You've probably seen all the foodie pics in another thread. So I'll assume you'd be surprised that I'd never seen a *single* episode of KODOKU NO GURUME until this past February. Started from S01E01 and have just gone through a few episodes just about weekly.
I don't know anyone else into the series but I really dig it, mainly because it IS about the food and one guy's consumption of it all. I don't/won't read the original manga but assume the TV adaptation has gone above and beyond whatever the source material has produced.
I also find it remarkable that Matsushige Yutaka has been in the role for over a decade and is still fit as a flagpole. Can't just go eating whatever going into your sixties. Yes, he's probably not consuming everything portrayed on every single plate but still...
And so we come to today's news: A new special coming to TV Tokyo in the fall and a theatrical release in January. I was hoping for the usual holiday special around the new year but a movie??
My only concern is that Matsushige may be doing too much here, shouldering the main trio of work: acting, writing, AND directing. I'm just going to assume his condition of returning to the role was more influence into the production. That said: I do not have great prospects when the acting talent delve into story development. KODOKU has never been about the ancillary pieces of his work/social life, just a momentary speed bump to this next restaurant visit. Trying to add more dimensions to the Inogashira character may be asking for too much. Unlike SHINYA SHOKUDO, it's really about the food here, not the people around it.
