This is one of the few manga I have been following religiously of late (in addition to Chihayafuru, Uchuu Kyoudai, and Skip Beat) so I thought I should give it a quick review.
Reading ongoing manga, especially interesting ones, is probably fairly masochistic. On the flip side, I think there is a particular excitement that only something still being serialized can bring. When you are eagerly waiting to see what will happen next, and are forced to wait at least a whole month until the next (always excessively short) chapter is published… that kind of anticipation makes every chapter seem so much more dramatic and interesting than it really probably is.
Completed manga are wonderfully fulfilling (or disappointing) and far less torturous for the heart (though they might cause severe sleep deprivation). However, I think following an ongoing manga, and speculating with other people on what would happen next, is a great part of the manga experience as well.
Synopsis
Ken is a chef from modern-day Japan who somehow time-slips into feudal Japan, and loses all his memories except those about how to cook. With his wonderful culinary expertise, he soon finds himself employed as Oda Nobunaga’s personal chef. Will Ken regain his memories? What kind of influence does he bring to Oda Nobunaga’s rule? Will he change history? Since the manga isn’t complete, I honestly just don’t know… yet.
Thoughts
As much as this manga may center around Ken, its story is very much driven by the historical conquests of Oda Nobunaga. I can’t really tell if Nobunaga is a foil for Ken’s cooking, or if Ken’s cooking is ornamental to Nobunaga’s story. Both characters are charismatic and indecipherable.
Expect this to be a fairly long series. I have read around 7 volumes of this, and I still have no idea how Ken ended up in Nobunaga’s era, and still barely know what Ken’s life was like before he time-slipped. There are still so many mysteries waiting to be solved.
Before I forget… while this is a historical manga, it is also a manga about food. If you enjoy food, you will enjoy this manga.
Food is such a core part of this manga, so beautifully interwoven, that it never feels like it is there for the sake of being there. In Nobunaga no Chef, Ken’s cooking frequently serves as a political message to Nobunaga’s allies and foes. Food, in its presentation, ingredients, way of cooking, carries myriad meanings.
Watching Ken manage to cook modern dishes with ancient ingredients and ancient tools is also an interesting insight into how food has evolved over the centuries. Soy sauce… what soy sauce? You’ll have to make that from scratch!
At this point, I wouldn’t call this manga profoundly moving or deeply meaningful. It is a beautifully drawn ode to food, solidly paced, and a wonderful combination of history and cuisine. That alone, for me, is more than enough.
Details
Title:
– In English: Nobunaga no Chef/Nobunaga’s Chef/A Chef of Nobunaga
– In Japanese: 信長のシェフ
Author: Nishimura Mitsuru
Artist: Kajikawa Takurou
Published By: Houbunsha (Japanese)
Serialized In: Shuukan Manga Times (Japanese)
Publishing Status: 8 volumes ongoing (Japanese), English fan scanlations available
Manga Thinking 