The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House TV Show Review: Beautiful and Wholesome Content
The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House is a super wholesome, slice-of-life story about two best friends, Kiyo and Sumire, who move to Kyoto to pursue their dreams of becoming geishas. This show is one of the most relaxing and feel good shows I have watched in a long time. The ambiance is homey and sweet, with scenes of home-cooked Japanese meals and scenic Kyoto streets. The characters are often dressed in traditional and culturally rich clothing, set against a backdrop of buildings that take you back to a simpler time (even though the story is still set in modern-day Japan). The essence of the show is about women/girls chasing their dreams and supporting each other along the way.
The Makanai intrigued me from the start because of how it provided a glimpse into the inner and secretive world of Maikos (apprentice Geishas) and Geikos (full-fledged Geishas). I can’t speak to the validity of the representations in this show, but I really liked it for what it was. The beauty of their art could sometimes be misunderstood or just not very relevant to modern society anymore. The preservation of this tradition is lovely.
The main characters, Kiyo and Sumire, are two inseparable best friends. While Sumire displays talent as a future geisha, Kiyo finds her calling in a different way - via cooking for the Maiko house as the “makanai” or in-house chef. This show is very drama-free in an almost unbelievable way. Kiyo and Sumire never even come close to having a falling-out or a disagreement. They wholeheartedly support and love each other, which is very sweet, but my cynical nature would also describe it as unrealistic.
It’s not just Kiyo and Sumire who represent wholesomeness in this show. Even in a high stakes environment where it could get really competitive and stressful, the women in this show support each other through thick and thin. It’s stories like these that remind us about how lovely humanity and community can be.
Another theme this show explores is how the geisha profession can be very old-fashioned and limiting in modern day society. It’s very interesting to see the duality of a character like Momoko playing video games and going to movies during the day and putting on her traditional gowns and makeup as a geisha at night. She and others start to quietly question if traditional rules like not allowing marriage or phones should be thrown out. I really loved her as a character and as a mentor for Sumire.
There is a lot that is left unexplored that makes me excited and hopeful that there will be a second season. For one, I am so curious about how Sumire and Kiyo became friends in the first place. Where are Sumire’s parents? How did they become friends and how did they meet Kenta? I am especially curious about Kenta, because the romantic in me wonders if there’s a future relationship that will blossom between Kenta and one of the girls. I feel that the show was hinting at a love triangle and I really want to dive deeper into that.
Overall, I think The Makanai is slice-of-life, calming show that might not be for everyone. If you enjoy slice-of-life anime, Terrace House, or even wholesome cooking shows like The Great British Bakeoff, I would definitely recommend this to you.