Takashi Hashiguchi

Yakitate!! Japan, Volume 12 Takashi Hashiguchi

? An ongoing manga series in Japan-over 24 volumes released to date.
? First VIZ Media offering from the vast manga sub-genre devoted to heroic tales of gourmet food and cooking (think Iron Chef!)
? Volume 1 profiled in Saveur magazine; an unconventional item for the gourmet gift market.
? Winner of 40th Annual Shogakkukan Award (2004)
? Inspired an anime series, currently airing on TV in Japan.
? Published in Hong Kong / German as ?King of Bread? (iron chef)
? Released Bi-monthly (every other month).

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 of the island nation of 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!

 

They've bested the hometown favorites from France, they've bucked the expectations of their detractors back in Japan, they've even invented a few new bread recipes along the way and now Team Pantasia is headed to the Monaco Cup finals against Team U. S. A. Gearing up for three rounds of baking pyrotechnics, master swordsman Kai Suwabara elects to lead Pantasia's battle cry, but his opponent, the bikini-clad pâtissier par excellence Monica Adenauer is anything but a pushover. Will Monica leave Kai whipped, stripped, beaten and battered?