lastblossom reviewed Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu vol. 1 by Natsuya Semikawa (Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu, #1)
The comfort food version of manga. An incredibly pleasant read with lovely illustrations and low drama.
Much like the comfort food featured in this series, Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu is warm and familiar with no real surprises, and that's the best thing about it. Each vignette takes on the same formula of a person in some kind of need finding solace in delicious food at a slightly magical izakaya, by trying out a new (for them) Japanese dish. I was delighted to see how well it captured the experience of eating: the one of a guy eating sushi for the first time was hilariously on point; and the hot tofu dish was such a pitch-perfect rendition of trying and failing to wait for a dish to cool before eating it, because it's just too good to wait. Reactions are large and joyous without going as far as the famous "foodgasms" of other food manga, and the food illustrations are extremely tasty. Anyone looking for a cozy, comforting, …
Much like the comfort food featured in this series, Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu is warm and familiar with no real surprises, and that's the best thing about it. Each vignette takes on the same formula of a person in some kind of need finding solace in delicious food at a slightly magical izakaya, by trying out a new (for them) Japanese dish. I was delighted to see how well it captured the experience of eating: the one of a guy eating sushi for the first time was hilariously on point; and the hot tofu dish was such a pitch-perfect rendition of trying and failing to wait for a dish to cool before eating it, because it's just too good to wait. Reactions are large and joyous without going as far as the famous "foodgasms" of other food manga, and the food illustrations are extremely tasty. Anyone looking for a cozy, comforting, drama-free read will leave Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu satisfied, if not a little bit hungry for some Japanese food.
Thanks to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.