Tasogare Yusaku is one of the hardest jdoramas to watch that I can remember. Not because it is an melancholic and funny show about a small time supporting actor played by Kitamura Yukiya but because every episode ends up in a real life food place ala Kodoku no Gurume and the food is amazing.
I always like shows about making doramas and supporting actors and the last one I can remember was Byplayers with the late, great Ohsugi Ren and The Actor Kameoka Takuji starring Yasuda Ken which I need to do a rewatch of one day.
Just want to point out that Tasogare means Twilight and one of my favourite movies ever is Tasogare Seibei which is known in English as Twilight Samurai.
However as a verb it means to be lost in thought or to look melancholic.
At the end of episode, Yusaku will go to his usual bar and the mama will him who are you so lost in thought? Love the wordplay meaning someone who is in the twilight of his career but also refers to the melancholy of the show.
Tasogare Yusaku is basically Otoko wa Tsurai yo with food.
Otoko wa Tsurai yo was a series of very popular movies where this guy Tora-san would travel around, meet a pretty girl in every town and get rejected in the end.
Tasogare Yusaku has really good transition scenes where the title of the show will come up.
Jdoramas are a visual medium and it is things like this that make a jdorama pop.
We need a jdorama about voice actors. Radio no Jikan in a jdorama format.
Really like Kitamura Yukiya since the feel good Mushoboke. He really is a chameleon actor like Yasuda Ken and he can play tough guy and regular guy easily.
The sushi in episode 2 made my stomach rumble like crazy. I want to hop onto a plane to Japan right now.
The little girl who gives Yusaku comments on his acting is funny as.
The yakitori in episode 3 nearly drove me mad.
And the unagi looks so effing good. I was ready to confess to any crime just to eat real unaju.
Thanks to anonymous for recommending this funny and torturous jdorama. I can only watch 1, at most 2 episodes a day because it makes me yearn for real Japanese food! I don't think Tasogare Yusaku has been subbed and thanks to SoulfulSeoul for uploading the JP subs on avistaz.
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On an unrelated note, I have finally received by JLPT N2 certificate in the post, 4 months after I took the exam, lol.
