Oishinbo

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Oishinbo
Cover of Oishinbo tankōbon volume 102, featuring Shirō Yamaoka (top right), Yūzan Kaibara (top left) and Yūko Kurita (center bottom)
美味おいしんぼ
GenreCooking,[1] comedy[2]
Manga
Written byTetsu Kariya [ja]
Illustrated byAkira Hanasaki [ja]
Published byShogakukan
English publisher
MagazineBig Comic Spirits
DemographicSeinen
Original runOctober 1983 – May 12, 2014 (indefinite hiatus)
Volumes111
Anime television series
Directed byYoshio Takeuchi
Produced byHidehiko Takei (Nippon TV)
Yoshio Katō (Shin-Ei Animation)
Written byRyūzō Nakanishi
Yasuo Tanami
Haruya Yamazaki
Music byKazuo Otani
StudioShin-Ei Animation
Original networkNippon TV
Original run October 17, 1988 – March 17, 1992
Episodes136 (List of episodes)
Anime television film
Oishinbo: Kyūkyoku Tai Shikō, Chōju Ryōri Taiketsu!!
Directed byIku Suzuki
Written byHaruya Yamazaki
Music byKazuo Otani
StudioStudio Deen
Original networkNippon TV
ReleasedDecember 11, 1992
Runtime90 Minutes
Anime television film
Oishinbo: Nichibei Kome Sensō
Directed byIku Suzuki
Written byHaruya Yamazaki
Music byKazuo Otani
StudioStudio Deen
Original networkNippon TV
ReleasedDecember 3, 1993
Runtime89 Minutes
Live-action film
Directed byAzuma Morisaki
Produced byShigehiro Nakagawa
Renji Tazawa
Junichirō Hisaita
Katsuhiko Takemasa
Osamu Kamei
Hisaomi Saitō
Written byToshiharu Maruuchi
Masao Kajiura
Music byTakayuki Inoue
StudioShochiku
ReleasedApril 13, 1996
Runtime105 minutes

Oishinbo (Japanese: 美味おいしんぼ, lit. "The Gourmet") is a long-running Japanese cooking manga series written by Tetsu Kariya [ja] and drawn by Akira Hanasaki [ja]. The manga's title is a portmanteau of the Japanese word for delicious, oishii, and the word for someone who loves to eat, kuishinbo.[3] The series depicts the adventures of culinary journalist Shirō Yamaoka and his partner (and later wife), Yūko Kurita. It was published by Shogakukan between 1983 and 2008 in Big Comic Spirits, and resumed again on February 23, 2009,[4] only to be put on an indefinite hiatus after the May 12, 2014, edition in the weekly Big Comic Spirits following harsh criticism of Oishinbo's treatment of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster.[5]

Before this suspension, Oishinbo was collected in 111 tankōbon volumes, making it the 18th longest manga released and the 10th best-selling manga series in history. The series was a perennial best-seller, selling 1.2 million copies per volume,[6] for a total of more than 135 million copies sold.[7]

The series received the 1986 Shogakukan Manga Award for seinen/general manga.[8] It was adapted as a 136-episode anime television series broadcast on TV Asahi from October 17, 1988, to March 17, 1992, followed by two sequel TV anime film specials in 1992 and 1993.

It was adapted into a live-action film directed by Azuma Morisaki starring Kōichi Satō and Rentarō Mikuni, and premiered on April 13, 1996.[9] The manga is licensed in English in North America by Viz Media.

In March 2016, writer Tetsu Kariya announced on his blog that he wanted to end the manga after it returned from hiatus. He wrote that "30 years is too long for many things" and that he believed "it's about time to end it."[10]

Plot[edit]

Oishinbo is a drama featuring journalist Shirō Yamaoka who works for Tōzai Shimbun. He is a cynical food critic who is tasked by the newspaper's owner, along with the young Yūko Kurita, to provide recipes for the "ultimate menu". During their search, they encounter Yamaoka's fastidious and demanding father, Yūzan Kaibara, a famous gourmand who tries to sabotage Yamaoka's project.

