Creative Staff
Story & Art: Naru Narumi
Translation: Ayumi Kato Blystone
What They Say
The original manga that inspired the anime series from Crunchyroll!
Ms. Koizumi loves ramen noodles… and Yu likes Ms. Koizumi! But she soon discovers the only way to get closer to this cool, mysterious transfer student is to become her pupil on the path of the one thing Ms. Koizumi really cares about… and you know what that is, don’t you…?
Written and drawn by real-life ramen lover Naru Narumi and translated by Japanese chef Ayumi Kato Blystone, Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles is a fun food manga that will show you around the authentic ramen culture of everyday Japan. What makes for a great bowl? Get into the noodles, the toppings, the broth– street stalls, restaurants, local specialties, home cooking… and yes, cup ramen too! You’ll slurp down a whole new knowledge of Japan’s greatest fast food that even many Japanese don’t know… but Ms. Koizumi does!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
There’s been this noticeable increase in manga about the mundane yet fascinating recently. They’re not exactly slice-of-life series, but are more of a subcategory where there’s a laser-targeted focus on a certain lifestyle or general topic. This “comfiness” genre, for lack of a better word, delves deeply into a topic in a way that comes off as incredibly inviting. And it’s this zero-intimidation manner of writing that makes for normies of any lifestyle to want to try out (insert topic here) in the first place. And that’s just swell.
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles volume 1 carries on in this fashion in the best way possible. While the titular character herself is this emotionally distant, ramen snob, the series is able to turn this into a plus as the majority of the cast serves as the reader’s entry into the series and in turn to Koizumi herself. Chapters are nice self-contained stories for the most part, usually featuring a classmate running into Koizumi by chance at a ramen shop, or simply eating ramen in general.
What makes Koizumi the character likable isn’t her personality, but rather just how passionate she is about ramen. Even when she insists on not wishing to speak with others, she’s still able to wax lyrical about the intricacies of every dish she partakes in. Without skipping a beat, Koizumi is able to get into the nitty-gritty details and backstories on ramen, its preparation, texture, methods of eating, the restaurants themselves… it’s all very fascinating less because you’re able to actually retain the dense amounts of information she’s speaking of, and more because even getting a working knowledge on something as delicious as ramen is simply fun and presented as such. Author Naru Narumi herself takes great pride in her ramen know-how, not only having Koizumi speak greatly of any and all ramen she comes across, but drawing each dish with a loving amount of detail that will absolutely make you want to go out and try some authentic ramen yourself. And while her depictions of the cast lovingly eating the ramen can get a bit suggestive at times, the fanservice comes from a good place and doesn’t detract from the comfiness of the series itself.
Even Dark Horse themselves seems to realize how much of a gem they’ve gotten, taking the time to add their own special touches to this release. In a time where translators are relegated to a minor side note for localized manga, it’s interesting to note that Koizumi’s translator is not only given a special shout-out at the end of the volume, but is herself an accomplished Japanese chef. Translator Ayumi Kato Blystone’s end-of-volume message comes off as sincere and eager in the same way you’d expect an author’s end-of-volume message to be, and it’s clear that translating this project means a lot to her (even with the inconsistent switch between “thank you for the meal” and the untranslated “itadakimasu” within the manga itself). Dark Horse has also gone as far as including a quick blurb at the end of each volume showcasing a local ramen shop in America. It’s these nice little additions that really add to the comfiness levels while reading the manga, ensuring that ramen is something that anyone can become passionate about if they’re open to it.
In Summary:
There’s a surprising amount of love Dark Horse has put into Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles. From the added content on local ramen shops in America to the special shout-out to their translator, to the quality of the series itself, you can tell this is a special manga that isn’t just capitalizing off the comfiness genre, but making full use of it to create an approachable means for anyone to further develop their appreciation for ramen.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Manga
Release Date: October 8, 2019
MSRP: $10.99