Alternative TitlesEnglish: Yakitate Japan Synonyms: Freshly Baked!! Ja-pan!, Yakitate Japan Japanese: 焼きたて!! ジャぱん
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 69
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 12, 2004 to Mar 14, 2006
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.181 (scored by 6682 users)
Ranked: #2282
Popularity: #385
Members: 12,357
Favorites: 260 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
comedy cooking food shounen |
SynopsisYakitate means "fresh baked", but the word "Japan" is actually a pun - pan means bread in Japanese, so Kazuma is out to make Japan, a unique Japanese bread to compete with the best bread from around the world!
Azuma became obsessed with bread when he was six years old. His sister yelled that their family should start having bread for breakfast sometimes, but their grandfather refused to even consider it, as he would only eat natto, miso soup, and rice for breakfast. Kazuma agreed, saying he didn`t like bread, but his sister kidnaps him and takes him to a bread store to show him the wonders of fresh-baked bread. Not only is Kazuma converted, but the owner discovers that Kazuma has the magical "Hands of the Sun" whose warmth makes them particularly suited to making bread. The owner packs up shop and goes to Tokyo to fulfill his dream of making Japan, but Kazuma continues his bread-baking dream as well, and ends up going to Tokyo himself when he`s sixteen, to compete for a spot at the foremost bread store in Japan - Pantasia!
|
Related AnimeAdaptation: Yakitate!! Japan
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
|
|
Hayamin
35 of 46 people found this review helpful
|
69 of 69 episodes seen
|
| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
Story: The story is focused on baking. It sounds like an odd thing to base an Anime upon but it's one of the reasons this series is great. This is quite a unique and very enjoyable take on an Anime. I really liked the way it was going from the beginning. It had great potential with hilarious jokes, weird but clever puns and great (For the most part) characters, but then it started to get boring. Each new arc kept getting dryer and dryer because it's just bread-making tournament after bread-making tournament with several re-used jokes that aren't funny. Then again, I don't know where the series would go if it wasn't like that. The educational facts are interesting and the explanations of how the characters win are as exciting as a Detective Conan mystery. Unfortunately I don't know what they're talking about but hey, nothing wrong with that. The end of the series was a little disappointing but overall a fine story.
Art: Some episodes looked great, a few were pretty bad. I hate those little black vertical scratches under the characters' eyes, if those ever make it into an Anime, it'll force me drop the score for art. They serve no purpose, they just mess up the character's face... Overall though, the animation was simple but not horrible.
Sound: Nothing worth getting the Ost(s) for, a couple of the tracks are memorable but that's because they play it so often. A few of the Openings and Endings got my attention. You can find several cool songs here. Voice actors did a fine job, no problems there. However one character, Mizuno, was so annoying to listen to.
Character: Almost a perfect 10 if it wasn't for what they did to Kawachi. In the beginning he knew what he was doing as a baker but around the last arc and a bit before he was failing big time (Like Kuwabara from Yu Yu Hakusho, but the failures aren't funny). The last arc pretty much used him as a filler character, he didn't even get to participate in his team anymore. He was just there.
As for the characters overall, I really liked them and the character development makes you really feel for them because a few of them have difficult pasts. Most of them are just for jokes though and support Azuma from the sidelines but I still think they're entertaining to watch.
Enjoyment: I kept watching it episode after episode when I started. I was pretty hooked. Then it got repetitive at the end, I had to force myself to finish the last 5 episodes but for a 69 episode series, me watching consistently for so many episodes is rare which shows how much I liked the show.
Overall: It was a fresh take on Shounen Anime and I really enjoyed it. I need to thank the guy who recommended it to me. It's also interesting to go back and re-watch some of the episodes. It made me want to become a baker because it was so cool to watch them make such amazing creations. I'm sure it has that effect on many people who have seen it.
Thank you for reading my review. Feedback would be greatly appreciated. Hope this helped. read more
|
|
lowell
67 of 88 people found this review helpful
|
69 of 69 episodes seen
|
| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
It's an anime about bread-making. It's utterly ridiculous sounding. And, to be honest, in practice, it's utterly ridiculous. But I really really enjoyed it. It puts a goofy smile on my face because it is SO over the top, SO campy, SO cheesy... I just have to laugh. It's an innocent, sweet and silly sort of anime. It's not realistic, it isn't serious or dark or sarcastic... it's just simply entertaining. Which, you know, is kind of refreshing.
The story's your basis shounen plotline: rise to the challenge, succeed, face the next challenge.. but all in the confines of competitive bread making. It's a little silly and repetitive (like a lot of stories in the genre), but if you enjoy the first couple "bread battles," you'll probably like the rest (like a lot of stories in the genre). ;) (It's Pokemon, set in a bakery!)
The art is clean cut and pretty simple. So is the music. It's not nuanced or original, but it doesn't really have to be. The style suits the atmosphere of the show. The taste-reactions are elaborate and amusing, but other than that I wouldn't say there's much about the way it looks or sounds that stands out in any way.