Characters[edit]

The character names listed here are in western order of family name last. The official English language manga volumes use the Japanese naming order of family name first.

Shirō Yamaoka (山岡やまおか 士郎しろう, Yamaoka Shirō) Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue
Played by Toshiaki Karasawa (1994 show), Masahiro Matsuoka (2007 show)
Shirō Yamaoka a 27-year-old journalist for the Tōzai News (東西とうざい新聞しんぶん社しゃ, Tōzai Shinbun)'s culture division and the head of its Ultimate Menu project. He is the only son of the world-famous potter and gourmand Yūzan Kaibara. He was forced to cook in his father's Gourmet Club when he was still at school and he resents his father, blaming him for his mother's early death. He once destroyed his father's paintings and ceramics because he believed his father cared more about food and his reputation than his family. Yamaoka appears lazy and uninterested unless it concerns food where he possesses a deep knowledge.
Yūko Kurita (栗田くりた ゆう子こ, Kurita Yūko) Voiced by: Mayumi Shō
Played by Yuriko Ishida (1-3), Yasuko Tomita (4-5) (1995 show), Yuka (2007 show)
Kurita is Yamaoka's co-worker and assists him in the Ultimate Menu project. She is often seen with Noriko Hanamura and Kinue Tabata, and together they are referred to as the "Culture Department Flower Trio". Kurita later marries Shirō Yamaoka and they have two children together, Yōji (陽ひ士し) and Yumi (遊ゆう美び).
Yūzan Kaibara (海原うなばら 雄山ゆうざん, Kaibara Yūzan) Voiced by: Chikao Ōtsuka
Played by Yoshio Harada (1), Tōru Emori (2-5) (1994 show); Ken Matsudaira (2007 show)
Kaibara is Yamaoka's father and rival. Kaibara trained Yamaoka, but the two had a falling-out. The relationship worsens when Kaibara begins to work for the Supreme Menu project of the Teito Times (帝都ていと新聞しんぶん, Teito Shinbun), a rival newspaper. Kaibara is the founder and director of the Gourmet Club. He is also an artist and the author of the Dictionary of Poetic References. He is modelled after Kitaoji Rosanjin.[11]
Daizō Ōhara (大原おおはら 大蔵たいぞう, Ōhara Daizō) Voiced by: Osamu Saka
Ōhara is the publisher of the Tōzai News and initiates the Supreme Menu project.
Kyōichi Koizumi (小泉こいずみ 鏡きょう一いち, Koizumi Kyōichi) Voiced by: Seizō Katō
Editor-in-chief of the Tōzai News.
Hideo Tanimura (谷村たにむら 秀夫ひでお, Tanimura Hideo) Voiced by: Shunsuke Shima
Tanimura is the director of the arts and culture department of the Tōzai News.
Tomio Tomii (富井とみい 富雄とみお, Tomii Tomio) Voiced by: Osamu Katō
Tomii is the deputy director of the arts and culture department. He is known for his buck teeth and baldness. His son's name is Hitoshi, who's known for his glasses, bowlcut hair and freckles and he studies in Class 5-B alongside classmate Masashi, who is the victim of this class' bullying.
Tōjin Tōyama (唐山からやま 陶すえ人じん, Tōyama Tōjin) Voiced by: Kōsei Tomita
Tōyama is a famous ceramicist and gourmet and is married to the much younger woman, Ryoko.
Seiichi Okaboshi (岡おか星ほし 精一せいいち, Okaboshi Seiichi) Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto
Okaboshi is a talented young chef and the owner of Yamaoka's preferred place to socialize.
