanese clothing and speaks in cryptic, philosophical statements that are left open to interpretation. He has a special relationship with Master, as he is the only person with whom Katagiri converses normally.

• Kogure (Joe Odagiri): Only appears in seasons 3, 4, and 5. He is a police officer who works in the neighborhood kōban with jurisdiction over the Master's diner as well as the neighboring shops and restaurants.

Recurring Characters

• Hachiro (Yuichiro Nakayama): A soft-spoken and idealistic man, Hachiro is usually seen disagreeing with The Ochazuke Sisters on important matters like love and money.

• Gen (Takashi Yamanaka): A member of the Yakuza, Gen is Ryu's loudmouthed junior. Despite making a bad first impression, Master and Gen grow to tolerate each other as Gen matures and begins taking his responsibilities both as a Yakuza and beyond more seriously.

• Mariko "Marilyn" Matsushima (Tamae Andô): Referred to as "Marilyn-chan", she is a popular stripper in Shinjuku and friend of Tadashi. She consistently has trouble establishing good relationships with men, and often laments her unmarried status alongside The Ochazuke Sisters.

• Saya Adachi (Kaoru Hirata): A young woman who works as a clerk in a pachinko parlor. She frequents the diner in search of chicken karaage, a highball and occasionally a quick nap. She gets along well with the other customers who care about her and protect her from people who take try to take advantage of her innocence.

• Adachi-san (Tomomitsu Adachi): Saya's older brother who disapproves of her actions. He is an accomplished martial artist, and often uses his skills in his job as a police officer.

• Ko (Yukihiro Yoshimi): One of Kosuzu's friends. Ko is transgender, and always asks for a "jumbo portion" when ordering at Master's diner.

• Kasumi (Mitsuki Tanimura): An Osaka native who moves to Tokyo in season 3. She visited Master's diner to enjoy his tempura, whereupon Komichi fell in love with her. Kasumi is always shown to be running around Shinjuku, yet no one knows what her job is.

• Detective Izumi Natsuki (Yukiko Shinohara): Detective Noguchi's partner. Her tactics are the complete opposite of his, leading to constant disagreement over the best course of action. She enjoys the company of both Master and Officer Kogure.

Production

The show has been a success in Japan,[7][8] with five seasons produced in 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, and 2019. To date, two theatrical feature films were produced by TBS and MBS: Midnight Diner (2014) and Midnight Diner 2 (2016). The fourth season (released in the US as Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories) was produced in 2016 by Netflix Japan. Netflix Japan purchased streaming and production rights from the Japanese producer to produce the fourth and the fifth series, which are shown on Netflix internationally. The ten episodes of the fourth series was sequentially streamed from October 21, 2016 to December 23, 2016. The ten episodes of the fifth series were simultaneously streamed on October 31, 2019.

While the fourth and fifth seasons were released under the title Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories, Netflix began streaming the first three seasons separately under the original title "Midnight Diner" in June 2020.[9]

East Asian remakes

Following the success of the original Japanese version, Korean and Chinese versions were made. The Korean version, Late Night Restaurant, was mildly successful, and one season was made.[10]

The Chinese version, also called Midnight Diner, deviated significantly from the original and was poorly received. At the time of its release, it was the lowest rated TV show in Douban history.[11][12][13]

Cast

Main cast

• Kaoru Kobayashi as The Master
• Joe Odagiri as Katagiri
• Asako Kobayashi as Rumi
• Mansaku Fuwa as Tadashi / Chu-san
• Kaoru Hirata as Saya
• Yutaka Matsushige as Ryu
• Toshiki Ayata as Kosuzu
• Yuichiro Nakayama as Hachiro
• Tomoko Tabata as Miyuki Chidori
• Tomorowo Taguchi as Sakushika
• Toru Kazama as Taiboku Erekuto
• Sumie Sasaki as Taiboku's mom
• Sogen Tanaka as Tanaka
• Naoaki Kenmochi as Anzai
• Junya Kawashima as Suwa
• Ryo Iwamatsu as Masao Toyama
• Morio Agata as Goro
• Koromo Tomosato as Ritsuko Toyama
• Tomomitsu Adachi
• Takuma Otoo as katutoshi kawada
• Reika Kirishima as Akemi
• Marino Kuwajima as Mayu
• Shinya Natsume as Snack bar customer
• Kei Tanaka as Nakajima
• Eri Murakawa as Risa Aikawa
• Takeshi Yamamoto as Producer
• You as Noriko Kajami
• Denden as Homeless Man
• Lily Franky as Yachiyo
• Ryotaro Yonemura as Mitchell Kajama
• Sakuya Nakamura as Kenta
• Maki Ishikawa as Yuki
• Ken Mitsuishi as Detective Noguchi
• Mikako Tabe as Michiru Kuriyama

References

1. "New Year's Eve Noodles Again". Midnight Diner. Season 1. Episode 10. MBS.
2. Herald, The Korea (2015-06-23). "[Herald Review] Like Japanese food, 'Midnight Diner' is mild but heartwarming". Retrieved 2018-07-11.
3. ""Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories" is the best (and most appetizing) show no one is watching". Newsweek. 2016-12-07. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
4. "Netflix's 'Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories' is the Food-Centric Drama of the Year". SAVEUR. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
5. "Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories is the next great show from Netflix Japan". The Verge. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
6. "'Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories' Is a Hidden Gem on Netflix". Vice. 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
7. "9 J-Dramas for K-Drama Fans to Start Watching | Viu". Viu. 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
8. "'Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories' Is Decidedly Low-Key, But It Does One Thing More American Shows Should". Decider. 2016-10-25. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
9. "What's Coming to Netflix in June 2020". What’s On Netflix. 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
10. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6209462/episodes?season=1&ref_=tt_eps_sn_1
11. "Chinese version of 'Midnight Diner' fails to win over audiences". People's Daily. 14 June 2017.
12. "Remake of 'Midnight Diner' tasteless". Shenzhen Daily.
13. "Chinese adaptation of Japan's 'Midnight Diner' debuts to extremely poor reviews". Global Times.

External links

• https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3958276/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/MidnightDiner_TokyoSt/ (Subreddit discussion group for fans of Midnight Diner on Reddit)