# Gimbap and Onigiri (2026)

> A disillusioned former track star and a struggling Korean animation student bond over a rice ball in contemporary Japan.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1105133

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 10
- Episode runtime: 38 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, romance
- Network: TV Tokyo, TV Aichi, TVQ, TV Osaka, TVh, TSC
- Cast: Eiji Akaso, Kang Hye-won, Moon Ji-hoo, Mai Fukagawa, Rin Kataoka, Shodai Fukuyama, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Seo Hye-won
- TMDB rating: 6.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39297329/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: wistful, gentle, warm, melancholic, cozy

## Synopsis

Gimbap and Onigiri (2026) is a Japanese television romance drama series broadcast across several regional networks led by TV Tokyo. Set in contemporary Japan, it follows Taiga Hase (Eiji Akaso), a disillusioned former college track star working at a diner, and Park Rin (Kang Hye-won), a tired Korean animation student struggling to find affordable housing in a crowded Japanese city. Their connection begins over an emotional moment involving a rice ball, and the series builds its engine from small daily obstacles: unstable rent, part-time shifts, creative ambitions that feel out of reach, and the slow discovery that two people from different cultures can understand each other's loneliness. Supporting roles from Kang Jun-ho (Moon Ji-hoo), Masumi Miyauchi (Mai Fukagawa), and Akinori Ohba (Shodai Fukuyama) widen the circle of friends and colleagues around them. The ten-episode run is a single continuing story with light episodic texture, each installment a short, unhurried chapter. The tone is gentle, wistful and warm, with a quiet melancholy about lost ambition and the hope of being seen. Its cozy, food-centered atmosphere suits viewers who enjoy slice of life dramas and understated romance. Fans of Midnight Diner and Love Is will find resonance in its sincere, intimate register. The series concludes on a bittersweet, hopeful note.

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