Sweetness and Lightning
Jul. 22nd, 2019 04:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbrTurns out this adorable slice-of-life manga just finished! It's the story of a single father, his young daughter, and a teenage girl all learning to cook together. It stayed really lovely right to the end. There's no significant romance arcs, just a focus on friendship, family, and growth, told through cooking and the way food brings people together. Lots of cuteness, humour, and overcoming obstacles through communication, with no very serious angst.
There's an anime covering the start of the manga, which is also great. Here's the opening, which gives an idea of the feel of both.
I read the manga on Crunchyroll using my paid subscription, it's also available for purchase as collected volumes.
Kohei is a recently widowed single father who works as a teacher. He's having trouble suddenly learning to take care of his kindergarten aged daughter Tsumuki since his wife took care of stuff like cooking. Meanwhile his student, Kotori, is the lonely daughter of a chef and also wants to learn to cook. Kotori and Kohei end up learning to cook together, and they and Tsumuki bond and find happiness through cooking and food. We meet their friends and watch their lives change over the years as Tsumiki and Kotori grow up and Kohei learns to move on from his wife's death. Also there are a lot of delicious looking meals and recipes that always make me super hungry.
Like a lot of people, I was worried, but no: IT DOESN'T SHIP KOHEI AND KOTORI. I think the narrative deliberately leaves space to ship them if you want, but Kohei is horrified the one time the idea is suggested. And I mean, I ship him with his male bff, and there's a moderate amount of space to do that too. It's just cute supportive friendships all around.
I'm kinda sick of the preponderance of stories aimed at men about adult men bonding with young girls, and this is definitely part of that genre, but this is pretty enjoyable and uncreepy for what it is, and treats adult women as Actual People too, even if they're never central characters.
It's not an especially progressive manga but I don't remember it doing anything I found especially upsetting beyond the general background heteronormativy etc of conventional manga tropes, and some mild male gaze. I may have forgotten something, though, especially since I've been reading it off and on over several years, so don't totally let your guard down.
I saw people talking about extra post-canon chapters, but I think those might be included in what I read on Crunchyroll.
There's an anime covering the start of the manga, which is also great. Here's the opening, which gives an idea of the feel of both.
I read the manga on Crunchyroll using my paid subscription, it's also available for purchase as collected volumes.
Kohei is a recently widowed single father who works as a teacher. He's having trouble suddenly learning to take care of his kindergarten aged daughter Tsumuki since his wife took care of stuff like cooking. Meanwhile his student, Kotori, is the lonely daughter of a chef and also wants to learn to cook. Kotori and Kohei end up learning to cook together, and they and Tsumuki bond and find happiness through cooking and food. We meet their friends and watch their lives change over the years as Tsumiki and Kotori grow up and Kohei learns to move on from his wife's death. Also there are a lot of delicious looking meals and recipes that always make me super hungry.
Like a lot of people, I was worried, but no: IT DOESN'T SHIP KOHEI AND KOTORI. I think the narrative deliberately leaves space to ship them if you want, but Kohei is horrified the one time the idea is suggested. And I mean, I ship him with his male bff, and there's a moderate amount of space to do that too. It's just cute supportive friendships all around.
I'm kinda sick of the preponderance of stories aimed at men about adult men bonding with young girls, and this is definitely part of that genre, but this is pretty enjoyable and uncreepy for what it is, and treats adult women as Actual People too, even if they're never central characters.
It's not an especially progressive manga but I don't remember it doing anything I found especially upsetting beyond the general background heteronormativy etc of conventional manga tropes, and some mild male gaze. I may have forgotten something, though, especially since I've been reading it off and on over several years, so don't totally let your guard down.
I saw people talking about extra post-canon chapters, but I think those might be included in what I read on Crunchyroll.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-22 11:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-07-28 01:33 pm (UTC)The Yagi/Kohei shippiness in the manga doesn't really get much more intense than in the anime, EXCEPT IN MY HEART.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-28 01:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-07-28 01:37 pm (UTC)Ha, same. best shipping opinions fistbump