Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 8

Are you ready for the Iron Chef of bread?! Manga shall not live by bread alone.

England. France. Germany. What common thread binds these three nations together? Answer: each is famous for producing unique, distinctive, delicious bread. But what about Japan, home to rice and delicacies of the sea? Is there not a doughy, gastronomic delight they can claim as their own? The answer is no...until now! Kazuma Azuma, a 16-year-old-boy blessed with otherworldly baking powers, has taken it upon himself to create Ja-pan, the national bread of the land of the rising sun!

It's only the exhibition for the Monaco Cup--the prestigious bread tournament Kazuma and company are participating in as they study abroad in France--and the competition is already ablaze. Kawachi and Kanmuri collaborate on an outlandish decorative bread scheme to earn their team some extra points, but will their avant-garde approach hurt their chances more than help? Later, a roulette wheel is used to decide which ingredients will be allowed in the first preliminaries. Will Kazuma's trusty Ja-pan 21 see Pantasia through to victory?


About the Author
Takashi Hashiguchi was the recipient of Young Magazine Gekkan Shinjinsho (Newcomer's Award) in 1987 from Kodansha and received an honorable mention for the Tetsuya Chiba Award. He made his debut in 1988 with Combat Teacher. Hashiguchi says that for a time he tried his hand at being a comedian, but differences with his partner led him to return to manga. His major works include Street Fighter II Bakusho Yon-koma Gag Gaiden (Street Fighter II Hilarious 4-panel Gag Outside Story), Chosoku Spinner (High Speed Spinner), Windmill, Scissors, and Yakitate!! Japan. His most recent series, Saijo no Meii (The Ultimate Great Doctor) is currently serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday.