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A Study of TV Drama, The Solitary Gourmet - Exclusion of shadows and distribution of non-historical Japan

  • Journal of Popular Narrative
  • 2024, 30(1), pp.279-307
  • DOI : 10.18856/jpn.2024.30.1.009
  • Publisher : The Association of Popular Narrative
  • Research Area : Interdisciplinary Studies > Interdisciplinary Research
  • Received : January 12, 2024
  • Accepted : February 19, 2024
  • Published : February 28, 2024

Heo, Jae-hong 1

1서강대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This paper's aim is try to explore the themes inherent in the text by analyzing the symbols constituting The Solitary Gourmet. In addition to the meal scene of the drama, we will expand the meaning of the text by expanding the gaze of the analysis to the walking scene. The analysis contents of this paper are as follows. First, the protagonist, Goro Inogashira, is embodied as a past-oriented character, and even in walks, he send positive views in the past and negative views in the present. Nostalgia for the good old days often appears as Showa. However, this stops at the romantic gaze reminiscing about the good days with Showa and is easily forgotten in front of hunger. Second, only the positive aspects of the restaurant are found in the meal scene. This is due to the promotion of the restaurant that was invited. the protagonist's monologue and the restaurant's landscape are transformed into different looks from existing gourmet dramas for promotion. Third, Japanese identity is emphasized in many scenes. Descriptions emphasizing Japanese identity and the joy of being Japanese focus on reproducing only the happy aspect, and rice is particularly used as a medium. Therefore, there is scope for The Solitary Gourmet to be interpreted as a comfortable and post-historic drama that excludes the shadows of Showa and Japan. The success of The Solitary Gourmet can be seen as a proof that the drama succeeded in distributing a positive image of Japan.

Citation status

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