Comics Publishers Enter the Kitchen
By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 2/2/2009 6:00:00 AM
Although several comics and graphic novel companies announced layoffs and cutbacks recently, 2008 was a solid one for comic books. USA Today reported total sales at powerhouse Diamond Comics Distributors remained “strong” and the graphic-novel category grew by 5%. Yet comics publishers aren’t content to leave well enough alone, and are constantly exploring new subcategories and genres. Superheroes and ninjas may be most popular, but what about chefs, bakers and food critics? A growing number of houses are exploring manga—Japanese cartoons—that take place in the kitchen.
The undisputed classic when it comes to cooking manga is Iron Wok Jan, a study in what happens when you turn the art of Chinese cuisine into a ruthless, anything-goes martial arts competition. Now in its 27th installment, the series—written and illustrated by Shinji Saijyo—concerns Jan Akiyama, a gifted chef working in the Gobancho restaurant, which specializes in Chinese food. PW summed up the series this way: “Take the concept of television's popular Iron Chef, add a few remarkably well-endowed men wearing snug cooking gear, toss in some gratuitous violence, and you’ve got Iron Wok Jan.”
Another popular series is Oishinbo, which is something of a heavyweight in the food manga world. It’s devoted to food critic Yamaoka Shiro and his quest for the “Ultimate Menu.” Oishinbo—written by Tetsu Kariya and illustrated by Akira Hanasaki—has garnered widespread praise, and is somewhat more serious than many other food-related manga (a line from the series’ first volume includes this line: “Katayama-san was furious after the food got all over him… and now he wants us to prove to him that sashimi is a proper dish…. It’s not just fish slabs on a plate, right?). In March, publisher Viz will release Oishinbo: Sake, and later this year, more volumes will follow: Oishinbo: Ramen and Gyoza (May), Oishinbo: Fish, Sushi and Sashimi (July) and Oishinbo: Vegetables (September). Viz senior director of public relations Evelyn Dubocq said there are 100 volumes of Oishinbo in Japan, which have sold 100 million copies since its debut in 1983. Here in the U.S., Viz chooses specific volumes to release in what it calls “a la carte editions,” which are small portions of the story that “give the reader a taste of what’s been released in Japan.”
On the lighter side of cooking manga is Yakitate!! Japan. The series, published in the U.S. by Viz, stars Kazuma Azuma, a 16-year-old boy blessed with otherworldly baking powers, who has taken it upon himself to create “Ja-pan,” the national bread of the land of the rising sun. (Get it? “Pan” means “bread” in several languages.) Yakitate!! Japan—by Takashi Hashiguchi—now has 15 volumes in the U.S.; the 16th releases in March, and more will follow in May, July and September. The story is a playful take on the sometimes serious craft of bread making. Says one character when a classmate offers to teach him how to make croissants for a competition, “Just learning how to make it won’t do jack for us… what we need to make is… the ultimate croissant that can defeat even Suwabara!!”
While Yakitate!! Japan may appeal to a mostly male demographic, a series called Kitchen Princess skews toward female readers. Del Rey publishes the fairly new series that debuted in the U.S. in 2007, written by Miyuki Kobayashi and illustrated by Natsumi Ando. It’s a shojo manga, meaning it is targeted toward a female audience roughly between the ages of 10 and 18. In the series, human and romantic relationships and emotions play out at the prestigious Seika Academy, where Najika, an orphan and a gifted cook, searches for her “Flan Prince,” the boy who saved her life when she was a child. Each volume features recipes after the stories for delicacies such as Pumpkin Shortbread, Strawberry Shortcake, Polka-Dot Pancakes and Onion Gratin Soup. Kitchen Princess will conclude with Kitchen Princess Volume 10 this July. Del Rey Manga associate publisher Dallas Middaugh said, “We were very pleased with how the book has performed, and it was a breakout hit last year.”
And then there’s Mixed Vegetables, a shojo manga from Viz that pits star-crossed gourmands Hanayu Ashitaba and Hayato Hyuga in a game of “love and leftovers.” Hanayu is the daughter of a celebrated pastry chef, but she wants to be a sushi chef; and Hayato is the son of a prestigious sushi chef but—you guessed it—he wants to be a pastry chef. Ayumi Komura created the story and art; the third volume releases in March, with a fourth and fifth coming in June and September.
