“What did you eat yesterday?” is an entertaining slice-of-life manga series combining relationship angst with cooking that makes this series unique and entertaining. Recommended!
Image courtesy of © 2014 Fumi Yoshinaga. All Rights Reserved.
MANGA TITLE: What did you eat yesterday? vol. 6
BY Fumi Yoshinaga (よã—ãªãŒ ãµã¿)
FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Weekly Morning
PUBLISHED IN USA BY: Vertical, Inc.
RELEASE DATE: January 6, 2015
In this volume of discovery and acceptance, we learn that happiness depends on small constant pleasures (meals first and foremost) and that the reason Kenji fell for Shiro has to do with an ’80s manga. As the couple’s relationship deepens, author Yoshinaga takes the slice-of-life genre to unique heights.
As Shiro and Kenji start to hang out with another gay couple, Mr. Kohinata and Wataru a.k.a. “Gilbert”, the more Shiro and Kenji start to think more about their relationship. But what attracted Shiro and Kenji towards each other? And Shiro starts to open up about past relationships with Kenji in volume 6 of “What did you eat yesterday?”.
What is “What did you eat yesterday?”
Mangaka Fumi Yoshinaga is one of the well-known Shojo artists in Japan.
Having had written seven manga series including the popular “Seiyo Kotto Yogashiten” (Antique Bakery), her seventh series titled “Kino Nani Tabeta?” (What did you eat yesterday?) is now being released in the U.S. courtesy of Vertical, Inc.
The series is currently serialized in the manga magazine “Weekly Morning” and was nominated for the first Manga Taisho (an annual Japanese manga award for a series that has less than eight collected volumes).
“What did you eat yesterday?” revolves around Shiro, an accomplished home chef and his relationship and doing what he loves the most…cooking and spending time with his boyfriend Kenji.
The manga series features cooking with recipes and how the food is prepared in combination with a storyline involving Shiro, Kenji and friends.
In volume 6, Shiro and Kenji start spending more time with Mr. Kohinata and Wataru but as they watch another couple, the insecurities of their own relationship starts to come out.
Especially as Kenji doesn’t want Shiro alone with Mr. Kohinata out of jealousy, meanwhile Wataru tries to get Kenji to reveal what he loves about Shiro.
Meanwhile, Shiro prepares bamboo shoot rice, boiled dumplings and miso-stewed mackerel.
This is the first time I have read Fumi Yoshinaga’s “What did you eat yesterday?”.
It’s a fresh spin compared to other cooking manga that I have read in the fact that while you have a story, you also read through the actual cooking recipes as Shiro makes his dish.
Many other manga focus on the food, the taste of the food and what ingredients were utilized. Sometimes, you get a recipe at the end or at the beginning of the manga but the actual cooking is integrated into the storyline.
But it’s not all about cooking as the manga also explores life of a gay couple.
Chapter 41 focuses on Shiro being invited by Mr. Kohinata to watch him play baseball.
Chapter 42 features Shiro’s birthday. How will he and Kenji celebrate?
Chapter 43 focuses on Shiro and Kenji joining Wataru to watch Mr. Kohinata play baseball.
Chapter 44 features Shiro’s concern about his lawyer friend, Junior-sensei.
Chapter 45 features Shiro and Kenji joining Mr. Kohinata and Wateru at a bar.
Chapter 46 features Shiro and Kenji going out shopping.
Chapter 47 features Shiro receiving a gift from a client.
And Chapter 48 features Shiro preparing miso-stewed mackerel.
For the most part, I found “What did you eat yesterday?” to be a charming manga about love, life and cooking. It’s definitely a fresh and unique take on the cooking genre as Fumi Yoshinaga does a great job of balancing the cooking and story, but also a different perspective as it deals with Shiro, a gay man trying to maintain his relationship with Kenji and exploring his life with other random characters which is fun and interesting.
The artwork has a blend of shojo style but instead of making everyone look glamorous, Fumi Yoshinaga doesn’t do that. It’s more of a natural and realistic take which I enjoyed and her artwork is not too busy!
With volume 6, I noticed that both Shiro and Kenji are getting closer but yet must deal with insecurities or emotions that they have held-in and discuss them. Especially if it means past relationships.
Overall, “What did you eat yesterday?” is an entertaining slice-of-life manga series combining relationship angst with cooking that makes this series unique and entertaining.
Recommended!