In She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Volume 4 important things happen, there are beginnings and endings, but the most important thing is that delicious food is eaten, together. But first! Valentine’s Day.
Nomoto makes herself crazy making sweets for the woman she’d like to be her sweetheart, and Kasuga-san overthinks what to get Nomoto, as well. Ultimately, as they share chocolate, Kasuga-san also shares news that is going to cause a huge shift in both their lives.
While Nomoto and Kasuga-san negotiate new boundaries and discuss a major life change, Sena also works on some of her issues and begins to find a way forward for herself. We learn what Yakko’s experience with love and identity was like. And, while these powerful emotional stories are happening, we also thrill to the everyday joy of s’mores (although Ritz crackers are a questionable choice. Around these parts it has to be graham crackers.) While explaining important issues of life and love to readers, this series continues to be incredibly warm-hearted and enjoyable. I won’t lie, when my wife and I watched the live action series, we went out to get shokupan, for this volume’s red bean paste toast with butter. No regrets. ^_^
Caleb Cook’s translation is fantastic, and the entire Yen team really makes this series a pleasure to read. Whatever technical issues was plaguing this series earlier seem to be resolved. Phil Christie is being given time to retouch more often, which I love. It makes the reading experience smoother.
Every moment with this series is delightful time spent with characters I have come to care about. I actually thought to myself today, “my darling daughters” and the had to otaku-correct myself, because All My Darling Daughters, by Fumi Yoshinaga is not a warm fuzzy manga at all. ^_^
Ratings:
Art – 9
Story – 10
Characters – 9
Service – 0 Unless, like Nomoto, you consider watching Kasuga eat “service.”
LGBTQ+ – 10
Overall – 10
“I think it’s cute the way you blush all the way to your forehead.” These characters are just so damn cute and wholesome.
Yuzaki-sensei was ill when she drew the first half of Volume 5, then the story took a hiatus so she could recover. But let me assure you, it is an excellent volume narratively speaking and you will absolutely want to read it when it comes out from Yen Press!
Queer identity, social and personal issues and eating delicious food with friends. A perfect volume of manga.
> we also thrill to the everyday joy of s’mores (although Ritz crackers are a questionable choice. Around these parts it has to be graham crackers.)
In New England, where I grew up, it also HAD to be graham crackers. Ritz? Ewwwww.
This is one of the few series I buy in both kindle and hard copy. It’s lovely and charming and the characters are adorable, relatable and authentic.
(Kindle for my old eyes; paperback to have permanently so they can’t come along and steal it back.)
Same. ^_^
A major thematic point in this volume (present earlier, but it gets hit at least twice here) is the internet letting people with marginalized identities find community, or even just put a name to what they’re experiencing.
Agreed. I’d say that’s mostly a reflection of life, rather than a thematic point, because Kasuga’s moment of realization comes from listening to the radio. The story also shows TV and news media presenting both positive and negative messages about queer life.