Rapid Reviews - 19 May 2004 - Part IV

Powerpuff Girls #50: Hubby had to get this one, as the Powerpuff Girls are transported to another dimension, where the Powerpunk Girls hold sway. Not a lot to say about this one. It was funny, and the story moved along nicely. I didn't have as much of a problem with the "translation" from animated to static form on this one as I did the first couple of issues of the comic. A nice, fun litle read. Powerpuff Girls fans will enjoy it.

I got this next one thanks to an Amazon gift certificate from people being nice enough to buy from Amazon through my bookshop. If you bought anything through my Amazon links in the last six months, this review is for you.

Iron Wok Jan! by Shinji Saijyo. This is the story of Jan Akiyama, the arrogant grandson of the "Master of Chinese Cuisine" in Japan. His grandfather has trained him to be the best chef possible, and has also instilled in him the need to compete. Upon his grandfather's death, Jan goes to the restaurant of his grandfather's greatest rivel, Mutsuju Gobancho, to get work and to prove himself as the best Chinese Chef ever. But first he has to get past Gobancho's granddaughter, Kiriko, who also happens to be an excellent chef. That's the most basic outline of the premise possible. Like all Manga, it's considerably more complicated than that. There's a fairly large staff at the restaurant, but the story focuses on the two rivals for the most part. There's just enough focus on the food to satisfy that part of the story. Some of the chefs explain what they are doing, but I have no idea if the descriptions are accurate. I'm not a cook, much less a chef. This is much more a story of what happens when someone determined to "show them all" comes into a situation where everyone is just trying to do their best. I'm sure Jan and Kiriko must hook up at some point (it is a natural pairing in some ways), but it doesn't happen in this volume. This is a fun little book, and I know many more volumes have been published. This is actually quite a satisfying read on its own, but I wouldn't mind reading more.

Coming on Wednesday, according to the latest shipping list: Conan, Harley & Ivy, New Frontier, Green Lantern, JLA, Thor, Supreme Power, and maybe even Futurama. Who knows. And Previews is also due out, so expect a Flipping Through Previews post sometime in the next week or so.