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REVIEW: What Did You Eat Yesterday? GN 1


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lebrel



Joined: 16 Oct 2009
Posts: 374
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 12:47 pm Reply with quote
For the most part I agree completely with this review, but there are a couple of points:

1. It doesn't mention Not Love But Delicious Foods Make Me So Happy!, Yoshinaga's other foodie manga in English (which is even more unsuitable for reading while hungry, since it's almost entirely food porn). If you are into foodie manga, it's a must-read.

2. "While this is about a gay couple, it should not, perhaps, be classified as yaoi, or even BL."

It's a seinen manga. It can't be BL. BL, by definition, is for women. (There's one seinen exception I can think of, whose title I can't recall offhand, which probably should be recognized as BL because it's a note-perfect homage to early 70's proto-BL like The Heart of Thomas.)

3. "although Shiro himself remains nonplussed"

"Nonplussed" means stunned or astonished, which I think is the opposite of what is intended. Smile

4. "If you haven't discovered her yet or have shied away from her yaoi or Shakespearean translations"

I assume Rebecca's talking about the, ahem, not universally popular choice of mock-Elizabethan English for Ooku. Don't let it put you off reading Ooku, it's still great.
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2659
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 1:10 pm Reply with quote
Actually, according to the OED, "nonplussed" as I used it is correct in American English, with the usage originating in 1960. Smile

I personally love Viz's Ooku translation, but most people I've talked to don't, hence my statement. I always get excited when I see the informal singular second person used. (I'm told I have problems. Laughing )

As for the seinen issue, not a lot of people associate Yoshinaga with the genre. Perhaps I should have just said that rather than bringing up BL, but I really wanted to stress that even if that's not your genre, this is a book worth reading.
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zeo1fan



Joined: 02 Sep 2011
Posts: 1016
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 1:14 pm Reply with quote
lebrel wrote:
For the most part I agree completely with this review, but there are a couple of points:

1. It doesn't mention Not Love But Delicious Foods Make Me So Happy!, Yoshinaga's other foodie manga in English (which is even more unsuitable for reading while hungry, since it's almost entirely food porn). If you are into foodie manga, it's a must-read.

2. "While this is about a gay couple, it should not, perhaps, be classified as yaoi, or even BL."

It's a seinen manga. It can't be BL. BL, by definition, is for women. (There's one seinen exception I can think of, whose title I can't recall offhand, which probably should be recognized as BL because it's a note-perfect homage to early 70's proto-BL like The Heart of Thomas.)

3. "although Shiro himself remains nonplussed"

"Nonplussed" means stunned or astonished, which I think is the opposite of what is intended. Smile

4. "If you haven't discovered her yet or have shied away from her yaoi or Shakespearean translations"

I assume Rebecca's talking about the, ahem, not universally popular choice of mock-Elizabethan English for Ooku. Don't let it put you off reading Ooku, it's still great.


Actually 'nonplussed' can mean that OR indifference. It's a confusing word.
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zeo1fan



Joined: 02 Sep 2011
Posts: 1016
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 1:14 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Along with Shiro's issues, Yoshinaga covers a topic that we don't see very often in popular fiction – a husband abused by his wife. This is one of Shiro's cases at work, and while Yoshinaga doesn't spend a lot of time on it, it is remarkable simply for its inclusion. People's reactions to the case are what we might expect, although Shiro himself remains nonplussed. While readers may not be pleased with the outcome of the case, it does provide an interesting subplot.


I concur. Male abuse victims are rather marginalized.
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Merida



Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 1946
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 2:34 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
This focus on meals and their preparation is also one of the weak points of this book. While each dish is a delight, Shiro's habit of narrating his cooking step-by-step feels like an affectation, particularly for such an accomplished cook.


Well, this manga is basically a cookbook with additional plot. Wink Sure, it features good characters and stories as Yoshinaga's series usually do, but the food is definitely the star here. I for one love the step-by-step cooking narration, it's very inspiring (and mouth-watering) and one can learn a thing or two about Japanese dishes.
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sakurahitagi



Joined: 12 Jan 2014
Posts: 73
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 2:53 pm Reply with quote
Thanks for the review! This series wasn't on my radar because I thought it was going to be mostly about food. But if it actually portrays LGBT relationships realistically and has interesting characters, then I might have to check it out.
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Dop.L



Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 725
Location: London
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 6:14 pm Reply with quote
i do like Yoshinaga's stuff. It was the Antique Bakery anime series which persuaded me to read the manga, and then I read "Flower of Life" (seriously, why has there not been an anime of this?).

"Ooku" is, I think, the thing she will be remembered for in the end. It's the first graphic novel to win the Tiptree Award, and its tale of alternate history is just wonderfully told (even if the translation is a bit dubious).

Flower of Life does include a pound cake recipe which I keep meaning to try. "Not love but delicious food" makes me wish I could afford to go to Japan and try and find those restaurants.

