Mixed Vegetables, Vol. 1

ミックスベジタブル [Mixed Vegetables] #1

by Ayumi Komura

Hanayu Ashitaba is the daughter of the celebrated Patisserie Ashitaba, but all she wants to do is be a sushi chef. Hayato Hyuga is the son of the prestigious Sushi Hyuga, and all he wants to do is be a pastry chef! It's love and leftovers at Oikawa High School Cooking Department as these star-crossed gourmands do their best to reach their cuisine dreams!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Comics, Food, Fiction

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2005

About the author

Pen Name: 小村あゆみ
Real Name: 小村鲇海
Zodiac: Capricorn
Blood Type: AB

Her works are primarily serialized in Margaret magazine, with series published in collected volumes by Shueisha under their Margaret Comics imprint. She intends to contribute to a charity book, along with other authors primarily published in Margaret, to raise funds for the 2011 Japanese earthquake.
Her favorite number is 22, and her hobbies include watching baseball. Obsessed with green tea.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little silly, but still enjoyable. I've been trying to explore more food manga to check out and this one was high on my priority list. It feels like you're stereotypical romance manga, but I must say that the food element makes it more interesting. Especially since the majority of the manga takes place at a culinary school.

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hanayu was born to the daughter of a pastry chef, but all she really wants is to be a sushi chef. Her parents would never understand, so she makes it her life's ambition to marry the son of a sushi chef. Enter Hayato Hyuga, the son of a sushi chef who seems to be interested in her.

So there's the manufactured drama. The first volume is divided more or less evenly between the romantic conflict and covering the culinary school they both attend. The culinary parts are by far the most interesting. I think I would like this book far more if it abandoned the romance plot and made it purely a cooking school story. Because I'll be honest, the students training to slice cucumbers is way more interesting than Hanayu and Hayato's underwhelming romance story. And honestly, I didn't like Hanayu much in this book at all.

The art does vary a bit. Komura is very, very good at drawing delicious food, but I really dislike her character work. This was actually the third time I'd picked up this manga to read. The first two times, I so disliked the way that she drew Hanayu and Hayato on the cover that I couldn't even attempt to read it.

Maybe the romance subplot will improve in later volumes, but I just don't care now.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fairly silly, but oh so funny. If it continues in this fashion, I'll have a new favourite manga to add to my list...

[Erica Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is super cute. Can't wait to continue the series.

[☺Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and funny manga set in a culinary academy. Hanaya wants to be a sushi chef but will be expected to be a baker like her parents, Hayato' s family owns and runs a sushi restaurant but all he wants to be is a baker. Can these two "trick" each other into becoming romantically involved as a means to the end they both desire in life . . . or will their "pretend" feelings become reality?

[Reader17 Der · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this volume. Hanaya growing up came in counter with fish and ever since then she wants to be a Sushi Chef (for some reason she thinks she has to marry someone that is in the business for her to become a sushi chef). Enter Hayato the son of a Sushi restaurant but Hayato really wants to be a Pastry chef. These two where fun to read and the things that happened while they where cooking made me laugh. Especially when Hanaya was learning to chop things other then fish.

[Starbubbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I liked it. It took a while for me to get into reading this, but it was cute. I'm hoping volume 2 will also be at the library.

[Cassandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the art I just found it a little boring. I don’t have any reason why really maybe it’s the pacing and the romance was just kinda of meh

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't really want to add all the other volumes. Basically this was a really cool manga. This girl, Ashitaba Hanayu, starts dating a guy, Hyuuga Hayato, because he is the son of a sushi shop owner. Its supposed to be that he will inherit the shop when his father retires but if she marries into his family she can become the main chef and a rare female sushi chef. Since Hanayu is the daughter of a pastry chef she soon realizes that Hayato had the same idea. He wants to marry into her family and become the head of the pastry chef. Since they cant become the head of each others shops without the original heir accepting inheritance of their parents shops they break up and go their separate ways. Hanayu confesses to her friend, Ichii, that she made a mistake and realized too late that she was in love with Hayato. She goes to Hayato and plans to tell him that she will accept her family's shop inheritance. He stops her and tells her that he has already accepted his shops inheritance because he can't become a pastry chef. He can't become a pastry chef because he can't make his first cake and give it to anyone because he was going to give his first cake to his grandfather. He can't give his first cake to his grandfather because his grandfather passed away. He tells Hanayu that he really like her and they go out again. Hanayu starts working at Hayato's family sushi shop. She is sad that Hayato has given up on becoming a pastry chef but at the same time she is happy because it means she can marry into his family. The story is much more elaborate and has more fillers but that's the gist of it. Its a really good Manga and I recommend it. Its really interesting but it's torture to read it while you're hungry...

