VIZ MEDIA NOMINATED IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES FOR THE 2010 WILL EISNER COMIC INDUSTRY AWARDS

April 10, 2010 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

NAOKI URASAWA’S 20^TH CENTURY BOYS,

PLUTO: URASAWA x TEZUKA

And OISHINBO: À LA CARTE

Among The Titles Nominated

San Francisco, CA, April 8, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, announced today that three of its manga titles and one creator have been nominated in several categories for the 2010 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards for a total of 6 nominations, as announced by Comic-Con International on April 8, 2010.

Named for pioneering writer and comic artist Will Eisner, the awards recognize exemplary comics, graphic novels and other pop writings, and are given each year as part of the annual Comic-Con International convention. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 23rd during Comic-Con, at which VIZ Media will be a major exhibitor and participant in the programs offered. VIZ Media titles are consistently nominated for the Eisner Awards, and in 2008, took home the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Japan TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE, by acclaimed creator Taiyo Matsumoto.

The nominated titles from VIZ Media are:

OISHINBO by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki

Best U.S. Edition of International Material–Asia

PLUTO: URASAWA x TEZUKA, by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki

Best Limited Series or Story Arc
Best U.S. Edition of International Material–Asia

NAOKI URASAWA’S 20TH CENTURY BOYS, by Naoki Urasawa

Best Continuing Series
Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

In addition, Naoki Urasawa is nominated for Best Writer/Artist, for his work on NAOKI URASAWA’S 20^TH CENTURY BOYS and PLUTO: URASAWA x TEZUKA. According to the nomination list, Urasawa-sensei is also the creator with the most nominations.

“We are so excited that VIZ Media again has several nominees in the coveted Eisner Awards,” states Alvin Lu, Vice President, Publishing VIZ Media. “These awards recognize excellence in the comics industry, and we are honored to be considered among such a diverse group of nominees.”

OISHINBO · by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki · VIZ Signature · Rated “T” for Teens

OISHINBO (or “The Gourmet”) depicts the adventures of journalist Shiro Yamaoka, who writes for the fictional newspaper Tozai News. When the paper’s top executives decide to create “The Ultimate Menu” to celebrate the paper’s 100th anniversary, Yamaoka, known for his reputation as a foodie with culinary skills to match, is given the daunting assignment. With the help of his coworker Kurita, Yamaoka begins an epic saga to find unique and tasty dishes that will compose this ultimate bill of fare. The subject of the debut volume is classical Japanese cuisine, and features delicious stories on subjects like how to prepare a proper dashi (the broth that is one of the building blocks of Japanese cooking), green tea, and red snapper sashimi. Each subsequent volume of OISHINBO focuses on specific foods and culinary trends such as sake, sushi, vegetables, rice dishes, ramen, and izakaya (pub) food.

PLUTO: URASAWA x TEZUKA, by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki · VIZ Signature · Rated “T+” for Older Teens (NOMINATED IN THREE CATEGORIES)

Pluto: Urasawa × Tezuka is a modern reinterpretation of the work by the master of manga, Osamu Tezuka. In an ideal world where man and robots coexist, someone or something is after the seven great robots of the world. Interpol assigns robot detective Gesicht to this most strange and complex case – and he eventually discovers that he is one of the targets!

NAOKI URASAWA’S 20^th century boys · by Naoki Urasawa · VIZ Signature · Rated “T+” for Older Teens (NOMINATED IN THREE CATEGORIES)

Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren’t for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world.

Filed Under: Manga News and Reviews

Oishinbo A la Carte – Izakaya: Pub Food by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

March 19, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

All things come to an end and the seventh and final volume of “Oishinbo A la Carte” has been released. The final volume collecting stories that deal with Izakaya: Pub Food is another entertaining and enjoyable volume from the series. If you have an interest in Japanese cuisine, every volume of “Oishinbo” has been quite delightful, worth reading and definitely recommended!

MANGA TITLE: OISHINBO A la Carte – Izakaya: Pub Food

STORY AND ART BY: Story by Tetsu Kariya, Art by Akihara Hanasaki

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Teen

Released: January 2010

Izakaya occupy the same vital space in the Japanese culinary landscape as tapas bars in Spain or tavernas in Greece. Unpretentious, frequently boisterous, they’re places to meet with friends or business partners to unwind over drinks and small dishes that range from hearty standards to refined innovations.

