Shinya Shokudo (2009)

I loved this drama. It's quiet and thoughtful. Each episode can exist on its own. The story is original and the cast did a wonderful job. Although there isn't much music, the music they use is very good. The opening theme song is amazing. I immediately googled it and will buy it as soon as I can find someplace to get it.
I recommend this drama to anyone who is looking for something different. There isn't anything supernatural, there aren't any ikemen or suspense, but it draws you into the hearts and minds of the characters. It perfectly communicates the loneliness that can sometimes find you when you live in a big city.
If only I could find a Midnight Cafe here....hehe.

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Shinya Shokudo sure is a special place. It's a place where you can find gangsters, strippers, gay bar owners, aspiring artists, famous artists, office ladies, manual labour workers, wanderers, students, and even sometimes children, all hanging out in harmony, and all treated the same way, with care, by our Mastà (Master).

I love that most characters are recurring characters in the drama, and don't just disappear after their episode-centric ends. Well some of them do, but most return.

Kobayashi Kaoru is effortless in this role. There's something about him that imposes all to behave in his restaurant. He's pretty much fearless. While he does get entangled with people's lives, it's always from a certain, comforting distance, which makes it easy for people to open up to him.

Odagiri Joe's role is the most intriguing addition. He feels like he comes from another time yet fits perfectly in this midnight restaurant with the rest of the loyal customers. His presence adds some sort of mysticism to the whole drama.

Oh and that opening sequence with the lullaby-like song, and its music shapes the drama to make it the most special and endearing to watch.

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Entering Twilight Zone in Shinjuku ; The Peculiar Humanity Behind “Midnight Diner”...

Alternatively known in Japanese as “ Shinya Sokudou”, the drama first graced the small screen with screenwriter Mukai Kousuke behind the works of one of the most successful Japanese dramas of all time with numerous seasons and adaptations in other countries ( including South-Korea, China and Taiwan).

Notably everything about “ Midnight Diner” ‘s storyline should not appear inherently gripping for audiences. Whilst the “ omnibus” formula can be intriguing, there’s the evident problem which would seem to happen with “ Midnight Diner” at first by falling into a cataclysmic rabbit hole of a formulaic structure around the mysterious owner “ Master” ( Kobayashi Kaoru) accounting his interaction with a customer for the audience with little sense of breaking routine or new ground .

Yet against all odds, Mukai Kousuke presents something greatly attractive about the reoccurring and new characters within the series through a mixture of the mundane and magic realism, without crossing into the overtly supernatural or horror genre.

Whilst some individuals such as the three office women who Master dubs as the “ Ochazuke Sisters” are played for humorous gags in a similar manner to the surreal characters of the series such as the stripper
Matsushima Marilyn ( Ando Tamae) and the pornstar ( Kazama Toru), there was still something fundamentally human behind these characters rather than their labels alone. The trio of office women seem to represent the contemporary struggles of dating for older Japanese women, the pornstar hides a sad past with his mother, whilst other reoccurring characters such as the yakuza gangster Ryu Kenzaki (Yutaka Matsushige) and his odd friendship with gay cross dresser and bar owner Kosuzu ( Toshiki Ayata) as well as transgender bar owner Jun ( Genkaku Yuko) helped to present the versatile range of customers and individuals present within Japanese society.

Perhaps the one notable weakness of “ Midnight Diner” did occur at times within acting quality and line deliverance, often feeling a little discordant from the more realistic and hard-hitting themes of loneliness or individualistic stories in each episode. In addition to this as mentioned before, the formulaic styling does become a little predictable for audiences even when a new episode has shifted onto a new customer or characters. Nevertheless, “ Midnight Diner” can be seen as a surreal and transgressive journey into the bewitching life stories of Shinjuku’s night owls, with an oddly heartwarming edge even for the most unlikely of characters and friendships.

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Subtle, heartwarming way to look at serious social issues while evoking feelings in the watcher.

Midnight diner is an easy way to watch people interacting over food. Consisting of 10 episodes of roughly 20 minutes each, every week we are introduced to specific patrons of Master's Midnight Diner, each with a favorite dish, and each with their own story.

The genius in this series is it manages to first introduce you to a new character every week using various narrative styles - background stories, voice-over narration, flashbacks, even songs or depictions of food. Within 5 minutes you understand the character, their motivations and / or issues. There's conflict, there's bonding over food. Sometimes Master intervenes, but never in a pushy way, just sage advice. Eventually there's a resolution of sorts, but there isn't always a happy ending, so that part feels real.

I swear the goal of this series is to make me cry every episode, and for the most part, it succeeded. because my empathy level is quite high. I love how it tackles SERIOUS issues - gangsters (and the lives they are forced into), cancer, problems with gay or trans people, stripping, poverty, lost opportunities at love, alzheimers, even being single. Because it is set off with food as a backdrop, it doesn't seem melodramatic, and you feel like you're watching real people bond over food at a real diner. This series was a treat to watch.

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Its a surreal experience

How do I say this? I was watching this drama without any expectations. I was in the mood of watching JDrama when I realize that this drama is quite popular on Netflix with a lot of seasons. Usually, it's pretty rare for JDrama to have many seasons unless it is highly popular in Japan. And I can see why this drama is very popular, to the point that China, Korea, and I think Thailand? also try to make their own version (but of course they failed? That's what I heard I didn't see their version yet so I can't comment on this.)