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I finally got my hands on this manga. I had it recommended to me this year and it sounded interesting. Well I really liked it. It's funny and has good characterization with wonderful illustrations. The author artist is really talented.

The story is about a girl Hanayu who is the daughter of a pastry chef and a boy Hayato who is the son of a sushi chef. Hanayu wants to be a sushi chef but has not told her family. Hayato wants to be a pastry chef and also has not told his family. Both of them go to a cooking school. Hanayu adores fish and wants to make sushi all the time. Hayato loves sweets and goes nuts over anything to do with pastries. Both of them get to meet and become friends. But will their dreams come true once they get the courage to tell their families their future plans?

It's a wonderful story with some very funny scenes. if you love food or just love to eat please give this series a try. You never know what you will learn!

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really disliked Hanayu for most of the volume - at least the first 4 chapters, called here menus. The concept is a little cheesy but so are a lot of my favorite manga. She's so shallow and her friend so personality less that I just struggled to see a reason to finish. I did finish though and I hate her a lot less.

When we finally got to see a little of Hayato's personality I liked him a lot more than the girl. He's striking and seems to be prone to dramatics but in a good way and not an exaggerated way like Hanayu. He's a gentlemanly boy and I have to admire that for a shojo volume.

The cooking references were cute, her parents and talk of arranged marriages - cute. The characters have to carry the entire story. If they don't work then the story doesn't work. I might try a second volume when I'm bored but don't count on it! I was really disappointed as I'd heard good things about this one.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was one that grew on me.

When it started, I really didn't get the main character. I mean, why do you have to marry someone to go and do what you want? At first, I thought this might be a Japanese thing, but I asked a friend of mine who grew up in Japan about it, she said it wasn't a culture thing that she knew of. So I guess that's just how the MC is, but I didn't get it.

Then we met Hyuga. I really liked him. He's got the witty banter down (and I love me my witty banter). And his witty banter isn't standoffish, but more playful. He strikes me as a genuinely nice guy. And he brought out the best of our MC, who feels guilty about just wanting to marry him to be a sushi chef because, deep down, she like him and he's slowly making her realize that. I really like him.

Watching these two together is really entertaining. I'll definitely be checking out the next volume.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is mediocre, it's not as cute or as funny as I thought it would be, and I don't really like any of the characters. Hanayu is a jerk, and I don't like how she's leading Hyuga on. He deserves better. The dialogue is also hard to follow at times, it's difficult to tell what is actually spoken and what is in the characters' heads, and the story is a bit boring. I'll continue on because I bought the first three volumes, but I really hope it improves a lot.

[kim song ng · Rating 2 out of 5]

So disappointed :(
Was craving another food manga after I read Food Wars, but this just did not satisfy my liking. I'm sad now cause I bought the first 3 and will eventually have to pick up the 2nd and 3rd one.

[Kristy Buzbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need moar and NOW

[Sierrah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. Hayato and Hanayu make a good couple. A boy who's from a sushi family who makes delicious desserts and a girl who's in a pastry family who know's how to slice a fish.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the romance and the food. It makes my heart throb and my mouth water!

