Yakitate!! Japan

While countries such as France, England, and Germany all have their own internationally celebrated bread, Japan simply does not have one that can match in reputation.

Thus after discovering the wonders of breadmaking at a young age, Kazuma Azuma embarks on a quest to create Japan's own unique national bread. And being blessed with unusually warm hands that allow dough to ferment faster, Azuma is able to bring his baking innovations to another level.

As he begins working at the prestigious Japanese bakery chain, Pantasia, Azuma encounters other talented bakers and experiences firsthand the competitive world of baking. Along with his newfound friends and rivals, Azuma strives to create new and unparalleled bread that will start a baking revolution.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Azuma, Kazuma Main

Kobayashi, Yumiko Japanese

Kuroyanagi, Ryo Main

Koyasu, Takehito Japanese

Matsushiro, Ken Main

Touchi, Hiroki Japanese

Kawachi, Kyousuke Main

Sakaguchi, Shuuhei Japanese

Azusagawa, Tsukino Main

Otsuka, Chihiro Japanese

Kanmuri, Shigeru Main

Inoue, Marina Japanese

Suwabara, Kai Main

Sakazume, Takayuki Japanese

Bolneze, Pierrot Supporting

Seki, Tomokazu Japanese

Kidd, Brad Supporting

Horiuchi, Kenyuu Japanese

Adenauer, Monica Supporting

Kugimiya, Rie Japanese

Yamakawa, Norio Producer

Aoki, Yasunao Director, Storyboard

Kimura, Eriko Sound Director

Tomonaga, Kazuhide Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Dec 8, 2021

Zanryu1337

Recommended

Yakitate!! Japan indulges itself in its own routine with subversions and predictability. It succeeds through its shortcomings and utilizes its advantages to its fullest for most of the runtime. And as a gag manga/anime, Yakitate is very aware of these.

At the beginning it mimics the appearance of a typical Shonen slice of life style brand with a typical ridiculous premise. As the premise becomes routine new elements are introduced at a constant pace to even make catch phrases appealing.
In the first major arc there is an interesting character growth arc subplot where he tries to unlearn his catch phrase habit. Before that moment I ... never released that he used it, to be honest. But bringing attention to the subject revitalized past and future moments with the catch phrase.

These kind of subplots happen all over the runtime of Yakitate. And they are necessary as the characters carry everything. The story is almost non existent. A young Azuma wants to make a bread uniquely to Japan. And this encompasses 3 tournament arcs. And as I've noticed the 3rd one was partially changed to fit the anime. But those changes came with huge personality and lore changes at the last minute making most of them stand out in a weird way. But this only affects reader of the manga, so this can seem negligible.

As the story continues through the episodes the viewer will notice certain changes in the formulaic structure of the respective tournament matches. To compare this to another notable franchise, Shokugeki no Some (Food Wars) has an extremely similar structure. I would also argue that it was heavily inspired by Yakitate.
Those consist mainly out of "Prepare", "Baking", "Tasting" and "Reaction". Each tournament focused on a different step. And because of this, each tournament felt vastly different, with the second being the weakest. It focussed on the reaction part and most of those were 10 to 20-minute drawn out backstories with resulted mostly in a bad pun.
And before I forget it: This anime loves its puns.
But even with being the weakest part, all matches are enjoyable for the most part. These are some nitpicks here and there with the structural integrity of some matches, which were never addressed, but it didn't need to.

Another grime I have are the "villains". Big quotation marks, as there is technically only one minor villain as even the big bad pulls a big 180 out of his hat. (Which is one of the major manga/anime changes) And the sole villain has a weird superiority complex which serves as her whole motivation. All other opponents are rivals at best. Some them get majorly hyped and foreshadowed, but feel underwhelming because they are rarely shown outside the match with the protagonists. Most of the time, those rivals taunt the protagonists before or between matches. But with heart and love our main cast can overcome these hurdles. Which happened more than once.

The biggest advantage Yakitate has is the weirdness of its premise and the resulting unpredictable nature it offers, as most of the viewers won't be knowledgable in the field of baking bread. That weirdness drives the attention span of the viewer as even the cast more often than not notices how weird everything that happens is. Because they are surrogate watchers as the viewers can't really interpret the situations they view. We are being drawn into another plane-field where the actors know about the mechanics at hand. We need the surrogate characters because without them, the viewer would be clueless. It is a great technique used to its fullest here.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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May 15, 2020

Cyranical

Recommended

Yakitate Japan is a really good shounen anime about baking bread. It is pretty heartwarming, really funny, has a lot of story about bread and the actual anime as well, it also has a lot of great relatable characters, plenty of over the top moments and reactions that I honestly enjoyed. Honestly speaking tho Yakitate Japan is one of my favorite anime of all time, its probably top 2 depending on which day or time I'm watching them. It tells the story of a child named Azuma Kazuma who was inspired by a old baker to make a bread for Japan that is equivalent to ... rice
and can be accepted and is for the Japanese people, along his journey he makes many friends and enemies, while constantly evolving his Japan bread series.