The main characters are pretty basic once again. Again, you're probably going to be disappointed if you're looking for nuance or detail. The good guys, the bad guys... they're all kind of cardboard cut-outs of cliche shounen roles. And basically, the audience is just expected to accept them as they are without any explanation or even speculation as to why the character is the way he/she is.
Despite the lack of originality, detail or depth to the story, art, sound or characters... you should still watch this show. I gave the show a 9 overall because (1) I really do think the simplicity of the story, art, etc suits the nature of the show and (2) because my enjoyment completely outweighed whatever the series lacked in the other departments. I would have given it a 12 for enjoyment if I could.
The simplicity of it was like a breath of fresh air. It felt like a throwback out of the era of "Leave it to Beaver" or something innocent and uncomplicated like that. There are "darker" story lines later in the show, but they really weren't that dark. Meanwhile, the characters are all so over-exaggerated and silly that I found it charming, especially in the context of the world of competitive bread making. Kuroyanagi's crazy reactions were funny, but I really found the way he talked down to inferior bakers hilarious. To take something like bread-making and make it that abusive and have him take it that seriously... it just tickled me. Azuma's earnest, bleeding-heart sincerity and natural baking genius; the manager's bad-ass, macho wisdom... it was just so funny to see all these archetypes in a story about baking bread. =) (Kind of like a G-rated BeerFest.)
All in all, I think the show strikes me as child-like. Some of the characters are mean in the way that, frankly, kids are mean. It's pretty upfront, straightforward and kind of superficial. They show competition, optimism, determination and energy in the same way. It just feels like there's not very many layers to what's going on. Maybe that's what I mean by innocent?
Just to warn you though, I do feel that there was a definite decline in show quality towards the end -- most noticeable by the time they get to the third large scale competitive arena. It started feeling less sincere and more mass-manufactured, which was unfortunate. I try not to hold that sort of thing against the show too much, but... it was kind of disappointing.
On the upside, you get all this trivia about bread, bread-making and the regions of Japan from the show, which throws in a little educational frosting on top of an already entertaining show. ;) read more
Recommendations
|
|
similarly., they're both about cooking!!!`~
Cooking Master Boy is also an anime featuring food competitions, but instead of bread it deals with Chinese cuisine.
Both these animes are about cooking. The cooking style & spirit and moreover the judge's reactions after testing the food are kinda similar. Though 'Yakitate!! Japan' locates in Japan 'Cooking master boy' is in China. In both cases a boy targets to become the best chef/cook in the world.
Both about cooking. One uses everthing ingredient in the world. The other is restricted to one medium. Both comedy with drama, good fun.
Both involve child prodigies in the kitchen with exaggerated techniques and high-stake culinary showdowns.
|
|
|
Both anime is based on baking.
Yakitate!! Japan is focused on different kinds of breads while Yumeiro Patissiere is focused on different kinds of Sweets.
Both shows are about protagonists who dream to become baking chefs due to their influence during childhood. Both protagionists have clumsy personalities but they are talented.
|
Opening Theme#1: "Houkigumo" by RYTHEM (eps 1-29) #2: "Promise" by TiA (eps 30-53) #3: "Chiisana Uta" by MARIA (eps 54-68)
Ending Theme#1: "Sunday" by The Babystars (eps 01-12) #2: "To All Tha Dreamers" by SOUL'd OUT (eps 13-29) #3: "Hummingbird" by little by little (eps 30-42) #4: "Re: START" by SURFACE (eps 43-53) #5: "Merry Go Round" by Mai Hoshimura (eps 54-62) #6: "Kokoro Biidama" by RYTHEM (eps 63-68) #7: "Houkigumo" by RYTHEM (ep 69)
| No posts for this board were found |
Fansubbing Groups
Which fansubbers do you like the best? Click + to approve of their subs for this show. Click - if you don't think they did such a great job.
Related ClubsSolar Hands! - Yakitate!! Japan, The Munchie Buddies Club, Nice Shades ~ The Sunglasses Fanclub, Fang-tan, Pierrot Fanclub, Pittsburgh Japanese Animation Club, Animax Asia, LSpeed Club, Hero tv Anime club!, pantasia for malaysia only, ~ Takai's LEAGUE ~, Anime Crack FanClub, Les Champs Animes, Anime Weekend Marathons, Taku Iwasaki Club, Hot topic, JAPANESE HIPHOP, russian shounen fans!, [_Comical Corner_], #/b/radioWe Love Random Dancing!, Dark Fashion FC, russian shounenfags!, Steel Chain Rhino, Arab Otaku, Oh, You are Crazy! This is USA! That is Japan!, Battle Arena, The Afro Club, ~ C.and.Y Fan.Club ~, The_Genesis_95, The Always Hungry Characters Club, MALs Comedy Club, Mizuki Nana, The Kugimiya Rie Club, A.S.A (Adiktus sa Anime), Long Black/Dark Haired Guys, Marina Inoue fanclub, For the Love of Food!, ♣ FREEDOM club ♣, Battle of Anime see all
Recently Watched By|
1 minute ago |
14 minutes ago |
20 minutes ago |
37 minutes ago |
2 hours ago | |
2 hours ago |
3 hours ago |
3 hours ago |
4 hours ago |
4 hours ago |
|
|