▪	RELEASED BY:		VIZ MEDIA
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		AKIRA HANASAKI / TETSU KARIYA
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / B&W
		▪	PAGES:		276
		▪	RATING:		T
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		01/19/2010
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		01/15/2010
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		SCOTT CAMPBELL

The story behind this volume of Oishinbo centers on Japanese pub food - the kind of food you would find at an “Izakaya.” As part of the celebrations for its 100th anniversary, the publishers of the Tozai News have decided to commission the creation of the 'Ultimate Menu," a model meal embodying the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine. This all-important task has been entrusted to journalist Shiro Yamaoka, an inveterate cynic who possesses no initiative, but does have an incredibly refined palate and an encyclopaedic knowledge of food. Each volume of Oishinbo follows Yamaoka and his colleagues through another adventure on their quest for the Ultimate Menu. Now, the best stories from the hundred-plus volume series have been selected and compiled into A la Carte editions, arranged by subject.

In this volume, the focus shifts from fine cuisine to food less pretentious – pub food to be exact, as said before. In Japan, pub food is generally found at an Izakaya – the Japanese word for a place like a bar or a pub. Izakaya occupy the same vital space in the Japanese culinary landscape as tapas bars in Spain or tavernas in Greece. Unpretentious, frequently boisterous, they're places to meet with friends or business partners to unwind over drinks and small dishes that range from hearty standards to refined innovations. In this volume of Oishinbo, Yamaoka and Kurita investigate classic izakaya foods such as edamame and yakitori, devise new dishes to add to the menu of an old shop, and discover how the concept of "play" is essential to the enjoyment of food.

Have you heard of this book series? Have you read any of it yet? Honestly, it’s so unique and different in what it is trying to do; it’s a wonder that everyone hasn’t heard of it because it’s so hard to miss. This is a great series with a lot of potential to entertain a wide variety of people – especially because everyone loves food, and most of us reading this takes at least some interest in Japanese culture. This volume is especially a lot of fun, and would be a good starting point for anyone taking the plunge into Oishinbo. The whole series is really quite interesting, but this volume deals with a certain section of Japanese food culture that isn’t quite as “particular”, and without so many rules. Not so many rules = fun (in my head it does anyhow!). But the fun isn’t just to be had with the story, the visuals are a quirky trip themselves. The art style for Oishinbo has this great 80’s feel to it that some of the younger crowd may not be able to appreciate so openly and affectionately - but to anyone with an appreciation for the very different stylistic elements from this decade, this manga will float your boat no problem. It’s fun, goofy-yet-serious art – very cartoony and purposeful. The book is also of a good size and quite long in comparison to the short manga volumes you get nowadays with how manga artists are making them. Oishinbo is an old gem that is worth taking a look at now that it is being re-printed – the art is unique, and the plot is even more interesting. You’re likely to have never read a book that quite takes the path that Oishinbo does – if nothing else it is a different experience to try, and everyone likes to try something new now and again.

With any manga, it is important to know who has created it so that we can have some further insight into where it came from. Manga writer and essayist extraordinaire Tetsu Kariya graduated from prestigious Tokyo University. Kariya was employed with a major advertising agency before making his debut as a manga writer in 1974 when he teamed up with legendary manga artist Ryoichi Ikegami to create Otoko Gumi (Male Gang). The worlds of food and manga were forever changed in 1983 when Kariya, together with artist Akira Hanasaki, created the immensely popular and critically acclaimed Oishinbo.

Akira Hanasaki, on the other hand, is the manga artist for the culturally significant series Oishinbo, which has been continuously serialized in Big Comic Spirits since 1983. Kariya and Hanasaki won the 32nd Shogakukan Manga Award in 1987 for Oishinbo.

IN SUMMARY:
Oishinbo is as fun as it is unique. Unique visuals and a unique way of telling a unique story makes this series… well… unique! Oishinbo isn’t great just because it’s different from the rest though – this is a truly great series with some entertaining characters to follow along and maybe even learn a thing or two with!