A review by mpurdy
Kitchen Princess, Vol. 1: Hungry Heart, by Miyuki Kobayashi, Natsumi Andō
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I love food manga 😋 so I am super biased for yummy looking food in anything! This is about an orphan girl who gets into a prestigious school but also into their freshman class of kid prodigies. Najika's special talent is cooking. Before her parents passed away, they emboldened her with a love for cooking, but the catalyst that pushed her to apply to the academy was a boy who gave her flan. Follow Najika, find her prince, cook and eat amazing food, and navigate a new school with bullying, unfortunately.
Now things I don't like
I don't like how one of the boys calls her a monkey...I know alot of older manga has commentary like this but that doesn't mean I like it.
There is comments on weight that reinforce the idea that thin is best and also glorify how 'white' a choosen beautiful girls skin is. Again this is a considered beauty standard to many cultures from constant white is best propaganda that has been pushed for many years. Lastly the bullying Najika experiences is harsh and for many kids is a reality. In school I experienced this especially from girls. I think I would have liked this more if instead of the boys just comforting Najika they should have stood up the Akane and here followers
Now things I don't like
I don't like how one of the boys calls her a monkey...I know alot of older manga has commentary like this but that doesn't mean I like it.
There is comments on weight that reinforce the idea that thin is best and also glorify how 'white' a choosen beautiful girls skin is. Again this is a considered beauty standard to many cultures from constant white is best propaganda that has been pushed for many years. Lastly the bullying Najika experiences is harsh and for many kids is a reality. In school I experienced this especially from girls. I think I would have liked this more if instead of the boys just comforting Najika they should have stood up the Akane and here followers