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

good

[Marianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5 Stars out of 5

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kinda took a wild guess on the first time I read through this series (it was only volume 1 and part of volume 2, not sure why I stopped.) But I did really love it back then and I love it now too. This makes me want to become a sushi chef right now, aaaaa. Anywho, back when I first read this was probably around the same time I read Monkey High, I'm guessing? Or started it anyway... I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE! LOL. How I remembered it though, was Hanayu had a dream of becoming a sushi chef, but had to take over the family bakery. Hyuga/Hayato dreamed of becoming a baker, but had to take over the family sushi shop. So, they schemed to marry the other to take over the other's shop, but they found out about each other's scheme and I'm not sure where it led from there. Well, seems what I recall is a little ahead of this volume, since it is nowhere stated nor suggested (aside from one thing) that Hayato has intentions as bad as Hanayu's.
He really is...SO sweet though... Hanayu wants to force herself to fall in love with him for real once he actually asks her to date him, she remembers her friend Ichii telling her "if you spend time together, you'll fall in love naturally." She realizes that to be true after trying it, but also knows she would have fallen in love with him someday either way, once she got to know him. He's one of those people who are so kind that it's just impossible to not love them. It's part of who he is, along with all his other traits that make him so unique.
Maybe I didn't last time, but dang, I felt myself falling in love with Hayato too, this time. He really does seem like he cares a lot for her, I'm pretty certain he may love Hanayu, just a bit. Or he at least wants to and already feels something. Or perhaps he's just projecting his love for baking unto her as a person, much like she did to him before they started calling each other by their first names? Hmm.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hanayu Ashituba is the daughter of a well known, and respected, pastry chef. Her father hopes she will one day take over his business. The only problem is, Ashituba wants to be a sushi chef, not a patstry chef. Her plan to make her dreams come true? Marry the son of a renown sushi chef and work for his family! Hayato Hyuga is the son of such a chef, so Ashituba sets her sights on him. Thing is, he wants to be a pastry chef.

Volume one is pretty basic, it sets up the school environment and most of the caste of characters. The first challenge of this book, date Hyuga and win the top spot in vegetable slicing exam. The pressure is on, for the chopping that is. Students are expected to cut 60 identical, perfect thickness slices in a limited amount of time. Can Hyuga help his classmates succeed? Can Ashituba knock Hyuga out of the top spot?

What did I think?

It was okay. The art is decent, the plot (though just starting) seems like it might be interesting. It's not really like other high school 'chef' mangas that I have read...as in, they aren't yet making dishes and having them scored. Therefore, no recipes in the back of the book. lol.

I will probably read the next couple of volumes before I decide where or not to continue. It's a solid 2.5, so I bumped it up to be nice.

[Beust · Rating 4 out of 5]

Au premier tome je pensais que ce serait cul cul car l'héroïne se faisait trop de noeuds au cerveau. Mais finalement ça s'est révélé très sympa à lire. Le ton est léger, il y a beaucoup d'humour et le thème culinaire est développé avec un plaisir manifeste par l'auteur. Les rebondissements sont drôles, originaux et frais. Mais le thème central reste les sentiments et les relations entre les personnages. Ils sont développés de manière fine et intéressante, même si les réactions peuvent parfois nous surprendre : beaucoup de sacrifice (typiquement japonais) ou de dramatisation (typique du shojo ?). Mais l'exploration des sentiments (amour, jalousie, ambition, etc) est très intéressante car elle faite sans aucun jugement, les sentiments sont acceptés tels quels. Les scènes romantiques ont quant à elles un charme que je ne peux pas nier, même si elles sont bien sûr idéalisées. (Pour les jeunes filles ados, il faut veiller à leur proposer en contrepartie des personnages masculins moins parfaits). Sinon les dessins sont très jolis, avec un joli soin apporté aux expressions du visage, aux coiffures et aux éléments vestimentaires (souvent truffés de clins d'oeil !)

[Noelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. Hanayu and Hayato don’t have believable chemistry. Their relationship is built on teasing each other and it repeats throughout the book. It’s hard to see if Hayato is genuine with his feelings (which may be the point considering how this volume ended) but I found myself getting annoyed with their dynamics.

I also don’t quite understand Hanayu’s motives. I don’t see how telling her parents the truth about wanting to become a sushi chef will have catastrophic life consequences. Instead she’s pining for a guy she doesn’t really like much and only starts to develop feelings for after she feels guilty, since she only wants to date him to become a sushi chef.

There are a few plus sides to this story. I really like the art style. I appreciate the cooking school setting and plot line as I think culinary arts can be an interesting manga topic.

