Lying and Cooking…

Last spring was a breath of fresh air after the stark dry season that is post-Nodame. Yes, Nodame’s drama and anime was such a blast that nothing came close to compare the fun and energy that Nodame had. Until of course, spring came. Now, there are many series to keep note of during the season. There were many GREAT animes that came out, but what really sparked my curiosity was the line of dramas that came out during spring. Particularly, Liar Game and Bambino.

If lying and cooking is your turf, I recommend that you watch these two series. While you’re at it, read the mangas as well.

Liar Game is brilliant, and Death Note would have been this brilliant if Ooba Tsugumi only knew where to stop and control herself. LG’s story revolves around Nao and Akiyama, two people caught in a conniving game that encourages its players to lie in order to fulfill the task of the game. Nao is one extra-gullible girl, not because she was stupid (although this is really the impression you get when you read her), but because she has an infallible faith in humanity’s honesty. She’s too trusting that you just want to bop her in the head. On the other hand, Akiyama is an ex-con who swindled a big company in his youth. It turns out that it was this very company that drove his mother insane in turn killing herself. Upon the advice of a local ‘policeman’, Nao sought for the help of Akiyama. Akiyama, finding a lot of his mom’s qualities in Nao, helped her to get out of the game. Little do they know that the game is more complex than it appears. Winners have the chance to leave only after they have swindled others of their money. And this could be a little difficult when you have someone like Nao around.

Liar Game is flawless, in my opinion. The manga was well paced and although the art is something to get used to, it was apt for series. It was dark and piercing. And the drama adapted these images really well. Despite how much annoying Nao is, her presence has value unlike Misa-misa. One might wonder why I compare DN to LG, well it’s because it revolves around the same aura of mystery and psychological warfare. Liar Game had a great avenue to present a battle of wits and so did Death Note. However, unlike DN, Liar Game managed to explore the capacity of man’s greed. DN only managed to set a holier than thou setting. Almost there, but not quite complete.

On the other hand, there is Bambino, a story about a boy who discovered the world of Italian cooking during his internship in a big Tokyo Italian restaurant named Baccanale. To begin things, the premise of Bambino is not close to Oishinbo and Yakitate! Japan where you come up with all the weird breads, pastas, and all that what’s not. Instead, it’s closer to Antique Bakery and Cafe Kichijouji De: its about learning how to be a part of the restaurant and how to love its food and customers. Ban, the series’ main character, had to learn these lessons the hard way. There are times where I just wished that I could bop him personally but yeah, thank god everyone around him gave a beating.

Fans of Matsumoto Jun will love this drama, but since I’m not a big fan of his, I can’t say that this is worth a watch because of MatsuJun. I swear, I had to hate his character before I found him acceptable (which was towards the 9th eps. And it’s already ending this week!). The major thrill about Bambino are the different things that Ban had to learn to finally get things right. The lectures from his colleagues and their motivation to pursue what they love were truly passionate. Might I add that the food featured in the series was major fun! They all looked yummy and I made sure that I watched the series after dinner or with a bowl of pasta already at hand. It can make you hungry. God. Hungry is an understatement. If you didn’t crave for a risotto or a ravioli afterwards, you must have an eating problem (or at least full!).