This first installment, like the entire four-volume series, shows adults trying to thread a tolerable path through their lives in the face of setbacks and complications, those both thrown at them by the world and created by their own faults and insecurities. The characters ring true, and Yoshinaga depicts them with wit and compassion. And Yoshinaga's art, as always, is beautiful. ( )

I don't have much to say about this. It's manga, it's yaoi, it's quite cute... This one's about a trio of guys working in a pastry shop. Interestingly, the first few chapters have them all working there and then the later chapters are flashbacks to show how that came to happen. This is surprisingly effective, because you get to see, for example, that Tachibana was not always a pastry expert, as the reader initially takes for granted; he had to *learn* it, of course. I actually really want to get my hands on the next volume, which I didn't feel the need to with, say, "FAKE."

This review was originally written for the website ListerX.com, which is now defunct. It can also be found on my blog, The Graphic Librarian.

Cover
While there's nothing particularly amazing about this cover, there's not really anything terrible about it either. The font and the underlining bar containing the volume's number have a delicate old-fashioned feel to them which is well-suited considering the manga's title. However, I almost feel like there should be some sort of decorated border around the edges, as well. The faces are so close up that they feel crammed onto the the cover and a border might have helped frame and reign in the image a bit. In addition, I also have three fairly minor pet peeves which may or may not bother the rest of you. First is the purple strip along the bottom proclaiming the publishing company in big white letters - Isn't the small purple logo on the spine enough? Second is the placement of the manga-ka's name, which would have looked better in a lower corner rather than plastered across the characters faces. Third is the odd-looking trophy award, which looks like it was pulled out of a cheap clip art program - I like knowing the manga won an award, but why does it have to look so cheesy?

On the plus side, I really like the three characters' expressions. Each face is subtlety different and yet does an amazingly accurate job of displaying a key feature of each individual personality. Also, as a bit of an added bonus, the delicious looking dessert on the cover has a scratch and sniff strawberry for those of you who are aromatically inclined (or easily amused, like me.) The back cover is a simple yet classy design featuring tan and cream vertical strips and a smaller, sepia toned copy of the dessert from the front. The blurb is done in an old-style font, but is still easily readable.

Artwork
Like many other yaoi and shonen-ai manga, Yoshinaga's art style can only be described as pretty. All of the characters tend to be easy on the eyes and in most cases the males are prettier than the females. The line work practically flows across the page in smooth, graceful strokes. The body proportions all seem slightly elongated, which is another artistic style I've often seen employed in various yaoi series. While some may find it disconcerting and/or odd, many find this technique enhances the prettiness of the characters, giving them all a kind of 'super model' appeal. I didn't care for it at first, but it grew on me after awhile. Another aspect of the art that sticks out in my mind is the lack of backgrounds. Yoshinaga draws them when she feels like it and they look very detailed, as well as researched, but it seems she prefers to focus on the characters and their emotions rather than worrying too much about what's going on in the background. Another important feature, especially considering the series title, is the detail that Yoshinaga puts into the baked treats her characters indulge in. If they were in color one might be tempted to try nibbling at the pages - they look that real.

Plot
**Possible Spoilers Warning**
The story opens with several short scenes set at different points in the past before the main story actually starts. Each episode seems to be devoted to the characters who will be central to the main story. The first scene is between Ono and Tachibana, two very nice-looking high school guys. They're both seniors, the year is over and Ono has decided to confess his feelings for Tachibana, who isn't interested in the slightest and is rather rude in saying so. Also introduced is Eiji Kanda, a young and fairly famous boxer with a bit of a sweet tooth,who is devastated to discover that he can no longer be a part of the sport he loves so dearly. Those are the three young men you can see on the cover. In addition two female classmates, Ito and Urushihara, who weren't really friends in school, have recently reacquainted themselves after many years. Last to appear is a former policeman, Tadahiro, who is an avid (and somewhat obsessive) connoisseur of pastries.

Our first introduction to the Antique Bakery is when Miss Ito discovers it while walking home from a get together with Urushihara. Nestled into a cozy corner of a residential area, she almost doesn't believe what she's seeing, but when Tachibana appears and invites her in to place an order, she readily agrees. It's instantly obvious why the bakery was given its name - the furniture that decorates the shop and all of the dishes the food is served upon are all delicate, expensive antiques. Soon, another customer appears; it's non other than the ex-policeman, but the coincidences don't end there. Guess who's working for Tachibana? It's his old classmate, Ono (now a world class pastry chef) and Eiji, the former boxer, who has dedicated his life to becoming Ono's apprentice.

There's a lot of jumping around in this volume; it's not too hard to follow, but it might confuse some since the reader is never given any indication of past versus present, and it sometimes takes a while to catch on from scene to scene. Next we see Tadahiro proposing to his wife Sawako, then things instantly jump forward to Sawako and her son as they discuss her husband's interesting past. Rather than eavesdrop on their conversation, Tadahiro makes yet another trip to the Antique Bakery. But his wife, who's finally discovered his secret, sniffs him out and experiences her husband's pastry obsession first hand. . . and it's a little creepy. (Tadahiro's smile cracks me up every time I see it.)

There are a couple of other small scenes concerning various customers, but it's the final episode that I find to be the most intriguing. Things jump backward again and readers finally get the answer to the one question that I was continuously asking almost from the very beginning of the volume, "What exactly is Ono doing working for the guy who was so completely cruel to him all those years ago?!" I won't spoil the surprise, but I will say that this final chapter is definitely my favorite. There's a lot of laugh-out-loud moments and you get to see Ono (looking really nice) in something other than his chef's outfit. This segment also deals with how Eiji came to be a part of this odd little trio. Finally, as a kind of 'Afterward', each guy gets a humorous one page spread devoted to how each one begins their morning.

Content Warnings
Language = Yes, but VERY mild.

Violence = Some boxing - but it's just a bit of blood, nothing graphic.

Nudity = None.

Sexual Situations = Yes, one brief yaoi scene. You never really SEE anything, but it's pretty obvious what they're doing.

Ratings
Cover - 7/10 - There are things that could be done better, but I've seen worse covers and the art is still nicely done.

Artwork - 8/10 - Yoshinaga can be detailed when she wants to be, if only she did it more often. Still, the characters are quite beautiful.

Plot - 7/10 - Hmm, it didn't really get interesting for me until toward the very end, but that gives me very high hopes for V.02

Overall - 7.5/10 - I've seen better first volumes, but this series shows a lot of promise. Besides that award it won has to mean something, right? ( )