Mukai is taking on the role of Eisuke, a former bassist of a rock band who gave up his music dreams to carry on the tradition of his family’s French restaurant. The show will involve a love triangle as Kuninaka and Takimoto play rivals for Eisuke’s heart. Kuninaka has been cast as Eisuke’s older girlfriend Maria, who works at a bank. She is shocked to learn that Mukai has abandoned his music to devote himself to the restaurant, leading her to uncertainty about their relationship. Takimoto’s character is a 20-year-old college student named Chie who comes from a farming family. Although she initially had a bad impression of Eisuke, she begins to develop feelings for him after tasting his cooking. SMAP’s Inagaki will play Tokio, the owner of a competing French restaurant. In the past, he was fond of the restaurant that Eisuke’s mother ran, but after she passed away, he deceived Eisuke’s father and bought out the restaurant’s chefs and staff. Knowing of Eisuke’s ability as a chef, Tokio views him as a rival. Eisuke’s friends, who were part of his band ROCKHEAD, are being played by Tsukamoto (guitarist) and Miura (vocalist). Both of them help Eisuke with his restaurant.

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  Mukai Osamu (Yamate Eisuke)

  Main Role

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  Takimoto Miori (Okusu Chie)

  Main Role

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  Tayama Ryosei (Higashi Norio)

  Supporting Role

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  Osugi Ren (Yamate Taro)

  Supporting Role

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  Yamashita Rio (Nana)

  Supporting Role

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  Sato Shori (Okusu Sasuke)

  Supporting Role

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  Joe's Top 12 Jdramas from 2012

  SayItAintSoJoe posts the 12 Jdramas of 2012 that you can't afford to miss.

  • Jan 5, 2013
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  Test: What Drama Are You?

  Amrita828's drama test - You know you're curious about which drama you really are..

  • Dec 19, 2012

• Apr 10, 2012 11 of 11 episodes seen

  amrita828
  16 of 16 people found this review helpful
  Other reviews by this user
  • Overall  9
  • Story  9
  • Acting/Cast  9
  • Music  10
  • Rewatch Value  8

  What a delicious drama. Literally.
  It left me hungry for more of these adorable characters, and made me hungry for mouth watering food while watching. In short, the title says it all.
  
  The pairing food=hunger may seem obvious, but there's much more to it than what meets the eye. I love the food philosophy as it is portrayed here, because almost each character is defined by his or her way to interact with food. For some it is a simple nourishment, for others, a vehicle to express themselves, the means to capture someone's heart, to force out a smile or the way to forget a childhood of privation.
  I was more than once reminded of "Ratatuille", the disney animation film, and the moment in which the merciless food critic savours a bite of ratatuille and is immediately catapulted back to his childhood and the memory of his mother's love.
  Food really has the power to stir up memories and rouse imagination.
  
  I came to love all the characters and was impressed by the performance of the entire cast. Granted, Takimoto Miori is basically playing Mio from Ikemen desu ne all over again, but as somebody else wrote before me, she's so adorable I'm ready to forgive her for being still an unripe actress. Osamu Mukai is spot on, and I particularly enjoyed him when he would start talking like a dockworker, rolling his "rrr" and using foul language. But my favourite character is without a doubt Taku with his absent-minded ways and his infectious smile. Their friendship and ties are a pleasure to watch: hilarious, sincere, believable.
  
  The music is great. Every piece fits the scene to perfection without ever overpowering it.
  
  There's much more to say about this drama, but I believe it has to be... eaten, instead of read about. Re-watch value is very high because once you've tasted something good, you definitely want to eat it again, sooner or later.
  I may just add that this is a further evidence that reviews and recommendations can be truly useful: I watched hungry! because I trust the opinion of other reviewers here and I'm very glad I did. read more

  report I found this review Helpful Not Helpful
• Apr 15, 2012 11 of 11 episodes seen

  xfire
  8 of 8 people found this review helpful
  Other reviews by this user
  • Overall  8
  • Story  9
  • Acting/Cast  9
  • Music  7
  • Rewatch Value  8

  I've seen other dramas that had the same story vibe about foodies and restauranteurs but I liked this series the best ;)
  
  This is not just a story of a young man who is in pursuit of his dreams, but of how the other characters have grown to realize their own dreams as well as the story progresses. The writers did stick to the plot and made the story focus clearly on Eisuke's realization of his dreams and his relationships with other people.
  
  The only thing I didn't like in this movie was Maria. She was bland, uninteresting and lacked the right mix of emotions as Eisuke's girlfriend. But overall, I loved the characters' rapport and how their relationships meshed well together. It's a drama about dreams, love, family and most of all, friendship. read more

  report I found this review Helpful Not Helpful

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  Konkatsu!

  Both dramas center around a group of childhood friends who are now in their late 20s/early 30s. The whole group works to support an individual member's dreams. Hungry has a couple love story lines, however Konkatsu is more like a romantic comedy. And most importantly both titles end with exclamation points!

  reportRecommended by Kawaikochan
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  Bambino!

  Both are great Japanese dramas that centers around food. Both dramas also have great comedy and bit of romance mixed in. They are dramas that makes you hungry.

  reportRecommended by HAVA-RAVA