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Reviews
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981)
Absolutely required for Douglas Adams fans
Just perfect. It follows the narrative exactly. That's all you need to know. Don't get hung up on special effects, costumes, or other silly stuff and just sit back with your towel and enjoy the ride.
Saborîman Kantarô (2017)
Enjoyable weirdness, with healthy dose of sugar
I love most of the Japanese food-centric shows (usually derived from manga) from recent years. My favorite is still Samurai Gourmet, but Kantaro shares many of the same plot points, such as they are, with that series. These aren't cooking shows, but they feature vignettes about a particular food or restaurant that all end sweetly. Kantaro has a bit more plot and bends a bit more towards food porn and comedy than the others, but it's still highly enjoyable. We all should enjoy a melon sherbet after a long, stressful day, and that is what Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman provides. It's nothing like typical American TV series, so it won't appeal to a huge audience, but if you want something silly and quiet and gentle, you may very well enjoy it. The adzuki beans doing the Running Man to fight off the evil princess was just epic.
Nobushi no Gourmet (2017)
Sweet and gentle
I have really fallen in love with the series. It's not food porn at all, which what it first assumed it to be. It's the story of Takeshi Kasumi, recently retired salaryman. After 40 years of never doing anything besides work, he suddenly finds himself thrust into a world without expectations. He's lost at first. But he ventures out, meeting up with an imaginary, unnamed Ronin who gives him lessons in being free. Along the way, he eats a lot.
It's tempting to say it's all about the food, but that's not really the point at all. It's a warm look into someone discovering the simple pleasures of life - food, people, and memories. Kasumi is child-like in every way, but that just adds to his charm. And his expressions are just so over the top comical that you cannot help but be enchanted by him.
It's a slow series, with very little action. But it's so much fun to watch. It's probably not for anyone who needs a lot of action, conflict, changes of scenery, or characters, but it will appeal to those of us who have experienced that slowing the pace of life and appreciating every moment brings happiness.
Family Plots (2004)
Endearing and weird in equal measure
Understandably, not everyone is going to want to watch a show about a real funeral home, but if you stick with it, a real family emerges - one with lots of quirks and challenges, to be sure - and it includes the staff who work at the family-owned business. There are some really touching moments, and they seem to be highly respectful of their clients and care about providing proper service. Of course there's plenty of infighting, stupid melodrama, sister jealousy, weird dad with cat scenes as well. Overall, though, it really did feel like a realistic portrayal of what does go on in a small mom-pop run funeral parlor.
Somebody Feed Phil (2018)
One of the best food and travel shows
I have fallen in love with this show. I cannot emphasize enough just how sweet and open the star, Phil Rosenthal, is to everyone. He has a child-like enthusiasm for everyone he meets, and he's so respectful of the country he visits. Don't get me wrong, I love Anthony Bourdain's snark and sophistication, but when I need to be uplifted, I watch Phil be charming with a bunch school children singing and dancing a goofy dance. He does this without becoming saccharine or fake, and the show succeeds because Phil meets all kinds of interesting people and eats all kinds of interesting food all over the world. The food and location are still major stars, but it's the people, shown through the lens of Phil, that remind us that there's still plenty of wonder and good in the world.