Kurage no Shokudo is a Japanese novel series written by Miyako Aoyama and illustrated by Zhao Yingle. In 2016, an OVA based off the series was made.
In the story, the protagonist Youtarou Misaki finds himself lying on the beach one day. He is picked up by Arashi, who manages a restaurant called Kurage no Shokudou. When asked who he is, the protagonist tells a lie that he lost his memory—but he remembers everything, including the fact that his twin brother died.
Kurage no Shokudo provides examples of:
- Amnesiac Hero: Youtarou appears to be this, but it turns out to be a lie.
- Angsty Surviving Twin: Youtarou. After his brother died, he and his parents found it difficult to move on. What almost drove Youtarou to kill himself was overhearing his parents talk about how much it hurt to look at their surviving child.
- Driven to Suicide: Youtarou's twin brother stabbed himself with a knife prior to the story's events. Youtarou himself attempted to drown himself, but survived instead.
- I Choose to Stay: Youtarou chooses to stay with Arashi rather than go home. Of course he made sure to inform his parents that he's okay.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Arashi and Natsuko are adults in their thirties who form a strong bond with Youtarou, a high school student.
- The Stoic: Arashi barely emotes or smiles. It may be a result of his brother dying from jellyfish syndrome, a condition that Arashi also has.