Overall, I didn’t hate this enough not to continue. I understand first volumes can be difficult to write, since you have to establish so many characters and give the reader information, so that may be the case for this book. I hope the second volume will be better.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this manga was one I was intrigued by because of the title and it didn't disappoint.
• If you have watched the yumeiro patisserie anime and wanted something similar but with sushi as well as baking this manga is for you.
• It doesn't have any magical aspects (at least not in this current volume) so if enjoy just cooking in a shojo story I would definitely recommend this
• I also thought it was really hilarious the banter between the main characters and how they were all striving to become chefs. It goes to show that working hard can help you to strive getting better at something.
Overall I think this was a fun story and definitely one that if you like all the aspects I just mentioned you'll enjoy it. As far as child appropriateness though I don't think I'd recommend it because it talks about high school marriage and it may be strange for them to read. I would rate this a 4 out of 5 stars.

[Yee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't say this is bad but it wasn't superb as well. I hope readers don't have high expectations or expecting this manga to be at the same level as Food Wars. This is totally different and the drawing is simpler. I liked the simplistic drawing although sometimes, I easily get confused with the story flow as the story suddenly leads to a different direction. Probably it's just me that unable to follow the story. Somehow, I'm more interested with the side characters than the romance between Ashitaba and Hyuuga. It seems sweet, funny and cute at the beginning but as time goes by, I'm more interested with the sub-stories which related to cooking, exams, friends, teachers and family.

Mixed Vegetables Vol. 1 by Ayumi Komura.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed Vegetables is about a high school girl named Hanayu and her dream to become a sushi chef. This proves tricky, as her family owns a pastry shop and expect her to continue in the family business. Her conclusion? Marry into a family who owns a sushi restaurant! Luckily one of her classmates, Hayato, fits the bill. She just has to figure out how to gain his affections.

This was really cute. Stupid, but cute. I needed something quick & simple to read and this delivered on that front. Watching the character's relationship develop is actually sweet, despite the selfish start to it. Plus this was funny. I actually chuckled out loud a few times. Since I'm a little bit of a foodie, the culinary bits were a nice touch and a greatly appreciated part of the plot. I always like food-centric things so having that, plus an adorable romance, made this rather enjoyable to read.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I said I would review this better when I had more time to spare, but the honest truth is that I'm not sure I have much to say about this first volume of a manga, at least for the time being. It's very much a case of "this is what it says on the tin" and not terribly much beyond. My hope is that perhaps things get a bit more complex in later volumes. I wouldn't mind reading the rest of the series, but I don't think I'll be heartbroken if that doesn't happen. Another interesting point of note is that this feels far more comedic and silly than I'm used to seeing from titles published under the Shojo Beat imprint, which was a bit of whiplash, honestly. Not bad, just not what I would have expected from this particular imprint at all.

**
[Technically I purchased this copy from Thriftbooks as an impulse buy, but it still has a sticker on it from when it was originally sold at Borders, so I'm saying "screw it" and listing my copy as having been purchased from there since I'm a nostalgic mess.]

[haven ⋄ f (hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has decent art but the story has a few elements that make me really question it. I did find it funny at times but it’s over dramatic in a painful way more often than not.

Overall, the vibe is “girls can’t own sushi shops without husbands” which really irks me. Of course girls can.

—
Assortment of random thoughts about this (spoilers):

• The fish puns are going to kill me.
• Something about the way she holds the chefs knife bugs me (yes, I got training on how to use them).
• Seduction has worked! Hyuga has asked her out!
• He’s super cute tbh. I love how he’s giving her stuff.
• She’s doing well talking to him compared to other shojo mangas.
• Woah woah. when’d they start dating?
• I love the teacher.
• The art style reminds me of “maid-sama”

[Janine Chalmers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so far and can't wait to read the next installment.

You've read the overview, the catch, and already know what it is roughly about. I'm here to tell you that the main character is endearing, not overbearing, and her love interest is the sweetest guy you'll ever meet. Just watching these two interact is a joy.

Give this series a try. I don't know how it ends, but I like how it begins.