My first blind watch for the year and not part of my currently watching list! Wakako Zake is an adaptation of a seinen manga of the same name. It is a quick watch with 12 episodes of 30 minutes each. I haven’t read the manga but I intend to check it out later. As far as I know, there’s three season for the Japanese version and it also has a Korean remake titled Cheers to Me. Not sure if I’ll check the Korean version though.
Like any of my blind watches, didn’t know what Wakako Zake was about until I watched it. Glad I had beer handy! So far, I’ve been very lucky with my choices. I actually enjoy food based shows because they’re entertaining. Not mukbang level but anything with food I’ll watch. I don’t know why I torture myself but I like them. I actually liked both season of Let’s Eat and Midnight Diner. But I was curious on the Japanese take on this idea – stories revolving around the enjoyment of food.
Born with a taste for liquor, Wakako wanders around every night in search for a place to be.
That’s basically it. We follow Wakako every night in the hunt for a good place to eat and enjoy her down time. Each episode is short but very satisfying. The actress has the knack to make even beans appealing. Although she can be overly enthusiastic with her meal sometimes. Haha! But the best part of the show is actually watching Wakako enjoy her drinks. And she loves her drinks. By the end of the first episode, I found myself opening a bottle of beer and drinking alongside her. But be warned. The hardest thing in watching the show, or any food based show, is when you ran out of food to consume and its late at night. So be sure to stock up.
The show is also unique in a way because majority of the dialogue’s voice-over. Its like watching those quick YT videos but I think its a good tactic. Doing it this way gives the actor more opportunity to focus on the food. The spotlight is on the food and the food alone. I’m also thankful that Rina Takeda is very animated and has a good grasp of her expression. You can definitely feel her getting excited and satisfaction with each bite.
Another detail that I also approve is how they include the shop details and other menu in the end of each episode. This is great especially for viewers who are interested in checking the places out. Thought everything was fictional but I was wrong. Also like the idea of incorporating the actual the owners and employees of the shop in some episodes. It was a nice touch.
A hint of something . . . something was amiss ~
If I have to give a con for the show, its the lack of a solid storytelling. Its like Midnight Diner without a definite story. Atleast with Midnight Diner, it was short but it had a story surrounding the diner. This wasn’t the case with Wakako Zake. This resulted to a flat character. I love that they showcase the food but since Wakako’s the lead, I wanted to know more about her – even a little. Her life is only shown in snippets so it felt lacking somehow. I wanted to learn how her life’s influenced by food. Why she loves drinking so much. Why she ended up living the lifestyle she had. Does she even have a boyfriend?
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There are also instances when she doesn’t react to dialogues well. She’s too enthusiastic about food but lacks the communication when there’s interaction with other character. She smiles, she nods, she stares at half cooked food. Most of the time that’s it. She’s wrapped in her little bubble. Actual dialogue and voice-over material wasn’t balanced.
Wrapping Up the Show
Other than the issue above, I like the show. I don’t have any glaring things to say about the show because the little things didn’t matter much. Although its not mind blowing material, its a good show. Wakako did enough to keep me entertained and intrigued. My grocery list grew longer with each episode. Not only was I entertained, it was also informative. My thrist for good food and a cold bottle of beer grew stronger!
Do I recommend it? Yes. Is a show worth re-watching? Nope. And that’s not a bad thing either but let me explain. Since it is short and factual, there’s nothing much to explore other than knowing the restaurant being featured and appreciate the show Wakako is presenting.
Have you watched this show? Or any food related show I mentioned above? How did you like it?
Series Details
ALTERNATIVE NAME: ワカコ酒 CAST: Takeda Rina,Nozoe Yoshihiro, Kamakari Kenta, etc. EP: 12/23 mins. AIRDATE: January 8, 2015 – March 26, 2015 NETWORK: BS TV Tokyo, TV Tokyo MDL RATING: (7.7)
SUMMARY
Murasaki Wakako, a 26-year-old OL, loves nothing more than delicious food and drink. Wakako’s favorite thing to do for relaxation is to go off by herself after work and go to various places to eat and drink, even if she’s never been there before. The moment Wakako is able to taste the pairing between the food she wants to eat and the perfect accompanying drink, the happy sound of “Pshuuu” leaves her lips. Now, then. Where shall we drink tonight?
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