▪	RELEASED BY:		VIZ MEDIA
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		TAKAHASHI HASHIGUCHI
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / BW
		▪	PAGES:		200
		▪	RATING:		T+
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		03/11/2008
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		03/06/2008
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		RACHEL BENTHAM

That corrupt Steering cCommittee is at it again! Team Pantasia survived the horrors of Haiti but now the committee has ruled a rematch! They didn’t crush Pantasia yet and those pulling the strings behind the scenes have demanded that the team go down in flames! It’s big trouble in an even bigger cave when the team is set up to travel to Mexico and are left in a the dreaded cave of Huautla!

Learn Pierrot’s true face! Find out the fate of one of the evil doers behind Pantasia’s woes! I tell you, this manga about bread baking has more intrigue than a story about the CIA! Rigged games, illegal gambling, bribes, moles, assassinations…it’s enough to make your bread pan explode! But you know Team Pantasia is up to the challenge. Sure they’re stuck in one of the world’s deepest caves. Sure they’re stuck in there with freaky Pierrot (am I the only one creeped out by this guy?). And sure, everyone wants them gone, dead or alive. But Azuma just wants to bake his happy bread! He’s such a riot. The crazy little baker is like constant Prozac.

The dirty deeds behind the scenes get a special shade of nasty this volume. Someone gets iced! And I don’t mean that as a baking reference! Kirisaki of St. Pierre is one seriously evil guy! And his sinister plot doesn’t make Yukino so much as blink! She’s is one cold and villainous woman. Yikes!

The latest volume has all sorts of bonus fun including information about the cave (it really does exist!), comic funnies, recipes, and a bonus story that’s a total spoof on Lord of the Rings - Pantasia style! It’s Team Pantasia meets Fantasia when the group has to help out elves and transform with special powers thanks to a magical Biwa!  

IN SUMMARY:
Yakitate Japan is a manga baked full of wacky comedic genius! It’s a plateful of intrigue!