The Japanese series, The Makanai Cooking for the Maiko House, also known as Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san, is directed by Palme d’Or-winning director Hirokazu Koreeda along with Megumi Tsuno, Hiroshi Okuyama and Takuma Sato.
Based on the Manga written by Aiko Koyama, the story is about two 16-year-old best friends dreaming of becoming a Geiko and performing Mais. Geikos are Japanese female entertainers who are highly respected for the storylines they provide in their art form called “Mai.”
The official Netflix description of the series is,
TWO INSEPARABLE FRIENDS MOVE TO KYOTO TO CHASE THEIR DREAMS OF BECOMING MAIKO, BUT DECIDE TO PURSUE DIFFERENT PASSIONS WHILE LIVING UNDER THE SAME ROOF.
The entire cast of the series includes Nana Mori as Kiyo, Keiko Matsuzaka as Chiyo, Natsuki Deguchi as Sumire, Mayu Matsuoka as Yoshino, Aju Makita as Ryoko, Takako Tokiwa as Azusa, Kairi Jyo as Kenta Nakanowatari, Momoko Fukuchi as Tsurukoma, Kotoko Wakayanagi as Kikuno, Kotona Minami as Kotono, Lily Franky as Ren, Yukiya Kitamura as Takeshi Ishida, Kanji Furutachi as Kanjiro Furutachi, Keiko Toda as Kimie Sakurai, Kayoko Shiraishi as Kiyo Nozuki’s grandmother and Arata Iura as Masahiro Tanabe.
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– The Makanai Cooking for the Maiko House Review Contains No Spoilers –
The first episode starts off showing the beautiful snow-filled houses of Aomiro town, where both Kiyo and Sumire live. The best friends bid a bye to their family and friend Kento before moving to Kyoto where they can become a Geiko/Maiko. When they reach the Maiko house, they are stunned by the architecture and get excited. In the first episode, we see how Sumire is appreciated as a possible fit for Maiko, while Kiyo is simply rejected. Soon the best friends shed some tears before saying bye. However, something wonderful happens here.
Kiyo figures that she can remain at the house as a Makanai (cook) and cook the food for Maikos. Unexpectedly, Kiyo also finds her life’s purpose as a chef. Kiyo is then accepted as the new and youngest Makanai of the town, and the journey begins. In the following episodes, we see Sumire’s journey as a Maiko and Kiyo as a cook. Despite their new series of life events, both keep their friendship strong and steady. It was beautiful to see how none of them were jealous of each other but indeed accepted their new lives and proceeded.
The series’ aesthetics was so pleasing to the eyes. I loved how the dishes made by Kiyo looked extraordinarily delicious and soothing. The atmosphere, locations, and lives of the Maikos were all wonderfully shown. Seeing Maikos and their costumes, rules, dreams, etc., gave the international audience a chance to experience Japanese culture.
The cast acted exceptionally well. I loved how every character had a significant part though the story focused on Kiyo and Sumire. Every character’s story gave so many insights into Japanese culture. Kiyo was so sunny, while Sumire’s personality was kind. Both these friends prioritize each other and work hard in their specific journeys. They also learn together and act tenderly to everyone.
The editing of the series is outstanding! I loved every episode’s intro as each presented an excellent dish in the opening title. The intros ultimately become unskippable, which is an advantage for the series. Moreover, each episode’s dish has multiple meanings to that particular episode and depicts Kiyo x Sumire’s friendship.
Honestly, through this series one can enhance their knowledge about Japanese culture, especially about Maikos. Their hardships and their needs were presented peculiarly. It was so thrilling to see their makeup, dance and other art forms exhibited beautifully. Series as such must be directed more for the global audience to learn about the world.
The only con of the show is that it went slower. The plot was decent, and it conveyed the message correctly. However, the series dragged, but thankfully there weren’t unnecessary plotlines stuffed in. Though the 40 minutes of each episode had a story going on, it could have been fastened.
The Makanai Cooking for the Maiko House: Final Verdict
The series is a breezy watch and is worth streaming. You can spend time with your friends to look at the delicious dishes, beautiful friendship, maiko culture, art, dances and other Japanese aspects. Overall the series did not disappoint me, especially the actors.
The Makanai Cooking for the Maiko House is now streaming on Netflix.
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