Udon

Although this film can be simply be defined as a film about noodles, it goes beyond that. Kosuke bombs out as a comedian in New York,so he returns home to Sanuki prefecture in Japan, the heart of "udon country". He ends up on a magazine and he along with Kyoko (Maname Konishi) and others seek to find all the udon places in the prefecture. This interest mushrooms, the magazine becomes wildly successful, there is an udon craze etc. Most important is the side story, regarding Kosuke and his father, who is an udon maker, seemingly the only thing he is interested in. The film explores through the plot involving the joy of eating udon with the complex relationship of father and son. The film works because it is told in a straightforward manner, Kosuke is not seen as a loser and the co-workers, especially Kyoko, share his enthusiasm. The film will make you very hungry for udon. Enjoy this film, which has sentimentality, humor and engaging performances throughout. Its two hours of fun.