It’s all out chaos as Toriko and others try to prevent the chefs from being kidnapped during an all-out assault by the Gourmet Corps at the Cooking Fest! An action-packed and thrilling volume 25 of Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro’s “Toriko”!
© 2008 Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro. All Rights Reserved.
MANGA TITLE: Toriko Vol. 25
STORY AND ART BY: Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro (å¤å‘³ç›´å¿—)
FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: SHUEISHA, Inc.
PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Shonen Jump Manga
RATED: T for Teen
RELEASE DATE: December 2, 2015
Gourmet Corp. attacks the unsuspecting public at Cooking Stadium while they are assembled to celebrate food and watch the world’s top chefs compete at the Cooking Festival. Toriko’s chef partner Komatsu is captured and the long-held rivalry between the IGO and Gourmet Corp. explodes into all-out war. This looks like a fight for Toriko and all his friends, but can they win against foes old and new alike?
Komatsu has increased in rankings at #88 on the World Chef Ranking and having the right to participate in the grandest cooking competition in the world, the Cooking Fest. And as he and the other chefs prepare their way for the finals, Starjun and the Gourmet Corp. begin their attack to kidnap the top chefs at the Cooking Fest leading to an all-out battle to protect the chefs from the dangerously, powerful Gourmet Corp.
Which group has the edge? Find out in vol. 25 of Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro’s hit manga series, “Toriko”!
What is “Toriko�
In Japan, we have seen Shonen Jump series that have had a long life, not just as manga but as anime series. From the “Dragon Ball†series, “One Pieceâ€, “Narutoâ€, “Bleach†and another series that has captivated readers and viewers is “Torikoâ€.
Created by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro in 2008, the manga series has been published on “Weekly Shonen Jump†and is currently on 28th tankobon volume, while the anime series produced by Toei Animation is still being broadcast since 2011 on Fuji TV.
Toriko takes place during a time where gourmet is important. The taste, the texture of food and rare ingredients are what chefs seek for, but in order to get rare ingredients and animals, major organizations hire Bishokuya (which are “gourmet huntersâ€).
The series begins with a chef named Komatsu who is dispatched by the International Gourmet Organization (IGO) to find Toriko and eventually the two become great friends and a team. As Toriko evolves in power and technique, Komatsu has evolved as a chef.
But as the two embark on their mission, they are challenged by a rival organization known as the Gourmet Corps who are bent on controlling the world’s ingredients and wanting to do all they can to hinder or even kill both Toriko and Komatsu.
But the two have endured and Komatsu has managed to cook exciting dishes thanks to Toriko’s ability to find these hard to get ingredients, sometimes both braving the most difficult missions to get the best ingredients, which typically have a high capture rate.
In vol. 24, Komatsu has gone through major training thanks to his adventures with Toriko and the Four Kings. After creating the medicinal mochi that have saved countless lives, his quick preparation and cooking skills has led him to be #88 on the World Chef Ranking and the right to take part in the Cooking Festival, which is held every four years.
For every chef, the dream is to become the “Super Cook” and only five chefs have received that title.
Featuring 100 contenders who must create a full-course meal, but not all will succeed. How far will Komatsu go?
In volume 25, Komatsu has made it into the the finals but unfortunately, as the chefs prepare for the final competitions, Starjun and the Gourmet Corps begin their attack at the Cooking Festival in order to kidnap the top chefs.
Can Toriko and others stop the Gourmet Corps?
If the last volume of “Toriko” was taking a breather from all the action, vol. 25 takes us back to it in a major way as Starjun and the Gourmet Corps leads an assault on everyone at the Cooking Fest in order to kidnap the top chefs.
This leads to a battle between Toriko vs. Starjun and the other members of the Four Kings taking on the Gourmet Corps. But also, the Branch Heads of the Cooking Fest take on members of the Gourmet Corps… but nothing is easy as the Gourmet Corps are extremely powerful and the battle heats up to all-out frenzy!
As always, the story for “Toriko” is far-out but so much fun and creative! The artwork by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro is well-done as the detail of each panel is amazing and there is no doubt that he is one of the few manga artists that really goes all out in his artwork.
Overall, “Toriko” vol. 25 takes us back to an action-packed storyline and instead of the usual one-on-one’s versus a member of the Gourmet Corps, all of them are featured in battle and this is probably the largest battle in the “Toriko” manga series yet!
With a lot of humor and delightful storytelling, fans of the manga/anime series will no doubt enjoy this action-packed volume of Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro’s “Toriko”! Recommended!