Antique Bakery Volume 1

My eyes nearly fell out of my face when I saw the low rating that Antique Bakery received thus far. Then I realized that it was due to all the reviewers who believed this was a yaoi manga. I think it's kind of awful to be reviewing a book based on such a silly error; sure, probably disappointing to have found the book wasn't in the genre you thought it was, but after realizing it wasn't yaoi after all, the review still should have been based on content, not a site's inability to label. Sad, but whatever. Antique Bakery is a wonderful manga with interesting characters and set up. Kanda's reactions are priceless, and I love Ono and Tachibana with a passion. JSDAfdfjsl. Really recommended.

Okay, yes, I picked this up because I thought it would be shounen-ai/yaoi. But I was completely not disappointed (as others seem to be) that it was not really shounen-ai/yaoi at all. Yes, there is a gay character. But that's not the focus of the manga. He just happens to be gay. (He's also freaking hilarious, especially when he turns on the charm and I love him.) The writing is great (three men running a bakery and their lives) and it's sort of refreshing to be reading about older men (late 20s and early 30s) than teen angst. Highly recommended.

so okay, it's not really yaoi or shounen-ai, at least in this volume. what the manga does have is a gay guy, chef-trainee and their irreverent owner/maitre'd and one witty and exquisite writing. that said, while the first volume mostly dishes (har har) what seems to be episodic slice-of-life scenarios, this first volume actually lays down the groundwork for the plot that will tie all of the books in this series together. i have read scanlations of this manga up til the second volume, and believe me, from what i 've gathered in the coming volumes there is more to this manga than just stand-alone chapters. what i love about this mangaka is her complex characterization, and how she makes her characters all feel like people you would meet in real life. her writing is sharp and witty; she even pokes at the often overly-dramatic plotlines that pervades the manga industry (refer to tachibana's deduction about the relationship of their two women diners. hilarious!) and manages to make this an enjoyable read. all three main characters are brought alive through their distinct personalities and also by their personal experiences. although one tend to dismiss tachibana (the owner) as a useless rich boy, one has to admit that out of the three, he remains the most mysterious. we know nothing of his past other than his rather remarkable intelligence and wealth, and his real motivation behind opening the bakery despite the fact that he was previously successful in his old job. then there's the burning question behind his nightly drinking binges and his apparent loneliness. yoshinaga-sensei's art is very distinct, even bordering on the category of "acquired taste". i admit it is quite jarring after seeing so many slyph-like bishounen in most yaoi-flavored manga, but i found that her artwork grows on me. in fact, i now think that it is one of the more beautiful artwork i've seen. what i do like is that her characters' physical appearances corresponds to their ages, so there's no mistaking an 18 year-old as a 10 year-old here. their facial expressions are especially excellent; she is able to convey an emotion with just a simple glance or a quirk of eyebrow. the research she did on the pastries and also antique tableware in this manga is remarkable and exquisite. she does not shy away from drawing painstaking and intricate patterns on the china (they are apparently based on actual pieces) and the pastries look delicious enough to eat. i can't help but drool every time i read this manga! her attention to detail isn't quite showcased in this series, but if you ever have the chance to see her french-revolution manga, "gerard et jacques" you would understand what i mean. dmp did a wonderful job in the translation for this volume, and their scratch and sniff dust cover is ingenous! although there is hardly any sex in this volume, this manga is worth picking up due to its entertaining storyline, mature themes and gorgeous art. definitely a keeper.

Many reviewers below seem to be suffering under the misconception that this is a yaoi manga. It is not. What it is, is a delightfull comedy/slice of life josei (adult woman) manga about 3 guys who run a bakery. Not plot driven (at least for vol. 1) it is rather a collection of viginettes about the 3 main characters and the people who visit the shop. The atmosphere is quirky and relaxed, the servings are bite-sized, elegant and delicious. Oh, i'm sorry, was I talking about the manga or the bakery? :) The pastries in the manga really do look and sound delicious - I read it while on a diet, and I was salivating all the way through. This is good stuff people - don't pass it up. Manga with adult sensibilities is rare in this teenage manga glutted times, especially a feel-good one like this. Buy it, curl up in your favorite chair, and enjoy.

Though Yoshinaga Fumi is a great yaoi mangaka, this is not a yaoi manga. Knowing this, you will be able to enjoy a very funny story about three colourful characters working in a bakery. Tachibana, the owner, handsome but neglected, chose to run a bakery not because he likes sweets, but in order to be surrounded by female customers... He is the only one who ever resisted the demonic charm of Ono, the pastry chef, who is able to make any man he likes fall in love with him. Kanda, the young apprentice, is a former boxer and is very sensible to the art of baking - which you understand by seeing him adopting very theatrical poses whenever he eats one of Ono's pastries ^^. A fourth character appears in the second volume who will put in jeopardy the fragile peace of the shop. For the rest, it consists in revealing fragments of the past of each main character by confronting them to the various customers and their own stories. Their personnalities are quite rich as always in Yoshinaga's work, and you always end up being surprised. As for the art, even if it is a bit awkward, I really love it, it always contributes a lot to the sweetness of Yoshinaga's mangas. Try to discover the author with this manga, and hope for her yaoi series (Gérard and Jacques, Solfège...) to be published too! They really distinguish themselves from all the other yaoi mangas I have read.