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oyceterDoes anyone know the origins of "プリン" (flan)? I know パン is from Portuguese, but I remember being confused by プリン when I was there.
Now that Najika's in the prestigious Seika Academy to find her Flan Prince (as one does), she must battle all the people who think she has no place in the special class! Sadly, the battles are not literal, although there are a few cook-offs involved.
And then there is a plot twist at the end of volume 5/beginning of volume 6 that was extremely unexpected. It briefly made me think this would not be quite as typical of a shoujo cooking series as it seemed, but things appear to have gone back to normal by volume 7. Maybe.
Spoilers are actually surprising
First, I am glad they finally resolved the Akane-Najika rivalry. I mean, I was pretty sure they would, given that a lot of shoujo tends to do the "we start out as rivals but gradually become friends" thing, but sometimes you never know! I for one was a little afraid when it seemed as though Akane would continue to bounce between "reluctant friend" and "Najika is my RIVAL!" And of course a manga about food would have to have your sappy resolution of an eating disorder!
And then, of course, Sora! Wow. Given that this is in Nakayoshi and clearly not angsty manga, I am very surprised they killed him off! Of course, I was immediately confused as to how they would resolve the love quadrangle with one side missing; I had been assuming that Akane and Sora would eventually be paired off together. But now they have introduced someone who looks exactly like Sora, so I figure we are back on track. Admittedly, I'm kind of glad they got rid of Sora; he's a character type that usually doesn't speak much to me—handsome golden prince of the school. Also, since I just finished Fruits Basket recently, I couldn't help but compare him to Yuki.
I also laughed and laughed when Najika lost her sense of taste and smell out of grief, as this is the second or third time I have seen that trope now! Granted, one was in a drama, but it was a Taiwan drama based on a Japanese drama and a manga series!
As for the new character, I rather like him. But then, I am very amused by the cooking snobbery and the obvious "mean because he has ANGST" thing. Okay, I admit it! I mostly just like him because he and Akane have some moments together that I enjoyed.
I'm not reading for deep characterization or surprising plot. The assorted food battles and espousing of food philosophy—"Best ingredients! Fancy plating! Exquisite taste!" vs. "COOK FROM THE HEART!"—are what make the series for me, and as the series continues to talk about food a lot, I will continue to enjoy.
Also, I am now so hungry for omurice and Japanese curry! And Japanese-style Italian pasta with an egg on top!
Now that Najika's in the prestigious Seika Academy to find her Flan Prince (as one does), she must battle all the people who think she has no place in the special class! Sadly, the battles are not literal, although there are a few cook-offs involved.
And then there is a plot twist at the end of volume 5/beginning of volume 6 that was extremely unexpected. It briefly made me think this would not be quite as typical of a shoujo cooking series as it seemed, but things appear to have gone back to normal by volume 7. Maybe.
Spoilers are actually surprising
First, I am glad they finally resolved the Akane-Najika rivalry. I mean, I was pretty sure they would, given that a lot of shoujo tends to do the "we start out as rivals but gradually become friends" thing, but sometimes you never know! I for one was a little afraid when it seemed as though Akane would continue to bounce between "reluctant friend" and "Najika is my RIVAL!" And of course a manga about food would have to have your sappy resolution of an eating disorder!
And then, of course, Sora! Wow. Given that this is in Nakayoshi and clearly not angsty manga, I am very surprised they killed him off! Of course, I was immediately confused as to how they would resolve the love quadrangle with one side missing; I had been assuming that Akane and Sora would eventually be paired off together. But now they have introduced someone who looks exactly like Sora, so I figure we are back on track. Admittedly, I'm kind of glad they got rid of Sora; he's a character type that usually doesn't speak much to me—handsome golden prince of the school. Also, since I just finished Fruits Basket recently, I couldn't help but compare him to Yuki.
I also laughed and laughed when Najika lost her sense of taste and smell out of grief, as this is the second or third time I have seen that trope now! Granted, one was in a drama, but it was a Taiwan drama based on a Japanese drama and a manga series!
As for the new character, I rather like him. But then, I am very amused by the cooking snobbery and the obvious "mean because he has ANGST" thing. Okay, I admit it! I mostly just like him because he and Akane have some moments together that I enjoyed.
I'm not reading for deep characterization or surprising plot. The assorted food battles and espousing of food philosophy—"Best ingredients! Fancy plating! Exquisite taste!" vs. "COOK FROM THE HEART!"—are what make the series for me, and as the series continues to talk about food a lot, I will continue to enjoy.
Also, I am now so hungry for omurice and Japanese curry! And Japanese-style Italian pasta with an egg on top!
(no subject)
Mon, Aug. 3rd, 2009 08:53 pm (UTC)I have a volume of Oishinbo out from the library, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I'm looking forward to it though!
Sorry, the rendering of the katakana is a little hard... it's not "furin," but "purin." I've seen it used at McDonald's in Japan too, and noticed that in the manga, "Flan Prince" is translated from "プリンの王子様."
(no subject)
Mon, Aug. 3rd, 2009 09:55 pm (UTC)---L.
(no subject)
Mon, Aug. 3rd, 2009 11:16 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Tue, Aug. 4th, 2009 12:24 am (UTC)Yeah, I agree with the etymology of プリン being pudding, and that it looks like what we might call a flan. I have a little kid's book about emotions, and the little chick is delighted when he has a プリンin front of him. It looks like a high flan, like you get in Mexico. It also makes the sound プリリリリリン, or something very close to that as it wobbles. :)
I have the latest issue of Oishinbo waiting for me (fish!). It helped to know that the volumes are arranged thematically by food items, not by where they fall in the 100+ volume original story. The personal relationships are a little hard to follow (there is some explanation at the back), but the sake volume in particular was very educational. You learn a *lot* about food, national insecurities, and how food is art. At least I did!
Now I'm off to set up my Dreamwidth account so that I don't have to be anonymous anymore...
--kchew
(no subject)
Tue, Aug. 4th, 2009 08:48 pm (UTC)