Manga Hermit’s Thanksgiving Serving: Bambino!

Friday, 25 November 2011 11:20

Manga Hermit’s Thanksgiving Serving: Bambino!

Written by Malkits

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Happy Turkey Day, readers! I’m sure that yesterday the lot of you had your fill of food from the numerous dinners, family gatherings, parties, et cetera….that you attended. Sweet stuffing, savory gravy, mashed potatoes that just melted in your mouth and of course the thanksgiving centerpiece – turkey. I hope the lot of you that fell into a thanksgiving day stupor from all that food finally digested it because I’m giving you another heaping helping of food, whether you like it or not! In paper form!

Some of you are just getting nauseous just by looking at this photo. Ha.

Written by Tetsuji Sekiya, Bambino! is a Seinen cooking manga, with some dashes of drama and a couple “slices” of life thrown in. First appearing in the older men’s Big Comic Spirits (published by Shogakukan) in 2005, Bambino! is still been running strong, with fourteen volumes in print. The manga follows the simple story of Ban Shogo as he starts off his career as a chef. He doesn’t have extreme cooking skills, nor any blessed abilities from birth. Ban Shogo is your average college student who started out in the food service industries like most part timers. Luckily, Ban got to work in a restaurant where he could actually develop his skills, instead of flipping burgers. The head chef sees his skill and sends him to Trattoria Baccanale, the longest-running Italian restaurant in Roppongi, Tokyo, as a favor to his friend, the head chef at the aforementioned restaurant. He arrives in the dead of summer with a chip on his shoulder. And yet, the waiters and chefs give him a knowing stare – as if they know the punch line to an inside joke. Will Ban survive his time at Baccanale?

Probably not.

Bambino!’s storyline isn’t anything that special, but it has a relatable theme – trying to survive and succeed with what you love. Ban is different from the other characters in my previous articles where the individuals had either God-given skills form the start, or had one hell of a foundation before starting off. Ban's desire for cooking never kicked in until the first time he tasted Italian cuisine in college. From that point on, he trained and worked as best as he could, well as best as a college student could. A point we could all relate to, for sure.

Character-wise, the cooking crew at Baccanale and its clientele is as wide and diverse as the realm of cooking itself. Each and every member of the crew has a personality that at first glance can be seen as clichéd and obvious. Their role in helping Ban to understand and broaden his horizons as a chef actually helps to enhance and give life into their stories. They may seem flat, but, they are a crew that loves Italian food, Baccanale, and their work at the restaurant. Ban Shogo is an engaging character to watch – seeing his emotions and passions flare up while on the job coveys the deep desire he has to be a chef. His overreactions to his mistakes are good for a chuckle or two.

Bambino!’s main strength is its artwork. The manga focuses on Italian cooking, which has a long, grand and rustic history. When eating true Italian food, the flavors you get in every dish are full and powerful – each bite is saturated with a fresh flavor. Adding to the fact that most Italian dishes are at their best with the freshest of materials and ingredients, and one can understand their ”hearty” nature. When you read Bambino! – it’s like watching an Italian dish being created. The bold strokes, heavy gradients and rough finishes paints Ban’s tale as a savory dish being cooked at Baccanale with all the heat, fire, passion and love from the chefs that create that dish. Each and every defining moment of Ban’s experience as a chef is borne with rough strokes and finish as if to enhance the emotion that he feels at that particular moment. Besides when you look at the way these dishes are drawn and detailed, you can’t help but get a bit hungry.

Look at that dish. The man is daring you to try it and say that it’s horrible after that description.

All in all, Bambino! deserves a read if you need some motivation or if you’re just hungry. Either way, if you don’t want delicious food after reading this, you’ve got better self control than me. Now, if you excuse me I need to find a noodle place that has a commanding, sassy, rich old lady. If you find one, the place is awesome.