Ten Billion Yen Clown!
I've been watching a series called Yakitate!! Japan and things are really starting to get interesting, with one story having ended (the Newcomers' Battle) and another about to begin (the Monaco Cup).
YJ is about bread making and the focus is on a young boy named Azuma Kazuma, who has a dream of making Japan (pronounced jar-PARN) - a bread the world will associate with the country Japan (like.. French bread?). He begins the realisation of his dream by working at Pantasia, one of two most successful bakery chains, and winning the Newcomers' Battle.
Azuma is blessed with 'Solar Hands', his hands are especially warm (heat causes fermentation, important!), and has a knack for making delicious bread. At last count, he has come up with 57 variations of Japan (numbered 1 to 57, yes very original) but the Japan, the one that will be proudly presented to the world, has remained elusive.
When I first started watching, I'd expected to lose interest quickly because YJ is exaggeration (i doubt bread making is that exciting) and comedy. I also found Azuma's voice irritating but have gotten used to it. I must say, thank goodness for truly evil characters to spice things up and add drama to a comedy!
Azusagawa Yukino is the eldest granddaughter of the Pantasia founder and is a BIATCH, to put it mildy. She and two other sisters are in direct competition to become the Pantasia heir and Yukino will think nothing of sabotage and other evil trickery to get what she wants. It doesn't help that she's the favourite granddaugter and is quite cunning.
The series has inspired me to make bread so I'm going to try a recipe shown in episode 27 - Rice Cooker Bread! It'll take me 5 hours (2 hours fermentation, 3 hours baking) but I'm determined to give it a go.
YJ is about bread making and the focus is on a young boy named Azuma Kazuma, who has a dream of making Japan (pronounced jar-PARN) - a bread the world will associate with the country Japan (like.. French bread?). He begins the realisation of his dream by working at Pantasia, one of two most successful bakery chains, and winning the Newcomers' Battle.
Azuma is blessed with 'Solar Hands', his hands are especially warm (heat causes fermentation, important!), and has a knack for making delicious bread. At last count, he has come up with 57 variations of Japan (numbered 1 to 57, yes very original) but the Japan, the one that will be proudly presented to the world, has remained elusive.
When I first started watching, I'd expected to lose interest quickly because YJ is exaggeration (i doubt bread making is that exciting) and comedy. I also found Azuma's voice irritating but have gotten used to it. I must say, thank goodness for truly evil characters to spice things up and add drama to a comedy!
Azusagawa Yukino is the eldest granddaughter of the Pantasia founder and is a BIATCH, to put it mildy. She and two other sisters are in direct competition to become the Pantasia heir and Yukino will think nothing of sabotage and other evil trickery to get what she wants. It doesn't help that she's the favourite granddaugter and is quite cunning.
The series has inspired me to make bread so I'm going to try a recipe shown in episode 27 - Rice Cooker Bread! It'll take me 5 hours (2 hours fermentation, 3 hours baking) but I'm determined to give it a go.