La Grande Maison Tokyo Special

La Grande Maison Tokyo Special (Japanese: グランメゾン東京スペシャル, Hepburn: guranmezon toukyou supesharu) is a Japanese television special drama that is the sequel to television series La Grande Maison Tokyo and is scheduled to air on December 29, 2024, on the TBS Television network in Japan.[1] This work is set in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world.[2] The sequel to this work is the film La Grande Maison Paris.

La Grande Maison Tokyo Special
Promotional poster
Kanjiグランメゾン東京スペシャル
GenreJapanese television drama
Based onLa Grande Maison Tokyo
Screenplay byTsutomu Kuroiwa
Directed byAyuko Tsukahara
StarringTakuya Kimura
Masataka Kubota
Kyōka Suzuki
Yuta Tamamori
Kanichiro
Ayako Yoshitani
Ikki Sawamura
Mitsuhiro Oikawa
Kazuki Kitamura
Anne Nakamura
Onoe Kikunosuke V
Aki Asakura
Music byHideakira Kimura
Original languageJapanese
Production
ProducersHidenori Iyoda
Keiko Matsumoto
Production companiesTBS Sparkle
TBS TV
Original release
NetworkTBS TV
ReleaseDecember 29, 2024 (2024-12-29)
Related

The catchphrase for this film is "Bring back the stars with our comrades."

In the promotional poster, a leading actor Takuya Kimura and guest starring actor Masataka Kubota are wearing samue, the formal attire of Mayur Kyoto.[3]

Premise

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Shortly after Rinko Hayami won three Michelin stars for La Grande Maison Tokyo, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the restaurant industry worldwide. Her restaurant also suffered a financial setback, and in order for the restaurant to survive, she formed a business alliance with a food service consulting firm NEX Management, Inc. to conduct online sales of frozen dinners and website management for recipes. Rinko began to think only about running the restaurant and forgot her passion for cooking, and La Grande Maison Tokyo finally lost all of its Michelin stars. Also, Natsuki Obana, who was supposed to have left for Paris, had lost contact with her. One day, Rinko and Kanna Kusumi hear a rumor that Meilleur Kyoto, newly opened restaurant in Kyoto, is a strong contender for the world best French restaurant. After tasting their dishes, Rinko is convinced that Obana is there. Why is Obana in Japan, whom they have lost touch with, and will La Grande Maison Tokyo be able to revive itself?[4][5]

Development

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Kimura, the lead actor, said, "It was very exciting news for me to be able to build the world view of La Grande Maison Tokyo once again. I am very proud, happy, and grateful that all the cast members from those days are still present without changing a single one of them. I am participating as Obana, a member of that cast, so I feel that I have no choice but to do my part to the best of my ability," he said, expressing his joy at the sequel.[6] Masataka Kubota plays Yuasa, the chef at Mayur Kyoto, the restaurant in Kyoto where Obana and Rinko are reunited. Yuasa had worked with Obana at Escoffille in Paris. There is a scene in the play where Yuasa presses Hirako, his junior from his Escoffille days, into a cooking duel. Kubota said, "The character I play, Yuasa, loves French cuisine and takes cooking very seriously. This time, Yuasa plays the role of Obana's trusted partner, and Kimura taught me the manners, gestures, and hand movements of a chef, which also gave me a hint for playing Yuasa. I hope you will look forward to this film, as it contains many important elements that serve as a bridge between La Grande Maison Tokyo and its sequel, La Grande Maison Paris."[7] Sosuke Akashi, played by Kitamura, is the president of NEX Management, a company affiliated with a major corporation that has a capital alliance with La Grande Maison Tokyo. He sees a business opportunity in Rinko Hayami, the first Asian female chef of a three-star restaurant. Akashi is an efficiencyist and considers cooking only as a business. As a result, the members of La Grande Maison Tokyo are contractually unable to freely confront the cuisine. Kitamura commented on this role, "Akashi has Akashi's idea of justice and his work is reasonable, which is why he has employees and a contract with La Grande Maison Tokyo. Some young people may think that Akashi's efficiency-oriented way of thinking is the right way of thinking, so I thought about the justice of each of them when I was shooting the film. I have devised a play with a few quirks in playing Akashi, but I think it adds a nice spice to the film, so I hope you enjoy it."[5] The culinary supervisor for this work is a Chef Shuzo Kishida of the French restaurant Quintessence in Tokyo, continuing from the previous work. the chef Shuzo Kishida said, "I received a great response to my previous culinary supervision, and I hope that this television special drama will bring vitality to the restaurant industry, including French cuisine."[8] On October 4, 2024, Yukio Hattori of Hattori Nutrition College, who supervised the cooking for this series passed away. All casts and staffs expressed their sincere condolences for Hattori on the program's official Twitter.[9]

Promotion

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Michelin Guide Ceremony Tokyo 2025

