Yakitate!! Japan

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. ;)

::QUICK REVIEW::
Story: 9 (no story but excellent comedy segments)
Art: 6 (unimpressive art style but not bad either)
Sound: 8 (good comedy cant work without good sound)
Character: 7 (cliche characters but classic situations)
Enjoyment: 10 (never laughed so much in 50 episodes)
Overall: 40/50 = 8.0 (i love food i love comedy, instant classic)

...


::FULL REVIEW::
Yakitate Japan is a PERFECT example of anything can be made in to a good shounen anime just as long it has the three key ingredients: chemistry, direction, and anticipation. This show turns a somewhat lame idea of an emerging baker and turns it to nonstop laughs and 'suspense'.

You're probably thinking, how can a baking anime be suspenseful? Which brings me back to the point of you can make any anime great if its structured great (not necessarily a good story) . Since its practically impossible to have 'action' in a baking show, theres a laugh every minute. Throughout the show you'll encounter the same style of jokes 100's of times over, but the way they reinvent the jokes every episode and lace a few facts in every episode is what makes this show so fun to watch from beginning to end. I even managed to marathon it and i still had lots of laughs every episode. Not only are there baking jokes and cooking facts, they also manage ALOT of running gags, one-shot gags, play on words, and the star of the show: "the BREAD REACTION." If you have any sense of humor whatsoever, you will LOVE the reactions no matter how many times they play over and over. Also the 'factual' information is pretty informative as well... i never knew there was such thing as Bombay Blood or that the legendary japanese sticky rice was a specialty of Sakata city in the Yamagata prefecture. It is true though, the best comedy comes from real life information.

The since its geared toward children, art is standard quality thats very reminiscent to something like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, or Angelic Layer. That doesnt mean it looks terrible but when they want to emphasis something, they make it more detailed, and if something is supposed to be funny you'll get the 'flashy' backgrounds general stuff like that. Of course since they're parodying all the typical shounen anime, they do things WAAAYYY over the top and thats why i love this show so much as well. Not only do they take the time to make fun of itself, but they manage to make fun of the whole shounen style as much as possible!

The sound reminds me of a mix of Pokemon meets Iron Chef. Overly serious with slapstick everywhere else :) It all works very well. Music is everywhere but its never intrusive. And I love it when an anime isn't afraid to add a fart joke or two. Sure its not refined, but its a comedy and toilet humor is such a lost art these days.

The characters are also just pure greatness when it comes right down to it. You have a good mix of serious, outrageous, confident, cute, sexy characters that you're bound to like 3 or 4 of them. Some of them are used simply for joke executions, others are used as support for Azuma, but all of them are definitely going to be used in a joke or two. "NANDATO!!!" and "UMAIIII" will be etched in your mind forever. Mind you that none of them are unique or original in anyway but since they are pretty cliche' take on the shounen comedy that turns out to be hilarious in its own right.

After watching this show from start to finish, I know some will love it and some will simply hate it just for the fact that its so out of this world. But for those who love it, they'll have their own reasons in to loving it. As weird at it may seem, I enjoyed the bread reactions and cooking facts more than anything else in this show. But in retrospect, someone might hate the show for the exact same reasons. On top of that, it never stops to take the time to make fun of itself as well :) I only recommend this to someone who absolutely loves a fun comedy anime and has an open mind to the wacky, crazy universe that is Fresh Baked Japan!!

...and yes they make a cannabis bread (so much for children's show ^_^)
Also watching this you will notice that Black Star of Soul Eater is an exact replica of Azuma Kazuma (not Naruto -_-)

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 a show. 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 called 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, just pathetic). 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 to reuse bad jokes.

As for the characters overall, I really liked them and you really feel for them because a few of them have difficult pasts. The characters that receive development did gain some respect from me so I'd say things worked out in that department. Most of the characters 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 it.

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.

Love bread? Ever wondered how they make it? An anime about bread is the best way to learn! Education and entertainment rolled into one, you hardly see it happening… So watch it while it’s still hot!

Ok if you ignore the cheesy introduction, this anime is pretty unbelievable! The storyline may not sound so exciting, but believe me it is more entertaining than watching bread rise! Boy I’ve got to stop with these cheesiness ~_~ gomen.

