The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House

he Netflix Series ‘The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House’, a joint production between Netflix, Story Inc., and BUN-BUKU Inc., is set for global release on Netflix in 2022. Director Hirokazu Kore-eda will serve as showrunner, director, and writer for the nine-episode Netflix series drama adaptation of the original comic. This series will be the first Netflix production for the critically acclaimed creator to work on, who won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his film "Shoplifters" in 2018 as the first Japanese director in 21 years to achieve this. The series is based on Maiko in Kyoto: From the Maiko House, a popular comic by Aiko Koyama first serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday from 2016. Set in the geisha district of Kyoto, the protagonist Kiyo becomes a Makanai (person who cooks meals) at a house where Maiko (apprentice geishas) live together. The story depicts the everyday life of Kiyo maiko Sumire, her childhood friend who came with her from Aomori to Kyoto, amid a vibrant world of geisha and maiko courtesans and delicious food. The comic won the 65th Shogakukan Manga Award and is a best-seller with over 1.8 million copies sold.