Summary:

Kakei Shiro is a 45-year-old lawyer who works at a small law firm. He is good at cooking and a meticulous and thrifty person who keeps the monthly food budget to 25,000 yen. Shiro’s daily routine is to leave work on time and head to a discount supermarket nearby. His partner Yabuki Kenji is an affable hairdresser in his 40s.

The two of them share a two-bedroom apartment and the finer points of two men living together come up at the dining table every day. Although two of them have been in a relationship for three years and Kakei’s parents know he is gay, Kakei never shares the fact that he is gay or Kenji is his partner to anyone.

(Source: MyDramaList)

This movie is the sequel to the amazing Japanese BL series of the same name about a mature gay couple, Shiro (Nishijima Hidetoshi) and Kenji (Uchino Seiyou) living together enjoying life and different aspects of their relationship. I enjoyed the show so much and it’s still one of the series I recommend to people who want to understand the complexity of same-sex relationships. So, I had really high expectations from the movie as well and in all honesty; it did not disappoint me. The movie is focused on the closeness, understanding and respect in a relationship and how hard it is for closeted people to come out and be what they are in open.

The best thing about this movie is that it is a good attempt at showing even the difficult phases of a relationship in a light-hearted manner. The movie is humorous and comic that doesn’t feel too much overloaded and everything is in a perfect amount. Following the norm from the series, the movie is also full of all kinds of recipes that turn this domestic bliss into something very pure and beautiful. Love, Respect, Food, Comedy, Drama, and the understanding portrayed by the main couple will definitely capture the heart of the audiences, and leave them amazed as well as wanting for more. The way they balance each other, from handling household chores to interpersonal relationships, everything is amazing. The food Shiro cooks and the way Kenji appreciates it, the way they both enjoy their daily life activities together where they spend time together is indeed marvelous to watch.

The movie also features the supporting gay couple, Wataru (Isomura Hayato) and Kohinata (Yamamoto Koji), who are polar opposites of each other and have an age difference between them. Wataru is in his early thirties while Kohinata is a sophisticated middle-aged man. Where Kohinata is a mature person, Wataru is too spoiled. But still, they have a chemistry between them that balances out everything. Just the way Kenji balances out Shiro and vice versa; Kenji is a more outgoing, bubbly person, while Shiro has an introverted cold personality and is a bit closed off towards most people. It’s relaxing to see how important they are in each other’s life and their love and respect for each other. It’s obvious from their dynamics that they can quickly resolve and move on from any conflict that arises between them or in their life.

Another beautiful thing about this movie is that I think the characters have grown more mature (if it’s possible) than they were in the series. They have somehow, very miraculously, evolved in their relationship. Shiro’s conflict with his parents and the way he takes a serious stand about his relationship with Kenji becomes the very major plot here. It actually is shown and depicted beautifully. The actor’s expressions are on par with their emotional turmoil and it makes for an intriguing watch. I think it’s a movie that can be rewatched, when you want to feel good, with lots of good food and family!

Rating- 5 out of 5

Streaming on- Netflix