In this volume of Oishinbo, Yamaoka and Kurita investigate classic izakaya foods such as edamame and yakitori, devise new dishes to add to the menu of an old shop, and discover how the concept of “play” is essential to the enjoyment of food.

Story by Tetsu Kariya and Art by Akira Hanasaki.

The long running manga “Oishinbo” (which means “The Gourmet”) is a popular best-selling manga series published by Shogakukan which has been ongoing since 1983. The series have sold 1.2 million copies per volume annually and have sold more than 100 million volumes as of Jan. 2009.

Written by Tetsu Kariya and art by Akira Hanasaki, the series has won multiple awards and has had a successful anime TV series run from 1988 through 1992. And now the series is being released in the United States from Viz Media through their Viz Signature. Because there have been so many volumes, Viz has selected chapters from the popular manga and will separate each volume release by cuisine topic. This latest volume of “Oishinbo: A la Carte” is the final volume to be released in the US and what a delightful series this has become.

So, far the following manga been released:

Oishinbo A la Carte – The making of food, beverages and utensils
Oishinbo – Sake
Oishinbo A la Carte – Ramen & Gyoza
Oishinbo A la Carte – Fish, Sushi and Sashimi
Oishinbo A la Carte – Vegetables
Oishinbo A la Carte – The Joy of Rice

“Oishinbo” revolves around the employees of the newspaper Tozai News with its employees commissioned to create the “Ultimate Menu”, a model meal that embodies the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine. Both Shiro Yamaoka and Yuko Kurita are in charge of the project and throughout each chapter, the series is broken down to several types of dishes or food related items and how each dish is created. Meanwhile, his father, who Shiro has had an estranged relationship for years after his mother’s death, the world renown founder and director of prestigious Gourmet Club and Japanese pottery creator, Kaibara Yuzan heads the “Supreme Menu” for a rival newspaper. So, both Shiro and his father are known to butt heads many times. With Kaibara looking at his son as a person with a lacking knowledge of cuisine but Shiro, never to stand down against his father, proving that he knows more than his father thinks.

Readers can literally learn about Japanese cuisine but also a little history and even recipes on cooking the dishes.

The characters featured in “OISHINBO” are:

Shiro Yamaoka – A journalist for Tozai News who knows his food and how things are created but he is estranged from his father, a prominent artist and founder and director of the Gourmet Club. He despises his father because of the death of his mother. Yamaoka was trained from a young age by his father, Kaibara.

Kaibara Yuzan – The father of Shiro Yamaoka is a prominent artist and founder and director of the Gourmet Club. Because of his prominent stature, all restaurants fear him and thus feel the need to create perfect food for him. Estranged from his son Shiro and despises him for destroying all of his paintings and pottery worth tens or hundreds of million yen. A man widely revered for his sense of taste and feared for his ferocious temper. He heads the “Supreme Menu” project for Teito Times, rival paper to the Tozai News that his son works for.

Yuko Kurita – Knowledgeable about food and partner of Shiro. She learns a lot from him.

Daizo Ohara – Publisher of Tozai News

Hideo Tanimura – Director of Tozai News Art & Culture Department

Tomio Tomii - Deputy Director working under Tanimura

Tojin Toyama - A legendary ceramicist and gourmet

Mantaro Kyogoku – A wealthy businessman and gourmet

Seiiichi Okaboshi – Chef/owner of a sushi shop and Shiro’s local hangout

Tokuo Nakugawa – The head chef for Gourmet Club

For this latest volume of “OISHINBO A la Carte”, the stories are broken up in chapters that relate to Izakaya: Pub Food. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each chapter:

Recipe: Fried Sardine Fish
FIRST COURSE – Beer and Edamame - A chef is fired because he served black edamame. Now, Shiro must show the owner of the restaurant of why black edamame is tasty and not spoiled.
SECOND COURSE – The Spirit of the Sardine - An entrepreneur wants the Tozai news to run a restaurant and Shiro is selected to head the project. But for the choice of menu, Shiro chooses sardines?
THIRD COURSE – An Honest Taste - The Arakawas get into a heated argument after Mrs. Arakawa makes sashimi out of Chiba fish-monger instead of tsuboyaki.
Audio Commentary: Oishinbo Day-by-Day - Tetsuya Kariya writes about the joys of izakaya.
FOURTH COURSE – The Ultimate Wedding Outfit – Tozai News wants to do a spread on Shiro and Yuko’s wedding with Yuko sporting a dress by a world renown fashion designer. But the wedding dress designer is depressed about his son’s attitude towards the business. Because the dress is needed and they need to impress the designer, Shiro and Yuko try to help the young man out.
FIFTH COURSE – A New Dish for the Izakaya?! (Part One) – Shiro and Yuko must come up with dishes for the Pink Hippo Izakaya business.
FIFTH COURSE – A New Dish for the Izakaya?! (Part Two) – After angering the president of Pink Hippo, Shiro and Yuko must do their best to come up with better dishes for the Izakaya.
SIXTH COURSE – Potato Hater!! - Shiro and Yuko visit their friend Nakamatsu-san. Nakamatsu is depressed because of a bet where he and the other person must eat something they dislike and for Nakamatsu, he dislikes potatoes. Can Shiro convince Nakamatsu that potatoes can be tasty?
SEVENTH COURSE – Naming Problem?! (Part One) – Yuko gives birth to twins and both she and Shiro decide that she will name the boy and he will name the girl. But what name should Shiro name her?
SEVENTH COURSE - Naming Problem?! (Part Two) – A continuation of Shiro trying to come up with the name of his daughter.
EIGHTH COURSE – A Surprising Taste of Japan! – The chairman of the American Media and Communication Association is coming to Japan and one of Shiro’s associates is being considered to run the main branch in Asia. But the problem is the man introduced the chairman to yakitori under Shiro’s recommendation which angers the chairman. Now Shiro must fix the problem.
NINTH COURSE – A Delicious Face – A popular young actor is having problems with his sake scenes in a film. With the director being fed up after four days of trying to shoot the scene, Shiro decides to help out his friend who is producing the film.

Also, included at the end of the main chapters is a “Notes on the Text” which explains certain panels and meaning of certain Japanese words.

I absolutely love “OISHINBO A la Carte”. Any fans of Japanese cuisine can also read this manga and just be amazed of how enjoyable, how witty, how smart each story is written. Not only are the readers engrossed by the characters, especially the rivalry between Shiro and his father Kaibara Yuzan, you really learn about the Japanese perspective of cuisine and also preparation.

With “OISHINBO A la Carte – Izakaya: Pub Food”, this latest volume is the final collected volume from Viz. As much as I would I have loved to read the entire manga series of “Oishinbo”, the fact the series has been ongoing since 1983 makes it a bit difficult. But I have to say I’m quite grateful to Viz for releasing such a wonderful and delightful manga series based on Japanese cuisine.

In this latest volume, it’s probably the first volume that doesn’t have one story featuring Shiro vs. his father, Kaibara. If anything, the majority of the stories feature Shiro trying to assist those who are in trouble through pub food. Also, this volume has stories that deal with Shiro and Yuko with Yuko giving birth to twins and the two getting married. This is important because throughout the seven volumes, we have many stories of seeing these two characters grow with each other and although each story is focused on food, you kind of wish you can read more stories based on their relationship. So, fortunately you do get several stories that deal with that for this volume.

Overall, each volume of “OISHINBO A la Carte” has been magnificent and just an enjoyable manga series to read. Because it’s so different from any series that is released in the US and deals with more of a realistic storyline and Japanese cuisine, reading a manga series such as “Oishinbo” was quite refreshing. I don’t think there have been one chapter in any of the volumes that I found boring or not worth reading.

I definitely recommend this final volume and you don’t need to purchase previous volumes to understand what’s going on. But if you really want to enjoy this manga series, I recommend all seven volumes of “Oishinbo A la Carte”. Definitely recommended!

Filed Under: Manga News and Reviews

OISHINBO A la Carte – The Joy of Rice (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

November 30, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

The award winning manga that has captured the attention of Japanese readers since 1983 and is still ongoing today. ‘OISHINBO A la Carte – The Joy of Rice” is another enjoyable release and features more on Japan’s rich history of rice and its importance to the people of Japan. Highly recommended!

