lastblossom reviewed Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen 1 by Hiromi Sato
A pleasant and beautifully illustrated food manga with low plot and high food value. Includes recipes!
Even though this is a spinoff, there's negligible plot going on in here, so if you haven't read Witch Hat Atelier, you won't be that confused about what's going on. Hardcore fans hoping for more story might be disappointed, because this is, as it turns out, basically a really well illustrated cookbook. Art is very appealing with a cozy fantasy feel to it and some cool character designs. The food also looks incredibly good, and thankfully we get recipes as well. Of note, the recipes are all fairly simple, but I'd hesitate to call them "easy." Things like fried foods and custards have the potential to go wrong, and beginner cooks might find some of the recipes a challenge. That said, I wouldn't call any of these recipes too complex either, so this set of recipes would work really well for anyone looking to try something a little more ambitious …
Even though this is a spinoff, there's negligible plot going on in here, so if you haven't read Witch Hat Atelier, you won't be that confused about what's going on. Hardcore fans hoping for more story might be disappointed, because this is, as it turns out, basically a really well illustrated cookbook. Art is very appealing with a cozy fantasy feel to it and some cool character designs. The food also looks incredibly good, and thankfully we get recipes as well. Of note, the recipes are all fairly simple, but I'd hesitate to call them "easy." Things like fried foods and custards have the potential to go wrong, and beginner cooks might find some of the recipes a challenge. That said, I wouldn't call any of these recipes too complex either, so this set of recipes would work really well for anyone looking to try something a little more ambitious without having to spend more money on extra kitchen tools or pricier ingredients. But if you're not here for the recipes, that's fine too! It's a pleasant book, entirely in line with the usual iyashikei food manga genre, great for anyone looking for a relaxing, low stakes read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for a review copy! All thoughts in this review are my own.
