Completed
asianblreviews
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 23, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 6.5

Hmmm maybe better with another pairing?

The main premise of the show is described to be centred around Souta's love for “naked dining”, and how another person comes to learn about his secret. But the series doesn’t dwell on this too much throughout the episodes.

Perhaps, in reality, the nakedness is intended to be far more profound, going beyond this silly imagery.

As Souta spends more time cooking the recipes in his grandmother’s book, he discovers his grandmother’s world – a world beyond the colourless and dreadful universe of a salaryman, filled with endless potential.

He also discovers another facet of 'nakedness': being honest with one's feelings and learning to live an authentic life.

Zenra Meshi’s point is this: You should be taking chances and introducing adventure into your life, even if you don’t know whether you will like it or not. And yes, this nifty little metaphor applies not just to cuisines, but also extends to love.

Unfortunately, the romance, with its standard share of misunderstandings and jealousy, came off as superficial and formulaic. While some kind of character development was hinted at for Souta, the storyline couldn’t quite capture why or how the change was meaningful.

The questionable chemistry between the male leads – but perhaps this is an issue with the casting rather than the actual premise of the show – also explained why some scenes fell flat.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/07/23/zenra-meshi-2023-bl-review/


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Completed
lestay
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 30, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Started good. Got muddled in the middle. Ended on an okay note.

When I started this series, I told myself that 'Maybe this was going to become my first ten for BL's this year!' This was my thought as it started off on an excellent note. But then, the middle happened.

I have said this numerous times- I HATE miscommunication. And that is what happened in this series. When I thought that they were actually going to get together- you get miscommunication upon miscommunication. They see things, but never fully approach one another to clear it up. They (or mostly I guess Souta), takes things at face value and just believes what he sees until it is cleared up later. And by then, it's a wee bit too late for me to feel as happy as I did when I started watching this series for the two ML's. Honestly, I was personally getting annoyed with them.
But hey! They got thier happiness in the end and to see that Mahiro accepted Souta for the way he relieves his stress after working overtime, that's a plus for me.

So! Because of all of that, I am going to give this series a 7. I truly wished it was higher, but I just can't.

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Completed
Kiki
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 26, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.5

It started off strong...

It started off strong, but when it came to them communicating and confessing their feelings, it started to fall apart a bit because too many episodes were used on the miscommunication trope and it felt like it wasn't tied up neat enough by the end. One was always confused and the other was always mad. So it wasn't as good as it could've been.

I adore the actors and this is worth watching at least once! It was entertaining and funny, but also angsty! The concept was humorous and i thoroughly enjoyed the bonding over cooking.
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Completed
Kenneth Carl Vega
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 28, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
This review may contain spoilers

HAVE SOMEONE WHO WILL LOVE YOU AT YOUR WEIRDEST

The Whole show gives a message that, you should have someone for your life a person who will accept and love you even at the weirdest part of your life.
In my Opinion , there is nothing really special about the story, Sota has just this habit of eating naked and Mahiro founds out and lately knows that all the way anyways. I expected something exciting about that eating naked part but it is just Sota's habit.
I was a bit irritated of Mahiro he is so choosy and sensitive and Sota so numb ! If I were Mahiro, I would always choose to be with Sota even if that he has no serious intention to me, coz why would you choose to run away from the person you love when you know they always choose to be with you just like Sota ? right ? The show was good , it was not bad to the point of me having it dropped, I like the spice of life shown in this drama, I liked the characters , it was beautiful in some ways all in all, somehow this is not a waste of time show

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Completed
EarlofCruiseGW
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 2, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers

Food as sex substitute?

The show production is professional, as the acting of the cast. And the people know what they do. It is not like being made in an assembly line without any heart in.
A BL show deeply steeped in the arty stereotypes of the target audience, with 1 kinky element of eating without clothes, Naked, probably for effect. Waving the sex flag?
Misunderstandings and exaggerated Japanese codes of conduct then provide twists in the plot ... Only in the last episodes, starting with No 8, the story got more and twists. Especially when 1 one of the leads is following the hetero normatives and start dating his co-worker. 'The flashbaks try to expalain actual reactions, but can´t really except for the yearning of the 2nd lead for his beloved.
I personally have not experienced, not even in my environment, that I would have been so in love with my childhood sweetheart that would let me, or others, live celibate lives until I finally found my love again .... Unreal and really, sorry, a sign that I personally cannot develop. Even if this love would have been as here been requitted (most unlikely!) or if they/we had been in a relation. Thinking of this 1st love stays, but never in such a way. Forgott he had 1 love affair ...
And 1 lead is again imaged as hetero in the beginning and does become gay ... You are gay or bi, You don´t become (touched by the fairy) all of a sudden LGBTQIA+ ... This ultra conservative (AlrTight) hetero pseudo narrative is reproduced in the show again ,,, as in so many other BLs. it's so yawn-inducing! Again you LGBTQIA+ or not. You don´t get "poke, fertilized" all of a sudden (BL) gay.
The ending profane and technical, as in an arranged marriage, even if both remove their clothes to eat ... or even food as a sex substitute? Not even an embrace, after a chaste kissing while sleeping ... Where live these writers? Or what picture do they want to promote?

