Gal Gohan Vol. 1

ギャルごはん [Gal Gohan] #1

by Marii Taiyou

Get ready for food, fun, and fashion in this sexy new manga series about a cooking club!

Okazaki Miku is a Gal: a fun-loving high school student who expresses herself through bleached hair, sexy clothes, and heaps of accessories. Unfortunately, she’s also flunking every class. When she asks her Home Economics teacher, Yabe Shinji, to help her bake bribery cookies for her disappointed teachers, she finds a new excitement in that small success--and Shinji is moved by her enthusiasm. Shinji decides to start a cooking club to better connect with his students, and Miku is first in line to join!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Slice Of Life, Fiction, Comics, Food

180 pages, Paperback

First published December 23, 2016

About the author

Also known as 太陽まりい

Reviews

[Elley Murray · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just not my jam. I love cooking manga and was hoping this would be a fun twist, but it's just... not. I think I was hoping for some Peach Girl moments, haha. The student/teacher relationship had me icking out all over the place, and it's just an excuse for copious fan service. I kept hoping for some more depth into Miku and Shinji, but it just never developed beyond some really shallow attempts to show that nobody expects anything from Miku and that's why she doesn't try. I think I'll give the rest of the series a miss, but this might be for you if you're into a fun fan-service-y romp and don't mind the growing relationship between a high school student and her teacher.


An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss+ for review. All opinions are unbiased and my own.

Like this review?
Check out more of my reviews on my blog, Elley the Book Otter

[Elizabeth (Elzburg)]

Dropped after Chapter 1.

Do you like the look of gyaru fashion? Do you like fan service? Do you like potential student-teacher relationships? Do you like food and/or cooking? If you like any or all of the above then Gal Gohan is the right manga for you! I, on the other hand, hate all of these aforementioned things!!! I could not have been any more completely out of the target demographic for this series.

My main problem was definitely the huge sexual tension between the girl gyaru student and the male teacher. Student-teacher relationships are something that I am so completely and utterly against that I cannot bring myself to enjoy a series that seriously hints at it like this first chapter did. But hey, if you don’t mind that kind of thing you might enjoy this. Who knows.

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know it’s a low rating to give this volume one star, but I felt like I lost a few brain cells reading it. The “gal” Miku is really not even a character but instead a vehicle for fanservice where she obliviously flashes her underwear, her cleavage, etc. The manga tries to be a cooking manga, but we all know that this was written for a male audience rather than the foodie readers out there. Add on top of that a problematic instance of a teacher-student leaning. So disappointing.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would have enjoyed this more without the whole flirty student/incredibly uncomfortable but passive teacher angle.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a hot minute to step away from this one and return to it.
Here's your disclaimer that if you are not into ecchi, age-gap relationships between a student and teacher, or blatant artistic sexualization of a minor, this is NOT the manga for you. Step away now.

I knew for the most part what I was getting into with this one, and I don't feel like I was overtly shocked by anything I saw in volume one. If anything, there was definitely a lot more heart to this manga than I expected, and I feel like I'm already genuinely invested in the story (and at least in the character of Miku, she's precious and needs protecting) to the point I'm going to keep up with it. Anything beyond that, I'm not sure I have much to comment on at the moment. Just be aware you may want to brace yourself before jumping right in if you take issue with any of the things I mentioned above. (I'm personally not happy with nor do I condone the way Miku is hypersexualized, given she's underage and I do get tired of that, but after 20+ years of reading manga I know that to be a fairly common element that pops up, so at this point the most I can do is let out an existential sigh of disappointment and keep reading.)

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A student develops a crush on her teacher, who’s completely oblivious.

Very reminiscent of Food Wars!, Vol. 1, just swap the elitist nonsense with a rom com. I loved the fact that teacher only had interest in cooking, even when Gal was using her womanly wiles. I know the teacher student relationship will bother some people, as it’s only a few years apart it didn’t really bother me.

Unfortunately you don’t get the recipes for this, you do get to read the prototype manga at the end of this. It was interesting but I’m glad they toned down the teacher from being “you stupid idiot”, the new version is much better.

