The first theatrical version of the classic IP "The Solitary Gourmet" is currently in theaters. This work, written, directed and performed by Matsushige Yutaka, not only continues the characteristics of "a magical tool for eating", but also makes Inogashira Goro's foodie journey richer and broader.
In order to find a soup from his childhood memory, Goro traveled across France, South Korea and Japan, embarking on an adventure to find delicious food. The "lonely gourmet" who has always eaten alone for more than ten years also used food to connect more people this time, sublimating the aesthetics of "eating alone" into a transnational dialogue about memory, belonging and the warmth of life.
Poster of "The Solitary Gourmet Movie"
As the most famous "eating broadcaster" in Asia, Goro Inogashira's food experience has accompanied countless viewers during their mealtimes. This man, who usually has a dull and cute expression, will immediately become full of vitality when he is "hungry". He prepares every meal carefully, savors and evaluates every bite of food, and everyone who watches him eat will be deeply healed by him.
At first, this was just a late-night show on Tokyo TV, and even Matsushige Yutaka himself thought that few people would watch it. As a result, the show has been around for thirteen years, and almost every episode has a Douban score of more than 9 points. There is no ups and downs in the plot, but the most simple shots and the most ordinary details are used to discover the inconspicuous street shops, and also outline the intoxicating life taste of the inconspicuous ingredients.
Yutaka Matsushige in Shanghai
As Goro, Matsushige Yutaka has been eating since he was middle-aged and has white hair. He claims that he is old enough to be called "grandfather". When the series was ten years old, he thought about ending the series. But thinking about the long-term bond with the audience, he felt that "if I stop here, many people will feel lonely." So he decided to change direction and make the ten years a new opportunity for adventure. He took on the responsibility of screenwriter and director and filmed a "culmination" work as a great gift.
Compared to the TV series, "The Solitary Gourmet Movie" constructs a more grand narrative framework - Goro was commissioned to embark on a cross-border journey in search of the taste of "Ichijyo Soup". The food exploration that was originally limited to Japan has expanded to a wider area. The addition of partners such as Yuki Uchida, Hayato Isomura, and Joe Odagiri not only gives Goro more guides and helpers on his journey, but also enriches the emotional dimension of the film through their respective stories.
To promote the movie, Matsushige Yutaka also came to Shanghai this time. As a "foodie", his three-day trip to Shanghai was filled with all kinds of food. At every roadshow, audiences brought their favorite food to share with Uncle Goro. When interacting with the audience, he was always "possessed by Goro". When the audience said they brought food, he couldn't wait to run off the stage to be "fed". Of course, it was actually to interact more closely with the audience who liked him. He even continued his "soup-hunting journey" from the movie to real life. When he heard many Chinese audiences mention the tomato and egg soup in their childhood memories, he also made a special trip to taste this most homely soup.
Yutaka Matsushige recreates the classic scene "Boom Boom Boom" at Shanghai Film Studios
When the classic "dong dong dong" scene was played on the big screen, the memories related to the taste buds were also awakened. The unique performance style of Matsushige Yutaka and the delicate thoughts hidden in his casual expressions were understood by the audience, triggering bursts of laughter in the theater. This time, it was not the "food-matching artifact" facing the small screen, but laughing and being moved with like-minded people in front of the big screen. Goro, who walked into the cinema, helped those who had watched him eat to get rid of "loneliness" together.
Before the film was screened, Matsushige Yutaka gave an exclusive interview to a reporter from The Paper, talking about the thirteen years he and Inogashira Goro spent together.
【dialogue】
Everyone has a childhood soup in their memory.
The Paper: Every time "The Solitary Gourmet" releases a new episode, the topic that everyone is most concerned about is what Goro will eat this time. So, what delicious food is there in this movie?
Matsushige: This is a "soup-hunting journey" because I think soup is a dish that resonates with people. No matter where you go in the world, you can find soup everywhere.
Including this roadshow in Shanghai, I asked the audience what soup they remembered in the interactive session. Many people said tomato and egg soup. I felt that everyone would miss the taste of their mother's soup when they were young, and only the taste of the ingredients from their hometown can retain people's memories. However, many of the soups we drank when we were young may not be made now, because many ingredients are no longer available.
After deciding on this general direction, I started to use a chowder noodle soup from Kitakyushu that I had eaten in my childhood as a reference. Later, we went to France and South Korea to collect materials and found a lot of food, and I fed some of them into this work.
Stills from "The Solitary Gourmet Movie" The food journey goes beyond Asia and into the world
The Paper: In addition to food, there are also strong emotions between people in the movie. This time, Goro went from eating alone to trying hard to connect people from different places with food. Why did you design such a transformation?
Matsushige: So far, Goro has not had much communication with other people in the TV series. But this time there is such a new plot in the movie, I think it should be very happy for him. Of course, he did not go to communicate with others on purpose, but he was asked to find the hot spring by chance. Unexpectedly, the gears of his destiny also changed, and he began to meet different people.
For me, this is the biggest highlight and the most interesting part of the movie. For the audience, if they can pay attention to the fact that this time he is not just eating, but also starting to have some emotional connections with the people around him and starting to pay attention to the changes in other people's moods, I think I will be very happy too.
The Solitary Gourmet Movie: Matsushige Yutaka and Uchida Yuki
The Paper: So you hope that the “lonely gourmet” will no longer be so “lonely”?
