ACF 438: "Oishinbo a la Carte, Vol 7 - Izakaya: Pub Food" due out January 2010

FINAL VOLUME OF THE ULIMATE FOOD MANGA
OISHINBO A LA CARTE Vol. 7
RELEASING JANUARY 19TH!

Izakaya: Pub Food, The Last Hand-Selected Volume

Out Of A 100+ Volume Hit Series

Exploring Essential Elements Of Japanese Cuisine

Will Soon Be Here!

In my December 10th review of Oishinbo Vol. 6: The Joy of Rice, I mentioned that the seventh and final volume would be coming out in January, 2010. Well, VIZ Media has announced the planned release of the final volume of the mega hit food manga for January 19th. Volume 7, Izayaya: Pub Food is rated ‘T’ for Teens and carries an estimated retail price of $12.99 US and $16.99 CAN.

Izakaya occupies the same vital space in the Japanese culinary landscape as tapas bars in Spain or tavernas in Greece. Unpretentious and 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.

OISHINBO creator Tetsu Kariya, writer and essayist extraordinaire 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.

“Fans of Japanese cuisine and culture have been delighted with every volume of the critically acclaimed OISHINBO series and we are excited to bring them this final volume that covers the excitement of izakaya,” says Evelyn Dubocq, Sr. Director of Public Relations, VIZ Media.

OISHINBO (or “The Gourmet") depicts the adventures of journalist Shiro Yamaoka, who writes for the fictional newspaper Tozai News. When the paper’s top executives decide to create “The Ultimate Menu” to celebrate the paper’s 100th anniversary, Yamaoka, known for his reputation as a foodie with culinary skills to match, is given the daunting assignment. With the help of his coworker Kurita, Yamaoka begins an epic saga to find unique and tasty dishes that will compose this ultimate bill of fare. Each volume of OISHINBO focuses on specific foods and culinary trends such as sake, sushi, vegetables, rice dishes, ramen, and Izakaya (pub food). VIZ Media has served up selected highlights from this epic 100+ volume series and compiled them into seven a la carte editions that can be enjoyed individually or as a series. OISINBO has further inspired a 136-episode anime series, a live-action film and TV dramas, video games, recipe collections, and TV shows in Japan.

For more information on OISHINBO and other VIZ Media titles please visit www.Viz.com.

ACF 430: Oishinbo a la Carte - The Joy of Rice

OISHINBO A LA CARTE © Tetsu KARIYA, Akira HANASAKI/Shogakukan Inc.

The latest installment in the Oishinbo a la Carte manga series recently became available from VIZ Media. This one is all about that quintessential Japanese food, rice. It covers such topics as the optimum moisture content of rice grains before cooking, when organic brown rice can be very unhealthy, foods that actually taste better with rice than by themselves, and dishes in which other items are either cooked separately or together with the rice.

All this is remarkably entertaining as well as informative.

Rice of course has been of major importance to the Japanese for millennia. So much so that it was used as a unit of monetary exchange, the koku (approximately 330 lbs of rice), and of a daimyo's (feudal Japanese lord's) wealth. Estates were appraised by how many koku of rice they could produce.

By coincidence, shortly after reading this volume, I happened to watch Seijun Suzuki's Branded to Kill again. In it, Jo Shishido's character has a thing for smelling fresh cooked rice. In an interview on the Criterion DVD, Suzuki explains that since the character was an assassin, he did not think the character would crave the smell of cooked meat. So instead, Suzuki says, he decided to use rice, the most Japanese of all foods.

Oishinbo ("The Gourmet") has sold over 100 million copies since it began publication in 1983. The VIZ a la carte editions compile selected highlights by topic. Consequently, the narrative is sometimes non-chronological. That is, developments in the story line that occur in one edition may not have yet occurred at points in a subsequent edition. Fortunately, there's a concise, easy to use appendix of notes at the end of each volume. Here such "temporal dislocations" are explained, and additional terms are described.

The Joy of Rice is another fine volume in this terrific manga series, which is definitely one of my favorites. The only downside about it that occurs to me is that, like every other volume, it made me hungry and wishing that I was wealthy enough to fly to Japan and eat and drink nothing but the best of the national cuisine!

Finally, for your info, the next and I believe final a la carte edition will explore the world of izakaya - Japanese bars and drinking establishments. It's due to be available in January 2010.

ACF 344: Oishinbo: Fish, Sushi & Sashami is due out today from VIZ!

OISHINBO A LA CARTE (C) Tetsu KARIYA, Akira HANASAKI/Shogakukan Inc

The latest volume of Oishinbo a la Carte is due out today from VIZ, and it focuses on fish, sushi and sashimi. Like previous volumes, it's a highlight compilation from the original 100+ volume series. The story is by Tetsu Kariya and art by Akira Hanasaki. The MSRP is $12.99 U.S. and $15.00 Canadian.

In this installment, journalist Yamaoka Shiro continues his quest to develop the "Ultimate Menu" as part of the 100th anniversary of the Tozai News, the paper for which he works. His partner is the lovely and sweet Kurita Yuko, and his nemesis remains Kaibara Yuzan, a prominent artist and gourmand who happens to be Shiro's father.

The story line remains interesting, and the 250+ page volume is chock full of fascinating information about food and its preparation. The first volume of Oishinbo (which means "The Gourmet") was - and it remains - one of my favorite manga books. This is the second volume I've had a chance to read in advance of it going on sale, and I'm even more enthusiastic about the series than before. I just wish I could fly off to Japan and indulge myself in all the fantastic dishes that are so lovingly described in words and beautifully depicted in images.

One of the nice touches in the series as published by VIZ is the inclusion of several pages of notes on the text at the end of the book. These notes explicate points that would not be recognized by non-Japanese - and perhaps some Japanese as well! - and also keep the reader informed about important developments that took place in material not included in this edited version. In this volume, for example, one of the end notes explains an important event that has taken place in the relationship between Shiro and Yuko.

If you love food, Japanese culture, or just terrific manga, the Oishinbo series is a must have. I give Oishinbo: Fish, Sushi & Sasimi an ACF rating of 4 out of 4 stars - highest recommendation. My mouth is already drooling in anticipation of the next volume, which focuses on vegetables and is scheduled to be available in September, 2009. Yum!