Starring Ren Osugi as Hakutaro and Yudai Chiba as Akio, this series will have you reaching for tissues and contemplating picking up the latest edition of Final Fantasy. Overview: Based on a true story, this criminally underrated gem is divided into a mini-series of eight episodes. Meanwhile, Akio has been secretly logging onto the game as an anonymous player to get his father to open up to him through an RPG. Now that he doesn’t have the job eating into his free time, Hakutaro finds himself becoming increasingly invested in the game. In an effort to get to know his father and understand him better, Akio re-introduces his father to Final Fantasy – a video game the pair once bonded over when Akio was just a young boy. Because Hakutaro was usually preoccupied with work for most of Akio’s life, the father and son duo never had much time to spend with each other. Synopsis: Akio is perplexed when his hardworking father Hakutaro suddenly decides to quit his desk job one day without any explanation. This popular manga adaptation, starring Seiyo Uchino and Hidetoshi Nishijima, is a welcome change of pace chronicling the domestic life of an everyday couple – along with some mouthwatering scenes of home cooking. There’s lots to love about the aforementioned productions, but it’s high time the mellower, slice of life titles get their time in the spotlight, too. Overview: Netflix has no shortage of LGBTQ+ titles, but such features most often come in the form of over-the-top productions like ‘Ossan’s Love’ or gritty dramas by the likes of ‘Ride or Die’. Despite his non-nonsense disposition, Shiro never fails to show his affection and dedication to Kenji by making him delicious home-cooked meals every day. While both men are in their forties, they have vastly different personalities that sometimes clash: Kenji is an upbeat soul who wears his heart on his sleeve while Shiro is more stoic and less inclined to joke around. And we all wish to see things through their eyes.Synopsis: Kenji Yabuki is an openly gay hairdresser while his partner, Shiro Kakei, is an attorney who keeps his identify as a gay man a secret from his family and colleagues. If you ask us, its like playing string with your pet cat or walking your dog. Combined with cuteness, or kawaii かわいい, a phenomenon that started in the 70s and that today has managed to propel Shinzo Abe to appear as Mario in the Rio Olympics closing ceremonies (Imagine Putin dressed up as Cheburashka…?), the Japanese do not shy away from their fondness of simple and cute characters that solely exist to create an atmosphere that the consumer themselves can plunge into. This type of escapism is in tune with many different tropes that can be found in Japanese literature, from haiku to other appreciations of finer arts, like creating a Japanese garden. The smell of black coffee in a white ceramic cup, raindrops falling against the windowpane – potsu potsu ぽつぽつ, you get the idea. In such a parallel world, characters rarely have conflicts, and the tone emphasizes, like many Japanese way of appreciation, on nature and the little things in life. Just like Hello Kitty, Rilakkuma falls under the iyashikei (癒し系) trope, a term applied for manga or anime characters that possess a healing characteristic. The appeal of Rilakkuma has proven the importance of creating a domain for escapism. – – – How does the Japanese capture your attention? No review here as I have not seen it, but you see the visualisation. Not a Japanese original but a Taiwanese series. Rilakkuma is like a snail, small, harmless, but fluffier. If you are interested in more information about the two, leave a comment, we might feature them next time! Ask any Japanese, who doesn’t like dangos (traditional Japanese sweet), omurice (omelette rice) or purin? One of his favourite pastime includes soaking in the onsen (hot spring)! He shares a roof with fellow San-X characters Korilakkuma and Kiiroitori. Our little brown cub shares many traits with your “average” Japanese and therefore relatable. So, if you do not have the privilege of a purring cat lying on your tummy after a long day of work, what would be more tempting than a brown bear that just oozes laziness and at the same time, displaying anthropomorphic traits that you can lovingly interact with? The creator of Rilakkuma originally wanted to have a pet dog, and this desire for companionship inspired her to create Rilakkuma. Obviously the convenience factor of something like this happening is very appealing, especially if you aren’t allowed to say, keep a pet in the building you live in, which is often the case in Japanese apartment housing. Like all great manga characters (actually I am only thinking of Doraemon, but I am sure there are others! If you do know, please comment!), Rilakkuma appeared out of nowhere in the apartment of office lady Kaoru.
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