Kantarou: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman (さぼリーマン) is a Netflix & TV Tokyo collaborated Japanese TV Show that aired between 7 July to 29 September 2017. It’s sometimes called “Saboriman Kantarou”.
About
Ametani Kantarou is a salesperson for a publishing company that goes out to stores to sell products. While he is out on his trips he plays hooky to try out new desserts and do a write-up on his blog. However, it’s becoming more difficult not to get caught and one of his colleagues has become suspicious.
Cast
Onoe Matsuya II (二代目尾上松也 aka Inoue Ryuuichi) as Ametani Kantarou
He really did well in this show from being totally serious one minute to a complete oddball the next. Poor chap had all kinds of stuff thrown over him, I wonder if he put on weight during the show too. He is a very popular actor starting his career at the age of 10.
Ishikawa Ren (石川恋) as Dobashi Kanako
She plays the potential love interest of Kantarou and also has a sweet tooth. She also went from serious to doing dance routines, pretty much practising a full range of skills. She is also a popular in-demand actress.
Minagawa Sarutoki (皆川猿時) as Miyake Toru
The most experienced actor on the show, he has appeared in many productions and continues to be in demand. Evidently, he is a vocalist for a Japanese comedy rock band called “Group Tamashii” which has me in stitches even though I have no idea what they are singing.
Summary
Well, this show was completely bonkers but I loved it, it was a lot of fun.
The food part of the show was great as they showcased different areas of Japan and the different sweet/dessert specialty places in that area. The explanation of how the desserts were put together were great too. They must have hired special food photographers to take part in the show.
There was a different story each week relating to Kantarou’s adventures plus a couple of ongoing story arcs about a potential romance, I won’t give away the ending.
The totally bonkers part of the show included odd special effects, people’s heads being replaced by fruit, singing, dancing, quotes from famous people and just a general mish-mash of whatever they could chuck into the show.
I noticed online some people will give it a 1 star, and some 10 stars, I guess it depends on your sense of humour and what you are looking for in a show.
This show made me very happy, so I give it 4.5/5. It’s worth trying out, episodes are short.
Where Can I Watch
This is showing only on Netflix but I’m not sure if it can be seen elsewhere in Japan.