MANGA TITLE: OISHINBO A la Carte – The Joy of Rice

STORY AND ART BY: Story by Tetsu Kariya, Art by Akihara Hanasaki

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Teen

Released: November 2009

As part of the celebrations for its 100th anniversary, the publishers of the Tozai News have commissioned the creation of the “Ultimate Menu”, a model meal embodying the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine. This all-important task has been entrusted to journalist Yamaoka Shiro, an inveterate cynic who possesses zero initiative – but also an incredibly refined palate and an encyclopedic knowledge of food.

Each volume of Oishinbo follows Yamaoka and his colleagues through another adventure of their quest for the Ultimate Menu. Now, the highlights from the hundred-plus volume series have been selected and compiled into A la Carte Editions: bite-sized chunks of story arranged by subject that add up to a full-course manga meal!

In this volume of Oishinbo, Yamaoka and company look into the single most essential food in Japanese cuisine: rice. Cultivated for millenia, a staple meal in itself and the basis of countless other dishes, rice is an important component not only of the Japanese kitchen but also of Japanese culture. When Yamaoka is asked by Tozai’s head chef for help coming up with a new rice dish, what starts out as a simple culinary request rapidly grows into a disquisition into the past, present and future of Japan’s food culture.

So, far the following manga been released:

Oishinbo A la Carte – The making of food, beverages and utensils
Oishinbo – Sake
Oishinbo A la Carte – Ramen & Gyoza
Oishinbo A la Carte – Fish, Sushi and Sashimi
Oishinbo A la Carte – Vegetables

Meanwhile, his father, who Shiro has had an estranged relationship for years after his mother’s death, the world renown founder and director of prestigious Gourmet Club and Japanese pottery creator, Kaibara Yuzan heads the “Supreme Menu” for a rival newspaper. So, both Shiro and his father are known to butt heads many times. With Kaibara looking at his son as a person with a lacking knowledge of cuisine but Shiro, never to stand down against his father, proving that he knows more than his father thinks.

The characters featured in “OISHINBO” are:

Yuko Kurita – Knowledgeable about food and partner of Shiro. She learns a lot from him.

Daizo Ohara – Publisher of Tozai News

Hideo Tanimura – Director of Tozai News Art & Culture Department

Tomio Tomii - Deputy Director working under Tanimura

Tojin Toyama - A legendary ceramicist and gourmet

Mantaro Kyogoku – A wealthy businessman and gourmet

Seiiichi Okaboshi – Chef/owner of a sushi shop and Shiro’s local hangout

Tokuo Nakugawa – The head chef for Gourmet Club

For this latest volume of “OISHINBO A la Carte”, the stories are broken up in chapters that relate to rice. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each chapter:

Recipe: Scallop Rice - Featured in one of the stories of this volume, a recipe featuring photos (in color) of how to prepare scallop rice.
FIRST COURSE – A Remarkable Mediocrity - An earlier story featuring Kyogoku Mantaro (The wealthy businessman), as Tozai news tries to get the millionaire to lend his Renoir for the Impressionist Art Exhibition through food but accidentally offending him. Can Yamaoka win him back?
SECOND COURSE – Brown Rice vs. White Rice (Part One) - A group of the judo women’s team must incorporate brown rice into their diet but they dislike it.
SECOND COURSE – Brown Rice vs. White Rice (Part Two) - Yamaoka must show Takeko Miyamoto, supervisor of the Buiku Women’s College Judo Team of why their version of brown rice is not good.
THIRD COURSE – LIVE RICE – Yamaoka try to help Arakawa-san how to cook rice (using a rice mill) to please her boyfriend’s mother.
FOURTH COURSE – Companions of Rice – Yamaoka must convince the deputy prime minister why they should not import rice to Japan.
FIFTH COURSE – The Matsutake Rice of the Sea – Mantaro has a bet with his friend/rival on who can cook the best Matsutake rice but something bad happens to his friend.
Oishinbo Day-by-Day – Tetsuya Kariya talks about the act of eating rice and comparisons of Japan, Chinese and South Korea when it comes to eating certain food with rice.
SIXTH COURSE – No Mixing – Tozai News chef and employees want to include mixed rice into the menu but the publisher Oharo Daizo is against it.
SEVENTH COURSE – The Season for Oysters - Yamaoka must prove to his boss why oysters are better in the Summer and also learning of scallops with rice.
EIGHTH COURSE – Rice Ball Match (Part One) – The Ultimate Menu (Tozai News) challenges the Supreme Menu (Teito Times) in a rice ball competition.
EIGHTH COURSE – Rice Ball Match (Part Two) – The Ultimate Menu (Tozai News) showcases their rice ball recipes to the judges.
EIGHTH COURSE – Rice Ball Match (Part Three) – The Supreme Menu (Teito Times) showcases their rice ball to the judges.

