Natsuko no sake

Natsuko no sake
Original title	夏 子 の 酒
transcription	Natsuko no sake
genre	Gourmet , drama, his
Manga
country	Japan
author	Akira Oze
publishing company	Kodansha
magazine	Morning
First publication	December 1988-1991
expenditure	12
Television series
Original title	Natsuko no sake
Country of production	Japan
original language	Japanese
year	1994
length	45 minutes
Episodes	11
Theme music	Kaze to Kumo to Watashi by Sachiko Kumagai
Director	Utahiko Honma
script	Fumie Mizubashi , Masaya Ozaki
production	Yutaka Kiyono
First broadcast	January 12, 1994 on Fuji Television
occupation
Masato Hagiwara Ken Ishiguro Yuki Matsushita Kiichi Nakai Emi Wakui
Manga
title	Natsu no Kura
Original title	奈 津 の 蔵
country	Japan
author	Akira Oze
publishing company	Kodansha
magazine	Morning
First publication	May 21, 1999 - 2000
expenditure	4th

Natsuko no Sake ( Japanese 夏 子 の 酒 ) is a manga series by Akira Oze that appeared in Japan from 1988 to 1991. It can be classified into the genres of gourmet , drama and his own and was adapted as a dorama television series in 1994 and continued in 1999.

content

The 22-year-old Natsuko Wakui is the daughter of a sake brewer from the country and has learned to love the drink back home. But she later moved to Tokyo , away from the hard work in the brewery, to work in the advertising industry. However, when she is supposed to sell cheap sake, she wants to give up her job. Then her brother Yasuo also dies of cancer. His goal in life was to brew the best sake in all of Japan. Natsuko then resolves to pursue her brother's goal in his place. With the support of her family and the brewery staff, she continues her brother's work. First of all, she has to get the best, naturally grown rice. So she begins to grow rice of the rare, old Tatsunishiki variety herself . But its cultivation - the variety does not tolerate pesticides and was therefore no longer used - is extremely labor-intensive.

The sequel is about Natsuko's grandmother Natsu, who married into the family in 1928 and led a life similar to that of her granddaughter: first, she moved to Tokyo with her husband Zanzo, who worked there as an electrical engineer. After the death of his brother, he returned and took over the brewery. However, Natsu soon proved himself more skilled at the trade, and her husband turned his attention to bringing electricity to the village.

publication

The manga was published from December 1988 to 1991 in Morning magazine by Kodansha , who also published the chapters in 12 edited volumes. Sharp Point Press published a Chinese translation in Taiwan in 1996.

A sequel to the series titled Natsu no Kura was released from 1999 to 2000 and was published in four volumes. This was also published in Taiwan in 2000 and 2001. In 2003 and 2004 a new edition appeared as a bunkobon in Japan .

Adaptation for television

At Fuji Television ran January 12 to March 23 1994, a eleven-part adaptation of the manga as a drama . It was directed by Utahiko Honma and based on a script by Fumie Mizubashi and Masaya Ozaki . The responsible producer was Yutaka Kiyono . The episodes are 45 minutes each. The theme song is Kaze to Kumo to Watashi by Sachiko Kumagai.

reception

The German magazine Animania calls the Manga a “warm-hearted and moving” work, the themes of which are the “harmony of man and nature, tradition and modernity and of course between people”. In addition, the reader learns a lot about the production of sake, which is told in many small steps and well researched. At the same time, the narrative style is entertaining, "very lively in its simplicity, at times humorous and rousing".

Web links

• Entry at Anime News Network (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Jonathan Clements, Motoko Tamamuro: The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953 . Stone Bridge Press, 2003, pp. 209 .
2. ↑ ^{a b} The soul of sake . In: Animania 01–02 / 2004, p. 32.
3. ^ ^{A b} Wayne P. Lammers: Japanese the Manga Way: An Illustrated Guide to Grammar and Structure . Stone Bridge Press, 2004, pp. 272 .