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Completed
Light L
0 people found this review helpful
Nov 8, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

yawn

lets be honest, only the first 1-2 eps are good then the 2x speed started, then half skip half watch started and i missed nothing , the mls chemistry it just look like bromance, then there is this weak plot, im so sorry but our dinning table is so so much better than this.. here i see no flavor, its boring, stupid ridiculious misunderstandings, many filler scenes, 12 eps of what? this should be 4 eps max, why making the show long for no reason?
just dont waste your time, both the plot and chemistry are weak, i dont recommend
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Ongoing 3/12
nudo nasuko
2 people found this review helpful
May 5, 2023
3 of 12 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 3.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 2.5
Music 2.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Waiting for it to get better honestly

The premise sounded funny yet the delivery falls short so far. There's nothing funny, nothing different about the story —I know it doesn't even need to be, but the way it is presented like it expects the audience to laugh at the funi.

The acting of the leads are average at best, and since there aren't any side characters that really affects the storyline in a challenging way, it only underlines the two leads' lack of chemistry.

I will keep watching to see where it will be going but I don't have a lot of hope for this series. If you do not go expecting too much, maybe it will be a quick short watch for those who enjoy an easy story.

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Completed
Apaixonada por BL
0 people found this review helpful
Mar 7, 2024
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Poderia ser bemmmm melhor

Sinceramente, achei esse plot um pouco estranho, com pontos positivos, mas a coisa de tudo girar na problemática de comer pelado é demasiado sem nexo, tendo em vista que Ichijo vive sozinho. Fora isso, a série é interessante até a página 2... tudo é bem fofo, fácil se apegar aos protagonistas, aliás, fiquei muito feliz com a presença de Yutaro, ele é um excelente ator em todos os papéis que se propõe a fazer. A avó era uma maravilhosa, até triste saber que tudo aconteceu por ela ter morrido, se ela estivesse viva com certeza shiparia o casal rsrsrs. A questão da culinária sempre me pega, acho maravilhoso, cultural e respeitoso quando se mostra a culinária de um lugar numa série.
Se eu for procurar pontos negativos, digo que a presença da garota é totalmente desnecessária e foi colocada apenas para criar um enredo de separação do casal como conflito final, mas não faz sentido Ichijo simplesmente depois de ter se declarado e até beijado Mahiro propor um relacionamento a ela, e mais vergonhoso ainda foi ela aceitar, pois sabia que seu rival era outro homem.
Enfim, o plot poderia ser melhor, mas todos os demais aspectos técnicos são ok, inclusive cenários e ambientação me surpreenderam pela qualidade e beleza. É uma série que eu indico, mas não assistiria de novo por não ter me prendido tanto, mas com certeza não é das piores histórias que já vi.

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Completed
Nata-Stay
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 30, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

Кулинарная книга мира я бы сказала

Немного накрутили, но все равно хорошо и я с удовольствием добавлю в любимые. Огромный минус (шутка, если что) это смотреть голодным строго запрещено, тем более если вы как я любите ароматную и острую восточную кухню. Сначала вкусно поешьте. и так о дораме. Самое не любимое мной в сюжетах - это недопонимание. ненавижу я это, а тут оно есть и много. Только они видят какие-то предпосылки к чувствам друг друга, тут же начинают отдаляться и не прояснять ситуацию. Все ситуации додумывают, молчат и когда хотят прояснить, бывает поздно. В конце концов они будут счастливы и наконец-то один четко даст понять, что все - прекращаем бегам и живем в полном единении. Особенно концовка. Я смеялась. "Голый ужин" это, как сказано в описании, всего лишь снятие стресса после работы, но тут, по сюжету, я задаюсь вопросом, зачем он раздевается каждый раз в выходные и за едой. Что снимает? Какой стресс? Об актерской игре. Тут выделю только Ютаро. Другие очень слабо. В основном здесь общение через приготовление блюд. Больше похоже на "Кулинарная книга мира". Но не смотря на что в моем отзыве кажется, что я больше не довольна, смотреть стоит. В любимые из-за Ютаро и первых пять серий и заключительных.

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Completed
EymiLaritzaJorgeCastillo
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 1, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 6.0

Muy bonita

La verdad esta serie me sorprendió mucho, amo que pueda transmitir tanto estos personajes sin necesidad prácticamente del contacto físico, no hubo prácticamente ni un beso entre los protagonista y aun así esta serie te hace suspirar enamorada y con ganas de seguir viendo la interacción que tendrás los protagonistas. Realmente es increíble, no todas las series pueden lograr eso, y es una hazaña las pocas que pueden hacerlo.

Obvio hubo momentos en los que decía, en serio porque haces esto!! por amor a dios nooo!! pero eso n quita lo buena serie que es, la química tan linda de los personajes principales y el desarrollo de los protagonistas, especialmente de Sota, paso de ser el no se nada en temas amorosos a bueno ya lo entiendo y estoy ejerciéndolo XD. Quisiera ver otra serie de ellos dos, la química es muy linda y tienen potencial para cualquier cosa. Japón me sorprendiste tan gratamente, gracias por esta bella serie. esta super recomendada, sentarse a verla es pasar una tarde divertida gozando y enamorándose de los personajes y con los personajes. Si aun no la vez dale una oportunidad, se la comenzaste y no la has seguido, tambien terminada de ver, vale la pena, confía.

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Zenra Meshi (2023) poster

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  • Score: 7.0 (scored by 3,103 users)
  • Ranked: #9124
  • Popularity: #1969
  • Watchers: 7,747

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