Huh. It was almost exactly a year ago I reviewed Volume 1 of Mikanuji’s Yuri + food manga. At the time I said, “I can definitely recommend it with some significant reservations.” Today I am looking at Sempai, Oishii Desuka? Volume 2 (先輩、美味しいですか?) and I find that the reservations are mostly the same, and the story is not what I wanted it to be.

To begin with Miho spends the majority of the book wallowing in significant low self-esteem churning over whether Sempai reeaaalllllllllly likes being with her or not because of things other people tell her. When sempai kisses her we are treated to chapters of her worrying what sempai meant by it. Miho gets blasted drunk on non-alcoholic something, which is impossible for me accept and made the final pages of the manga unpalatable. Mori is not free of criticism, but her issue is in a post-COVID world not entirely impossible to understand.

The failure here is simply trying to insert conflict where it just didn’t need to be. It would have been lovely to just have Miho make food with Mori and them enjoy it. Turning up Miho’s “there MUST be a crisis” meter to 1000 – while relatable for those of us who overthink everything – really just drained the enjoyment of two women and food and possible romance.

Which brings me to the Yuri. I noted in Volume 1 that Mori regularly violated Miho’s boundaries. In Volume 2, she still does, and Miho has to be “drunk” to just tell Mori she’d like to kiss, in a creepy and boundary violating way. This is just so unnecessary! They are both adults with an interest in each other, they could just get together. That they don’t is fine, but the way they are portrayed is so…weird…and not healthy. Just have a conversation, ladies.

The end result is, as much as I like Mikanuji’s work, I don’t find this manga all that enjoyable and will stop reading. That said, if you like awkward boundary-pushing, but not really adult behavior in your Yuri, you might find this manga fun. And you’ll learn how to cook as a bonus.

Ratings: 

Art – 8
Characters – Miho drops to a 5 here, Mori is a 6
Story – 7
Service – One too many “funny” boundary violations
Yuri – 5, but I’m not convinced they’ll be good for each other

Overall – 7