[Ray Rappisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy fanservice, (of the panties, partial boob-type) student crushing on teacher who, for the most part, rebuffs her and making food, (but not in the realm of Food Wars) then this is for you. Okazaki is such a cheerful and fun character you can't help but like her teasing her Sensei. If you're looking for a deep romantic/dramatic foodie melodrama, stay away. It's fluffy and sweet and much needed in these times. I loved it!

[Curious Madra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This manga guys….was literally friggin adorable because I really liked how it was such a slow burn for me to get to know the characters more than just relying on the romance first. Basically to give you guys a idea of what the manga is about, it tells of a schoolgirl Miku who is failing most of her exams and the principal tells her “make cookies for the teachers” as a sort of punishment. There she meets Yaabe, an airhead who is pretty much an “average Joe soap” guy and is a home economics teacher. She instantly falls in love with him but he’s doesn’t let her do “it” straight away. He is no doubt doing the right thing by waiting for her until she is grown up and out of school!

As a non harem fan, this manga is considered one of the decent ones I’ve read in a long time. I feel the other girls Fujiwara (student council president) and Nagisa (chemistry teacher) who had the “hots” for Yaabe, were actually mature enough to not create typical “cat fight” arguments against each other or pressure Yaabe to fall for them when he obviously isn’t (wish it would happen in every harem manga tbh -_-)

It’s really a lovely story to read although be warned for those who want to read this manga, there are a lot of “ecchi” scenes in this involving Miku and two of her “gal” friends, including the fact that they are teens so avoid if it’s not your thing. I personally wasn’t bothered because the character development was so good in this. However again, keep that notion in mind if you are deciding to read this.

[Leandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serie manga que consiste en 10 volúmenes. Para no arruinar mi conteo en GoodReads solo subiré el tomo 1 de las colecciones manga en lugar de subir toda la serie.
Género: Seinen / Escolar / Comedia / Cocina.
Autor: Marii Taiyou.

Esta es una forma nueva de reseña. Tratando analizar cada detalle de la obra. La cual consistirá en 13 rubros a reseñar. Cada rubro es calificado con:
0= No me gusto.
0.5= Cumple, pero no sobresale.
1.0= Me gusto.
Esto con el fin de que sea un tabulador genérico para cualquier tipo de historia. Ya sea Shonen, Shojo, Seinen etc.

Historia inicial.- Es genérica. La “Gyaru” más famosa de la escuela Miku Okazaki debe aprender a preparar galletas para los maestros, ya que esta apunto de repetir curso. Es el plan que ideo el director para ayudarla. Miku es una cabeza hueca que pide ayuda al maestro de Economía Domestica Shinji Yabe, el cual tiene apenas 3 meses en el plantel y se encuentra muy aburrido. Miku se sorprende por la dedicación que tiene Shinji al ayudarla, ya que los otros maestros ya se han rendido con ella por ser demasiado tonta.

Diseño de personajes.- El atractivo visual es mucho.

Expresiones faciales.- Excelentes! Cara de vergüenza al por mayor por parte de Shinji Y expresiones de enamorada de Miku.

Diseño de Fondos.- El autor siempre procura hacerte saber donde están los personajes en una viñeta y luego usa los fondos blancos.

Arte dinámico.- Solo son conversaciones, tiene muy poco de este tipo.

Diálogos.- Pues son muy genéricos.

Desarrollo de trama.- Es una comedia muy ligera. Las recetas de cocina son un plus.

Desarrollo de Personajes Secundarios.- Algo pasa conmigo en este tipo de historia que me encariño más con el personaje secundario que con el principal. En esta ocasión fue de Koharu Fujiwara. Me encanto como al inicio era cerrada y obtusa. Fue el personaje que más se desarrollo.

Desarrollo de Personajes Principales.- Digamos que se desarrollaron conforme a lo establecido..

Desenlace.- Miku encontró su vocación lo cual hace que la historia no sea solo de romance.

