25 Aug / what did you eat yesterday? (vol. 12) by Fumi Yoshinaga, translated by Jocelyne Allen
“[D]ecidedly catholic” tastes aside, The Manga Critic is oh so right: I DOOOOOOOOOOOO “religiously” review every issue of this toothsome series! How could I ever ignore such delicious delights, I tell you!
So what’s the latest for our favorite Tokyo lovebirds? While Shiro takes his parents on an overnight getaway, Kenji heads home to share a special sukiyaki dinner with his recently-widowed mother and sisters: “They might all be getting older, but everyone in the family still loves to spoil the youngest.”
Apple season is back, and Shiro heads over to his cooking buddy Kayoko’s house, where Mr. Kohinata awaits with baking powder left over from last year’s pancake party. Aside from the American-police-always-eating-doughnuts-jokes, the trio make multiple batches of apple muffins while discussing hobbies and retirement. Mr. Kohinata will have his own drama to share when he gets Shiro alone, oh my!
Office politics at Shiro’s firm seem to fall along gender lines (“Honestly, compared to [office manager(-ess)] Shino, the men here are just …,– fill in the blank, ahem – the boss lady intones). At Kenji’s ‘office’ (hair salon), women certainly dominate the client list, and as everyone is only getting older, he considers doing more house calls for his aging regulars. Meanwhile, Kenji’s fellow stylist Tabuchi seems to keep getting younger (maturity is so overrated, no?), but decides dating older women are less hassle.
Holidays are spent à deux and solo, albeit always in the company of good food. Crises and celebrations side, delectable meals complement all of life’s experiences. Volume after volume, Fumi Yoshinaga continues to entice, satisfyingly filling readers with tempting fare.
Readers: Young Adult, Adult
Published: 2016 (Japan), 2017 (United States)
Touche! I enjoyed both of your lists–almost everything on them would have been on a “favorite” or “best of” list for me, too, though I admit to having a real fondness for trashy and weird stuff. Thanks for the shout-out, for including manga in your regular review beat!
Thank youuuuuuuu right back!