Based on manga (I did not read it yet), it told about random people who come into the Meshiya, a diner that only opened at midnight to morning. There are only 3 regular menus and the Master will cook any dish that the customer requested as long as he has the ingredients. Each person had a different story that will be associated with one dish that they order.

The story can be quite dark sometimes but can be also hopeful. The main theme of the drama is slice of life, there is some romance, but it's very little. There are things about growth and up and downs of life. this drama might not be for everyone's taste. This drama is very good for people who like watching some dramas that can make you reflect. Another thing, this drama is also good for people who like to cook. At the end of each eps, the Master will show you the recipe of the dish.

Overall it's a good drama. I'm currently watching season 3. Although the pace is repetitive, but each story is quite unique from one another. I haven't feel bored yet after watching 23 eps.

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Let me start this review by saying that I don't like to watch the dramas/series/variety shows/movies that are super popular or that seem to be following a trend, do you know what I mean? I'm not one to hop on the bandwagon of fans to one thing or the other just because it has a ton of followers, and I had no interesting in watching this series... However, once I started, I was completely and utterly captivated by the show and all of its magic.

This show has a spirit all of its own! It is calm and lively, sweet and sad, mysterious and full of knowledge, completely unfathomable and very relatable on many levels. The show itself is a teacher of life's many ups and downs, good times and bad. With a few recipes of delicious, heartfelt, homemade cooking thrown in, too, of course!

I felt like I was watching some back alley restaurant in Japan via a live camera. The reality in this series is way too honest with a genuine soul.

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Perfect after a long, tiring day

This is exactly the kind of drama I need after a long day. Or when going through a period where I can't handle the high emotions of other dramas. It's not fluff. But it's not angst either. Some may wonder how that's possible - and it's largely due to the episodic format. Each episode has it's own plot, focused on one of the regular customers of the midnight diner.

That's another standout feature: The show does not focus on the main character. The resultant nice, wise, and mysterious air that this gives him never detracts from all from the stories being told though. And each of the customers have really compelling stories - many of which are rarely told - that are given the proper attention and tone. Instead, we see all of the customers, denizens of the night life, being treated as whole people instead of a character embroiled in drama. And we see them all develop a peaceful and amicable dynamic with each other in the diner, as if they are family.

There's also a nice focus on food - with the customers each having a favorite dish, usually for a reason, that they will request the diner owner to make. And then at the end of the episode, viewers get a demo/explanation on how to make the dish or tips to keep in mind while doing so.

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Timeless

TRIGGER WARNING: People smoking a lot. And inside!

I loved this. In spite of it being 15 years old, it still looks fresh.

This is a kind of omnibus drama, stories about different people loosely connected. And in this case, the connection is the restaurant that is open from midnight to dawn! The restaurant owner just sits there smoking when he is not cooking and listens to his customers lives without interfering. We do not know anything about him. Not even his name: everyone just calls him Master!

Each episode deals with a customer's problem: love, parents, friendship, children, jobs. Master is there to give them their comfort food and listen.

I love this kind of dramas so I enjoyed it a lot. The stories are told in short 25min episodes but are completed, sometimes there are even time skips (months, weeks) but this is not an artificial passing of time (for the dramatic effect) but it is life: the characters needed that time to show us how their stories were going to finally turn out (an actress needed to complete the movie for example!).

The cinematography is amazing: shots of Tokyo at night, the bustling streets give way to a small alley. The music is amazing: I do not know anything about japanese music but in any case this is not pop music.

People are lovely and what every one of us needs is a plate of comfort food and a friendly non judgemental ear. And that is what this Midnight diner provides for its customers. Warm and welcoming.

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I randomly stumbled into this show, and I'm so glad I accidently found this gem. This show makes you feel warm and cosy when you watch it. The same feeling you get when it's raining outside and you're at home, wrapped up in a blanket with a warm drink. As soon as I hear the opening I smile, looking forward to the story the episode is going to tell.
Each episode tells you a different story about people that come to the midnight diner. The premise of having a diner where Master makes his customers whatever they want so long as he has the ingredients is an interesting one and makes it feel so homely. I just wish I could find a diner that felt so intimate and friendly in real life!

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Thoughtful Culinary Experience

MIDNIGHT DINER (2009-2014) was an excellent Japanese series about a small diner open from midnight to seven a.m. in the morning (12am-7am). The diner is visited by all sorts of interesting, bizarre and sometimes even shady characters, all with their own backstories, reasons for visiting the diner, along with special memories associated with their choice of dish. Some are Yakuza, some gay night club workers, some are struggling enka singers, but all have stories to share.

Along with the many character's stories that are gradually revealed as the show progresses, this series also features cooking and many different Japanese recipes, making this a unique experience for food enthusiasts, as well as culture aficionados alike.

This is a very mellow and simplistic series, but one that has a very quiet, heartfelt and thoughtful atmosphere to it. I really enjoyed this and can thoroughly recommend. I must say however, that this show is for adults only as there is some light nudity present and the content can sometimes be risque and emotionally heavy. Overall, this series is a gem and I will be looking forward to watching the sequel series as well.

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