Drama Digest

A heartfelt comedy about an unidentified samurai who travels ahead in time from the Warring States period and finds himself in the modern world. Follow his tale as he navigates through life in a different era and fosters an ardent friendship with his co-worker.

One day, a samurai arrives in 21st century Japan after a time-slip from the Warring States period to the present day. Due to this he suffers from a memory loss and forgets that he is actually the great Oda Nobunaga, the Japanese daimyo regarded as the first “Great Unifier” of Japan. Ironically, as this man stumbles through this strange place he comes across the greatest establishment of this modern century – a Mcdonald’s! After eating a hamburger, he is fascinated by each bite he takes. He cannot believe such a delicacy exists in this odd place and decides to work at a hamburger shop. Here he meets with his co-worker, whose name is ironically Oda Nobunaga. The modern-day Nobunaga is no great Daimyo, he is your average job hunter aiming to become a civil servant. In the meanwhile, he works part-time as a kitchen manager at the McDonald’s Senya store and he is also aiming to make his debut as a light novel writer. Both these gentlemen get involved in various events and develop a wonderful friendship which is a joy to watch.

The Feel-Good Part

It is a hilarious show that picks up a common plot and turns it into something special. The whole concept of finding a samurai working at something as random as a Mcdonald’s is so unique. You can really understand how the capitalistic corporate world works in the 21st century! Not even someone who once unified a whole country can escape its clutches. Even the modern Nobunaga’s character was just so lovable and relatable. On the one hand, we see him working towards a practical job and on the other, we see his dream of becoming a light-novel author. He represents almost half the population of young adults struggling to choose between their dreams and what society expects of them. The friendship between these two men is so bizarre yet adorable.

The Disappointing Factor

Firstly, it is an absolute disappointment that this series is only 3 episodes long! We want to know what happens next. We want to see more of the samurai’s funny interactions and antics in the modern world. But apart from the emotional attachment, the 3-episode length of this series ends up abruptly cutting off the story. The plot is not allowed to develop fully and seems to have been abandoned halfway. Even if it is a mini-series, it should have at least been a 5-episode one because 3 episodes provide too little time to develop any sort of story. There was so much potential for the characters to develop a little more out of their basic settings.

In-Depth Analysis

The story was certainly disrupted very quickly, making this show seem more like a YouTube segment. Yet, even within those 3 episodes, you will find 90 minutes of pure entertainment. The concept was bizarre and fun, to begin with. Moreover, the actors did such a good job in portraying their characters. When you watch the show you realize that the cast themselves seem to have so much fun as they are shooting. After completing the show you desperately want more content. You want to know what happens at the end. Does the samurai get his memory back? Does he go back to his own time? Does the modern-day Nobunaga become a light novel author or does he become a civil servant? You will have all sorts of questions, and I hope you find those answers as you watch the show.

Star Power

The cast of this show did a superb job. First off we have the famous child actor Hamada Tatsuomi, now in his twenties, playing the role of modern-day Nobunaga. He has such a charming face and attitude that his portrayal of his character was so lovable. You just relate to his dorky character clumsily trying to handle adulthood. Next up, we have another famous child actor Ito Atsushi playing the role of the Samurai. Ito has been in the Japanese film circuit for a very long time now and his experience is the reason why he can play such a character so flawlessly.