Also, included at the end of the main chapters is a “Notes on the Text” which explains certain panels and meaning of certain Japanese words.

With “OISHINBO A la Carte – The Joy of Rice”, this latest volume is quite interesting as in previous volumes, there was more focus on competitions between Tozai News (Ultimate Menu) versus Teito Times (Supreme Menu). But in this volume, with rice being so important in the Japanese diet, there is more focus on the history of rice in Japan and its importance. We get to learn about Yamaoka and Japanese who worry about importation of rice, we learn about the differences between short-grain and long-grain rice and also how the environment is hurting certain ingredients that Japanese loved with rice but is now becoming rare in today’s society.

The latest volume of “Oishinbo A la Carte” was once again enjoyable. Just to remind everyone that because the manga series has been around since 1983, there was just no way the complete series could be released in the US. So, Viz Media chose to separate each volume based on a food item/ingredient or beverage. So, you do miss out on the romantic storyline but nevertheless, the focus is on the food and for the most part, each volume is informative, educational and also very enjoyable to read.

Overall, each volume of “OISHINBO A la Carte” has been magnificent and this latest volume is just as enjoyable as the previous releases. Highly recommended!

Filed Under: Manga News and Reviews

OISHINBO A la Carte – Vegetables (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

September 25, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The award winning manga that has captured the attention of Japanese readers since 1983 and is still ongoing today. ‘OISHINBO A la Carte – Vegetables” is another enjoyable release and I absolutely love this manga series. For those who are passionate about Japanese cuisine and are looking for a manga series that is well-written, witty but also careful on the details of Japanese cuisine, this manga series is just what you are looking for. ‘Highly recommended!”

MANGA TITLE: OISHINBO A la Carte – Vegetables

STORY AND ART BY: Story by Tetsu Kariya, Art by Akihara Hanasaki

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Teen

Released: September 2009

In this volume, Weekly Time magazine sets up a series of culinary battles between the Tozai News’s “Ultimate Menu”, represented by Yamaoka and the Teito Times’s “Supreme Menu” represented by Kaibara Yuzan, Yamaoka’s father and nemesis. The ingredient this time is vegetables, specifically cabbages and turnips. Who will win the Vegetable Showdown? Later, Yamaoka and Kurita help Tomil’ss on get over his hatred of eggplant, and patch a rift between lovers using the power of asparagus.

So, far the following manga been released:

Oishinbo A la Carte – The making of food, beverages and utensils
Oishinbo – Sake
Oishinbo A la Carte – Ramen & Gyoza
Oishinbo A la Carte – Fish, Sushi and Sashimi

The characters featured in “OISHINBO” are:

Yuko Kurita – Knowledgeable about food and partner of Shiro. She learns a lot from him.

Daizo Ohara – Publisher of Tozai News

Hideo Tanimura – Director of Tozai News Art & Culture Department

Tomio Tomii - Deputy Director working under Tanimura

Tojin Toyama - A legendary ceramicist and gourmet

Mantaro Kyogoku – A wealthy businessman and gourmet

Seiiichi Okaboshi – Chef/owner of a sushi shop and Shiro’s local hangout

Tokuo Nakugawa – The head chef for Gourmet Club

For this latest volume of “OISHINBO A la Carte”, the stories are broken up in chapters that relate to vegetables. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each chapter:

