Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I read these two volumes together, so I figured I'd write a joint review. And yes, it will include spoilers, so be warned.
I've liked Kitchen Princess ever since I've picked up the first volume. Even though the drawings weren't that great, the story was warm and inspiring. Cooking is an activity that's often overlooked in today's world. Fine cooking seems to be the domain of expensive restaurants, while home cooking boils down to microwaving a frozen entree. Making deserts at home is usually viewed as something very special and time consuming, when so many of them can be made easily and quickly from scratch.
As Kitchen Princess demonstrates, the magic of cooking lies in creating something that can be shared and enjoyed with people around us. I really liked the fact that there were recipes in the back of each volume. Though simple, they'd make a good starting point for a young reader who's interested in learning how to cook.
In volumes 5 and 6, the story becomes a lot more serious. Najika almost succumbs to occupational hazards (wrist injury) and the pressure of the competition and press articles, but overcoming them is not the end of her troubles. As she loses another beloved person to an accident, she has to regain her sense of taste and her will to cook. While the previous volumes concentrated mostly on Najika's relationships with others, volume 6 is mostly about her coming to terms with all that life brings and deciding that she will go on pursuing her dream.
So, Sora-sempai is not her Flan Prince and if I'm reading the Japanese preview pages correctly, the newcomer, Mizuno, might be. Still, this does not solve the mystery of the spoon. I guess I must keep reading.
I cannot overemphasize the helpfulness of the Japanese preview pages that Del Rey includes at the end of almost all of their volumes. I'm far from being fluent in the language, but can usually make out most of what's being said. It's enough to keep me going until the next volume. Translation notes are also great, offering more details on Japanese culture. More manga publishers should consider including these in their own releases.
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Kitchen Princess 6RECIPE FOR DISASTERNajika's dreams are coming true: She's in the finals of a national dessert contest and has found her Flan Prince. But then life goes from sweet to sour as she makes a startling discovery–and loses her sense of taste!
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