異世界居酒屋「阿信」 #1

Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu (Manga) #1

by Natsuya Semikawa, 蝉川夏哉, ヴァージニア二等兵

連接到古都阿伊特力亞的小巷弄裡的居酒屋「阿信」。
懶惰的衛兵、子爵家任性的千金小姐、嚴格的包稅人等，
各具特色的異世界居民們，津津有味地享用著陌生的和風居酒屋料理，
接連成為美食的俘虜……!? 關東煮、炸物、海鮮蓋飯——
阿信大將，給我「總之先來生啤」！
連接到異世界的居酒屋所產生的美食奇幻故事，終於開幕！

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Food, Graphic Novels, Slice Of Life, Fiction

164 pages, Paperback

First published December 26, 2015

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great food manga! I randomly picked this up because I was really interested in reading more food manga and this was on the shelf at my local second hand bookstore. Otherwordly Izakaya Nobu takes place in a fictional medieval German town. Most of the locals are tired of the boring cuisine that they are used to eating. Nobu is a back alley restaurant that seemingly pops up out of nowhere. As people go there they get the opportunity to try out new Japanese foods. While this manga doesn't necessarily have a plot, it was so rewarding to watch individual characters go into the restaurant so unhappy, but come out with a new found joy and happiness. It appeared to be the overall intention of the manga. I definitely enjoyed the artwork and learning more about the cultural terms for foods associated with both Germany and Japan. I'm excited to see where the magical aspects of this restaurant kick in. Hopefully it's discussed in the next volume.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story (or "story") is incredibly similar to Restaurant to Another World, whose first light novel volume I read not too long ago. Setting is an eating establishment that straddles dimensions between present-day Japan and a fairly generic fantasy world, and it is told in episodes where a character comes in and falls into raptures over a certain dish.

For whatever reason, I enjoyed this more than Restaurant. Maybe it was because I was able to see the dishes as comics drawings, or the characters are given (very slightly) more personality. Either way, I enjoyed the vibe of this. I have the second volume and will happily read it right after I'm done with this review. However, since I usually don't get on well with extremely episodic manga, if it doesn't have a bit more to offer story or character-wise soon, interest will fall off fast.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very light-hearted, slice-of-life historical manga about a Japanese restaurant operating in medieval (?) Germany. It's literally nothing but white people experiencing Japanese food for the first time. They do a bit of "ew, I can't believe you'd put that in your mouth" (squid, raw fish) and then they see how awesome it is. The food is so delicious it makes superiors friends with their subordinates. It makes unfeeling little girls begin to love their family. It makes cold-hearted tax collectors give up their jobs and run back to their hometowns to be simple folk. It's a bit over the top but quite cute at the same time.

Now, if that were all it were, I'd probably stop here and not read any further past volume 1. I can only take so much plotless, heartwarming, slice-of-life candy. But what intrigues me is the little hint of the supernatural going on here. When the Japanese restaurant workers run out of ingredients, they disappear down a mysterious, long hallway and come back with plenty more, even in a land with a harsh, cold environment and pitiful harvest. So I'm suspicious they are traveling through a wormhole in time. I just wish they had dropped a few more breadcrumbs in this first volume. I would have to take a peek through the next volume to see if it's worth continuing before an actual plot emerges. This was real cute but unless there's a wormhole in the alley, I don't care that much. lol They need to get on with the story.

[Lastblossom]

tl;dr
The comfort food version of manga. An incredibly pleasant read with lovely illustrations and low drama.

Thoughts
Much like the comfort food featured in this series, Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu is warm and familiar with no real surprises, and that's the best thing about it. Each vignette takes on the same formula of a person in some kind of need finding solace in delicious food at a slightly magical izakaya, by trying out a new (for them) Japanese dish. I was delighted to see how well it captured the experience of eating: the one of a guy eating sushi for the first time was hilariously on point; and the hot tofu dish was such a pitch-perfect rendition of trying and failing to wait for a dish to cool before eating it, because it's just too good to wait. Reactions are large and joyous without going as far as the famous "foodgasms" of other food manga, and the food illustrations are extremely tasty. Anyone looking for a cozy, comforting, drama-free read will leave Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu satisfied, if not a little bit hungry for some Japanese food.

Edit: My review of the second volume is up now.

Thanks to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so torn!! The first volume of this manga series was so adorable (and hunger-inducing), but its episodic nature made me want more from it. It reminded me a lot of “What Did You Eat Yesterday?”, “Ristorante Paradiso,” and even “Spice & Wolf” vibe-wise. I don’t think I will collect the series, but I will definitely try to read the series through the library as new volumes are released. Be prepared to get hungry!

