Original subtitles

-How's the steak? -One more minute.

-Undercooked. Give it another 90 seconds. -Okay.

-This one's almost up. -Got it.

Service, please.

Certainly.

Pull it in 30 seconds. I'll do the sauce.

Chef, plating.

-Steak's up. -Okay.

Service, please.

Certainly.

I will now announce the results...

of Master Italiana Japan 2024.

After a fierce competition, the winner is...

Ristorante La bella Alba!

Wow, I'm so delighted.

I couldn't have made it this far without you all.

I've got the best team.

And I'm grateful to our wonderful customers.

Thank you very much.

Grazie!

Congratulations!

All right, give us your slogan.

Aim for

Three stars!

So...

What's a three-star chef doing here?

We never got the stars.

A lot happened after that.

NOTICE OF CLOSURE

Yoko.

Forgive me.

The owner was embezzling?!

By the time I found out, everything was gone.

As a chef, I dreamed of opening my own restaurant.

I trained in Italy for three years.

After that, I gained experience and honed my skills at different restaurants.

Service, please.

-Certainly. -Pasta's up.

For the last seven years,

Ristorante La bella Alba meant everything to me.

And yet,

to lose my restaurant like that...

Now that's what you call a complete shock.

But sometimes a setback can be an opportunity.

So I decided to get back on my feet.

DIETITIAN WANTED HAMAZAKI PRISON

A prison?

NO OVERTIME, WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS OFF GREAT WORK-LIFE BALANCE

When my kids were little, I got certified as a dietitian.

So I want to work as a dietitian

to start a new chapter in my life.

A new chapter in your life, huh?

Looks to me like you chose this job for the stability.

No way.

I wanted to put my experience to use--

That experience won't cut it here.

Huh?

You've had an impressive career, but it means nothing in this place.

You won't be serving

foodie diners or couples here.

Wait a second. It's still a job that deals with food, right?

Let me ask you something.

What kind of place do you think this prison is?

It's a place where criminals reflect on their actions and rehabilitate themselves.

And what does rehabilitation mean to you?

Woodshop. Woodshop.

-Excuse us. -That place again?

Is there an incident?

Well, yes.

It happens a lot.

This is a prison.

Oh, it happens a lot...

Ms. Ginbayashi,

the inmates here prepare the meals.

The inmates?

Yes, cooking is one of the inmates' work assignments.

What?

Then who teaches them how to cook?

Who else could it be?

The dietitian does.

The dietitian?

Me?!

EPISODE 1: CROQUETTE CHAOS (A 5-EPISODE SERIES)

No one really stood out.

You're absolutely right.

We need someone with more backbone.

But backbone alone isn't enough.

Exactly.

Backbone alone won't cut it!

Then I suppose we won't hire anyone.

KOTARO NATORI

Wait.

WARDEN, HAMAZAKI PRISON

Let's hire Ms. Ginbayashi.

TAKAO IRIE MASATO TANGO

Ms. Ginbayashi? You mean that unfortunate chef?

Warden, a former fine-dining chef must be full of pride and bound to cause trouble.

I suggest you reconsider.

Tango,

how do those cookies taste?

Oh, they're very delicious.

You sure have three-star taste in souvenirs!

Those are actually made in prison.

They're snacks made by boys at a juvenile detention center in Italy.

Bisogna assaggiarlo per saperlo.

"You won't know until you taste it."

So we won't know until we hire her.

I consider it a rather bold decision.

Hamazaki Prison is no ordinary prison. We support new challenges here.

I think she deserves a chance.

Right, Sugiyama?

KENJI SUGIYAMA SUIJO SUPERVISOR

Huh?

HIRED

Hamazaki Prison.

This is a pilot program facility focused on rehabilitating inmates

and helping them reintegrate into society.

It houses a diverse range of inmates, including first-time and repeat offenders,

and runs specialized guidance and programs.

It is a small men's prison.

Mornings here start early.

The inmates prepare the meals.

They also handle all the daily chores,

including cooking, laundry, and cleaning.

That's how the prison operates.