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Takuya Kimura and Yuta Tamamori from this film took the stage as unexpected guests at the Michelin Guide Ceremony Tokyo 2025 on October 17, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan.[10] Kimura announced the three-star restaurants and presented plaques, while Tamamori presented chef jackets. Kimura said, "Today I left my role in the play and participated as Kimura," while Tamamori said, "In the previous film, I participated in the ceremony as Hirako in the play, but I feel very nervous to actually stand in this place."[10] After the presentation ceremony, Kimura said, "Every time I held the plaque before handing it over, I almost became emotional thinking that Obana, the character I played, had struggled for this plaque but could not reach it.[11] I could feel your tolerant and powerful presence, and although I did not eat anything, I think I could sense your personality and seriousness," he said.[11] Tamamori said the highlight of the La Grande Maison Tokyo special is the cooking duel between new characters Yuasa and Hirako in the play, which he hopes everyone will look forward to.[12] At this ceremony, Quintessence, French restaurant in Tokyo, which supervised the cooking for the previous TV series and this film, was awarded three Michelin stars in the Michelin Guide. This was the 18th consecutive year since the Michelin Guide Tokyo edition was first published in 2007.[13]

Tokyo Comic Con 2024

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On December 8, 2024, Yuta Tamamori and Ayako Yoshitani, the stars of this drama series, made a guest appearance at the Tokyo Comic Convention 2024 held at Makuhari Messe as part of the "Grand Maison Project" to promote the special drama La Grande Maison Tokyo Special and the film La Grande Maison Paris.[14] Tamamori and Yoshitani appear in the drama as a senior and junior sous-chef and pastry chef.[15] Tamamori said that when he received the offer for the sequel, he wondered if he would have to perform those cooking scenes again.[15] Tamamori said he was very nervous because in this series, the actors themselves perform all the authentic cooking scenes, so that pressure was strong and no mistakes were allowed.[15] He said that they recreated realistic cooking scenes during the filming. "We didn't skip scenes such as putting meat on the fire with butter, but kept filming until the heat was actually turned on, so I couldn't stand the silent time," he said,[14] and also revealed that he cut his finger during the realistic cooking scenes and injured himself.[16] Yoshitani talked about her visit to Takamura Hamono, the factory that produced the kitchen knives used in the film, and said that she realized that good work (cooking) is possible because of people making kitchen knives this way.[14]

Cast

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Starring

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Guest starring

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  • Masataka Kubota as Toshihisa Yuasa: Chef at Meilleur Kyoto. Obana and Yuasa were seniors and juniors when they were in Paris, and they are also rivals. Shohei Hirako was his junior when he worked at Escoffille in Paris.[1]
  • Kazuki Kitamura as Sousuke Akashi: President of NEX Management, Inc.[17]

Staff

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References

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  1. ^ a b "木村拓哉主演のスペシャルドラマ「グランメゾン東京」放送日決定、ゲストは窪田正孝・北村一輝". natalie (in Japanese). 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  2. ^ "木村拓哉主演『グランメゾン東京』新作SPドラマが放送決定 鈴木京香、玉森裕太ら再集結". oricon (in Japanese). 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  3. ^ "窪田正孝、木村拓哉のバディとなるシェフに! 北村一輝とともに「グランメゾン東京」SPドラマに参戦". eiga.com (in Japanese). 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  4. ^ "スペシャルドラマ「グランメゾン東京」". natalie (in Japanese). 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  5. ^ a b "『グランメゾン東京』新作SPドラマに"主演級俳優"が出演 キービジュアルも解禁". oricon (in Japanese). 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  6. ^ "木村拓哉主演『グランメゾン東京』新作SPドラマ今冬放送へ 鈴木京香、玉森裕太ら続投". realsound (in Japanese). 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  7. ^ "窪田正孝:木村拓哉に料理人の所作を教わり「刺激的でした」 北村一輝と「グランメゾン東京」完全新作SPドラマに出演 放送日も決定". mantan (in Japanese). 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  8. ^ "Intro". TBS (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  9. ^ "服部幸應さん死去 TBSドラマ「グランメゾン東京」が追悼 料理監修「多大なるご協力をいただき…」". sponichi (in Japanese). 2024-10-06. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  10. ^ a b "木村拓哉&玉森裕太「ミシュラン」セレモニーにサプライズ登場 「グランメゾン東京」三つ星店発表シーンが現実に". modelpress (in Japanese). 2024-10-17. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  11. ^ a b "木村拓哉、ミシュラン発表会にサプライズ登場で会場どよめき 玉森裕太と三つ星店を表彰". oricon (in Japanese). 2024-10-17. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  12. ^ "キスマイ玉森裕太、『グランメゾン東京』SPドラマで窪田正孝と料理対決「注目していただけたら」". mynavi (in Japanese). 2024-10-17. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  13. ^ "ミシュランガイド東京、新設カテゴリーでデザートレストランが一つ星に…「三つ星」は前年と同じ12店". The Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 2024-10-17. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  14. ^ a b c "玉森裕太&吉谷彩子が「東京コミコン2024」ステージに登場! 「グランメゾンプロジェクト」の魅力と、今作出演で変わった料理への向き合い方を語る[写真あり]". cula (in Japanese). 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  15. ^ a b c "【東京コミコン】玉森裕太"吹き替え"なしでの調理にプレッシャー 『グランメゾン』続編オファーに正直な心境". oricon (in Japanese). 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  16. ^ "玉森裕太、『グランメゾン・パリ』調理中に指を切るハプニング". cinematoday (in Japanese). 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "相関図". TBS Television (in Japanese). 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  18. ^ "2024年冬、 新作スペシャルドラマの放送が決定!『グランメゾン東京』". TBS Sparkle (in Japanese). 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
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