Matsushige: Actually, there are many scenes in the movie where other people watch Goro eat. I think the feeling of loneliness is more like how others see him, but I think Goro himself does not feel that he is "lonely", but feels that he is a person who eats freely. This is the spirit that the drama has always wanted to convey. This movie is more like an extension of this form of free eating.
I thought about ending it, but I started a new adventure as a director for the audience.
The Paper: This is your first time serving as director, screenwriter and leading actor. What prompted you to fully participate in the creation?
Matsushige: Three years ago, on the tenth anniversary of "The Solitary Gourmet", I was thinking, should I continue this series or put an end to it here? During the ten years, I found that the bond between this work and everyone has become deeper and deeper. If I stop it, I will feel lonely. So I think it's time to start a new adventure. So I hope to make it a comprehensive work. Although I thought this subject matter was not suitable for a movie at first, I later thought, could it be made into a movie through some ideas? I once asked other directors, but for various reasons, I finally did it myself.
Matsushige Yutaka on the set
The Paper: So what is it like to be a director? How do you balance the work of director and actor?
Matsushige: Although I have been involved in the film industry for many years, I have never had the opportunity to participate in the production side. This time I learned a lot about the process that I didn't know before, and I found it really interesting. I also wondered why I didn't get involved earlier.
The main members are the staff we have worked with for more than ten years, so the communication is very smooth, and everyone is like a family. Of course, compared with the previous TV series, our team is definitely larger. I will take charge of the overall planning, and then work together with my staff to make this movie, and everything is going very smoothly.
Director: Yutaka Matsushige
The Paper: You have been with us as "Wulang" for thirteen years. When you first started playing this role, did you think you would be with this character for so long?
Matsushige: At first, it was just a show broadcasted in the late night slot of Tokyo Electric Power Company. I even thought that few people would watch it, but I didn't expect it to last year after year until now. Later, I heard that many people in Asia like this series. A few years ago, I went to Beijing and found that people in China also like it. I really find it incredible. When I started this work, I was actually only in my forties. At that time, I really didn't expect that I would play the same role for so many years.
Stills from The Solitary Gourmet Movie
The Paper: Some actors feel that a role that is too deeply rooted in people’s hearts will limit their development in other acting areas. Do you have such concerns yourself?
Matsushige Yutaka: There are many actors in Japan who keep playing the same role, but I never thought that I would take this step. In fact, I hope to avoid playing the same role for more than ten years in my acting career. But because of the support of many people, I know that many "fans" like the role of Inogashira Goro, and I think for them, I can continue to play this role like this.
At the same time, although I haven't had the opportunity to perform in other works in the past three years, I have been concentrating on filming this movie. From an actor's perspective, if I only play the role of Goro, of course I would be a little dissatisfied. But as an actor, director, and screenwriter, I participate in the backstage, and if I have these roles, I think it is a very balanced state. And once I enter such a role, it seems difficult to return to the previous role of just being an actor. So if there is an opportunity in the future, I may do new works as a backstage person.
Matsushige Yutaka greets fans on the streets of Shanghai
The Paper: Do you think you have changed in these years since you became Wulang?
Matsushige: If I were to say something about my own changes, it would be that my hair has turned a little gray over the years. I am 62 years old now, so sometimes if people call me "grandpa" instead of "uncle," I wouldn't find it strange.
In addition, it is true that over the past decade, as I have gotten older, I can feel some signs of aging in my body, including during filming, my staff would worry whether I could continue to eat and film as intensively as before. But I think I am still very healthy, and my heart is still as young as Goro's.
I want to bring Goro to China to eat all over the "Silk Road"
The Paper: Many viewers love to watch the “Solitary Gourmet” series while eating. Do you have the habit of watching TV series while eating?
Matsushige Yutaka: I also eat while watching TV. But I don’t watch TV dramas while eating. I usually watch the news. Because I try not to watch things in the same industry while eating, because that will inevitably make me think about a lot of things related to work, such as the scenes and angles they shoot, because doing similar work can really understand the hard work of shooting. If you think too much like this, the meal may not be enjoyable. So I usually chat with my family while eating and watch NHK news.
The Paper: You worked in a Chinese restaurant when you were young. Can you tell us about your impression of Chinese food?
Matsushige: The food I ate in Japan was actually called Chinese food, which was probably some kind of modified food in Japan, and it was a fast food restaurant in places like shopping streets or stations. This time, I invited Mr. Hiroto Komoto to sing the theme song, and he was also my friend when I worked in a Chinese restaurant when I was a teenager. At that time, we ate a lot of fried rice in the Chinese restaurant. I personally like fried rice very much, so although fried rice is not the main character in this movie, I still let this dish "serve" to show.
For me, especially when I’m not feeling well, eating that garlicky food at a Chinese restaurant and tasting the rich spices in Chinese food is instantly rejuvenating and it’s my “soul food”. I could eat it every day.
Matsushige Yutaka tastes Shanghai dumplings
The Paper: You ate a lot of delicious food in Shanghai this time. Would you consider coming to China again to film the story of "The Solitary Gourmet"? What do you think Goro should eat when he comes to China?
Matsushige: Hmm... If Goro Inogashira comes to China, what should he eat? I think the theme of "Silk Road" is good. If he explores the food along the Silk Road, the scene should be very interesting and exciting. If conditions permit, I really hope he can come to China to shoot.