Fuyumi Okaboshi (岡おか星ほし 冬美ふゆみ, Okaboshi Fuyumi) Voiced by: Yōko Asagami
Fuyumi becomes Okaboshi's wife and runs the restaurant with him.
Ryōzō Okaboshi (岡おか星ほし 良三りょうぞう, Okaboshi Ryōzō) Voiced by: Toshihiko Seki
Seiichi's younger brother who works as a chef in Kaibara's Gourmet Club.
Mantarō Kyōgoku (京極きょうごく 万太郎まんたろう, Kyōgoku Mantarō) Voiced by: Takeshi Watabe
A wealthy businessman and a gourmet who lives in Osaka.
Noriko Hanamura (花村はなむら 典子のりこ, Hanamura Noriko) Voiced by: Rei Sakuma
She is a friend of Yūko Kurita and one of the "Culture Department Flower Trio".
Kinue Tabata (田畑たばた 絹江きぬえ, Tabata Kinue) Voiced by: Rin Mizuhara
She is a friend of Yūko Kurita and one of the "Culture Department Flower Trio".
Inspector Nakamatsu (中松なかまつ警部けいぶ, Nakamatsu-keibu) Voiced by: Norio Fukutome
A Police Inspector with a gruff exterior, but he is quite soft-hearted and forms a friendship with Yamaoka.
Tatsu-san (辰たつさん) Voiced by: Reizō Nomoto
A homeless man who collects leftovers from various restaurants in Ginza, so he knows which ones have the highest quality food. He introduced Yamaoka to Okaboshi's restaurant.[12] His full name is Tatsunojō Hanamikōji (花見はなみ小路しょうじ 辰之たつゆき丈たけ, Hanamikōji Tatsunojō).
Tokuo Nakagawa (中川なかがわ 得夫とくお, Nakagawa Tokuo) Voiced by: Ryūji Nakagi
He is the head chef of the Gourmet Club.
Kairakutei Black (快楽かいらく亭ていブラック, Kairakutei Burakku) Voiced by: Takeshi Aono
An American food writer and researcher who gets acquainted with Yamaoka and Kurita when he is in Japan studying tofu dishes. He later becomes a rakugo artist and takes the name Kairakutei. His original name is Henry James Black but he also uses the pen name Stan Black.
Terue Yumemi (夢見ゆめみテルエ, Yumemi Terue) Voiced by: Minami Takayama
One half of a manzai comedy duo. She marries Kairakutei Black and they have a daughter together.
Mariko Niki[a] (二木ふたき まり子こ, Niki Mariko) Voiced by: Saeko Shimazu
Mariko Niki is a co-worker of Yamaoka and Kurita who writes for Touzai Graph a weekly pictorial magazine. Her family is very wealthy. Her father is Takashi Niki, the president of one of Japan's biggest banks. She studied at a university in Paris and transferred back to Japan from the Touzai Paris office. To the dismay of Yūko Kurita, she pursues Yamaoka romantically but he is not interested in marrying her. Later, she marries a freelance photographer named Kinjō (近きん城しろ).
Teruko (輝子てるこ) Voiced by: Rihoko Yoshida
Teruko is Mariko's aunt. Mariko believes her difficult personality is the reason she's still unmarried. However, eventually she marries a novelist called Katamori.
Chairman Niki (二木ふたき会長かいちょう, Niki-kaichō) Voiced by: Hisashi Katsuta
Mariko's grandfather and chairman of the Nito Financial Group. He believes he should have a say in who Mariko chooses as a husband.
Arthur Brown (アーサー・ブラウン, Āsā Buraun) Voiced by: Akira Murayama
A friend of Kairakutei Black and an editor for an American magazine. He often asks Yamaoka and his colleagues for help when he writes articles about Japan. His Japanese is strange as he uses archaic words and odd expressions.

