Having just graduated my undergraduate studies, I have found my time being spent indulging in new forms of entertainment. I recently received an email from Netflix suggesting me to check out a new show, Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman. At first I did not know what to expect. I’ve never watched a Japanese drama before, and to be honest I have always tried to avoid watching dramas in general. However, I decided to watch this show because the cover on Netflix had my favorite Japanese sweet , taiyaki , which brought back fond memories from my travels in Japan.
From the first episode, I knew I would crush this show in a few sittings. This show instantly reminded my of the anime, Shokugeki no Soma (Food Wars). The way characters react to the food they eat and the calculated responses to each ingredient stood out as very similar. Even the shots on the screen are composed in similar ways.
Just as an example, above you can see how Shokugeki no Soma and Kantaro have composed scenes of syrups being poured on them that are basically the same. While the drama does not have the same sexual imagery as the anime does, they both do express the orgasmic feelings of eating good food. This is what made this drama experience great for me, the fact that there wasn’t a strange sexual vibe that anime tends to have, but it still felt like an anime. It is weird to say that a drama felt like an anime, but the characters in Kantaro have the same reactions and expressions that are common to anime. To be specific it would fit in the slice of life anime genre.
The slice of life aspect comes through the plot. With each episode exploring a different Japanese treat, you really feel like your learning about his life and Japanese life in general. Unfortunately taiyaki, my favorite treat, was not in the episodes, but I still enjoyed watching about all the different kind of treats that are eaten. At first the treats seem odd to an american pallet, but because of Kantaro’s expressions my mouth was watering by the end of each episode. The office setting also adds to the slice of life feeling by adding work drama and showing both sides to Kantaro’s strange personality.
Would you like watching the show? Maybe. It is hard to say with this show. The people I’ve showed it to all say it is weird, but they all love it when he eats the food. I enjoyed each episode from beginning to end, giggling at the ridiculous situations that arose. I would recommend watching this show, but only the god of sweets would know if you are going to like it.
Outspoken Otaku 