When you think of geisha, ¡°cute¡± and ¡°homey¡± probably aren¡¯t the first words that come to mind. But they¡¯re the defining traits of ¡°The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House,¡± a Netflix drama set in a shared residence for maiko (apprentice geisha) in Kyoto¡¯s Gion district.
A synopsis of the show makes it sound like something created by an algorithm catering to Netflix viewers who¡¯ve enjoyed the armchair tourism of ¡°Emily in Paris,¡± the unpretentious foodie fare of ¡°The Chef Show¡± and the plotless drift of ¡°Terrace House.¡±
In fact, the series bears the imprimatur of Palme d¡¯Or-winning filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, who acts as showrunner and co-writer as well as directing several episodes. It¡¯s his first foray into serialized drama since ¡°Going My Home¡± in 2012, though the most obvious antecedent is the cozy, female-focused ¡°Our Little Sister¡± (2015).
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