Publisher Description

Are you ready for the Iron Chef of bread?! Manga shall not live by bread alone. England. France. Germany. What common thread binds these three nations together? Answer: each is famous for producing unique, distinctive, delicious bread. But what about Japan, home to rice and delicacies of the sea? Is there not a doughy, gastronomic delight they can claim as their own? The answer is no...until now! Kazuma Azuma, a 16-year-old-boy blessed with otherworldly baking powers, has taken it upon himself to create Ja-pan, the national bread of the land of the rising sun! Kazuma's Ja-pan 44 may be the greatest Ja-pan yet! A bread so mind-bogglingly delicious it borders on the sublime, Kazuma's heavenly creation sends the Pantasia Rookie Tournament judges Kuroyanagi and Dave straight to cloud nine. If Kazuma's new recipe is quite literally to die for, does this mean he advances to the next round, or is the competition over?!

Author Biography

Takashi Hashiguchi was the recipient of Young Magazine Gekkan Shinjinsho (Newcomer's Award) in 1987 from Kodansha and received an honorable mention for the Tetsuya Chiba Award. He made his debut in 1988 with Combat Teacher. Hashiguchi says that for a time he tried his hand at being a comedian, but differences with his partner led him to return to manga. His major works include Street Fighter II Bakusho Yon-koma Gag Gaiden (Street Fighter II Hilarious 4-panel Gag Outside Story), Chosoku Spinner (High Speed Spinner), Windmill, Scissors, and Yakitate!! Japan. His most recent series, Saijo no Meii (The Ultimate Great Doctor) is currently serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday.

Long Description

The drama escalates in the third round of the Pantasia Rookie Tournament when Kazuma's masked and muscle-bound opponent blows the judges away with his animal-themed bread in the shape of a magnificent dragon. Will Kazuma's contribution, a cute green turtle, be delicious enough to throw the judges into a deadlock? And just how many half-sisters does Tsukino actually have?! Yet another turns up, this one unapologetically evil, and begins to stir up a little mischief!

Details