Pros:
-Really great characters with a lot of character development and depth to them
-Funny moments
-Pretty straightforward story that is easy to follow
- Japanese references that reign true to its country of birth
- Over the top moments and reactions that make the anime what it is
- Has a lot of insight about various foods and breads
-Unique powers for bakers that are mainly about their hands like the solar hands etc.

Cons:
-The soundtrack is a little bit weak compared to other anime
-Sometimes they are over the top moments that makes no sense

Overall Yakitate Japan is a really good anime that it managed to clinch my spot of top 2 favorite anime of all time, which is not an easy peak to achieve. It isn't perfect but in my eyes it is. It is also unique compared to other food anime, as it takes a boring concept of making bread and makes it exciting and even teaches the viewer how to bake bread plus encourages them to be a baker themselves.This anime earns itself a 10/10 rating for me, a truly marvelous and perfect anime about food. I highly recommend this anime, as unlike food wars or any other anime about food, a lot of people don't know this show, and it is a highly underrated gem.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Aug 3, 2020

SaintSinner_

Mixed Feelings

- English Review (Translated version)

I'll be quick and direct with "Yakitate!! Japan." As this anime is, actually. Yeah, it's a story about bakers making bread, sounds crazy, right? Well, it works. It works within what it is, of course. I'm explaining, "Yakitate!! Japan" is an unpretentious play, that's for sure. Its main asset is very clear, it focuses on comedy with a theme so different and so unusual that it even seems hilarious in itself. It has limitations by its nature, but there is evidence of this and it manages to border on them with mastery almost always. It's fun and at the same time ... didactic, which is always a good mix. It has an almost perfect balance between absurd humor (the most typical Japanese humor in this case) and intelligent humor based on word games and metaphors.

It's original to the point of saying enough is enough to avoid falling into a boredom that seems almost assured due to its subject matter (let's be honest: a story about people competing to see who makes the best bread doesn't have much space). I could really dedicate a whole paragraph of this review to commenting on small details that have caught my attention and that give "Yakitate!! Japan" with a special personality and a very distinctive nature. I will, in fact. I warn that from here on, and until the line break, there may be slight spoilers (never directly from the plot, though). Here I go. In each of the 69 episodes, they spend a few seconds in the end (after the next episode advance and the ending) to explain some real life curiosity related to the plot, usually about bread itself or about Japanese traditions. They call it "seed of knowledge". There are several occasions when the fourth wall is broken in a brilliantly integrated way. I remember a couple of times when the legality of mentioning characters from other anime or real companies is questioned. On another occasion one of the characters wonders how it is possible that in one scene they are in one city and in the next they suddenly find themselves in a different one. Then they tell him about "the magic of editing" and that this is done because "nobody is interested in travel sequences on public transport". Brilliant. There are constant mentions of characters and situations from others animes, even having some sequence in the plot as a tribute or parody (or even both). Without thinking much I remember moments about "Detective Conan", "One Piece", "Dragon Ball" or "Wild Life". There are also many references to brands, personalities and places in Japanese culture. Even some, although less, focused more on the western, such as a curious reference to the great Freddie Mercury. There are episodes with a structure or a theme that offer enormous variety and freshness. I can think, for example, of a plot that includes time travel with butterfly effects that change the present (this one in particular is brutal), an alternative version of the anime in which bread is no longer the main character but rice, a chapter with sequences dedicated to art (with a graphic aspect included) of painters like Monet or Picasso, or a spectacular parody of "The Lord of the Rings". The imagination and originality of the authors/scriptwriters becomes very, very surprising.

Of course, not everything is so good in "Yakitate!! Japan". It's long, very long. That wouldn't become a problem if it wasn't for this fact that it ends up falling into the great ballast of this type of proposal: in the long run it becomes a jumble of "fights" without any kind of link or background between them, which makes the interest to go down little by little. This is especially noticeable in the final section, which I would dare to say is completely unnecessary if it were not for specific details full of geniality (such as some of those mentioned in the previous paragraph). Most of the characters are nice and very different from each other, with very marked personalities. But to tell the truth they are still a set of clichés, although it is not a big problem in a white comedy like this. What is worse is that throughout 69 episodes there is no development or progress in any of them. All of them remain impassive since their first appearances and they surprise little in that sense. The artistic section is correct. With an "old" aspect, more throwing to 90s than to the current standard, something that is neither good nor bad, it is simply like that. It's not out of tune, but it's not a wonder either. Not that much more is needed, by the way. The musical section does seem more remarkable to me. It has cheerful and curious melodies that become easily recognizable and match the tone perfectly. It's not the best OST ever, but it's more than acceptable.