Recipe: Asparagus with Walnut Dressing and Asparagus Grilled Kobayaki-style
FIRST COURSE – Vegetable Showdown! (Part One) - Kaibara challenges Shiro in a vegetable contest of who can make the best cabbage and radish dish.
FIRST COURSE – Vegetable Showdown! (Part Two) - The second part of the cabbage and radish competition.
FIRST COURSE – Vegetable Showdown! (Part Three) - The final part of the cabbage and radish competition.
SECOND COURSE – The Joy of a New Potato – The gang try to help out a President of the Misaki Group who’s life is thrown upside down due to failures in the real estate market.
Oishinbo Day-by-Day – Tetsuya Kariya writes about the connection between hotspots and vegetables.
THIRD COURSE – The Bean Sprout Kid – A child who is fatherless is teasted by other kids and called a bean sprout and Shiro who feels bad for the kid, decides to help him.
FOURTH COURSE – Good Eggplant, Bad Eggplant – Tomii Tomio’s son Hitoshi and Inspector Nakamatsu both dislike eggplant and Shiro decides to show them that eggplant can be delicious.
FIFTH COURSE – The Story of Vegetables, Now and Then – When Uda Yoshio (a famous author and gourmet) and Mizukawa Yoriko (an environmental specialist) butt heads on the environment, the two are at odds with each other.
SIXTH COURSE – The Breath of Spring - Former couple Ikuta Shoko and popular ceramic builder Yoshino Koichi meet up with each other many years later and both see how her passion for food and his passion for ceramics work great with each other.
SEVENTH COURSE – A Suprising Taste (Part One) – Zento Motors needs land owned by Kyogoku-san but in order to win him over, it must be by a good dish. So, Zento Motors asks for Shiro’s help.
SEVENTH COURSE – A Suprising Taste (Part Two) – The second part as the President of Zento Motors (with Shiro’s help) must please Kyogoku-san with a dish.
EIGHTH COURSE – The Taste of Chicken, The Taste of Carrots – A story about the benefits of organic vegetables vs. vegetables that were raised with pesticides.

Also, included at the end of the main chapters is a “Notes on the Text” which explains certain panels and meaning of certain Japanese words.

With “OISHINBO A la Carte – Vegetables”, this latest volume is probably the most debatable as stories focus on vegetables that were grown fresh (organic) and vegetables grown with the use of pesticides. The stories tend to showcase the perspectives of both who support each side but in the end, the author’s feelings and passion towards organic vegetables is definitely evident in this latest volume. For the most part, the articles do cover various vegetables and each chapter is quite enjoyable and fun to read. But some may find the organic vs. conventional (using pesticides) storylines a bit too preachy.

Also, in this volume, we see interesting storylines that relate to Shiro and Yuko’s relationship (or lack of one) but because the chapters do not go by order of manga release but selected chapters, those who want to read a more connected storyline (when it comes to their relationship) will not find it. As one chapter focuses on his lack of attention to her, another chapter on the romantic rival for Yuko’s affection and then next thing you know, another chapter featuring the two as a married couple. So, as much as I would love to read of how their relationship develops, but unfortunately, due to the large number of “Oishinbo” chapters, we’re probably not going to see that in the US for now.

But aside from the small quirks I had in this latest volume, its still another enjoyable release of “Oishinbo A la Carte”. I absolutely enjoyed the vegetable competitions but also indirect recipes of how to prepare certain vegetables, which was very fun to read and wouldn’t mind trying it out the recipes at home.

But overall, each volume of “OISHINBO A la Carte” has been magnificent and just an enjoyable manga series. I don’t think there have been one chapter in any of the volumes that I found boring or not worth reading. Definitely recommended!

Filed Under: Manga News and Reviews

OISHINBO A la Carte – Fish, Sushi & Sashimi (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

August 12, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The award winning manga that has captured the attention of Japanese readers since 1983 and is still ongoing today. ‘OISHINBO A la Carte – Fish, Sushi & Sashimi’ is another enjoyable volume. For those who are passionate about Japanese cuisine and are looking for a manga series that is well-written, witty but also careful on the details of Japanese cuisine, this manga series is just what you are looking for. ‘Oishinbo A la Carte’ is a magnificent manga series. Highly recommended!”

MANGA TITLE: OISHINBO A la Carte – Fish, Sushi & Sashimi

STORY AND ART BY: Story by Tetsu Kariya, Art by Akihara Hanasaki

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

PAGES: 278

RATED: T for Teen

Yamaoka and his father, Kaibara Yuzan, have never enjoyed an ideal father-son relationship. In fact, it’s about as far from ideal as possible, and when they start arguing about food – which they inevitably do-the sparks really fly. In this volume of Oishinbo the subject of dispute is fish, starting with the question of whether mackerel can ever be truly good sashimi. Later, things come to a head during the “Salmon Match”, which pits father against son in an epic contest to develop the best dish before a panel of judges. Will Yamaoka finally defeat Kaibara? Or will he once again be left in his father’s shadow?

