Interest

New Manga Explores Dietary Habits of a NEET

NEETs (people Not in Education, Employment or Training) are usually stereotyped as lazy louts who lounge around the house all day eating high-calorie snacks and frozen foods. But just because you don't have a job or school doesn't mean you can't enjoy good food. In fact, all that free time means you can put that much extra energy into fixing up a scrumptious dish. This is the lesson readers can take away from a new manga by Mameko Mamekichi, NEET Meshi! ("NEET Food!").

NEET Meshi! stars Niiko, a young woman who lives at home with her caring mom, corporate slave sister, and unremarkable father and attempts to cook delicious food, often with hilarious results. She is a thinly veiled alter ego of the artist, who was once a NEET himself until he established a career as a manga artist through his blog, Mamekichi Mameko Dai Sensei no Nichijō! ("The Daily Life of Great Teacher Mameko Mamekichi!")

"Even if you don't work, you've gotta have good food, dumbass."

NEET Meshi! originally ran in the seinen manga magazine Manga Action and is now available in book form. Those who buy it at Shosen, Hōrindō, Comirano!, Kikuya, Toranoana, Gamers!, Melon Books and Comic Zin bookstores can receive bonus gifts with their purchase.

Niiko wakes up one day hungry for bread, only to find out there isn't any around. After briefly freaking out, she decides to bake some herself.

Unfortunately, baking bread takes five hours. Niiko's mom suggests she take a nap. "I was just asleep!! What, you think I can fall back asleep that quickly??" And yet...

The bread's honey-infused crust is so good, Niiko peels most of it off before she can stop herself. Luckily, crustless bread still makes some darn good French toast.

Manga about food and cooking are a perennial favorite in Japan, and new twists on the genre like Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, Sweetness and Lightning and Wakako-zake, are always welcome. One recent example which also involves the word meshi (food) is Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon), which asks and answers the question "What do dungeon-crawling heroes eat?"

Source: Comic Natalie