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The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House is a highly enthralling, heartfelt, and gentle Japanese drama series that made its debut on Thursday, January 12, 2023, on Netflix. The series has taken inspiration from the much-celebrated manga MAIKO-SAN CHI NO MAKANAI-SAN, written by renowned author Aiko Koyama.
Hirokazu Kore-eda is the showrunner of the series. He has also served as the series' screenplay writer, along with Megumi Tsuno, Takuma Sato, Mami Sunada, and Hiroshi Okuyama. The series has been directed by Hiroshi Okuyama, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Takuma Sato, and Megumi Tsuno.
As per the official synopsis for The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House, released by Netflix:
"Set in the geisha district of Kyoto, this series follows Sumire, a maiko (apprentice geisha) and Kiyo, a cook at the maiko house where they live, and tells a story of their daily lives through delicious food."
Since the Japanese series was launched on Netflix, it has garnered a lot of positive responses from both critics and viewers due to its delicately woven heartwarming storyline, appeasing direction, and gripping acting by the lead actors.
So, without further delay, let's dig deep and find out how The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House has turned out.
A review of Netflix's brand new Japanese drama series, The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House
A warm and hearty storyline fabricated with delicate emotions
The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House is a Japanese series that depicts the simple yet enthralling story of two childhood friends, Sumire and Kiyo, who begin a new journey to be trained as apprentice geiko or geisha in Kyoto. The series chronicles their day-to-day lives.
As each day passes, the two main characters start to find their true calling. Kiyo realizes that her actual calling lies in traditional cooking, and thus she becomes the Makanai of the Makio house while Sumire goes on to become Momohana, a graceful mai performer.
The story focuses on the two young girls' love for each other and their unbreakable friendship. The series beautifully represents the tradition and culture of Makio. The writers have done a phenomenal job of creating a subtle yet alluring world of Kiyo and Sumire, living their dreams.
The series' directors did a fantastic job
The series directors have done a splendid job of capturing the story in such a way that it is bound to take the audience on a gently developed, captivating journey.
It's astounding and compelling to watch scenes like the ones where Kiyo makes all the homely comfort food, Sumire loses herself in her performance, Momoko shares a heart-to-heart with Sumire, or Kiyo and Sumire shares a last-minute snack of bread crisps.
Each episode is carried out with grace and fascinating subtlety, enhancing the series' essence of beauty within simplicity. Hence, the direction of the series has elevated it to another level of success.
All of the cast members, including Natsuki Deguchi, Nana Mori, and others, did a fantastic job
Highly talented young actress Nana Mori as Kiyo has done a fantastic job in portraying the lead character. She has dived deep into the character and brought out all the subtle yet powerful nuances hidden within it.
She is a spark of joy throughout the entire series, radiating rays of sunshine. Her on-screen presence is extremely promising and one of the biggest highlights of the Japanese series.
Natsuki Deguchi as Sumire is highly graceful to watch. With her raw and realistic performance, she has brought the character alive with much. Her on-screen chemistry with Nana Mori's Kiyo is unbelievably incredible and a treat to witness.
Other actors on the cast list include Aju Makita as Ryoko, Ai Hashimoto as Momoko, Mayu Matsuoka as Yoshino, and several others. They have also done a promising job of portraying their characters.
Don't forget to catch The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House, which is currently streaming exclusively on Netflix.
