Yakitate!! Japan

Reviewed by Tuan Vo (*review based on manga)
June 2005

Studio: Sunrise
Original Work: Hashiguchi Takashi

Bread. This doughy delight is one of man's greatest creations, for it has the ability to adapt to any type of food or drink imaginable. For it has the ability to adapt to any type of food or drink imaginable. Now what if I said there is a manga that is basically about bread making. Interested? Well Yakitate!! Japan is just that, a manga about the wonderful world of bread.

This anime is about Azuma Kazuma, who apparently has an unusual set of appendages called Solar Hands. What are Solar Hands? Well they are hands that stay at a constant warm temperature allowing yeast to rise faster, thus making delicious bread.

First off, I have to say that this manga is truly unique. Granted, there are other mangas and animes out there about food, but this story is about a mundane subject taken to the extreme that it is actually worth reading. I mean really, Solar Hands? But not only is the manga about bread making, but it also has a deeper storyline that reveals true friendship, betrayal, and the struggle to do what is right.

The characters are actually memorable. Even the smallest character can have a big impact. Some of these unusual individuals include: the main character, his love interest, his rival/friend, the wise old man, and the funny sidekick that no one seems to care about. Although these character concepts are common across most storylines, they are still well executed.

What is nice about this manga is that Sunrise is releasing an animated series for this. And unlike many manga turned anime, this anime has yet to lose much of it depth. I can gladly say that the animation quality of Yakitate!! Japan is excellent, and each voice actor's performance fits their character's personalities very well. Although I don't know exactly how many episodes are available, I do know that there are at least 26, which is average for most anime.