Valores.- Empatía, Amor, Bondad y Amistad son los valores que más notas en esta historia.

Portadas.- Estan padres. Pero solo en 2 sale Koharu.

Universo/mundo creado.- Nada original, solo es la preparatoria.

Tiene algunas escenas un poco subiditas de tono, pero no tengo problemas con estas. De ahí en fuera es una historia ligera fácil de digerir.

[MargReadsManga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly thought I would not like this series at all but it’s surprisingly pretty cute! I’m hoping the fan service eases up a bit in the volumes to come. It’s pretty funny.

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ecchi isn't normally my thing, but the premise seemed funny, so I decided to give it a shot. And I'm glad I did. It was pretty funny and cute without really being crude. Sure, there were some panty shots and cleavage, but that was as far as anything went. And the fan service was all in character for Miku, a very stereotypical gyaru/gal with her skirt rolled up high who loves to use her appearance to tease boys for attention--in this case, the teacher. It was a cute and lighthearted read, very over the top and unserious. I'll be looking for the next volumes!

Series completion update (6/3/20)
This series was so good! It continues to be weirdly wholesome, and the teacher throughout the whole series does his best to do what a teacher should in a situation of student love. The ending is a perfect close to the series. I highly recommend this series if you can stand flirty fanservice!

[Joe Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute gal, cute story.

I really love school life manga. They bring back so many interesting memories. The ones involving this type of scenario - the forbidden relationship between a overly sexy student, & a pent-up, oblivious, clueless instructor, who is also handsome & likeable, well they are so much fun to read. I like where this is going, at least I think I do, it may step too far past the line of what's appropriate, but i don't think it will. Art, very well done. Dialogue, a bit silly, but good. Characters, believable, likeable, relatable, & in the gal's place, completely adorable.

[anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok SOO i actually bought it thinking it was a different book so i was caught off guard by the agegap but i actually kinda think theyre rly cute BUTTTT i do like it that he is so oblivious bc i mean she just has an innocent crush on her crush (which tbh i would too that man is so fine AND he can cook LORDDDDd) but he just thinks hes a good teacher trying to bond 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 super cute but i do feel like often times the girls r drawn a little too sexual especially if u take their age into account. still rly like the series tho !!!

[Roma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tried to read this until chapter 2 but I could not go any further. Not for me.

[Terrence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pros:

+ Positive messages about not giving up.
+ Introduction to food dishes.
+ Art style + setting.
+ Serious, strict, but also kind adult hero.

Cons:

- Sensei crush element.
- Light, but annoying fan service.
- Main story too short for one volume; only one side character got any play and only in one short chapter.
- Not much in the way of being a teaching cooking manga.

Okazaki is a gal girl (think "valley girl", the stereotypes that come with that, styled up in Western hair color, jewelry, and heavy makeup). All her life, folks who could be mentors gave up on her because she isn't the easiest to train / handle, and so she finds herself failing classes left and right. She meets her home ec teacher after school and tells him about the principal's plan to get her to "butter up" to the faculty by buying grades with cookies + sweets (I don't think she fully understands the implication of it, because she basically approaches her teacher like it's a good faith thing and not bribery she wants help with). Ultimately, her teacher Yabe decides to help her. His resolve to do so is increasingly spurred on by him seeing her weak expression at him being the next in a series of instructors that gave up on her because she wasn't the quickest learner. After a successful session of cookie baking, Yabe starts up an After-school Cooking Club to further assist his students with cooking, and Okazaki is the only taker. Dishes range from that kind of baked treat, to more standard staple diet foods in Japan, like fish.

It's a really positive start and slightly sweet comedy tale in between the less sweet fan service and shipping stuff throughout the rest of the book. Yabe's hesitancy + generally strict rejection of her teasing flirtatiousness, to go with the stares they get from onlookers when she inserts herself into non-classroom settings with him almost make you think it will stop before it goes any further with that kind of relationship (their "date" when they go to an omelette shop for research; her staring at his face while he's in a crowded teacher's room). But then the occasional "ba-dump ba-dump" heartbeat effect from Yabe, and Okazaki calling him naiive when he just up and tells her he's single without thinking make me think it may go the slightly immoral route. If I had to guess, I'm thinking the story will do a will they / won't they thing until an eventual time skip, but it's still early. The story could still be finding its way.

