Oct. 31st, 2011 03:01 am
Shinya Shokudo 2 Drama Notes (Ep. 1)
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earth_colorsEpisode 11 (Ep1 of S2): "Red Sausages Again"
Episode Synopsis. In this opening story of Season 2, the mystery as to why Yakuza boss Ryu always asks for octopus-shaped weenies from Master (Kobayashi Kaoru) of 'Meshi-ya' diner is revealed...
Ryu gets a visit by Detective Noguchi who happens to be his high school classmate. Ryu used to be the star player of their HS baseball team and was set to play in Koshien Stadium when he got in a fight with some local thugs. At that time, he was actually protecting Kumi (Narumi Yasuda), the team's go-getter girl. Now, Noguchi tells Ryu to go and visit Kumi. She is confined at a hospital, suffering from a very serious illness...
Episode 11 is directed by Matsuoka Joji ("Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and sometimes Dad") who also helmed Eps. 1, 2, 6 and 10. (info/pic: mbs)
Character Spotlights: The Gangster Boss and the Cop
Kenzaki Ryu (Matsushige Yutaka). Soft-spoken Yakuza boss. In this episode, it was revealed that he was a talented baseball player as a teen and could've played in the major leagues. He always orders small red sausages shaped by Master into 6-legged octopi. Incidentally, Matsushige uncannily resembles his manga character, ne? (pic: comics.shogakukan)
Detective Noguchi (Mitsuishi Ken). This character first appeared in Ep. 10 of Season 1 - he was shown having a talk with Ryu about stemming the conflicts between Yakuza groups in the area. Turns out he and Ryu used to be classmates and baseball teammates in a prestigious high school in Fukuoka.
Drama Notes:
'Kiyome-shio' - As a Shinto funeral ritual, visitors are given small packets of salt when they leave. Before entering their homes, they throw the salt over their shoulder to ward off evil spirits and/or to purify themselves.
Inari (or Oinari) is a major Shinto deity and considered protector of rice harvest and food in general. Represented by the image of a fox, Inari is the patron of prosperity for all involved in food production (farmers, merchants, cooks), and hence, for Master as well. (info: onmarkproductions) (pic: phototravel)
Koshien Stadium - oldest ballpark in Japan, located in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. Known as the home stadium of the Hanshin Tigers, it is also the mecca of HS senior baseball tournaments which are televised live all over the country. It is said that all young aspiring baseball players in Japan dream of being able to play at Koshien. (info: 2.gol) (pic: hyogo-tourism)
Episode Synopsis. In this opening story of Season 2, the mystery as to why Yakuza boss Ryu always asks for octopus-shaped weenies from Master (Kobayashi Kaoru) of 'Meshi-ya' diner is revealed...
Ryu gets a visit by Detective Noguchi who happens to be his high school classmate. Ryu used to be the star player of their HS baseball team and was set to play in Koshien Stadium when he got in a fight with some local thugs. At that time, he was actually protecting Kumi (Narumi Yasuda), the team's go-getter girl. Now, Noguchi tells Ryu to go and visit Kumi. She is confined at a hospital, suffering from a very serious illness...
Episode 11 is directed by Matsuoka Joji ("Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and sometimes Dad") who also helmed Eps. 1, 2, 6 and 10. (info/pic: mbs)
Character Spotlights: The Gangster Boss and the Cop
Kenzaki Ryu (Matsushige Yutaka). Soft-spoken Yakuza boss. In this episode, it was revealed that he was a talented baseball player as a teen and could've played in the major leagues. He always orders small red sausages shaped by Master into 6-legged octopi. Incidentally, Matsushige uncannily resembles his manga character, ne? (pic: comics.shogakukan)
Detective Noguchi (Mitsuishi Ken). This character first appeared in Ep. 10 of Season 1 - he was shown having a talk with Ryu about stemming the conflicts between Yakuza groups in the area. Turns out he and Ryu used to be classmates and baseball teammates in a prestigious high school in Fukuoka.
Drama Notes:
'Kiyome-shio' - As a Shinto funeral ritual, visitors are given small packets of salt when they leave. Before entering their homes, they throw the salt over their shoulder to ward off evil spirits and/or to purify themselves.
Inari (or Oinari) is a major Shinto deity and considered protector of rice harvest and food in general. Represented by the image of a fox, Inari is the patron of prosperity for all involved in food production (farmers, merchants, cooks), and hence, for Master as well. (info: onmarkproductions) (pic: phototravel)
Koshien Stadium - oldest ballpark in Japan, located in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. Known as the home stadium of the Hanshin Tigers, it is also the mecca of HS senior baseball tournaments which are televised live all over the country. It is said that all young aspiring baseball players in Japan dream of being able to play at Koshien. (info: 2.gol) (pic: hyogo-tourism)