KENGO YABE NUMBER 320

Wake up!

RYUJI UMEKAWA NUMBER 126

MAMORU BITO NUMBER 278

TERUO TAKEDA NUMBER 44

SHINPEI KAWAGUCHI NUMBER 384

Prepare for count.

Cell 104, sound off!

-One. -Two.

-Three. -Four.

Good morning.

Good morning.

BREAKFAST

-Thank you. -Thanks for the meal.

I'd give it 38 points.

Tough critic as always.

Isn't this pretty lame?

I'm gonna be starving way before lunch. Ugh, I'm already hungry.

I'd give it 60 points. I love these simmered flavors.

No abnormalities to report today.

The prison out west served bread and coffee for breakfast.

They even gave us margarine and berry jam.

I'd give that 86 points.

Lucky you. If I ever get locked up again, I wanna go there.

Hey, enough yapping in the morning. Shut up and eat.

Sorry, sorry.

By the way, I heard the new dietitian's a woman.

A woman?!

Oh no, I'm screwed.

I'm in trouble.

Seriously? That's awesome.

Don't get so worked up over a woman.

I know you're excited too.

Zip it. I don't care.

A woman dietitian, huh?

Wonder what she's like.

Hope she's the sweet, comforting type.

I'm so screwed.

Maybe we should give her a little welcome.

You don't like mackerel, Kawaguchi? You never touch it.

Um, yeah, I can't eat fish.

You shouldn't be so picky. What a waste.

-Good morning. -Good morning.

Good morning.

I'm Ginbayashi, the new dietitian.

You're two minutes and 38 seconds late.

I'm sorry.

My son was slow to wake up.

That's no excuse.

Punctuality is strictly enforced here.

Easy, Sugiyama.

Ms. Ginbayashi, you know what to do next time.

Right?

Yes, I'll be careful.

Then, let me take you to the suijo .

The suijo ?

The suijo is the prison kitchen.

Sanitation is strictly maintained,

and the inmates prepare three meals a day year-round in rotating shifts.

There is no uniform for prison dietitians.

They may dress freely,

but flashy clothes, hair colors, and makeup are strongly discouraged.

Female staff members should not wear skirts.

These are the prison's unspoken rules.

Thank you for waiting.

Hold it!

Huh?

Don't stick a pen in your pocket.

Why is that?

What if someone stabs you with it?

Wow, so this is what prison's like on the inside.

It's like a school.

Quit looking around.

Hamazaki Prison has

a capacity of 257 inmates.

We currently house 113.

At the suijo ,

eight inmates prepare around 120 meals, including inspection samples.

Eight people to make 120 servings?

Exactly.

I'll introduce you to the inmates as the dietitian,

but don't give your name when I do so.

Why is that?

For staff privacy protection.

Same goes for inmates.

Staff aren't allowed to ask inmates about their criminal records or sentences.

Understood.

Also... carry this.

What is this?

It's a self-defense whistle.

Since you're a woman,

I'll give you one as an exception.

But don't blow it unless it's an emergen--

No, it's nothing. We're fine.

All clear. We're fine. No issues.

We're fine.

-No issues. -Everything's okay.

So are they the inmates?

That's correct.

This way.

Peeler done. Permission to use knife!

Approved.

-Permission to use the can opener. -Approved.

-Deep-frying the croquettes. -Approved.

So slow.

Cutting too much.

Why are you laughing?

Reporting. Eight inmates in the suijo . No abnormalities.

All right!

Stop work. Attention!

I'll introduce the registered dietitian assigned here today.

Nice to meet you.

I'm Ginba--

I'm the dietitian.

Looking forward--

What the heck?

The croquettes are blowing up!

The croquettes?

Take them out immediately.

Request permission! I'll do it!

-Approved! -Do it!

Give me that!

Suijo in flames, nothing remains

Request permission. I dropped the rice paddle.

Request permission.

Oh no, our croquettes...

Out of the way. Step back.

She dodged it.

Adding too many frozen croquettes at once quickly lowers the oil temperature.

The filling expands before the outside hardens,

causing them to burst.