I think I'm going to have to buy this one too. Why, yes, I am a hetero cis male, but I appreciate good writing all the same.
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Vata Raven



Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 710
Location: TN
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 10:45 pm Reply with quote
lebrel wrote:
2. "While this is about a gay couple, it should not, perhaps, be classified as yaoi, or even BL."

It's a seinen manga. It can't be BL. BL, by definition, is for women. (There's one seinen exception I can think of, whose title I can't recall offhand, which probably should be recognized as BL because it's a note-perfect homage to early 70's proto-BL like The Heart of Thomas.)

No, but seinen can have BL-elements in them. CLAMP's Legal Drug and Drug & Drop do this. D&D is labeled as seinen, but they don't hide the fact that the 2 leads have a thing for each other. And the other set of characters (store owners), they're a couple

It is a bit rare for seinen to have it, since...well, seinen is aimed at older men and I doubt they want to see 2 guys flirting with each other.
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fuuma_monou



Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 1860
Location: Quezon City, Philippines
PostPosted: Sun May 04, 2014 11:47 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:
As for the seinen issue, not a lot of people associate Yoshinaga with the genre. Perhaps I should have just said that rather than bringing up BL, but I really wanted to stress that even if that's not your genre, this is a book worth reading.


Fully Booked Greenhills shelved this with the yaoi/BL titles in the manga section. Already bought my copy at Planet X Comics by the time I saw it there, though.
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wohdin



Joined: 10 Jun 2011
Posts: 352
PostPosted: Mon May 05, 2014 12:24 am Reply with quote
Fumi Yoshinaga is my kind of mangaka. Any BL/shoujo author who appreciates and respects food enough to give it such treatment in their works gets an A+ in my book.

Now, the localizations of her works is an entirely different story altogether. International publishing houses often wonder why people prefer to read fan scanlations instead of the "official" versions. I think this is an excellent case study of precisely why. Taking some liberties to increase the audience absorption rate is one thing, but creating wholly non-canon character traits out of thin air is another entirely.
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fuuma_monou



Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 1860
Location: Quezon City, Philippines
PostPosted: Mon May 05, 2014 12:35 am Reply with quote
wohdin wrote:
Now, the localizations of her works is an entirely different story altogether. International publishing houses often wonder why people prefer to read fan scanlations instead of the "official" versions. I think this is an excellent case study of precisely why. Taking some liberties to increase the audience absorption rate is one thing, but creating wholly non-canon character traits out of thin air is another entirely.


What exactly are you referring to?
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Mon May 05, 2014 8:42 am Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:
I personally love Viz's Ooku translation, but most people I've talked to don't, hence my statement. I always get excited when I see the informal singular second person used. (I'm told I have problems. Laughing )


I love the translation too! Ooku is one of my favourite manga, even though in many ways it shouldn't be since it's a story concerned more with theme than characters, which usually isn't my favourite thing.

I definitely need to check out more of Fumi Yoshinaga's works, so I'll be putting this one on my to-read list.
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Vertical_Ed
Company Representative


Joined: 01 May 2009
Posts: 278
Location: New York, NY
PostPosted: Mon May 05, 2014 12:36 pm Reply with quote
fuuma_monou wrote:
wohdin wrote:
Now, the localizations of her works is an entirely different story altogether. International publishing houses often wonder why people prefer to read fan scanlations instead of the "official" versions. I think this is an excellent case study of precisely why. Taking some liberties to increase the audience absorption rate is one thing, but creating wholly non-canon character traits out of thin air is another entirely.


What exactly are you referring to?


I'm curious about this too? Especially since we have not changed any traits at all.
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Shenl742



Joined: 11 Feb 2010
Posts: 1525
PostPosted: Mon May 05, 2014 12:43 pm Reply with quote
Vata Raven wrote:
lebrel wrote:
2. "While this is about a gay couple, it should not, perhaps, be classified as yaoi, or even BL."

It's a seinen manga. It can't be BL. BL, by definition, is for women. (There's one seinen exception I can think of, whose title I can't recall offhand, which probably should be recognized as BL because it's a note-perfect homage to early 70's proto-BL like The Heart of Thomas.)

No, but seinen can have BL-elements in them. CLAMP's Legal Drug and Drug & Drop do this. D&D is labeled as seinen, but they don't hide the fact that the 2 leads have a thing for each other. And the other set of characters (store owners), they're a couple

It is a bit rare for seinen to have it, since...well, seinen is aimed at older men and I doubt they want to see 2 guys flirting with each other.


Man, the intense categorization of japanese media with homosexual content just seems so strange and confusing to me
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Vata Raven



Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 710
Location: TN
PostPosted: Mon May 05, 2014 5:03 pm Reply with quote
Shenl742 wrote:
Man, the intense categorization of japanese media with homosexual content just seems so strange and confusing to me

Guess I don't understand what you mean.

Do you not get why manga artist put gay character in media aimed at older guys?
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