Media[edit]

Manga[edit]

Volume List

No. Release date ISBN
01 November 30, 1984[13]4-09-180751-8
  • 001. "tōfu to Mizu" (豆腐とうふと水みず)
  • 002. "aji de Shōbu(ankō no kimo)" (味あじで勝負しょうぶ（アンコウの肝きも）)
  • 003. "Sushi no Kokoro(nigirizushi)" (寿司すしの心しん（にぎり寿司ずし）)
  • 004. "Heibon no Hibon(Gohan, Misoshiru, Iwashi no Maruboshi)" (平凡へいぼんの非凡ひぼん（ご飯はん、ミソ汁じる、イワシの丸干まるぼし）)
  • 005. "Chef's Pride(Butter)" (料理人りょうりにんのプライド（バター）, "Ryōrinin no Puraido(Batā)")
  • 006. "Sound Of Oil(Tempura)" (油あぶらの音おと（天てんプラ）, "Abura no Oto(Tempura)")
  • 007. "Dashi no Himitsu(Katsuobushi, Kombu)" (ダシの秘密ひみつ（カツオブシ、昆布こぶ）)
  • 008. "Yasai no Sendo(Daikon)" (野菜やさいの鮮度せんど（ダイコン）)
  • 009. "Shita no Kioku(Mizutaki)" (舌したの記憶きおく（水みずたき）)
02 March 30, 1985[14]4-09-180752-6
03 May 30, 1985[15]4-09-180753-4
04 October 30, 1985[16]4-09-180754-2
05 April 30, 1986[17]4-09-180755-0
06 July 30, 1986[18]4-09-180756-9
07 October 30, 1986[19]4-09-180757-7
08 December 17, 1986[20]4-09-180758-5
09 March 30, 1987[21]4-09-180759-3
10 May 30, 1987[22]4-09-180760-7
11 July 30, 1987[23]4-09-181401-8
12 September 30, 1987[24]4-09-181402-6
13 December 17, 1987[25]4-09-181403-4
14 March 30, 1988[26]4-09-181404-2
15 May 30, 1988[27]4-09-181405-0

Anime[edit]

Main article: List of Oishinbo episodes

The manga was adapted into a television anime series that ran from October 1988 to March 1992 for 136 episodes. The series was followed by two television specials. Oishinbo: Ultimate VS Supreme (美味おいしんぼ　究極きゅうきょく対たい至高しこう　長寿ちょうじゅ料理りょうり対決たいけつ!!, Oishinbo: Kyūkyoku Tai Shikō, Chōju Ryōri Taiketsu!!) was aired in December 1992 and Oishinbo: Japan-US Rice War (美味おいしんぼ　日米にちべいコメ戦争せんそう, Oishinbo: Nichibei Kome Sensō) was aired a year later in December 1993.

Video games[edit]

North American release[edit]

The manga is licensed in English in North America by Viz Media,[28] which published the first volume in January 2009.[29] Seven volumes from the Oishinbo à la Carte (美味おいしんぼア・ラ・カルト, Oishinbo A Ra Karuto) series were published from January 2009 to January 2010. These editions are thematic compilations (and include stories from across the timeline), making the English editions effectively a best of the "best of." These volumes are:

Reception[edit]

In the 1980s Japan had an upsurge in popularity in the gurume movement, called the "gourmet boom." Iorie Brau, author of "Oishinbo’s Adventures in Eating: Food, Communication, and Culture in Japanese Comics," said that this was the largest factor of the increase in popularity of gurume comics. The series's first volume sold around one million copies. The popularity of Oishinbo the comic lead to the development of the anime, the live action film, and many fansites. The fan-sites chronicle recipes that appeared in the manga.[3]

Tetsu Kariya, the writer of Oishinbo, said in a 1986 interview that he was not a food connoisseur, and that he felt embarrassed whenever food experts read the comic.[3]

Controversy regarding Fukushima episodes[edit]

In April 2014, Oishinbo featured a story about the Fukushima nuclear accident called "The Truth of Fukushima". In this story, characters who visited the nuclear plant suffer nosebleeds that don't stop, and they conclude that the government should help people move away from the area because of the radiation. This prompted an intense backlash, both from local governments in Fukushima and across Japan; even Shinzo Abe weighed in, calling the claims "baseless rumors". The publisher had included statements along with the story from the Fukushima prefectural government and radiation expert Ikuro Anzai, objecting to the story for misleading people and noting that discrimination against Fukushima residents and products was doing far more harm than any radiation in the area. Despite these statements, Kariya stood by the story in the midst of the controversy, saying he had researched Fukushima for two years and could "only write the truth," but noted that he was not expecting such a strong reaction from the public.[37] The following month, Shogakukan Inc. put Oishinbo on hiatus, its last appearance being the May 12, 2014, edition in the weekly Big Comic Spirits.[5] Although the halt of publication coincided with the controversy, the editorial staff claimed they had scheduled the hiatus beforehand.[38][37]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ In the Viz Media translation her family name is transcribed as Futaki

