Yakitate!! Japan

(焼きたて!!ジャぱん)
Mangaka: Takashi Hashiguchi
Categories: shounen, comedy

Summary: Have you ever tasted french bread that can make you feel like a Frenchman? Or animal-shaped bread that can actually make you act like an animal? Or bread so good that it can literally send you to heaven? Azuma Kazuma, thanks to his extraordinarily warm hands and intense passion for his craft, is that good a baker that he can make such wonderful tasting bread.

Inspired by a zealous baker he met when he was a young boy and his grandfather who initally refused to eat bread because it's no substitute for rice, Azuma strives to make the perfect Japan (pan is another word for bread so Ja-pan is pun for Japanese bread), bread that can replace rice as staple food. In his quest, he tries to join renowned bakery Pantasia and participates in numerous baking contests. Think typical shounen manga tournaments but instead of sports or martial arts, you have baking (hehe!).



Comments: A manga about bread may sound dull at first but the ridiculous themes of the baking tournaments, Azuma's crazy opponents, and how our hero overcomes each challenge are entertaining. The silly reactions of the people who taste Azuma's bread are also hilarious. Please set aside whatever prejudices or misconceptions you might have about this manga. The story is hardly boring so you might want to give it a try :)

Scanlator: Snoopy Cool