26/04/2003 Entry: "Manga > Iron Wok Jan!"

Iron Wok Jan! [link]
Story and art by Shinji Saijyo

EvilHayama went manga shopping last week, and brought back this little gem. Manga about food has always fascinated me, but seeing it being translated into English is even more of a delight! :D~

Iron Wok Jan! revolves mostly around the lives of the trainee chefs of Gobancho, a top Chinese cuisine restaurant in the Ginza shopping district. The art is very shounen-styled but the first volume is interestingly free of romance or perversion. The whole thing is like a fast-paced sports manga, but with kitchen utensils; special techniques abound and characters are intense and melodramatic.

I really found myself hating the far-too-skilled and arrogant Jan, but occasionally we're relieved to see that he makes mistakes like any other person. The least skilled of the trainees (whose name escapes me at this moment) is so positive and cute you could cry. Between the three main characters, there's a nice balance of virtues and faults that works as a whole.

I've only read volume 1 so far, but I'm interested in how Saijyo can keep this up for 27 volumes... we shall see in time!