Producer of popular ‘Midnight Eatery’ likes online drama
Print Edition
A small restaurant in a little-known corner of Tokyo and open only after midnight was well-known by Japanese and Chinese audiences because it was the main scene of the popular Japanese TV drama “Shinya Shokudo,” known as “Midnight Eatery.” It is seen in China via video websites and has attracted millions of clicks. The restaurant offered a standard menu of cozy food but with limited food choice. The customers include a yakuza, an unsuccessful actor, a group of office ladies, a newspaper delivery boy and a stripper with unique stories.
The drama’s producer, Endo Hitoshi, visited Shanghai and talked about his understanding of midnight drama and the success of the TV show covering nightlife and food.
Hitoshi’s new title is head producer of “Midnight Taxi,” a local online drama performed by Chinese actors and financially supported by website Tudou. Hitoshi said he was surprised by the considerable budget offered by the Chinese website and confident about the new drama, which describes stories happening in late-night taxis in Shanghai.
Q: Midnight dramas are often stuck with limited budgets and audience ratings in Japan. Why is “Shinya Shokudo” such a great success?
A: As a film producer, it was my first time to produce a midnight TV drama. I put high standards on quality of the drama, such as for music, scenes and photography. I can’t tolerate low-quality products personally. Fortunately it brought high rewards.
Tudou offers us a “considerable” budget on producing “Midnight Taxi.” As a Japanese producer, I envy it.
Relatively speaking, midnight dramas or online dramas have more space and freedom for creation and production.
Q: Food is always a hot topic in Japan and China. Is it a trend to add food elements into the drama?
A: Food brings most people happy and cozy moods. In a relatively fixed environment like an eatery or taxi, we need something fresh to enlighten the audience. All people are familiar with food as it’s one of nature’s desires.
Q: Each episode of “Shinya Shokudo” lasts 25 minutes. How do you design the length of each episode?
A: The 25 minutes is perfect for midnight drama or online drama. People probably have no patience for a drama over 30 minutes, especially an online audience. It also takes at least 15-20 minutes to tell a complete story.
Therefore, “Midnight Taxi” will also last 25 minutes, just in line with Tudou’s request.
Producer of popular ‘Midnight Eatery’ likes online drama
Zhu Shenshen
A small restaurant in a little-known corner of Tokyo and open only after midnight was well-known by Japanese and Chinese audiences because it was the main scene of the popular Japanese TV drama “Shinya Shokudo,” known as “Midnight Eatery.” It is seen in China via video websites and has attracted millions of clicks. The restaurant offered a standard menu of cozy food but with limited food choice. The customers include a yakuza, an unsuccessful actor, a group of office ladies, a newspaper delivery boy and a stripper with unique stories.
The drama’s producer, Endo Hitoshi, visited Shanghai and talked about his understanding of midnight drama and the success of the TV show covering nightlife and food.
Hitoshi’s new title is head producer of “Midnight Taxi,” a local online drama performed by Chinese actors and financially supported by website Tudou. Hitoshi said he was surprised by the considerable budget offered by the Chinese website and confident about the new drama, which describes stories happening in late-night taxis in Shanghai.
Q: Midnight dramas are often stuck with limited budgets and audience ratings in Japan. Why is “Shinya Shokudo” such a great success?
A: As a film producer, it was my first time to produce a midnight TV drama. I put high standards on quality of the drama, such as for music, scenes and photography. I can’t tolerate low-quality products personally. Fortunately it brought high rewards.
Tudou offers us a “considerable” budget on producing “Midnight Taxi.” As a Japanese producer, I envy it.
Relatively speaking, midnight dramas or online dramas have more space and freedom for creation and production.
Q: Food is always a hot topic in Japan and China. Is it a trend to add food elements into the drama?
A: Food brings most people happy and cozy moods. In a relatively fixed environment like an eatery or taxi, we need something fresh to enlighten the audience. All people are familiar with food as it’s one of nature’s desires.
Q: Each episode of “Shinya Shokudo” lasts 25 minutes. How do you design the length of each episode?
A: The 25 minutes is perfect for midnight drama or online drama. People probably have no patience for a drama over 30 minutes, especially an online audience. It also takes at least 15-20 minutes to tell a complete story.
Therefore, “Midnight Taxi” will also last 25 minutes, just in line with Tudou’s request.
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