What I liked about the storyline is that it manages to make bread very fun to watch, maybe because the characters are very funny. Bread ... competitions followed by more bread competitions and then a lot more bread competitions. At least the reactions they get from eating bread are funny; some of the puns are very weird indeed! Some reactions are out of the world and I mean literally, out of the world and into space, but gopan bagel does sound nice… I wouldn’t mind trying the bread that sends you to heaven!

The animation is very excellent and good quality, what you would expect from a good anime, the male characters aren’t very appealing though, the girls tend to be more beautiful looking. I guess the animation isn’t great enough to make me hungry when I see the bread, but I didn’t like bread much anyways.

The background sounds are great, the opening and endings are good. It has nothing to do with bread though, but the soundtrack is ear candy.

The main character is a dumb ass as you would expect from a typical shonen anime, but he is a total genius at bread making, along with the funny stupid sidekick and a tough samurai guy. A manager wearing glasses and obsessed with afros, a weird but clever judge, guy with mask and hides a live peacock in, a clown. All these people contribute to the funniness of the anime as one would expect.

It is very enjoyable to watch and it has made me love bread now. I have also tried to make bread in the microwave and using the rice cooker, wasn’t very nice though, maybe I’m just bad at cooking T__T
Overall it is a good anime; my only criticism is that it was a bit rushed at the end. Otherwise you won’t be disappointed!

With Shokugeki no Soma recently finished airing, viewers may want to watch a similar type of anime, and indeed, the joy of cooking is upon us with Yakitate!! Japan, which main focus lies on the creation of bread. Now some may wonder if it is worthy of their time, and it this case it is, but to a certain extent, as the anime falls apart later on.

~Story~

The premise of Yakitate!! Japan is of simple nature, Azuma Kazuma a young boy in his quest to make the best bread that identifies with Japan and is able to compete at an international level, called "japan". Throughout the ... anime viewers realize how bread making is actually nothing simple, but a complicated process which involves a lot of specific knowledge on ingredients, as well as techniques. The anime manages to convey these very well by explaining those in detail, but never in excess. In earnest, the amount of techniques that exist was unexpected.

Naturally, creation of bread on its own can be rather dull, so competitions between different contestants and aspirants of the world of baking are introduced (tournament style) ranging from rookies to famous and top-tier bakers from different countries. To show the audience how excellent a bread is, reactions are shown, which are hilarious and fitting to each bread theme it offers. Verbal jokes are often made as well, which at times can be very amusing.

Up to this point it may seem very positive and engaging, yet as the story progresses, the show's quality declines significantly. First of all, throughout the whole anime all the secondary characters are used once, to be rendered insignificant later on, essentially making this anime a one-man-show composed of Azuma. The power levels are imbalanced as it can get in a shōnen. In addition, events that take place as story progresses get out of hand and begin to be ridiculously over the top, such as assassination attempts. Jokes and reactions are no exception either: in the last half gags get repeated constantly to the point of being annoying, and reactions begin to even affect audiences, instead of being individual reactions. Not to mention the wrong and bad use of parodies to other famous series which was introduced in the last half of the series.

~Characters~

The is a wide variety of characters in Yakitate!! Japan, some memorable, some outright annoying, all with a personality, but very generic and stereotypical characters. Azuma is your typical one-dimensional shōnen characters whose only objective is to complete "japan" and undergoes near to zero character development or character fleshing; in fact, he seems to posses all knowledge about baking that there is at his age of 16, making it a rather tensionless watch, as he wins competitions effortlessly and get hints through convenience of the plot.

The supporting cast is rather lackluster as well, all being one-dimensional undergoing almost no character development. Villains are very typical with no motives, opponents as well. There are nevertheless some interesting characters personality-wise, such as the case of Kuroyanagi or the baker with the afro, Matsushiro. However, background stories are almost non-existent, and it is hard to relate to the characters in any way.

~Animation and sound~

Animation quality of Yakitate!! Japan is nothing outstanding, yet fulfills its purpose well enough to convey the different reactions characters have, as well as being consist throughout the entire anime. Backgrounds are varied when needed, and character designs matched with the personality of most of the cast. However, mostly they were generic and nothing out the norm.

