Writer and Artist: Takashi Hashiguchi
The adventures of young baker Kazuma Azuma continue as he works to establish himself in the highly competitive world of Tokyo bakeries. The storylines revolve around Iron Chef-esque showdowns.
There's some fun character development in the two collections I've just read:
- Kazuma is impulsive, ready to run off (literally run) to distant provinces for unusual bread ingredients: fresh wasabi, for instance.
- Tsukino (fellow baker/love interest?) has more than a casual interest in the success of the bakery where they work. It impacts her inheritance.
- Kawachi (fellow baker/inferior rival) emerges as a more sympathetic character than early chapters suggested.
- Kenoshita (fellow baker) does all the work in the shop though he's only ever tangentially connected to the main narrative. He's good comic relief.
The books remind me of Japan's more unusual bread concepts: bread with bean paste, for instance. Let's just say I'm not a fan. Cream-filled bread comes up, too. I don't remember that. Too bad - I think I would have preferred that to the beans.
There is an anime series and I am curious. I'm interested to know how the almost superhero-ish flash of the panels translates to the screen.
I have four more volumes on my shelves. I'm looking forward to them.
It is an interesting insight into another culture. Especially through animated books! When I visited Japan in 1979, I was working in a bakery. I was amazed to find that they had bread in which the crust has been cut away, which I thought odd since (in my opinion) is the best part.
ReplyDeleteThe Japanese aren't so good with bread. They make up for it, of course, with deep, broad, cultural expertise with rice and noodles.
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