- Spanish Review (Original and faithful version)

Voy a ser rápido y directo con "Yakitate!! Japan". Tal y como es este anime en realidad. Sí, es una historia sobre panaderos haciendo pan, ¿suena a locura, verdad? Pues funciona. Funciona dentro de lo que es, por supuesto. Me explico: "Yakitate!! Japan" es una obra sin muchas pretensiones, eso está claro. Su baza principal está muy clara, se centra en la comedia con una temática tan diferente y tan poco común que llega a parecer hilarante de por sí. Tiene limitaciones por su naturaleza, pero hay constancia de ello y se consigue bordearlas con maestría casi siempre. Es divertida y a la vez didáctica, algo que siempre es una buena mezcla. Tiene un equilibrio casi perfecto entre humor absurdo (el más típico japonés en este caso) y un humor inteligente basado en juegos de palabras y metáforas.

Es original hasta decir basta a la hora de reinventarse para no caer en un hastío que parece casi asegurado debido a su temática (seamos sinceros: una historia sobre gente compitiendo para ver quién hace el mejor pan no tiene mucho margen de maniobra). Realmente podría dedicar un párrafo entero de esta review a comentar pequeños detalles que me han llamado la atención y que dotan a "Yakitate!! Japan" de una personalidad especial y un carácter muy distintivo. Lo voy a hacer, de hecho. Advierto de que a partir de aquí, y hasta el salto de línea, puede haber ligeros spoilers (nunca directamente de la trama, eso sí). Allá voy. En cada uno de los 69 capítulos dedican unos segundos en el final (después del avance del siguiente capítulo y el ending) a explicar alguna curiosidad de la vida real relacionada con la trama, normalmente sobre pan en sí o sobre tradiciones japonesas. Lo llaman "semilla de conocimiento". Hay varias ocasiones en la que se rompe la cuarta pared de una forma genialmente integrada. Recuerdo un par de veces en las que se cuestiona la legalidad de que se mencionen personajes de otros anime o empresas reales. En otra ocasión uno de los personajes se pregunta cómo es posible que en una escena estén en una ciudad y en la siguiente se encuentren de pronto en otra diferente. Entonces le comentan sobre "la magia de la edición" y que eso se hace porque "a nadie le interesan las secuencias de viajes en transporte público". Brillante. Hay constantes menciones a personajes y situaciones de otros anime, llegando incluso a tener alguna secuencia en la trama a modo de homenaje o parodia (o incluso ambas). Sin pensar mucho recuerdo momentos sobre "Detective Conan", "One Piece", "Dragon Ball" o "Wild Life". También hay multitud de referencias a marcas, personalidades y lugares de la cultura japonesa. Incluso algunas, aunque menos, centradas más en lo occidental, como por ejemplo una curiosa referencia al gran Freddie Mercury. Hay capítulos con una estructura o una temática que ofrecen una variedad y una frescura enorme. Se me ocurre, por ejemplo, una trama que incluye viajes en el tiempo con efectos mariposa que cambian el presente (este concretamente es brutal), una versión alternativa del anime en la que el pan deja de ser el protagonista para dar paso a que lo sea el arroz, un capítulo con secuencias dedicadas al arte (con aspecto gráfico incluido) de pintores como Monet o Picasso o una espectacular parodia de "El señor de los anillos". La imaginación y la originalidad de los autores/guionistas llegan a ser muy, muy sorprendentes.

Por supuesto, no todo es tan bueno en "Yakitate!! Japan". Es larga, muy larga. Eso no se convertiría en un problema de no ser porque debido a esto termina cayendo en el gran lastre de este tipo de propuestas: a la larga se convierte en un batiburrillo de "combates" sin ningún tipo de nexo ni trasfondo entre ellos, lo que hace que el interés vaya decayendo poco a poco. Esto se nota especialmente en el tramo final, que me atrevería a decir que sobra completamente si no fuera por detalles concretos repletos de genialidad (como alguno de los comentados en el párrafo anterior). La mayoría de personajes son simpáticos y muy diferentes entre sí, con personalidades muy marcadas. Pero a decir verdad no dejan de ser un conjunto de clichés, aunque tampoco sea un gran problema en una comedia blanca como esta. Lo que sí es peor es que a lo largo de 69 capítulos no haya ningún tipo de desarrollo ni avance de ninguno de ellos. Todos se mantienen impasibles desde sus primeras apariciones y sorprenden poco en ese sentido. El apartado artístico es correcto. Con un aspecto "antiguo", más tirando a noventero que al estándar actual, algo que no es ni bueno ni malo, simplemente es así. No desentona, pero tampoco es una maravilla. No es que se necesite mucho más, dicho sea de paso. El apartado musical sí me parece más destacable. Tiene melodías alegres y curiosas que se convierten en fácilmente reconocibles y concuerdan perfectamente con el tono. No es la mejor OST de la historia, pero sí tiene un nivel más que aceptable.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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