References[edit]

  1. ^ Alverson, Brigid (December 8, 2016). "7 Mouthwatering Manga About Food". Barnes and Noble. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  2. ^ "The Official Website for Oishinbo". Viz Media. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Brau, Lorie (Fall 2004). "Oishinbo's Adventures in Eating: Food, Communication, and Culture in Japanese Comics". Gastronomica. 4 (4): 34–45. doi:10.1525/gfc.2004.4.4.34. JSTOR 10.1525/gfc.2004.4.4.34.
  4. ^ "Oishinbo Cuisine Manga to Resume in Japan Next Week". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
  5. ^ a b 'Oishinbo' manga on hold after criticism of Fukushima episodes Archived May 18, 2014, at the Wayback Machine -- Asahi Shimbun
  6. ^ "Hanasaki Akira 花咲はなさきアキラ". The Ultimate Manga Guide. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  7. ^ "お探さがしのページは移動いどうもしくは削除さくじょされた可能かのう性せいがあります。". PR TIMES (in Japanese). October 2, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  8. ^ 小学館しょうがくかん漫画まんが賞しょう: 歴代れきだい受賞じゅしょう者しゃ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  9. ^ "美味おいしんぼ (1996)". allcinema.
  10. ^ Blyden, Jabulan (April 4, 2016). "Tetsu Kariya Plans Oishinbo Manga's End After Returning From Hiatus". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  11. ^ L. Brau, Oishinbo's Adventures in Eating: Food, Communication, and Culture in Japanese Comics, Gastronomica. The Journal of Food and Culture 4 (2004), p. 34-45, at p. 39.
  12. ^ Kariya, Tetsu and Akira Hanasaki. Oishinbo à la Carte Izakaya: Pub Food. 269. Viz Media.
  13. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 1 [Oishinbo 1] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. November 29, 1984. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  14. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 2 [Oishinbo 2] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. March 29, 1985. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  15. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 3 [Oishinbo 3] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. May 29, 1985. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  16. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 4 [Oishinbo 4] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. October 29, 1985. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  17. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 5 [Oishinbo 5] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. April 29, 1986. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  18. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 6 [Oishinbo 6] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. July 29, 1986. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  19. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 7 [Oishinbo 7] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. October 29, 1986. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  20. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 8 [Oishinbo 8] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. December 16, 1986. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  21. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 9 [Oishinbo 9] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. March 29, 1987. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  22. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 10 [Oishinbo 10] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. May 29, 1987. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  23. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 11 [Oishinbo 11] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. July 29, 1987. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  24. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 12 [Oishinbo 12] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. September 29, 1987. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  25. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 13 [Oishinbo 13] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. December 16, 1987. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  26. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 14 [Oishinbo 14] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. March 29, 1988. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  27. ^ 美味おいしんぼ 15 [Oishinbo 15] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. May 29, 1988. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  28. ^ "Amazon: Viz Adds Gaba Kawa, Heaven's Will, Oishinbo". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  29. ^ "Viz Media Satisfies Hungry Manga Fans with the Release of Oishinbo". Anime News Network. January 23, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
  30. ^ "Oishinbo: Japanese Cuisine, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  31. ^ "Oishinbo: Sake, Vol. 2". Viz Media. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  32. ^ "Oishinbo: Ramen and Gyoza, Vol. 3". Viz Media. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  33. ^ "Oishinbo: Fish, Sushi and Sashimi, Vol. 4". Viz Media. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  34. ^ "Oishinbo: Vegetables, Vol. 5". Viz Media. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  35. ^ "Oishinbo: The Joy of Rice, Vol. 6". Viz Media. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  36. ^ "Oishinbo: Izakaya--Pub Food, Vol. 7". Viz. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  37. ^ a b Manga Comic Forces Japan To Discuss Radiation After Fukushima Disaster -- Huffington Post, updated and accessed May 19, 2014
  38. ^ 'Oishinbo Manga Goes on Hiatus After Fukushima Controversy -- Anime News Network, May 16, 2014

External links[edit]

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