Side characters didn't really get to shine (only one of Okazaki's gal friends gets a chapter dedicated to her being a "problem" character, teasing Okazaki by getting close to her sensei before the plot kinda pours some cold water on her rival status when she picks up her phone and reveals she has a boyfriend). Family situations for the two also really weren't touched on either. We never meet Okazaki's parents or siblings. Yabe's dependent little brother is mentioned in the non-canon bonus story (which was a Web Manga "pilot episode" with a different art style; the gal in particular looks more cutesy / generic).

[Diego · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review for Volumes 1 - 10

"We remember teachers but they forget us when we graduate. After all, they see hundreds of us every year."

Gal Gohan is a romantic comedy manga written by Marii Taiyou that began serialization in 2016 and ended in 2020. The story centers on Shinji Yabe, a home economics teacher at a high school and his student, Miku Okazaki, a “gal” that is very social, but is flunking every class. The school has given Miku a chance: she can make up for flunked classes as long as she does well in just one class. And she chooses Home Economics. And not just that. She goes on to form the school's cooking club with help of Shinji. But she only did it because she has fallen for her teacher. Yes. It is one of those.

I knew that going in. I wasn't particularly fond of the idea but Reddit made it sound okay. It wasn't. I couldn't stop reading once I had started it only because I felt that if I was going to give this a 1/5, I had to read the whole series. The art is simplistic and there's not much depth to the characters so it was easy to blast through the whole thing in a couple of days.

This is not my thing. And I don't think it will ever be. Because it is just fan service. And while Shinji does the responsible thing all through the series by distancing himself from his student and putting her in her place, Miku being so insistent only worked to highlight the fetishism of this age gap underage "romance". If you can call it that. And I won't even start on the misogynistic undertones all throughout the ten volumes.

Don't read this. Don't be me. Because while it may sound interesting to see a trashcan on fire, at the end of the day you will realize all you did was waste your time.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 16-year-old high school student with poor grades is trying to graduate by getting brownie points with the Home Ec teacher. He does his utmost to conduct their interactions professionally even when she is clearly crossing the line between appropriate and inappropriate.

It's fun and funny and pretty dumb but you'll probably laugh.

More fan service than is necessary (if you couldn't tell from the cover), although I guess that's kinda the point with something like this.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how I feel about this yet. It's giving me some ick but I bought the first four volumes in a bundle before RightStuf merged with Crunchyroll. I should probably read the rest to see if it gets better since it's only 10 total volumes and it looks like Miku graduates high school by the end (possible ick reduction).

[Audrey S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for cooking manga and will try anything even close. I was hoping for trope subversions with this one and there is absolutely none of that. Lots of panty shots and student boobs squished against their adult teacher's arms. This could have been so good, but it's all fan service. oh well.

[Morgan Sorensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am ashamed I read this and more ashamed I liked it god damn degeneracy

[Emi えみ Takami 鷹見 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. I wish I could read more and see how Miku develops as a character, but my library only has the first volume at the moment.

[Martine · Rating 5 out of 5]

favorite manga of all time

[Marina · Rating 1 out of 5]

O ruim do aplicativo que não tem como ler

[Joshua Sloan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally competent, but also inferior (and more morally questionable) to other series in the genre.

[Scout Steinmiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am quite scared this is going to be a teacher student relationship manga. If it is, I will not be continuing.

[lilly bajada · Rating 1 out of 5]

i bought this book searching for a cute gyaru story but was met with p*dophiles and fan service........
maybe im just a bit stupid and should have expected such before i bought it but god damn this is just disturbing!! miku is adorable an deserves better lol

[skinnyeggrole · Rating 4 out of 5]

don’t read this in class I do not recommend