Written by Tetsu Kariya and art by Akira Hanasaki, the series has won multiple awards and has had a successful anime TV series run from 1988 through 1992. And now the series is being released in the United States from Viz Media through their Viz Signature. Because there have been so many volumes, Viz has selected chapters from the popular manga and will separate each volume release by cuisine topic. The first volume in the US which was well-done and captured the heart of Japanese cuisine, the last (third) volume focused on ramen and gyoza and now the latest version of “Oishinbo A la Carte” focuses on fish, sushi and sashimi.

The characters featured in “OISHINBO” are:

Yuko Kurita – Knowledgeable about food and partner of Shiro. She learns a lot from him.

Daizo Ohara – Publisher of Tozai News

Hideo Tanimura – Director of Tozai News Art & Culture Department

Tomio Tomii - Deputy Director working under Tanimura

Tojin Toyama - A legendary ceramicist and gourmet

Mantaro Kyogoku – A wealthy businessman and gourmet

Seiiichi Okaboshi – Chef/owner of a sushi shop and Shiro’s local hangout

Tokuo Nakugawa – The head chef for Gourmet Club

“OISHINBO A la Carte” is broken up in chapters that related to fish, sushi and sashimi. Here is what to expect from this volume (free from major spoilers and is a brief description of each chapter):

FIRST COURSE – LIVE FISH - Both Shiro and Yuko are invited to the President of Dainichi Electron, Kuroda Morio’s home and a lesson of eating live fish.
SECOND COURSE – THE RARE FISH - Kaibara Yuzan wants Shiro to prove his claim that chub mackerel sashimi is one of the best fish for sashimi.
THIRD COURSE – HOME OF THE SWEETFISH - Kyogoku-san is hospitalized and wishes for Shiro to make him sweetfish once he gets out of the hospital but in typical father son fashion, Kaibara and Shiro end up in another food battle of who can prepare the best sweetfish dish.
FOURTH COURSE – AN INTERESTING KARAAGE – Shiro tries to find a way to save an orphanage from closure through his preparation of the head of a tiger blowfish.
FIFTH COURSE – AN ILL-FLAVORED FISH – Shiro visits a restaurant that serves freshwater Goby Kanroni.
SIXTH COURSE – RIGHT EYED FLOUNDER AND LEFT-EYED FLOUNDER – Shiro tries to teach a young boy a lesson about life through fish via the right and left-eyed flounder.
SEVENTH COURSE – SALMON MATCH (PART ONE) – The Ultimate Menu vs. the Supreme Menu ala Shiro vs. his father Kaibara Yuzan in who can make the best salmon dish.
SEVENTH COURSE – SALMON MATCH (PART TWO) - The food battle heats up between Shiro and his father Kaibara on who can make the best salmon dish.
SEVENTH COURSE – SALMON MATCH (PART THREE) – Part three of the Salmon food battle between Shiro and his father Kaibara Yuzan.
EIGHTH COURSE – PLAYING AROUND WITH FOOD (PART ONE) – Shiro has lost his will to continue with the “Ultimate Menu”.
EIGHTH COURSE – PLAYING AROUND WITH FOOD (PART TWO) – With Shiro not wanting to do the “Ultimate Menu” anymore, Yuko goes to the most unlikely person for help.

Also, included at the end of the main chapters is a “Notes on the Text” which explains certain panels and meaning of certain Japanese words.

“OISHINBO A la Carte – Fish, Sushi & Sashimi” focuses on seafood this time around and there is no slowdown between the hostility between Shiro and his father. In fact, in this latest series, Kaibara tries to go for the jugular during a competition. But there are also dramatic chapters and most of all, relationship development between both Shiro and Yuko which fans of the manga series will definitely be happy about.

Also, included in this latest “OISHINBO A la Carte” is a author commentary by Tetsu Kariya and why he prefers friends catching the fish and him having nothing to do with it. I’m quite sure what Kariya writes, many others have probably been in his situation.

Filed Under: Manga News and Reviews