Iron Wok Jan Vol. 23

Reviewed by Von Jared Omo
September 10, 2007

Artist: Shinji Saijyo Author: Shinji Saijyo Publisher: DrMaster Website: Click Here

Just when Ransei Koh thought he had won the cooking semi-final competition, he discovers his score is 95, which is the same score as Kiriko Gobancho and the main protagonist of the story, Jan Akimaya! This results in all three of the chefs moving on to the finals. However, Nichido Otani, a food critic who wants to rid Jan from the cooking world, has a few plans up his sleeve. He decides to make ostrich meat as the theme for the final round of the competition. Given a one week period before the finals, Jan, Kiriko, and Ransei are all dumbfounded and go out to see what characteristics can be found in ostrich meat. Kiriko and her team get some ostrich meat from the local butchers only to find that ostrich meat does not taste very good and is tough to chew. Just when Kiriko decides to give up on the ostrich meat she got from the butchers, the head chef of the restaurant decides to give her a hand by giving her the highest quality of ostrich meat – which he claims is real ostrich meat and refuses to tell Kiriko where he was able to get some, leaving her to discover the secret for herself.

As for Jan, he and his friend Takao Okonogi go to some ostrich farm. Once there, Jan starts killing the ostriches and cooks them and lets Okonogi try his cooking. Okonogi says the same thing Kiriko’s team said about the ostrich meat – hard to chew and doesn’t taste good. When Jan and Okonogi get caught by the groundskeepers, they explain that they are chefs. One of the groundskeepers says how good ostrich meat is and tells Jan about a restaurant that cooks good ostrich meat. Jan and Okonogi end up going to the restaurant and to their surprise, the ostrich meat tastes excellent. Jan tricks the cook into telling him where he got the ostrich meat and in return, teaches the cook how to cook a good steak. The cook tells Jan about a place called Ostrich Village as his supplier, and Jan decides to check it out only to discover that Kiriko is there as well to find the secret of the highest quality ostrich meat. At Ostrich Village, Jan is chased out by the president because the ostriches do not seem to like him.

Back at the restaurant where Jan and Okonogi ate ostrich meat, the cook tells them about how hunters kill bears by getting them excited in order for the adrenaline to be released so blood can be spread throughout the body causing the meat to taste good. Jan has an idea and goes back to Ostrich Village and kills an ostrich that is frightened. He tastes the meat and says how bad it tastes. Kiriko also gives it a taste and says the same thing. They finally discovered the secret: because of adrenaline pumping blood throughout the body of the ostrich, the capillaries burst causing the meat to be bloody and hard to chew. Therefore, to obtain good ostrich meat, the ostrich must be killed in a relaxed state. Over the speakers, Ransei’s voice is heard and tells Kiriko and Jan that he has been one step ahead of them. However, since the ostriches are afraid of Jan, Jan is not able to get good ostrich meat for the finals, which leaves him back where he started. How will Jan be able to cook ostrich meat if he can’t get the highest quality? Has Otani finally defeated Jan?

I think the content could be better. The story is entertaining and suspenseful in a way, but I feel as if this manga particularly appeals to those who are familiar with cooking or looking forward to getting into culinary arts. However, the manga is very entertaining and funny and I found myself intrigued by the recipes found within the pages, which I believe is a very unique feature of the manga. As for the illustrations, they seem to be well drawn and inked very well which fits the style of the manga. The text/translation is also done well, but some of the dialogue could use a little improvement. Despite the minor things that need improvement, the manga is well done and has some entertainment value.

Iron Wok Jan may not be a typical manga that focuses on fighting or ninjas, which may separate it from most stories out there. However, because it is different, it may catch the attention of some manga readers out there who are looking for something different to read story-wise. It is entertaining and suspenseful as well, which may cause the reader to think about the mysteries that are in the manga and may motivate them to read the story more. For the price of $9.95, this manga is worth reading and worth checking out.