Takeda, did you put them all in at once?

Yes, I rushed when the command was given.

If you fry them in batches like this, they won't explode.

Make sure you all remember that.

Yes, sir.

Takeda?

Taking out the trash at this hour?

Y-Yes, ma'am.

The croquettes exploded, so I came to dispose of the leftovers.

Exploded?

MAMIKO SESHITA

Lunch is served at noon,

but meal inspection is always conducted beforehand.

Would you like to taste some?

Yes.

During inspection,

we check that the ingredients are properly cooked according to the recipe.

We also check portion size, quality,

and for foreign objects.

Sanitation and safety are carefully checked.

Please.

So this is prison food.

Here goes.

Awful.

No abnormalities.

It's 2 mm too small.

You're absolutely right.

I'll file a report.

The warden, associate warden, inmate management director, supplies chief,

and chief medical officer all conduct meal inspections.

It's good.

NO ABNORMALITIES

SATOSHI NAKATSUGAWA CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

Doctor, please inspect the food.

Got it.

Oh, it's a croquette today.

No abnormalities.

There's obviously an issue.

If no problems are found, the meal is approved for service

and distributed to inmates in the workshops and housing units.

Out of the way. Step back.

EXERCISE TIME

Like this?

Looks like we got a feisty one.

So who does she look like?

She reminds me of my mom.

Oh, she's old?

Still lookin' fine, lively, and sage

Too damn cheerful for her age

She's the suijo goddess.

So, think the food's gonna get better?

One new dietitian

ain't changing anything.

True that.

Thanks.

That old hag's so lame.

I thought she'd be more scared.

I know, right?

Guess exploding croquettes don't faze her.

But I had fun.

Let's do it again.

Sure.

Kawaguchi, have you gotten used to the suijo ?

Man, there's so much to learn.

I've barely done any cooking before.

Same here. I still have no clue.

But the day goes by fast.

Beats mindless work in the workshops.

Right?

Plus, you get better incentive pay in the suijo .

For real? That's great.

Hello, ma'am.

I heard the croquettes exploded.

Adding those frozen croquettes lowered the oil temperature.

They all went to waste.

Waste? That's not nice.

Those in charge are responsible for any mistakes made during work.

I just started here today--

No excuses.

Don't create unnecessary waste again.

That's it.

What the heck...?

Mmm, it's good.

They overcut the veggies, and the croquettes exploded.

My first day was exhausting.

I hear you. The first day's always tough.

I got yelled at by my boss today.

Working sucks. I just wanna quit.

Is prison food good?

Honestly, it sucks.

No wonder they say the food stinks.

Never wanna try it.

I don't know if I'll last there.

I regret rushing into that interview.

You've got this, Mom.

You're starting a new chapter, right?

I am, but...

We received the report on the croquette explosion in the suijo yesterday.

However, this seems to be a case of misconduct, not an accident.

-Chief Guard Tabata. -Yes, sir.

It appears Takeda was the executor,

and Bito the orchestrator.

However, I cannot confirm this.

Therefore, I will continue to increase surveillance.

Does that mean it was intentional?

-That's right. -What?!

Such conduct must not be overlooked.

Small disturbances can eventually threaten order across the entire facility.

You're absolutely right.

We must tighten discipline once again and strictly maintain order.

Yes, sir.

Do you remember that day?

I've never forgotten it.

What about my son?

-Kazuma... -Yes.

He's in middle school,

third year.

He plays baseball.

Bring his father back to us.

All right.

Add potato starch.

K-Kawaguchi?

-Huh? -Potato starch.

Okay.

What is it?

From the suijo .

Please answer it.

Oh, okay.

Yes, Ginbayashi speaking.

Dietitian?

We've run into a bit of a problem. Could you come to the suijo ?

Understood.

I'll be back.

What's this?

The sauce for the plum-simmered mackerel has thickened.

Potato starch, huh?

Dietitian, please fix this.

Fix this?

Any extra mackerel?

No, none left.

Boil some hot water, please.

All right. Bring me a colander and set it over a bowl.

