Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: Natsumi Ando
Translated by: Satsuki Yamashita
Adapted by: Nunzio DeFilippas and Christina Weir
What They Say
Najika went to Seika Academy with a dream: to find the boy who saved her life and made her smile when everything else had gone wrong. That boy is Sora, the son of the director of the Academy. Now that Najika has found her prince, she’s very happy. But there’s one major problem: Sora’s brother, Daichi, has fallen for Najika!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
“A Dessert That Simulates the Five Senses.” That is the theme for the next round of the National Western Confectionary Competition, and Najika will have the chance to prove her talent against professional chefs as they strive to create an original dessert that encompasses the theme. But will she be able to focus on the contest when she is distracted by Daichi’s seemingly inexplicable behavior? And worse yet, Najika is stricken by tendonitis on the day of the contest!
I anticipated the focus of Volume 5 to be Najika’s interactions with her competition at the confectionary contest, but nothing remotely resembling a rival appears. In fact, except for one nameless contestant that sneers at Najika during the contest, she doesn’t interact with any of the other competitors at all. Kobayashi keeps the focus on Najika and the Kitazawa brothers and stays true to the formula of Sora and Daichi each doing their part to help Najika achieve her goals. Going into the second half of the volume, the focus even shifts away from the contest as boys’ father, the director of Seika Academy, finally shows up. Much more about the Kitazawa family dynamic is revealed as well as the true reason for Najika’s acceptance into the school. The director’s motives and methods for using Najika are somewhat hard to swallow, but I admit I am growing more curious about the circumstances that caused the rifts within the Kitazawa family.
Extras include table of contents, an explanation of honorifics, story thus far summary, cast of characters, closing remarks from the manga’s writer and artist, a 40-page Spring Break Special Kitchen Princess side story, recipes for five foods made in the manga, five pages of cultural notes, an untranslated preview of Volume 6, and ads for other Del Rey releases.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: B-
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Del Rey Manga
Release Date: February 19th, 2008
MSRP: $10.95