Emperor's Cook

There was only one thing I didn't like about the series, and that was the sometimes really bad transitions between scenes. But it's a TV show, so I'm gonna forgive it and fire off 5 stars right off the bat for good measure. I have to apologize to Satō Takeru at first, as I didn't believe such an acting gig was within his capabilities. Somehow he kept getting roles where he again didn't have room to show off, but here... he really breathed the character – he became the cook, the husband, the selfish one, the jerk, the father, ... just everything Akiyama Tokuzō became: whatever he was portraying. However, my heart was pounding for another character, and that was his wife Toshiko, played by Kuroki Haru, and played really well. Toshiko in her portrayal was elegance itself, a dutiful daughter, but most importantly a loving wife – a Meiji-era woman. I just have to commend the entire ensemble cast (Suzuki Ryohei as the older brother who basically allows Tokuzō to take his first steps towards his dream of becoming a chef, Kobayashi Kaoru as Tokuzō's first and lifelong mentor, Sugimoto Tetta as Tokuzō's father from whom he surely inherited an explosive temper, and others), the choices were really good, but it was just those two – each in their own way – that really got me. In the twelve episodes that the series has, we get to go through many years with Tokuzō, and there really are times when I'd like to pull him over my knee and spank him on his bare bottom. It's just that we also get to see him grow up and fight the adult world like a brave man. One trait will remain with him all his life, but time and especially love (for family and country) will grind it down. I admit without torture that some scenes really moved me while others made me laugh. Truly a series from life/based on life. While it is possible that some may not like Tokuzō and his behavior or expressions in the beginning, and some might even take it as overacting, but believe me, this is how the Japanese really act. They're just a bit more theatrical than we are. In other matters, they're a little more blunt. But that's a longer debate and certainly not one for this show. I can't forget to praise the sets and costumes – you can see that the creators have taken great care (for example, when Tokuzō first comes to Tokyo, there is no tram on XY Avenue yet, but after a few years it will be added, etc.). Then when we see Tokuzō, it's obvious that the suit doesn't fit him and is really bigger, because it's not his. In short, This was a beautiful show and I definitely recommend it as a historical insight into the time before and just after the war as a broadening perspective. (09/20/2015)