Nobunaga no Chef

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If you're like me and have read shokugeki, chances are you're familiar with the whole "food genre" that was popularized by it. Nobunaga no Chef fits into this vein but unlike shokugeki, throws all the racy nudity (which i personally thought was DOGSHITE) whilst retaining all the deliciousness of the genre. I actually stumbled across Nobunaga's Chef after looking for manga like Shokugeki and damn had i found something amazing

This being the first review I've written, took it upon myself to have a look at the review guidelines two of which urge you to refrain from "using excessive profanity and obscenities" and "writing in CAPS ... LOCK", but i feel that it is necessary here. Therefore i must express: HOLY SHIT THIS MANGA IS DOPE!! The story is basically this, a mysterious man (Ken) finds himself in the past with no memory of himself or his circumstances. Using his knowledge of the era as well as his skills as a cook, he eventually garners the attention of Nobunage Oda himself and is hired by him to be his personal chef. It becomes much more interesting when Oda discovers Ken's baddassery at cooking and realises that he can use his skills as a tool to do his whims, such as bolstering the morale of his troops, to even waging war on his enemies. When every meal is weighed on the tongue of Nobunaga or some other important general, you cant help but feel tension similar to that of shokugeki. Every battle has something important on the line, whether its a castle or their own pride. Another thing that Nobunaga no chef avoids (which i am thankful for) are the damn ecchi scenes that other food based manga rely on. YES WE GET IT, THE FOOD IS GOOD. Lets show them some tits and ass to really get the message across. This is another reason why i feel this manga succeeds as it is able to convey taste in a subtle and intelligent way without making me feel like I'm watching a B rated porno. Because of this Nobunaga no chef gets my #1 spot as favourite cooking manga.

Whilst the whole "back in time" cliche isn't the most newest of ideas, it still ticks all the boxes for an interesting story. Whenever Ken finds himself in a pinch its always damn awesome when he pulls out some futuristic cooking tech to wow his diners. Also the scope and direction of Nobunaga's ambition makes it seem that each meal he cooks feels like a pivotal point in the story's progression. One example where he cooks a seeming harmless meal, but is actually meant as an insult to the shogun on Nobunaga's orders. I found it quite fresh that its was not always the same structure where every arc follows - A) complication B) cook some sick meal C) everything is resolved (well i guess it kinda is still). Regardless, it is still very satisfying.

The art is quite good. Nothing ground breaking, but in the same way as the story, still passes with a good grade. The characters i felt were quite interesting with exception of Ken, our main. While he does have his times and his knife skills are absurdly overpowered, the real muscle, I feel, come from all the other characters. Nobunaga, being the man he was, is portrayed as kinda jordanesque. Furthermore the other significant figures, Hideyoshi, Ieyasu, Mitsuhide, and the rest of the cast of samurai warrior 2 are each treated with respect and are developed to suit their portrayal in the historybook. For those who are unfamiliar with their Japanese history (study up fellow weaboos), Hideyoshi being depicted like a monkey in history and as such developed to suit this in the manga. It is also interesting to see how Nobunaga's intentions and character comes out through kens food as many a time, his intentions is portrayed through some dish. Getting to know these characters, in all their charisma and pride, is another reason why this manga is pure gold.

If you didn't already gather, my opinion of this manga is that its damn good. I felt that every chapter was interesting and engaging, a feat that is quite rare as in many other manga there are always long, dragging arcs which you cant help but fall asleep reading. As such my enjoyment of Nobunaga no Chef was a solid 10/10. Its a shame that it only has like 70 chapters. If you enjoy the tension of food battles but dislike naked women (no homo), give Nobunaga no Chef a try.

It is 5AM right now. I can hear the birds chirping outside, and in 4 hours I have to start my day. I have a test tomorrow. How did I mess up?
I made the one mistake that all manga/anime lovers make— I started reading an awesome manga right before going to bed.


Story. 8/10
Nobunaga no chef is a manga about a modern day chef called Ken who mysteriously gets transported back into time to Sengoku era.
Thanks to his skills he is discovered by Oda Nobunaga, the Devil king himself.
The number one thing that Nobunaga values is skill, which Ken has in plenty, so ... they get along really well.
The story follows the great adventures and misadventures of Nobunaga....the military escapades, the negotiations with the Emperor, the Shogun, the warrior monks, etc. I have recently read lots of Historical fiction, especially isekai type, and the two that I love the most are this manga and Nobunaga Concerto.
This is mainly because I find the MC very relatable and likeable. The story is kept historically accurate, and yet very exciting.
If you love historical fiction, you’ll love this manga.

But wait, that’s not all. A huge part of this manga is about food. Ken is a MasterChef, he can sway emotions by his cooking, rejuvenate sapped soldiers, inspire disoriented diamyos, and also have a love sub-plot ongoing. Amazing, to say the least. And most importantly, things never become unrealistic. Seeing all these beautiful food panels makes my hungry. Lovers of shougeki souma, hear hear.

As the story progresses it gets more and more interesting, that is a big charm for any manga. Famous historical characters like Akechi Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi Hashina(Saru), Tokugawa Ieyasu, Takeda Shingen, Sen no Rikyu, Kennyo,etc make appearances in this manga. This is really pleasing for a history nerd.




Art. 8/10
I love the way that food panels are drawn. It looks so delicious, and rightfully so. As food is a big aspect of this manga.
The battle scenes are drawn really well, and the ongoing historical commentary helps us keep a track on what’s going on.
I also like how every character design seems unique, and seems similar to the historical descriptions of the people.



Characters. 8/10
The characters are the heart of any manga. The guys here are amazing. Ken is an outstanding guy. He is a skilled chef, a kind person who helps others, has guts to talk back to some of the scariest warlords. He is willing to work really hard to achieve what he wants, yet he never does anything immoral. He refuses to poison any opponent, refuses to betray his lord. And most importantly, he refuses to change history for his own benefit. He knows about events like various battles, Honno-Ji, death of certain warlords, etc. but he doesn’t corrupt the past. I love this type of protagonists, keeping things simple and fun.
Also....we see a large part of manga through Ken’s eyes, so we see how the famous historical people acted in private. Ken gets to talk to Nobunaga, but he is just a chef. So we don’t see him having deep discussions too often. With others, he is able to speak his mind more clearly.

Oda Nobunaga is shown as a strong, ambitious man, who is good at planning, good at reading people and also very pragmatic. Traditions mean shit to him. Efficiency over hierarchy. Also, he is a brave man. This bravery got him the name- Fool of Owari.
He feels no remorse in killing warrior monks... this got him the name - The Devil king.
Overall, he is based.

The Female lead is a blacksmith girl called Natsu. She is cute, smart and gives a light vibe to this manga. The romance aspect is thankfully not forced, it is developing naturally.
There are many other memorable characters here, Hideyoshi is fun, Akechi is shrewd....though not as shrewd as Matsunaga. That guy, well, he is something else.




Overall. 9/10
This is an amazing underrated hidden gem! So far I have read 106 chapters, you can read them all in 5-6 hours. The story is gripping and you’ll be transported to that time too—guaranteed.

Not recommended if you want a shonen about friendship, a highschool comedy, or some magic isekai harem,etc.

Highly recommended if you want a good history fiction, with isekai elements, action, drama, and lots of tasty food!
Read this manga, you cannot go wrong.

Thank you for reading!