Oishinbo: A La Carte Edition – Volumes Six and Seven (Book review)

© Tetsu KARIYA, Akira HANASAKI/Shogakukan Inc.

It only feels like yesterday that VIZ announced its plans to release an a la carte menu of the finest chapters from the Japanese foodie manga Oishinbo. Each volume has been themed around a particular kind of Japanese food such as fish, ramen, sake, vegatables. The final two volumes focus on the rice, the most vital part of Japanese culture and cooking and the food of the izakaya, Japanese public houses.The saga of the Ultimate Menu and Yamaoka Shiro’s feud with his father Kaibara Yuzan continues, as does his romance with his coworker Kurito Yuko. The characterisation is touching but a little jarring given the chapters have been collected from numerous volumes.However we’ve met the characters through the proceeding five volumes so that they now feel like old friends so it’s easy to overlook this and get on with the manga.

Food remains the focal point of the books and each chapter really makes your mouth water. The volume focusing on rice, for example, teaches everything from how to make the perfect bowl of Japanese rice to delicious rice cakes. It also touches on the controversy in Japan about whether rice should be mixed with food (think the fried rice you get at a Chinese restaurant but with a lot more flare). However it also focuses on the adaptability of this staple grain and how Japanese cooking can be fused with other cooking to create a whole new taste sensation. As with other volumes, there’s a full colour recipe in the front and a short culinary essay from Kariya Tetsu which really adds depth to the series. It’s nice to have a chance to get inside the mind of authors, especially when they have a thing for food.

The final volume focuses on food served at Japanese pubs. It starts at the beginning with a chapter on edamame (which is often served as a bar snack) and beer, a huge staple of the izakaya. Japanese pubs are not like those found in the UK, they’re smaller more cosy affairs that served a select menu of tasty foods like fish and chicken, the latter often skewered and grilled. Indeed, when I head to Japan this April, trying out izakaya is top of my list and a cheap way to see the real Japan.

The only bad thing about volume seven is that it’s the final one. No more Oishinbo and it’s such a shame. The series is beautifully written, nicely drawn and with an overarching plot which manages to not only keep your interest, it also teaches you something. I can see why Japan has so many educational manga as it’s a lot more interesting than reading a cook book. It’s a down to earth series and realistic but also entertaining, even if the enmity between Shiro and Yuzan is sometimes a little full on. This is a series which really should be on the shelves of anyone interested in manga or Japanese cuisine. It’s should be a required text for anyone who’s planning on heading to Japan but wants to learn a bit about the food before they go.

Volume six of Oishinbo: A La Carte is out now. Volume seven will be released on 19th January.