With over 100 volumes published since Oishinbo started in 1983, Viz didn’t stand a chance trying to release it like any other manga, one volume at a time in original publication order. They’d never catch up, and no one would shell out the money for a complete set. Luckily, the Japanese have already solved that problem by releasing the series in “a la carte” edition, which selects stories from throughout the comic’s run for their thematic elements. As Oishinbo is a food manga, all the volumes are organized by different types of food.
Oishinbo A la Carte: Ramen & Gyōza is the second collection in the “A la Carte” series, though Viz has chosen not to number them here in the United States. The book is broken up into six stories or “courses,” reprinting 11 chapters from the manga. The stories are taken from different periods in the comic’s history, which is evident from both the art style, character design, and plot points—the latter most relevant in how two of the main characters started off as co-workers, became friends, and are now married with twins…all present in this particular volume.
Each story stands pretty strongly on its own, with little background knowledge needed of the characters and premise beyond the three paragraphs offered at the beginning and the short character bios. However, there are still the occasional questions, such as when a character appears who isn’t explained in the introduction, as well more of the background between Yamaoka and Kaibara—if they’re father and son, why don’t they share the same name? Little things like this don’t hurt the individual stories, but they can be confusing. There’s so much going on that the reader isn’t privy to since they’re only getting a taste of the overall comic.
Despite all this interesting narrative stuff going on, the real star of Oishinbo is the food. Each individual story is really just a vehicle for talking about the meals that Yamaoka and his friends/co-workers eat, in this particular case, ramen and gyōza. Out of the six stories reprinted here, five are about ramen and one focuses on gyōza, an uneven balance. The topics are diverse, but tend to hover around the general premise of “someone is in trouble, and Yamaoka is the only one who can save them.” The problems always come down to food in some way, and Yamaoka is always a reluctant savior. What keeps him going is partly pity and guilt, but in many cases, these problems become another venue for his rivalry with Kaibara.
The nonfiction elements really come out in each chapter when they talk about the food, as the characters explain how ramen and gyōza are made and Yamaoka talks about what good ramen and gyōza should be. He doesn’t just describe the taste and texture, but also explains how everything works—cooking techniques, ingredients, even in some cases, the sort of “chemistry” that pulls a dish together. This book not only arouses curiosity about these foods, but in some cases could be used to make them, as we are taken through the process behind each dish step-by-step. The book even helpfully includes a recipe for “Oishinbo-Style Miso Ramen” at the start, though I admit that the recipe was a lot easier to follow once I read the comic it was based on.
Overall, Oishinbo is an excellent book for foodies. It’s incredibly informative, and will definitely put you in the mood for Japanese food. The stories themselves are pretty fun and enjoyed reading them just to see what was going to happen—my favorite was “A New Gyōza”—but you could never do this book without the heavy food element, as the details of the food often provide their own plot resolution.
I’m definitely going to check out the rest of the “A la Carte” series, though I suspect that further reading will also serve to pique my curiosity about the series’ underlying narrative further. Why is there such bad blood between Yamaoka and his father? And exactly how long is this “Ultimate Menu” project supposed to last anyway?
Oishinbo A la Carte: Ramen & Gyōza
story by Tetsu Kariya
art by Akira Hanasaki
translated by Tetsuchiro Miyaki
edited by Leyla Aker
published by Viz Signature (San Francisco, 2009)
ISBN 978-1-4215-2141-1
