I just finished this drama and my first reaction was ... wow!!!
Something magical happened once again, with Keita Machida ... once again!!!
One word can describe what this series left in me: WARMTH
With every episode I completed,I felt more and more overwhelmed. I struggle to find the right words to convey my enthusiasm. It is the second time I have this reaction within a year and both times it was because of a japanese production. Both times a manga adaptation. Both times with Keita Machida.
Title: "Nishiogikubo Mitsuboshi Youshudo"
(Three Star Bar in Nishi-Ogikubo)
Released: 2021 Episodes: 6
Country: Japan
Cast: Keita Machida
Fujiwara Kisetsu
Morisaki Win
A bar tender, the bar owner and a chef who has lost his sense of taste. The three of them are former schoolmates and under the bar's roof, they create a miracle. A heartwarming welcome for every customer who gets through the door. A meaningful interaction among those present. Each one of them functions as a mood regulator and establishes the necessity of companionship. Every episode is a revelation, giving ground for new sentiments to flourish and life-changing realizations to settle.
"It takes time to create something good. Be it liquor or life".
"When you least expect it, you recall an unexpected moment".
I am not certain what makes it unique or rather there are more than one elements that contribute to such a result. The magical atmosphere which made me indulge in reverie, Keita Machida's charming and elegant personality that gives points to his already great acting, Kisetsu Fujiwara who reveals a talent which I hadn't perceived in "His", Morisaki Win who portrays the troubled writer in stall in a very intriguying way, and the emphasis given on human relations. All of the above and many more are the key attributes of this series' success. Of course, most of the japanese dramas I've watched, offer this sense of good quality old cinema that leads the viewer to day-dreaming!
It gave me a warm fulfillment and made me wait in anticipation for these actors' future works.