Sequential Art: Oishinbo: A la Carte
(Volumes include Japanese Cuisine; Sake; Ramen and Goyza; Fish, Sushi, and Sashimi; and the forthcoming Vegetables; Pub Food; and Rice)
Reading manga in the U.S. can be an expensive habit for multi- (and multi-multi-multi-) book series. For example, I started reading NANA but gave up around book 6; it’s now up to book 20. At $10/book, it’s not a cheap read. So, except for the occasional self-contained novel (such as SOLANIN), I don’t read much manga. I also have trouble finding “slice of life” manga stories as opposed to “magical girl” or “boarding school” or action titles. Luckily, I discovered OISHINBO (part of the Viz Signature line), a manga that is both “slice of life” and fairly self-contained. While it is a multiple-book series (most likely less than 10 books), each OISHINBO volume can stand alone.
The overarching story of the manga is the creation by the Tozai News of the “Ultimate Menu” of Japanese food for the paper’s 100th anniversary. The project is led by slacker gourmand Yamaoka Shiro, and hindered at every turn by his estranged father Kaibara Yuzan, artist and also a gourmand. The books are full of interesting and surprising facts about the proper preparation of all types of Japanese cuisine, with a book dedicated to a broad category of food. I never knew that there were so many types and styles of sake - it’s almost like the varieties of beer available in the U.S. Or that sashimi from the same breed of fish can taste extremely different depending on where in the river they were caught. The translations are a little clunky at times, but overall the OISHINBO series is an interesting read, and a good value since each of the books are around 270 pages each, and printed in a larger format that most U.S. manga.
