I've been really into reading realistic cooking manga lately and now I'm looking for more. It doesn't necessarily have to be cooking, it just has to be a manga that shows a realistic look into some action, i.e cooking, playing tennis, something. It could also be informational on the action, and not too realistic, like Hikaru no Go. Manga like this, from the top of my head, would be:

Bambino (reading Secondo)
Nobunaga no Chef
Baby Steps


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Cooking:

Oishii Kankei
Kinou Nani Tabeta?
Shokugeki no Soma

Others:

Uchuu Kyoudai - astronaut training
Ashita no Ou-sama - screenwriting, acting

Lol Shokugeki no Soma realistic really ? It's the One Piece of cooking mangas, fun not a realistic representation of cooking.

Darnit, you're already reading the two cooking series I wanted to recommend after seeing the title. xD

Well, cooking aside:
- Jin: it's like Nobunaga no Chef, but doctor version.
- Kokou no Hito: mountain climbing! Starts shounen-ish, but becomes really psychological later on. Super realistic. You'll feel yourself freezing to death just from reading.
- Peak (IM Gang-hyeok): mountain rescue. Good for heart attacks.

Let's see, what else...

For cooking - Little Forest (but I'm not far in, so I can't offer a judgement on the entire manga)

Slam Dunk for basketball.

I second Kokou no Hito and Ashita no Ousama.

You also may want to check out the Ed U. Manga account, this person has compiled a list of informative manga.

Eyeshield 21 - it may not be too serious with it content, but it gave me information about football and got me a bit into it.
One Outs - Same thing, it taught me a bit on baseball, but mainly it talks a lot on a psychological aspect.
Yakitate!! Japan - it's serious at first with silly aspect, but then grow into a randomness that I'm okay with. Although it does talk about bread making and I think they give us some recipes as well.
Saijou No Meii - is a pretty good one with a lot of info.
Wild Life - a bit silly at times, but does give information about being a veterinarian.
Hell's Kitchen - not too serious, but does give some info about cooking.
Shin Chuuka Ichiban! - Cooking, but I think it stop.
Mister Ajikko - Cooking, but english stop.
Kitchen no Ohime-sama - some, I think. It's been a while.
Chuuka Ichiban! - English stop, I think...

Thanks you guys! I'm so excited to get to reading these, I totally forgot about Uchuu Kyoudai! And whoa, Ed U. Manga looks amazing!

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@hkanz Thanks for mentioning our project.

@mikako17 You'll find an introduction to my lists and rating system if you click on the link in my signature ("Interested?").
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Concerning the other suggestions' educational level:

Shokugeki no Soma is comparable to manga like Addicted to Curry, i.e. the competition overshadows the more realistic cooking aspects. Less realistic than Bambino!.

Second Kinou Nani Tabeta?. No direct recipes but the detailed cooking scenes can be well used as a reference to cook the actual dishes. The Shounen-ai aspect is negligible compared to the prevalent slice of life part.

Ashita no Ou-sama didn't strike me as overly realistic but I haven't read the whole series. So, correct me if I'm wrong but it seems to focus more on characters, relationships and personal growth.

Second Slam Dunk. Real by the same author is also excellent.

Yakitate!! Japan is in the same league as Shokugeki no Soma & co., maybe even less truthful.

Saijou no Meii presents some basic medical and anatomical facts, but it is rather one-dimensional. Try Black Jack ni Yoroshiku and its sequel for a more serious and complex portrayal of the medical profession.
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Additional recommendations for very informative cooking or food manga:

Hatsukoi Lunch Box Formulaic plot, very instructive. Contains recipes for bentos and snacks.

Kami no Shizuku See comment.

Last edited by Ed U. Manga at 8:08 am, Sep 9 2014

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