mushimanga

Mangaka: Yoshinaga Fumi
Genre: Shoujo
Length: 6 chapters (ongoing)
Scanlated by: Entropy

A new manga by Fumi Yoshinaga combining a mismatched couple with ordinary culinary exploits.

“What Did You Eat Yesterday?” (”Kinou Nani Tabeta” in Japanese) features an homosexual “Odd Couple”. The straightlaced protagonist is adept at cooking, and the story is told through the lens of dinner preparation. (Entropy)

This is a simple series, with absolutely no porn. However, it's wonderful, and it makes me hungry. The characters aren't taken seriously, but they also aren't caricatures; they're multi-layered. They're the best part, with the attention paid to each meal coming in a close second.

The lawyer is adorably stuffy and bossy, while his lover, a hairstylist, is like a big labrador retriever--all floppy and eager to please. ("Floppy" is not a word I thought I'd use on this journal, but... it's a good word for him.)

Sample Pages
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Entropy has decided not to do direct downloads anymore. This title is available on the IRC channel or here.

kutsuwamushi

Edit: Fantasy Shrine has removed their forums, apparently because of sites like MangaTraders. I'm still trying to figure out how you can get their releases without going to MangaTraders now.

Edit: Dolce is now complete.

Mangaka: Kitazawa Kyo
Genre: Yaoi
Length: ~~3 chapters (ongoing)~~ 4 chapters (complete)
Scanlated by: Fantasy Shrine

Usami is a chef of an Italian restaurant called MIYA. One day, the whimsical owner decided to turn her restaurant into a "bishies restaurant"! Usami refuses to be part of this frivolous idea and will do anything to get out of it. Which led him to strike a deal with the owner. So now he’s stuck training Komiya, the spoiled, playboy son of the owner, to take over the business. But Komiya decided to make a deal of his own—! (Fantasy Shrine)

I think that the person who wrote that summary has mistaken this story for a piece of fluff--and it should be, with that premise. However, it rather quickly turns dark, when Komiya rapes Usami. The rape isn't of the "oh no oh yes yes!" kind; Usami clearly doesn't enjoy it and tries to leave the restaurant afterwards.

...

I think Kitazawa Kyo's stories are a bit weird, because she seems to be torn between a darker portrayal of rape, where it's traumatic and fills you with rage and betrayal, and the forced seduction trope. On one hand, her writing wants to recognize the seriousness--despite it still being there to titillate, but on the other hand, there is a romantic, happy ending. Usami doesn't leave the restaurant after all. He forgives Komiya and the two eventually begin a relationship.

This weirded me out a little. The rape as true love plot is pretty common, but it's usually pure, impossible fantasy, and that doesn't bother me as much as something that is a little more realistic but still wrong. It's the ambiguity: Does the author really think this is how it works? Do the readers?

I'm recommending it because, all of that said, I like the artwork, which is better than in her previous works, and it's different. The motivation for Komiya's act--entitlement, fear of losing control--are very clear, and in a way, the story does a good job of condemning him even though it promptly undermines that by accepting his excuses.

Serious thoughts over now.

Warnings:
Rape.

Sample Pages
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You can download this title here.

kutsuwamushi

Mangaka: Yoshinaga Fumi
Genre: Shounen-ai, Comedy
Length: 4 volumes (complete)
Published by: Digital Manga Publishing

Ono has come a long way since the agonizing day in high school when he confessed his love to handsome Tachibana. Now, some 14 years later Ono, a world-class pastry chef and gay playboy has it all. No man can resist Ono's charms (or his cooking skills!) but he has just found a new position under a man named Tachibana. Can this be the only man who resisted his charms, and if so, will the man who once snubbed the "magically gay" Ono get his just desserts? And how in the heck did a former middleweight boxing champion wind up as Ono's cake boy? (DMP)

I don't like that summary. It completely misses the point, but then, it's ad-copy, and obviously attempting to appeal to the shounen-ai and yaoi audience. But this isn't a romance at all. Don't let them fool you!

Antique Bakery is about the lives of the employees of a pastry shop and its customers. The employees form an odd, dysfunctional little family, although they would probably hate to be described that way. The customers, as well--when the story peeks into their lives, they're not just foils for the main characters, but developed characters themselves.

The main failing of this series is that there's no coherent narrative. It's more like a series of short stories about these characters than it is a complete story in itself. This makes the ending unsatisfying, because it's not really an ending at all... it just sort of stops. I didn't even know that it was complete until I couldn't find volume 5 anywhere!

Update: Antique Bakery is a hugely successful manga. Since I originally wrote this rec, there has been an anime version (horrible), a j-drama version (horrible), and a k-drama version (not perfect but pretty cute). The k-drama version has been fansubbed and is available on jdramas.

Sample pages
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BL Manga Recommendations

Entries tagged with chefs

[REC] What Did You Eat Yesterday?

[REC] DOLCE

[REC] ANTIQUE BAKERY

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