Gido Amagakure

The penultimate and final chapter of the book wound up the story in such a low-key and dull manner, that I was going to give the book a two-star rating, but after some nice bonus stories there was a second "final" chapter that brought some more emotional heft to the wrap-up of the father and daughter relationship.

When I read the first book of this series, I worried that it was going to be about the father's inappropriate relationship with one of his high school students. And while the series show more backed away from that and dealt with the schoolgirl's crush in a reasonable manner around the two-thirds mark, this final volume heavily insinuates that I wasn't wrong about the author's true intentions after all. I wonder if an editor nixed making that plot thread explicit and/or if there's been a cultural shift in Japan about the suitability of that type of grooming storyline. I know I'd be happier if it went away.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapter 55. Cheer Up! Golden Fried Rice -- Final Chapter. Donabe Rice and Everybody's Recipes -- Extra Chapter 1. Mommy and Daddy and Nice to Meet You -- Extra Chapter 2. Drinks and Snacks and parents and Children -- Extra Chapter 3. A Parfait for Two -- Extra Chapter 4. Braised Pork Belly and a Rebellious Phase -- Final Chapter. So Long and Home Cooking -- Afterword -- Translation Notes show less

Gentle family moments with lots of cooking. The mild adventures include taking in a stray cat, going camping with friends, and being separated as teacher dad chaperones a class trip while his daughter stays with grandparents.

A crush is finally admitted, indirectly, to a third party, but it is handled well, and my initial fears about the direction of the series seem to be wrong, which is a relief.

Having reached the halfway point, I'm going to continue on through to the end.

FOR show more REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapter 26. A Cat, Tsumugi, and Corn Soup -- Chapter 27. Camping Bread and the Magical Girls -- Chapter 28. Uncle and Sanma -- Chapter 29. Rice Balls and a School Trip -- Chapter 30. Welcome Home and Chicken Cream Stew -- How Can You Hate It If You've Never Tried It? -- Afterword -- Translation Notes -- Next Volume show less

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Ichiro Kuga has struggled to support his two younger siblings on nothing but a small inheritance and his passion for drawing manga. His last two assistants quit, in order to pursue their own dreams of creating their own mangas. Just as he’s nearing his breaking point, the beautiful and scarily competent Shiori Goshiki applies to become his new assistant. But after a small accident after a manga show more drawing all-nighter together, Goshiki announces that they're now engaged and that she's a Princess?!

I really like this manga! The style of the art is simpler than usually for its genre, but it adds a lot of charm to it. The rest of the characters being drawn in a simpler style makes Goshiki stand out a bit more with her being drawn a bit more detailed. The plot is also very fun! The main character, Kuga, is a hard-working older brother who is doing his best to take care of his younger siblings on his own. I really loved his honest attitude, and his awkward moments with Goshiki were so cute. Goshiki is also a treat of a character. Watching her navigate her new life and freedoms is so fun. Her love for manga is also so fun to see! The story is very much a fun slice of life, with comedy and romance elements to it. There were some hints in their first chapter that there might be a slightly dramatic (or just plain sad) backstory to Kuga, which I'm sure will be touched on in the future. There was also a small line, that I'm sure was just an off-hand line, that smacked me in the heart. "Of course, as much as I love manga, it may not love me so much." Ouch. That feeling of being passionate about a career only to have it be something you can in no way survive working in is a punch to the gut. Kuga also mentions to one of his siblings that he wants them to follow their passion; basically to follow their dreams. It's kind of nice seeing a main character who is both practical and also an optimist. I'll enjoy seeing how Kuga and Goshiki's relationship evolves as the story progresses! The sweet moments they have had so far in this first volume hint that they will have a lovely romance! show less

A bunch of cooking happens of course, but the usually gentle stories between recipes have a bit of bite this time as kindergarten comes to an end and the young miss asks of her father some hard questions about Heaven and Hell as well as the birds and the bees. It's fun to watch him squirm.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapter 31. Christmas Cake and Friends -- Chapter 32. Eternity and Kuri Kinton -- Chapter 33. Fluffy, Melty, Heavenly Oyako-don -- Chapter 34. Favorites Lunch with Shumai -- Extra show more Episode 1. Yukata and Summer Nagashi-Somen -- Extra Episode 2. Tsumugi Meets a Baby -- Gender-Swapped Sweetness & Lightning! -- Afterword -- Translation Notes show less