[Cate (The Professional Fangirl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished my 3rd rewatch of the anime. And I'm slowly working my way through the live action drama. It's about time I read the manga, right?

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food managa is one of my favorite things. This one is really interesting with a magical restaurant situation. Don't read hungry!

Definitely interested in reading more from this series soon!

[Rhea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first issue of this cozy, cute and entertaining manga that revolves around food and community: an amazing world with German and Japanese culture get together in a way that makes possible to appreciate the setting of this story as well as the food choices presented by the authors

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

comfort manga and just what i need right now. nice people make good food, grumpy people eat it and become nicer. that is the entire plot and i cant get enough.

[kaitlphere · Rating 4 out of 5]

A food manga with extreme reactions. The setting of medieval Germany with a restaurant connection to what seems like modern Japan is interesting. If I knew that the guests return and we follow their stories I would keep reading, but this book mostly makes me hungry! The waitress and repeat characters are charming and/or intriguing.

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ursäkta mig men detta var så mysigt! Mat-manga är verkligen bra att läsa när världen och huvudet brinner.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have watched and enjoyed a few episodes of the anime version of this on CrunchyRoll, so I was happy to receive a copy from NetGalley to review.

Make sure you have already eaten a meal before you read this - you are going to be hungry or wanting to cook something before you are done reading it.

I really do love isekai manga/animes, and this one really hits the cozy slice-of-life sweet spot. A restaurant in Japan allowing random visitors from another world to come dine? Yes please! The atmosphere is very inviting and warm - The art made it look delicious. 🍜😋

The characters are all of different social status and looking to enjoy some tasty cuisine because their home town doesn't have access to fresh ingredients and high quality spirits. Prepare for a lot of over the top expressive faces as people eat food, which I love. 😂 I hope that characters will reappear later for more back story and development, otherwise this is probably the most relaxing manga I have ever read. I look forward to the next one. *nod*

[Forthright . · Rating 4 out of 5]

A restaurant whose back entrance is in Japan opens business everyday through the front door, which opens onto another world (which has a medieval feel and borrows words from German). The locals are agog over everything from raw fish to deep-fried chicken, squid, pork cutlets, etc. So the manga series is a cheerful glorification of standard Japanese izakaya fare (and beer). Prosit!

I've watched the anime a bunch of times (good background noise + foodie fascination). Apparently, I find the sound of sizzling oil relaxing to write by. Only right for me to invest in the manga series!

[Vayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why, but I love this kind of story where food is the main focus. I have only watched anime like this, but reading it feels different, tho it's still entertaining. A good manga to pass the time, I read it in less than half an hour.
To end, I loved the detail at the end of adding a vocabulary list.
(Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this Manga).

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

This nationalistic food manga is dedicated to the idea that Japanese bar food is great and that German food is terrible.

Though the story is set in a sort of fantasy-land Germany (that is for some reason connected to modern Japan), I get the feeling that if anyone walked into Nobu, the author would force them to recognize the superiority of Japanese cuisine over their own native food, regardless of where they come from.

Yes, Japanese food is good. I love me some oden and tonjiru is delicious, but the idea that anyone and everyone would consider Japanese beer (which is, at best, unobtrusive) the best in the world or that Japanese fried chicken is transcendentally delicious is laying it on so thickly that I'm slightly troubled. The message is consistently "If it's Japanese, it's better." Come on, you're saying that Germans are going to be impressed by Japanese sausage? That simply beggars belief.

As a footnote to this rant, I will say that the translator's hand was very obvious, for better or for wurst. Including so many German and Japanese words where English would have sufficed lead to an overabundance of footnotes that mess with the rhythm and don't add much to the atmosphere (which is pretty much a textbook case of excessive foreignization). However, I do have to say that using "whatsontapp" as a translation for (presumably) "nama-biiru" (draft beer) is a nice touch, even if it doesn't make much sense in the mishmash of English, Japanese, and German seen here.

Reviewed for childrenslit.com.

[Holly | Raise Your Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

-- 4/5 Stars -- ★★★★☆

Trigger Warnings for Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu 1: implied wealth gap, implied war/military

Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu 1 by Natsuya Semikawa, Virginia Nitouhei, and Kururi is the first volume in the series. In this volume we see many patrons discovering Nobu and it's unique access to a range of foods. Throughout we get beautiful descriptions of Chief and Shinobu's food through the eyes of Hans, Nikolaus, Hildegarde, Johann Gustav, and more.

