The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House is a nine segment show currently on Netflix that was overseen by Hirokazu Kore-eda. It is the tale of two adolescent girls, Sumire and Kiyo, and their experiences as maiko or apprentice geishas in Gion, Kyoto's geisha district. As implied by the title, Kiyo, who lacks the grace and poise needed to be a geisha, embraces the role of makanai or cook for the house. Kiyo is a gifted chef and her loving meals bring great joy to the house and to the viewer. One savors this show as if it were an elegant and delicious banquet.
Derived from a manga, The Makanai... is the most kindly and chaste show or film I've seen in some time. The young ladies may be in geisha bootcamp, but mindfulness and consideration are the order of the house, not cruelty. The banning of cell phones within the house makes the interactions between the inhabitants, with each gesture delicately judged by the showrunners, seem like special instances between people and not Instagram moments. The ladies' respect for rituals, talismans and charms underscore a tradition that is shown as nurturing and not oppressive. I found The Makanai... to be a balm to the eyes and a boon for the soul. Recommended to fans of Little Women and, more surprisingly, Night of the Living Dead.
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