"Pâtissier-san to Ojousan" drama, episode one of four recap

 

 Air Dates: January 21st until February 11, 2022 on TVK   Friday nights at 11:00 pm

Subs were done by Irozuku Subs, 24 minutes an episode

Main Cast: Being a mini drama it's a very small cast but there are two others who will be added in when they're introduced, most all of action takes place at the Patisserie Cheval pastry shop.

Tsubasa Sakiyama as Jouji Okuno.... Works at the pastry shop and his age is somewhere between 25-29. Appears to be currently living with the owner who has an apartment above the shop and Jouji has fallen head over heels for Fumiko but has no clue how to tell her his feelings. By the end of the second show neither still knows the other's name.

Natsumi Okamoto as Fumiko Haru.... About 24 in age and works as an OL. She only visits the pastry shop on Fridays at around 6:00 pm after her work week is done. Fumiko is a very quiet yet cute woman who loves pastries and keeps hoping Jouji will strike up a conversation.

Ryota Murai as Ryo Tatewaki.... Owner of the pastry shop who is around thirty in age. Ryo lives in an apartment upstairs from the shop and is trying to coach Jouji how to ask Fumiko out which has been a failure.

Short promo video for the drama .... The drama's website

 Been zipping through dramas faster than I usually do. Am caught up with the sites subbing my current watches and was looking for something to view until the next episodes are ready. Stumbled upon this mini series two days ago and thought why not give it a try, it's only four 24 minute episodes so not giving up a lot of time. Romance dramas are my least faves but sometimes ones that are a bit quirky, different and shorter can be entertaining and through two shows this one has been enjoyable. But just two shows have been subbed and don't know whether to wait for the other new episodes to be subbed or post these two now, will decide by the end of the next recap.

 Natsumi Okamoto has the lead female role and while I don't know her too well do remember her from season one of "Kakegurui". She did a superb job though was only in a few episodes, have also seen her in a few other things. But it's been a long time since an actress was introduced and she does look ultra kawaii in this show so let me work on something for her, she'll be turning 24 on July 1st.

 At 24 minutes an episode these recaps should be much shorter than regular drama posts so may need to stretch things out a bit. One thing I've noticed in watching so many Japanese food dramas is how much they love pastries and especially French ones which is why so many shops have a French name. Which is what this pastry shop has as it's name is Patissier Cheval and appears to be a popular shop, The above two men run the whole show but it appears a third pastry chef will be returning from vacation in the third episode. Won't call him a hero but the main character is the man Jouji, in the top two screenshots he's on the left while his boss and the shop's owner Ryo is on the right. The time is late July and by the time the next episode ends it's already Halloween!

 More importantly the day of the week is Friday, it's approaching 6:00 pm and to Jouji it's the most special time of the week. That's when a young woman about 24 in age, Jouji's a few years older, enters the pastry shop and buys some of their yummy treats. There's a screenshot of that above and yummy could be an understatement! This woman has been coming in for months but only at this time on Fridays and after a while Jouji has developed quite a crush on the woman whose name is Fumiko. But he doesn't know that as he's been too timid to ask her name or strike up any kind of conversation. Same thing happened in this opening scene to the drama as Fumiko came into the shop, purchased some pastries and left soon after that with Jouji kicking himself for not saying a word again!

 It's not just Jouji's fault as Fumiko herself is a bit too shy, she also doesn't know his name. So what it boils down to is that all week Jouji waits for Friday at 6:00 pm to arrive to see Fumiko for five minutes, then it's a week of torturing himself for not getting to know her! Jouji's boss Ryo keeps trying to instill some confidence into the younger man and has given him some tips to meet Fumiko which Jouji has never tried. But after this last pastry shop visit both Fumiko and Jouji have vowed to themselves to say something to the other when the next Friday rolls around, you can see how that didn't work out above. Plus need to point out that by the end of the second show neither still knows the other's name!

 Few more weeks pass and it's that special time on Friday but will it end in another failure for these two timid people? For the first time though Fumiko did utter a few words and in the bottom screenshot says the word Oimo. That's a more polite way(?) of saying Potato and Jouji had created some pastries with that flavor. Fumiko said back as a child those were her favorite kinds of pastries and could this be the chance Jouji was looking for to get to know Fumiko better? Yes it was but as usual he became tongue tied and couldn't say much of anything but Thank You or Come Again, now it'll be another week of suffering. But perhaps in a different kind of way for on the following Friday Fumiko arrived at the pastry shop at 9:00 am as it was opening, only the owner Ryo was there and he sold Fumiko something to bring into her office.

 As you can see above Fumiko had told Ryo the pastry was for a man and when Jouji heard that he naturally jumped to conclusions with the main one being does Fumiko have a boyfriend!? That wasn't the case and the pastry was for Fumiko's boss who we see briefly in the next episode. He's about twenty older and it appeared that at one time Fumiko did have a crush on him! So 6:00 pm came and went with no sign of Fumiko and Jouji thought only the worse, did she change her schedule because of him? It was nearing closing time and the shop had sold out of their pastries so even if Fumiko made a sudden appearance there would be nothing for her. However Jouji had made a secret batch of chestnut flavored pastries for Fumiko and what a shame it would be if he couldn't give them to her.

 There is a God looking out for Jouji as after the doors were locked peering through the window was Fumiko. She was heartbroken the shop was closed and began to walk away but luckily had been noticed by Jouji. He rushed out with his present of chestnut pastries and needless to say Fumiko was overjoyed. For the first time she did say a bit about her current life which was working as an OL, she's such a lover of pastries that she only has them on Fridays to reward herself for working hard all week. Jouji once again didn't have much to add in and to me it appears in this and the next show that Fumiko was dying for Jouji to make his move, will that happen before the last minute of the series? After writing this up found it was much more enjoyable than I thought and sometimes that happens doing recaps. Least it being only 24 minutes in length means no time for filler and the recap for episode two is the next post.