As for the sounds used, some soundtracks were memorable and well done, yet were overused throughout the whole show as no new compositions were made. The dialogues were of simplistic nature, and the gags that were repeated became soon old, and pretty annoying.

~Enjoyment~

Yakitate!! Japan was overall somewhat enjoyable experience, being the first half a good experience, proceeding to fall apart as story progressed. How bread making was displayed was well done, as well as the use of different ingredients and techniques. The reactions and comedy was amusing to watch, until it was rehashed and novelty left. This anime would have been much better off by halving the duration of it, as the second half felt unnecessary and was very lackluster, in addition with undesirable characters.

Thank you for reading.

Yakitate!! Japan is about a young boy named Azuma who goes out to make a name for himself in the bread baking industry and to invent a bread that Japan can be proud of. It's essentially a shounen anime with a lot of comedy, but the story is so much more than that. This anime is filled with innocence, ambition, and the joy of being able to do something you love. And while the main goal is to entertain you with it's hilarious antics, the story does a great job at getting you attached to the plot, making the next episode something to look forward ... to.

One of the biggest weaknesses older anime have compared to anime nowadays is the art. Yakitate!! Japan is no exception to that. While the art doesn't look out of place from anything 10 years ago, the series does have its unique own style in presenting the story. An example would be the reactions that people have when eating the bread, a running gag throughout the series that never gets old. It ranges from delusions to damaging the space time continuum. It is very lively and is able to set the mood accordingly.

Another way they set the mood beautifully is through the vibrant soundtracks played throughout the series. I can still vividly remember the catchy beat whenever something exciting happens even after a year of watching the anime. The OP and ED are nothing to scoff at either.

The characters in Yakitate!! Japan are so well done that it's hard not to get attached to them. Each one has an interesting backstory that you explore throughout the series. No side character is left alone and each one gets an important part in the series. At one point I even began to get depressed over the story of a character that I assumed was only there to provide comic relief. There are also numerous connections that are made with main cast which make the series seem to really grow.

I enjoyed Yakitate!! Japan very much. It's an underrated gem that not many people have seen and I hope you will enjoy it as well.

Yakitate!! Japan: the only anime you will ever watch that is solely based on... BREAD. That's right. Bread. The only show out there where the making of bread is so over-glorified. The only show you will see with a protagonist whose only purpose is to be a beast at making bread. It is difficult to describe just how outstanding Yakitate!! Japan really is.

Yakitate has got to be the funnest show I've seen. Just as the title suggests, the show is loaded down with tons of puns, some stretched further than others. Not only that, but the also frequently include references to other well-known anime, or ... popular people. Oh, and I forgot to say, this is the only show you will watch where people have orgasms over bread. The characters' reactions to eating delicious bread is what makes Yakitate so darn hilarious. Each one gets more and more clever. Yakitate Japan is simply a wonderful comedy.

A small downside is that the plot is pretty predictable. It's pretty easy to guess how things will turn out after so many loops, but that doesn't make it any less worth while. But don't look down on the plot no matter how predictable it is. Twists are added here and there that make the show surprisingly intense (intense for a bread making show, that is). Even though the plot is rather light, it does contain fierce competition, deceit, sabotage, and corporate scheming, that all make the show all the more interesting.

In short, Yakitate!! Japan was the most fun I've had watching anime. Even if you aren't into comedy that much (I'm not either), it still well worth watching to make your day. What I did was spread this show out over a month and a half, and watched it along-side something more serious. But anyway, welcome to the 10/10 club Yakitate!!

If you like shonen, parodies of shonen or extremely bizarre shows, you might like Yakitate!! Japan.

Story: A young man fights for his dream of baking Japan's first "national bread". He has a talent for baking due to his "Solar Hands", and he has lots of determination. Weekly baking competitions are the name of this game, but the story has different ways of keeping you watching.

At first, I didn't realize it would be so...typical-shonen. I almost gave it up, but then I got to the REACTIONS. Easily the best part of the whole show is watching peoples' reactions to the breads. Touching and absurd, heartwarming ... and off-the-wall hilarious. The reactions kept me going through the whole show!