This manga was cute and gave wafts of the manga and anime series Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma. So much of the food looked delectable, even in black-and-white. All of this being said, I really wanted to know more about the characters. We saw glimmers of each of them, but I would have sooner had an entire volume dedicated to each person or family's stories and then have then meet together in a later volume

​Overall, Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu 1 was fun and easy. I look forward to the current and future iterations of this series. ​Special thanks to NetGalley, Natsuya Semikawa, Virginia Nitouhei, Kururi, and Udon Entertainment for access to a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

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[Meredith Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this is SO charming. It's just little vignettes about a time-travelling izakaya which is currently located in a small medieval german town, and shows the locals discovering new food and, sometimes, themselves. Make sure that you're reading when you can go out to an izakaya after, though! You WILL get hungry!

[Yakira Goldsberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first. Don’t read this if you’re hungry and don’t have food available. The amount of times I had to put this manga down because I just got so hungry reading it is ridiculous. I wanted to eat everything on the page.
Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu is your typical foodie isekai slice-of-life—except instead of just a person, it’s a whole restaurant that’s been isekaied to a German-styled fantasy world. And apparently they can go back and forth from the real world to fantasy pretty easily. The story itself is pretty straightforward, with each chapter featuring a new, down-on-their-luck character stumbling across the izakaya. Unfortunately this, and the densely-packed pages, made it a rather slow read, which had me putting it down more than I wanted to (that and the pressing need to find a snack). But if a slower pace is more your style, than it’s not a problem.
I was a little bit offended for Germany’s sake since the story pitches itself as their food being less than delectable while the Japanese food they served was amazing. I mean, I know it makes sense for the story, and yes, European food tends to be a little more on the flavorless side, but sometimes a person wants a nice, stomach-easy meal rather than something bursting with a lot flavor and most likely ketchup. (In my defense, I do cook Japanese food a lot. It’s amazing.) This has no reflection on the story itself though, just my personal thoughts.
I think my favorite panel in the whole manga was the evil tax collector guy leaving the izakaya with spaghetti sauce all over his face while going on about how he’d been reborn as a new person. Quite humorous.
Overall, Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu is a perfect manga for foodies who want a relaxing read without a major conflict and plenty of interesting characters.

NOTE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Angel 一匹狼 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am biased because I started with the live-action adaptation of the light novel this is based on, and I have also read the first volume of the light novel series. So I know all the characters, the stories and I know how what at the beginning seems quite random people going to a Japanese pub (izakaya) to have something at the end of the day develops little by little into its own world, with lots of stories and characters that are related to each other, and more depth than a 'food/other world' story should.

So reading this first volume of the manga adaptation I feel like watching the show or reading the light novel: it is enjoyable enough, the characters are nice, and the little stories are entertaining, but not much else. But I know what is to come, so I know I have to first get introduced to the world, before getting to discover its depth. That makes it more interesting for me than if I have come to the story without background.

The art is very nice, even if sometimes the drawings of people enjoying their food may seem too much, too over the top..

I would recommend to give this a try, particularly as the story becomes more interesting the more we get to know the characters.

The best: food! warmth!

The worst: this first volume is too 'introductory'

Alternatives: there are heaps of Japanese shows, manga, etc. about people eating like "Midnight Dinner"

8/10

(English translation by Caleb D. Cook)

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy*

[DJL · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched the anime version, "Isekai Izakaya Nobu," on Crunchyroll first and was happy when my library decided to order volume 1 of the manga. The overall story is about a traditional Japanese tavern-type restaurant that somehow has connected to an alternate universe's medieval Germany (Eiteriarch/Aitheria). No one seems to question the fact of a foreign restaurant appearing mysteriously in their town (at least not thinking about it TOO hard), and both Taishou (the master chef) and Shinobu (the waitress) focus on serving good Japanese food and drink to the city's residents. Each of the 6 stories does follow closely to the anime's episodes with a bit of switching on the parts of story 3 and 4 along with some changes in story 5 and 6.

It's great to get a bit more backstory on characters and a bit of name-dropping earlier in the series that I missed out on in the anime. However, I'm a little sad that some of waitress Shinobu's trademark personal charm isn't present just yet. She doesn't refer to the regulars by first name as she does in the anime, but I'm wondering if that will change in the next volume. We are only 1 volume in so far, so I look forward to reading the next volume.

Also, added bonus is the Food Vocabulary in the back of the volume with both the German and Japanese food terms being listed! If you're a foodie manga or graphic novel fan or even foodie TV series fan, check this one out!

