Meshi wo Kuraite Hana to Tsugu Blu-ray

Meshi wo Kuraite Hana to Tsugu Blu-ray pairs lovingly prepared food with the wonderfully misplaced confidence of a chef who thinks he understands everyone. Hidden down a backstreet, Ikkoken welcomes customers worn down by life in Tokyo. Its owner insists he can cook anything they want, and his culinary skills live up to that promise. His ability to read their problems is another matter entirely.

Convinced he has grasped each visitor's predicament, he delivers elaborate advice and grand, history-flavoured maxims that miss the point completely. His customers are bewildered, irritated or reduced to laughter, yet somehow leave a little brighter than when they arrived. Each self-contained, approximately twelve-minute episode builds its humour around this contrast between exceptional cooking and extraordinary misunderstanding.

Adapted from Kohei Adachi's manga, the series gives its dishes as much attention as its eccentric host, from hamburger steak and katsu curry to pork with kimchi and horse mackerel sashimi. Toru Nakamura plays the chef with a mixture of warmth, conviction and comic obliviousness. Directors Keisuke Kondo and Yusuke Inoue work with scripts by Kondo, Keisuke Kamiya and Suzuyuki Kaneko, while Fishmans' Gokigen wa Ikaga Desu ka adds a gently wistful musical atmosphere.

This Pony Canyon release contains approximately 144 minutes of the main programme across a two-disc Blu-ray edition, with Japanese audio and no subtitles. The region-free set also includes making-of footage and a conversation between manga creator Kohei Adachi and Toru Nakamura.