My newest immersion obsession has been Midnight Diner and the sequel Tokyo Stories. I put off watching this for so long because I completely misunderstood the premise and it has definitely been a learning experience. I have a bad habit of judging things harshly without any real investigation into their substance. I think this is fairly common in the world but it’s something I see in myself that I dislike. I mostly blame my father but you know, that only gets you so far. The reason I bring this up is that it kind of fits in with the overall themes of Midnight Diner that I will discuss later.

The show revolves around a small bar/restaurant in Tokyo run by a mysterious scar-faced man who is only known as ‘Master’. This is not a kink thing (though there is a lot of alternative lifestyle on display) but more a sign of respect for the guy since he is kind of an institution in their specific ward of the city. Also he can make basically anything in his tiny kitchen as long as he has the ingredients and time. These little bars are common in Japan and are called izakaya. If you’ve ever seen a piece of media that goes through a Tokyo backstreet then you’re familiar with these little places. They usually sell drinks and Japanese bar food and are kind of quick stop off places frequented by business people and anyone in need of a casual sit down.

I’ve heard this series compared to Cheers but I can’t really make that assessment because it isn’t really a sitcom. I would put it more in the drama category but it also does have a good deal of comedy. There is also very little in regards to the status quo which is essential to all American sitcoms. The basic structure of each episode is a guest character shows up at the shop and usually has some kind of moral dilemma or personal issue that they’re working through. The supporting cast of constant characters comment on it but the bulk of the story is about the guest star resolving whatever issue they’re having. Most episodes end with a smile but often the endings are bittersweet or even tragic. (Spoilers) One of the first few episodes involves the Master becoming close with an up and coming singer before she dies a cruel death from cancer, living on spiritually in a neighborhood cat that the Master feeds. Characters pass through the world much like in real life where some stay, some go, and some pass away. It can often be very poignant.

Embarrassingly the reason I avoided it for so long is that I thought it was a reality show or at the very least a show revolving around food. This is a little bit on the TMI scale but I don’t really care about food the way most normal people do. I generally eat to stay alive and enjoy certain things more than others but I don’t fetishize food or enjoy watching it being made or eaten. The phrase “food porn” is meaningless to me. I saw the thumbnail for Midnight Diner and thought it was either a reality show about a specific diner in Tokyo or a food-centric series but it is not that at all. Each episode is themed with a specific dish, usually whatever the guest star orders, but the presentation is realistic and utilitarian and mostly serves to bookend the episodes. So yes, I tend to judge books by their covers and I miss out on good things accordingly. I have also spent most of my adult life working in restaurants so watching real ones makes me very anxious.

I’ve been thinking about rating things in my head based on their suitability to different levels of Japanese proficiency and for this one I think it probably falls a little past intermediate a lot of the time but is pretty watchable for people in the middle. The wonderful thing about Netflix is they are the only streaming platform that offers native Japanese subtitles on their content which helps a lot when learning through immersion. I would say while watching I probably picked up about 60% of what was said and being able to follow along reading is hugely beneficial for context. I’ll probably revisit it in a year and realize that I didn’t understand most of what I watched but that is one of the most interesting parts of the learning process. I tend to rewatch things over and over and the biggest brain tingle moments come from watching things that were impenetrable six months before and suddenly realizing you know what these people are actually saying. It’s moments like that that make the hours of uncertainty worth it.