Our Dining Table

In the short time between completing this story to writing this review, I have returned to Our Dining Table no less than a few hundred times (lying) and so came upon the personally groundbreaking realisation: wow, it really was that serious.

Despite its conciseness, Our Dining Table left such a pleasant lasting impression on me that it immediately climbed its way to being one of my favourite manga's of all time. Something about the whimsical wispiness of the art-style and the quiet but meaningful angst of our protagonists left me feeling strangely comforted and content—I can't deny that it is, in part, largely because of my fondness for stories with food themes and tiny round children flitting around in the background unintentionally bringing people together.

At risk of "reading too much into it", I liked that the story sort of 'subverts' that expectation that anything food and eating would naturally be 'cozy' or 'feel-good' given that our main character is someone who is disillusioned by these practices due to his repeated negative experiences with meal times growing up. I personally felt that this discussion had a significant cultural weight to it seeing that food and eating is so integral to family rituals in Asian households; the act of eating together or asking people if they've eaten or bringing food for others is a sort of love language particular to such cultures, especially when we are less likely to outrightly verbalise our affections. Yutaka's disillusion with dining is representative of his dissociation with his family, with whom he has never felt belonged and not just because he is adopted. The idea that food doesn't taste quite right when you're in an environment that is suffocating you.

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

And it goes pleasantly full circle when Yutaka is able to enjoy food and eating again after finding his own home elsewhere. I just really like that connection of family and food, and despite the lack of "closure" per se surrounding Yutaka's home situation, I found that I was less fussed because I was more invested in Yutaka's future happiness with his new family (which I feel expertly reflects Yutaka's own feelings as he gradually stops putting so much weight on his relationship with his adoptive family). It's a story that packs a punch even with its simplicity.

Rather than lamenting that the story was restricted by its short run, I was more impressed that it brought me so much joy in so little time. If you are someone like me, who enjoys slow, quiet stories, I think you'll definitely like Our Dining Table! And whether you believe it or not, the baby fever and children propaganda in this is unfortunately not beneath you, I fear.