[nush ❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

— a delicious 5 ⚝'s

oh my god, have i found a new feel good, slice of life, gourmet series to love with my whole soul? absolutely.

this was incredible. im a huge fan of gourmet manga series. campfire cooking in another world with my absurd skill and food wars are one of my favourite series of all time. while food wars has more of a competitive side to it, campfire cooking is extremely slice of life and feel good. and Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu stirs up the same exact feelings in me. this left my heart feeling full and me feeling extremely hungry. gourmet series just have a charm about them that is unparalleled. seeing various different people respond to food with so much joy and happiness is so delightful. i love that food brought out the inner child in one of the characters in this volume.

it astounds me how much depth a gourmet manga like this can have. i love the setting and the characters. The chief, shinobu, nikolaus and hans are EVERYTHING. this manga fully immerses you in its atmosphere. i am deeply impressed. my cheeks hurt from smiling throughout this entire volume.

so excited to continue on with this series! running to watch the anime immediately 🏃🏻‍♀️

thank you to netgalley and Udon Entertainment for an e-arc of this manga. all thoughts and opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cozy slice-of-life magical realism food-porn manga -there is a running storyline, but it's kinda in the background, giving the food center stage. Just get comfortable with the fact that this series will make you want all the food, and keep some tasty snacks nearby when you're reading so you don't go insane. The characters, even minor ones, are fairly well fleshed out; we get each story from a customer's perspective, so we do get to know them a bit. It's fun seeing the future regulars trying the place out and being won over! We don't get a proper explanation in this volume about how Izakaya Nobu happens to be in a vaguely medieval European town, but you do kinda figure it out. Did anything really happen in this story? If you prefer plot-driven stories, proceed with caution: not much happens (my character-driven peeps will be happy). Having said that, I had a hard time putting this down! It really kept me interested, because I didn't want to leave Nobu - it's friendly and welcoming there, and the food will warm you, heart and soul.

p.s. already halfway through volume two!

#IzakayaNobu #NetGalley

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu is a celebration of Japanese bar food.

All of the foods look delicious, and all of the characters talk for panels about how delicious the food is and what it tastes like. It even has a scene with spaghetti that reminded me a lot of the scene from Ratatouille.

It's a rotating cast of characters, told from the point of view of the rotating cast, with a few recurring in the first volume other than the Izakaya's staff. These characters, even the "spoiled brat" and "jerk tax collector," are surprisingly lovable despite only spending a chapter with them. Maybe because they have such a childlike innocence about them when faced with this bizarre new food that is at odds with their medieval German-town setting.

As someone who has eaten quite a few of the things depicted, I can honestly say that yes, it is as delicious as it looks in the book and if you get the chance, eat it.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well drawn and interesting food manga story.

The reader is taken to a Japanese style pub called "Nobu" which exists in the medieval European city of Eiteriach. We are not told how the pub arrived in this medieval city or what the customers think about this strange pub. All we know is that the food tastes magical and this magic seeps into the lives of those people who visit this pub.

Sometimes food manga stories can be quite boring but this was is very engaging and the artwork is great. The reader is drawn in and is left wanting to visit the pub themselves and taste the food that is offered.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Jinghay (these.blank.pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow did reading this make me hungry 🤤

'Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu', is a series centred around a Japanese style pub that exists in a back alley of the fictional medieval European city of Eiteriach. Brought together by a love for good food and a wholesome atmosphere, the 'Nobu's' customers range from uptight tax collectors and tired soldiers, to spoilt young heiresses and more..

There's just something so comforting about manga series that have a focus on food! And the reactions! Reading this felt like a warm hug in the best way possible~


Rating: 4/5
— Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha comics for providing an eARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own

[Melissa Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although there isn't much depth to this book, it was very cute and nice to see everyone could commonly bond over 1 thing, their love of food. It was people from all walks of life, and what I assume meant was different countries! I enjoyed the mystical air they gave to the pub when they saw the waitress opening the door for instance, of that it magically appeared in the town and no one saw when exactly. Definitely a cute 30 min read.

[Jessika Hoover · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice, relaxing manga that made me SO HUNGRY! Being more on the episodic side of things, I didn’t necessarily feel a super strong pull to keep reading, but I enjoyed the talk of food so much that I’ll probably continue the series and most likely give the anime a try, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Udon Entertainment for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions presented here are my own.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bunch of Germans have never heard of Japanese food and lose their minds over it. They think it’s the best food they’ve ever had in their entire life. It’s “otherworldly”. This book was pretty boring but if you’re in the mood for something cozy that’s literally just people trying food and acting like it’s magic, you might enjoy reading it.

[P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find the format of these chapters extremely comforting and satisfying and it also makes me so hungry. I hope it continues to be a low stakes earnest appreciation of a small restaurant in a fantasy world.

[Josh Firer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is food manga the best manga?