In 1983, writer Tetsu Kariya and artist Akira Hanasaki began a series of manga chapters that spanned over one hundred volumes, called Oishinbo.
Oishinbo: A La Carte is a manga-sized print telling the best of the stories. These stories are informative and funny–based around a newspapers cultural staff, the main character Yamaoka is constantly put to the test to prove his mettle with food. Most chapters consist of Yamaoka proving that he knows how to make the best tasting foods and which are the best.
The book itself has a recipe in the beginning–this one is how to make rice and scallops! Yum!
The first thing I noticed about the book itself is it’s high quality. The cover is extended into folded tabs to use as book marks which most manga’s do not have. The thickness of pages and the physical thickness of the cover make the $12.99 price more than worth while. The art is 80’s style where the characters appear to be mostly human than cartoons and the art itself is nice and clean. The story is easy to follow and fun to read. The story and art cells correspond to each other so you know who’s talking and it makes for a good, solid read.
Oishinbo was made by VIZ media (the makers of Zatchbell-my favorite!) And they did a nice job not censoring it and keeping it along the adult range of 13+.
What I liked about the story was the fact that it focused on Japanese culture and the culture of the food and even the environment. What a great story, I highly recommend it to anyone for a good read.
GRADE A+
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