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Toriko Volume 20 (manga review)

Posted by :Patches On : February 13, 2014
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Toriko Volume 20Title: Toriko Volume 20

Artist and Author: Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro

U. S. Distributor and Publisher: Viz Media

U. S. Release Date: Feb. 4th, 2014

Format: Manga / paper back /  200 pages

Genre: shonen, action, adventure, comedy

Publisher Age Rating: T

Overall Personal Rating: B+

 

Synopsis:

The rivalry between the two superpowers of the Age of Gourmet heats up when IGO President Ichiryu pays a visit to Gourmet Corp.’s headquarters in the Gourmet World. Things come off a little edgy and it looks like there is only one outcome for these family rivals.

Meanwhile, Toriko and Komatsu set off on a world-spanning journey in search of some bizarre – and stinky – ingredients needed for a massive sushi roll that will guide them to the next item on their training list. In order for Toriko to find the location of Chowlin Temple it take a world class sushi roll to point the way and Toriko must collect all the special ingredient for this very special roll. Will his efforts pay off and lead him to the elusive Chowlin Temple?

Commentary:

Toriko is by far and away one of the strangest mixtures of genres that are currently in print in the U. S.. This crazy mixture of food and battle manga is both imaginative and insane at the same time. I find Toriko to be one of the most refreshing Shonen Jump titles because it is fun and atypical with the over the top food that sits at the center of this series.

I wish I could say that the characters are new and different, but they easily fall into a standard fair for shonen personalities. They are all very much stereotypical and very predictable. That doesn’t make it bad, it just helps found the series so that the surrounding world can shine. It is rather reassuring that these goofy humans play their part in this special series and that it allows the culinary aspects of the world they live in take center stage.

Overall Grade: B+

Toriko is one of the series that everyone should give it a chance. I think that with the approach to a battle mange could win over some hardcore anti battle or shonen readers. It will also show the shonen fans that a battle series doesn’t have to be so static or formulaic. Toriko gives us a rich environment that take us on some very special journeys.  If there is anything that I would change it would have to be some of the more simplistic characters. I guess that if this world would have a little more complex characters it would take it the next level. I could easily see Toriko going completely off the deep end the way that Bobobo-Bo did and losing focus and also the fan base that loves continuity of story. Keep it coming, I can’t wait to see what is on the next course.

 

Toriko Volume 19 (manga review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 3, 2013
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Category: Reviews

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Torkio volume 19Toriko Volume 19

Artist and Author: Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro

U. S. Distributor and Publisher: Viz Media

U. S. Release Date: Dec. 3rd, 2013

Format: Manga / paper back /  200 pages

Genre: shonen, action, adventure, comedy

Publisher Age Rating: T

Overall Personal Rating: B

 Synopsis: 

Toriko is set in a world in which food is highly prized. In this world,  Gourmet Hunters are a special breed of mercenary treasure hunters dedicated to scouring the Earth for rare delicacies and strange delicious animals. The IGO (International Gourmet Organization), a group organizing these brave explorers, even gives special capture difficulties to these various creatures and foodstuffs, from bizarre things like beer mammoths to building sized “BB corn”. Toriko, a legendary gourmet hunter (and exceedingly buff guy) goes on various quests to search for the ingredients for his perfect full course meal, along with friends like successful chef Komatsu and his genetically modified bio-wolf Terry Cloth. He is also allies with various other powerful Gourmet Hunters, such as the Four Legendary Kings.

Toriko and friends face off against the gruesome head chef of the Underground Cooking World, Livebearer, who wants nothing more than to eat their memories of food. In order to keep the contents of their brains from being scarfed down, Toriko will have to eat the grossest, squirmiest, biggest and most explosive foods ever to win a high-stakes game of “Gourmet Tasting”!
Commentary:
Now that they are facing off against a true cheater they know that they have to be at their best and of course they are. The way that Coco pulls off his magic and understands exactly how to take the head chef on it ends up being a rather entertaining game of cat and mouse. Shimabukuro does a fine job of bringing this along with explaining some of Coco’s choices, but not everything. There is also the way that Toriko manages to eat everything even when it looks like it should kill him. It also manages to showcase Komatsu’s talent as a chef. Even though Toriko is a rather odd story it is put together extremely well. There are moments when it comes across with a rather simplistic view point, but when you stop and think about the audience it seems to fit.
Much of this volume is set during the big battle and it play out rather easily. I still get the feeling that there is something missing. Maybe with the action being so subdued it just fell a little flat. For a series that sets up a rather strange premiss it does a fine job of delivering an entertaining product.  The art style fit well also. It runs with the best in shonen artistic handling of the subject matter. The writing stays imaginative and snappy. This keeps everything moving and maybe that might be a little out of the ordinary for some shonen, because we don’t get bogged down in a endless fight that comes to a lack luster conclusion. One thing that Toriko does do that is typical and that is make it a little too easy for the antagonist to switch sides. I guess there is still a solid grounding in my western ideals that the bad guys can’t switch side with a drop of a hat.
Overall Grade: B
Toriko is a fun series that has plenty to offer and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a strange action series. I would not jump in at volume 19 but rather start at the begining. The real winner behind Toriko is that it is for all ages even though it has a T for teen rating. I have a feeling that plenty of boys and girls under 10 enjoy this series just the way they enjoy Dragon Ball Z. The bottom line is that Toriko is a winner and that it should make it on all action adventure readers list if it is not already there. Toriko does prove that not every series has to be about fighting for fightings sake. Have fun and don’t be afraid of the food it could kill you but probably won’t.