Add dissolved potato starch gradually while checking the consistency.

You dumped it all in as powder?

Yes.

I figured.

All right, fixed.

Let's plate it.

No, we can't serve this as a meal.

Huh?

Break up all the mackerel fillets.

Why is that?

Look closely.

The pieces are uneven.

The portions won't be equal.

Yes, they will.

Just a few pieces lost their shape.

That's exactly the problem.

Are you going to serve both neatly shaped pieces

and misshapen pieces of mackerel?

It's not like we had a choice.

That's no excuse.

Listen. Prison meals must be equal.

Every inmate must be served equally.

This creates unequal portions.

If some pieces are broken, then break them all to make them uniform.

Serve everyone equally.

After all the work we put into it?

It'll look bad if we break it up.

That's fine.

That's not fine. It won't look appetizing.

That's not the point here.

Yes, it is.

Food that looks good makes people want to eat.

Presentation is a basic part of cooking.

I'm serving it as is.

I already said no.

You guys want it as is, right?

Speak up. It's your meal.

If you're not doing it, I will.

That's insane. How can you treat food like that?

Do you even understand where we are?

This isn't for customers.

It's for inmates.

No good, no good.

Buongiorno , Yoko.

It's been ages. How have you been?

L-Lorenzo?!

Why are you here?

I'm on vacation. I just watched some comedy.

But enough about me. What is this?

It's plum-simmered mackerel.

How can it be? I feel sorry for the mackerel.

Right, guys?

Yes, Chef!

I didn't want to break it up either.

But this is prison.

This isn't our kind of cooking. The inmates aren't customers.

You idiot.

Did you forget what I taught you, Yoko?

There are no borders in cooking.

No borders...

You think this kind of food is fine just because it's for prisoners?

Then you couldn't be more wrong.

Yes, Chef!

So, Yoko, hurry and find your own flavor.

Huh?

Meal service prep.

-Yes, sir. -Yes.

Chef?

Where's Chef Lorenzo?

What are you babbling about?

Oh, the mackerel.

What could've happened at the suijo ?

Man, this is what we get on our day off?

What a joke.

You there, quiet down!

Telling us not to complain, but come on. Right, Doc?

What's wrong?

Are you feeling sick?

The mackerel ended up like this, so...

You don't have to finish it.

No, you should eat it.

Don't waste food.

We received a report from the housing units.

A large amount of mackerel went to waste.

I figured.

What do you mean, you figured?

Let me hear your complaint.

I don't have any.

So do you know...

what inmates look forward to the most in prison?

It's the meals.

So they often cause issues.

They'll say, "My portion's smaller,"

or "That guy got more than me."

They compare their meals.

If their food is unequal, they get mad and complain it's unfair.

The number of meatballs or the size of an omelet

may seem like trivial things.

But even such small matters can start a riot here.

To avoid that kind of trouble,

prison meals have to be equal.

Understood?

Yes.

Tough day.

Thank you, sir.

I still hate this!

Isn't this wrong? The point was to fix the mushy plum-simmered mackerel, right?

Did we really have to break it up?

The point is how to distribute it equally.

Were you even listening?

And look what happened. Equality aside, that wasn't even food.

-It was a dish. -Not in my eyes.

It was just...

slop!

How dare you say that?

The inmates are still human. That wasn't food fit for people!

Suijo, suijo.

Suijo, suijo.

Kawaguchi, are you okay?

-Kawaguchi! -Move. What's wrong?

-Oh crap. What's wrong, -Kawaguchi?!

Food poisoning?

No way.

Kawaguchi!

Is this anaphylactic shock?

It's the mackerel.

A mackerel allergy.

There's no record of it. How's he dealt with it until now?

There was no report of an allergy.

I believe he always left the mackerel untouched.

Every now and then, people unknowingly eat allergens and get ill.

But in Kawaguchi's case,

it may have been intentional.

Huh?

Why would he do that?

How are you feeling, Kawaguchi?

I thought you never ate mackerel

because you just didn't like it.

Sorry for making you eat it.

