This is an unusual manga in that the heroine is a sophisticated young lady from a rich family who nonetheless manages to possess a very innocent and everyday kind of charm. She isn't stuck up at all and is completely guileless and sweet, but still manages to possess nerves of steel when it comes to pursuing her passion (becoming a chef). I like the fact that she doesn't whine and cry about losing all her fortunes and being forced to work like a peasant - she wants to work and is proud of herself, and carries herself well no matter the circumstance. (Lol except she's being clumsy, but that's a different matter altogether. 😀 )
The male lead starts off as apparently the typical shoujo hero - the dark, handsome, cynical, genius type - but layers are uncovered to reveal that he's actually just a man, not some sort of super-glitzy shoujo/josei ideal. I like that. That makes any developments (believably slow as they are) between him and the heroine very realistic.
Plus, the food is GREAT. This is definitely a food-lover's manga! Makes me hungry every time and is very educational besides! I want to try making some of the stuff they talk about... Since I'm from a very ordinary middle-class background lol, I honestly didn't know about some of the fancy dishes they talk about in here. It's really fun to discover all these amazing foods, not to mention the complex and high-pressure situations that professional chefs have to handle in famous restaurants. I recommend this manga to anyone with such interests.
Amendment as of 20th January 2010: The latest developments (as of chapter 15) have made me upgrade my rating from a 9 to a 10. HOLY CRAP, THIS MANGA IS AMAZING. It does things that most shoujo/josei mangas just don't have the guts to do... This is frankly the most realistic romance I've ever read, EVER, for the simple reason that...
... the main "couple" actually enter into relationships with other people in the course of the manga, presumably only to end up together at the end. THIS IS WHAT REAL LIFE IS LIKE, FOLKS. I mean, there's no such thing as One True Love Forever And Ever, at least not most of the time; it's possible to find one person and deeply love them, only to have that relationship not work out for whatever reason, and then somewhere down the line, you finally end up meeting another person that you'll actually spend the rest of your life with. That doesn't denigrate or lower the importance of that prior relationship - it was also sacred and important and sweet in its own way, even if it didn't last. It's possible to have a first love AND a second love, and most people have more than one relationship in their entire lives. THIS is what makes this manga so fabulous; it portrays realistic relationships, where the main man actually meets, falls in love with and then has a relationship with someone WHO IS NOT THE FEMALE LEAD for a portion of the manga, and the female lead herself might (or so it seems) be eventually won over by another man. And that's fine, that's life. I get a pretty strong feeling that the male and female leads will end up together, but I like it even more now that I can see a realistic development in them as people, not as co-dependent fictional entities; they're not just cookie-cutter characters who are "made for each other" or some such silly nonsense. They're adults, with adult tensions and responsibilities, and they may find love with other people before they find it in each other. And THEN, of course, their love will last. This is so realistic that it frankly kicks ass. :D I love this stuff. Bring it on! (Although to be honest, I don't even mind it if the male and female leads don't end up together in a conventional sense, but forge an immortal master/student bond. I mean, I trust this mangaka to entertain me and move me no matter what the heck she does. Go ahead and make my day, Makimura-sensei! I know I'll love it!)
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