I am a simple soul. If you tell me someone I like is starring in a drama, I will be watching without question. So, that’s what ultimately led me to The Convenience Store by the Sea, or コンビニ兄弟, as I knew it initially. This is a story about kindness, friendship and the importance of a little community hub.

The Convenience Store by the Sea is based on a novel series by award-winning author Sonoko Machida. Set in a convenience store called Tenderness in the port of Mojiko, we follow the story of manager Mitsuhiko Shiba (played by Kento Nakajima) and the many staff and customers who frequent the store. Due to an unfortunate event in his past, Mitsuhiko dedicates himself to ensuring he helps anyone who needs it should they come to Tenderness, and that kindness often leads him to getting involved in all sorts of things. He’s also incredibly attractive (in-universe and in reality, Nakajima is an idol after all) and has his own fan club, which I suppose ensures you have a suitably large customer base!

Although I own the first two books for this, I have neglected to read them so far. Well, in fairness, I only bought the second one while the drama has been airing… But either way I’m not sure how the two compare in terms of story structure. In terms of the drama, it is episodic with a different character taking centre stage each week. This usually ties into the larger narrative, but generally they’re very much their own thing.

And this is one of the reasons I really enjoyed the series. We get to meet such a variety of people, from a cram school teacher who loves and wants to draw manga to a sweets-loving student and one of the workers who draws boys’ love manga in her spare time (which her son disapproves of, but I say we should let the fujoshi live her best life!). There’s even a story that leans into the supernatural with a ghost. That one was a bit weird, but it still somehow fit into the gentle world that the show had built. The tales all start out fairly light and get more serious as they go on, but the ending of each episode is always cheerful and leaves you feeling content. I wouldn’t necessarily go as far as saying they’re cosy, but it leans in that direction more than not.

This is an NHK drama, and there’s been a lot of time and effort into making sure it’s of a high quality. Over the course of the season we’ve been treated to ten 45-minute episodes, which gives each individual story the room to develop. All of the cast do an excellent job too, especially Nakajima, who is not only playing Mitsuhiko but also his brother Tsugi, whose costume is complete with a beard and scruffier appearance to ensure he’s nothing like his idol-like brother. I’ve watched Nakajima in quite a few shows at this point, and he has a surprising amount of range when it comes to the roles he can convincingly play. Of course it helped for Mitsuhiko that he could lean into the idol persona for it.

As I say, not sure how this compares to the novels yet. But as a J-drama taken on its own merits, I had a great time with it and would highly recommend. It’s readily available on Amazon Prime Video with English subs!