For a film that's supposed to centre around food and chefs, there is very little focus on the food in this film. I would have appreciated better focus on the work that goes into a bowl of ramen and not just label it as "noodle soup".
There was very little to no focus on the food in Japan, particularly Hokkaido, the home of Miso Ramen. But I appreciated that they filmed good locations and showed different facets of the Japanese countryside.
The dry-cut scenes from Japan to France are very sloppy, and establishing shots were inadequate to justify the main character's motivation to take a small suitcase and travel halfway across the globe.
As we arrive in Japan, there is little to no effort from the main character to even learn simple expressions, or explore the cuisine of Japan when the main reason he travelled was in search of Umami.
It didn't feel like the writer and director did a lot of research into Japan and its cuisine. The prowess and intricacies of French cuisine and the importance of that blogger/influencer weren't properly established either. And it shows. The characters are dull, the motivation is lacklustre and the representation of Japan was underwhelming.
Another attempt of a Western Filmmaker to "show" Japan only to solidify Western Stereotypes of Asia, Japan, and the East. The ending was rushed, abrupt and nonsensical. Disappointing.
There was very little to no focus on the food in Japan, particularly Hokkaido, the home of Miso Ramen. But I appreciated that they filmed good locations and showed different facets of the Japanese countryside.
The dry-cut scenes from Japan to France are very sloppy, and establishing shots were inadequate to justify the main character's motivation to take a small suitcase and travel halfway across the globe.
As we arrive in Japan, there is little to no effort from the main character to even learn simple expressions, or explore the cuisine of Japan when the main reason he travelled was in search of Umami.
It didn't feel like the writer and director did a lot of research into Japan and its cuisine. The prowess and intricacies of French cuisine and the importance of that blogger/influencer weren't properly established either. And it shows. The characters are dull, the motivation is lacklustre and the representation of Japan was underwhelming.
Another attempt of a Western Filmmaker to "show" Japan only to solidify Western Stereotypes of Asia, Japan, and the East. The ending was rushed, abrupt and nonsensical. Disappointing.