I chose to eat it.

This wasn't your fault.

Why didn't you tell us?

Didn't see the need.

You knew what would happen if you ate it, right?

I was fine with that.

What do you mean?

You could've died right there, Kawaguchi. Don't be ridiculous.

Calm down, please.

I cook to put smiles on people's faces.

Easy, easy. Let's calm down.

Eating to die is out of the question.

Listen. You eat so you can live!

What the heck is that dietitian doing?

A staff member making a scene in the infirmary is unacceptable.

I sincerely apologize.

I told you. I was against hiring her from the start.

Ms. Ginbayashi isn't suited to work at Hamazaki Prison.

We should look for a new dietitian.

You're absolutely right.

We should eliminate the source of the problem immediately.

The real problem is that this could happen in the first place.

You're absolutely right.

Disorder is spreading through the prison, starting with the suijo .

How do you view the current situation, Warden?

I can't take it anymore.

No more, no more!

Seriously, what does everyone think food is?

Idiots, all of them.

Don't mess with me. Jeez...

This looks good.

QUIT-JOB PROXY: CIAO, JOBS!

I'm home.

Mom, I'm starving.

QUIT-JOB PROXY: CIAO, JOBS!

Why?

I haven't signed up for it yet.

Huh?

INVOICE AMOUNT DUE: 33,000 YEN

That's mine.

I quit my job. Oh, yeah.

Huh?

Here, I got this for you. I know this is your favorite.

So can you get that for me?

Huh?!

HAMAZAKI PRISON

Bring his father back to us.

You still don't feel like eating?

I'll take this away.

He's been like this since yesterday.

We've been talking to him.

This is troubling.

I clearly understand how passionate you are about food,

but becoming emotional with inmates is never advisable.

I understand.

-You don't seem convinced. -Oh, I am.

Speak candidly, please.

Let's be honest.

I just can't do this.

You cook to put smiles on people's faces.

I heard you said that to Kawaguchi.

I did.

But I can't do that here.

Why is that?

They don't want that kind of food here,

and they can't make it anyway.

How did you feel after interacting with the inmates?

I expected them to be a lot scarier.

But they're weak.

That's right.

Wrongdoers are...

weak people.

The people here are criminals who've beaten, hurt,

betrayed, and stolen from others without hesitation.

But before they became criminals, they were the ones

who had been beaten, hurt, betrayed, and robbed without mercy themselves.

They carry emotional scars.

Scars?

They've all lost hope in life.

Here's my wish.

At this prison...

I want them

to find the strength to live again.

Ms. Ginbayashi,

please lend us your support.

I apologize for yesterday.

I'd like to use the kitchen. I won't get in their way.

Make it quick, please.

Yes, sir.

Wait. Give me that.

Eyes forward.

You'll get hurt.

Focus.

Turn out delicious.

Turn out delicious.

Here.

Chef's choice soup.

I sampled it myself,

and I can vouch for the taste.

A life for a life...

Is that your idea of atonement?

What do you think a prison is for?

This isn't a place just to serve your sentence.

It's a place where you can start living again.

Kawaguchi,

would you entrust your time to me?

Huh?

Well, well, Chef Ginbayashi.

You seem lively as ever today.

You blew off some steam in the infirmary yesterday, didn't you?

Thanks to that, I'm feeling great.

Even if the warden approves of you, the rest of us don't.

Oh, please carry on.

Thank you so much.

My pleasure.

Ciao, ciao.

Honestly, what a pain.

Mishima, we'll be doing this till sunset.

I'm just clumsy.

Once you put the noodles in the pot, stir them well.

Then they won't stick together like this.

Yes, ma'am.

You sure know a lot about pasta too.

Of course.

Pasta, huh?

It takes me back.

Goodbye, Michelin.

Huh?

Maison Prison?

You three.

No talking.

Yes, sir.

This week?

You can't do it?

I can. My recipes outnumber the stars in the sky.

You're underwhelming.

Isn't this quite suitable for prison meals?

I hate curry days.

Make it again!

Revise this immediately.

I've just got to do it.