I also enjoyed the references to pop culture and other shonen shows. The Japanese cultural references were very informative, even if I had to pause a lot to read them all.

Art: Not the most artistically ground-breaking, but comfortable. Silly hair, bright colors and...delicious bread. The bread. Looks. Awesome. It made me so hungry watching this show.

Sound: The opening and ending songs were nothing special, and I found the background music to be unmemorable. I watched the sub, and I enjoyed the character portrayals. No one was overly annoying, but there were no Oscar-worthy performances.

Character: One of my biggest gripes is how one character (Kawachi) went from being an average baker in the first arc, to a complete butt-monkey in the second. It's like he didn't even know what bread WAS after the mid-point.

The other characters are all interesting, but they don't get much development. Azuma is his "everything I do will be fine" self all throughout the show, and the supporting characters are not very fleshed-out. I would have liked to see more from the other bakers, and not just "we're here because Azuma beat us, so now we'll help him".

Overall: I watched the show off and on for about a year. I couldn't handle more than 2 episodes a day. However, I am glad I watched it all. The reactions and the multitude of different breads baked made me keep watching. Bonus points to the studio, for doing their homework: every bread is real, or CAN be real. Every explanation of the bread is true, adn not just crazy magical bread.

TL;DR 5 words/phrases to describe Yakitate!! Japan

hilarious, informative, shonen parody, weekly "battles", drool-worthy breads

Fights with battle auras and magical hands? Sure thing, every animator does that nowadays. But combining these two into an anime about baking bread!? It sounds ridiculous. In fact: it is ridiculous. References to well-known anime and Japanese products are accompanied by a hurricane of puns while everyone happily breaks the fourth wall. Was there even one to begin with..

This is truly a must-see for everyone who loves parodies.

Story: I won't give anything away. It's about BREAD. It's very very creative, which is one of the main reasons I enjoyed it so much.

Art: It's really nothing special. It's certainly not bad, but it's not particularly outstanding.

Sound: haha I really loved the soundtrack. And I thought each voice really did a good job of matching up with the different personalities.

Character: This is one of the places where the anime really stands out. Each character has a unique personality, and the various characters interact with each other in hilarious ways. Their personalities develop logically as the show progresses, ... which is really refreshing to see in an anime that you don't think you can take seriously XD

Enjoyment: I loved watching it. It's SO over the top that I can't help but laugh. HOWEVER. It's a long anime, so normally, I would get bored after seeing 69 episodes about a kid who makes bread. But once you get past the ridiculousness of the anime, you begin to actually enjoy it in other ways. It's quite suspenseful, which is very surprising, seeing how it's about bread. The puns get a little ridiculous, but it's still very funny. The many parodies of other anime are great too.

Overall: If you're going to watch this anime, don't just watch one episode, see that it's 69 episodes, and think "f*** it, this is ridiculous." Watch several episodes, because it takes time. It is certainly well worth it. My one huge complaint is that at points, you really do feel like it will never end. When the suspense drops, it gets boring, but there are only a few episodes for which I had this problem. The only other complaint I have is the reactions after eating bread get a little annoying after a while, and sometimes, they're simply far too long to keep me laughing.

I would strongly recommend this anime to people who like good things.

Not even in my wildest imagination could I ever imagine that an anime about bread could be so incredibly good. The concept for me just screams fail, but it's executed so perfectly well you can't help but love it.

It's a masterpiece, but it has its flaws. The animation isn't exactly top notch, the music could have been better, but the endings and openings are always solid and makes up a bit for it.

It's packed with interesting characters from the main characters to the bread judges. Especially Kuroyanagi stands out with some outstanding and hilarious reactions which is a big part of making Yakitate as ... great as it is. Near the end of the series some characters become a bit too predictable and uninteresting and drags a bit down on the judgment.

Still the best part of Yakitate is it's enjoyment, there's not a single bad episode and the comedy is top class. You could also say it's educational, as you learn a bit about the different bread sorts, how they are made, where they come from, what the name origins from and such. As well I found it inspiring and it made me actually want to bake, and even try to mimic some of the simpler breads made in the series.

Parts of the series near the end does seem a bit rushed, and you get the feeling you've seen it happen over and over and some of the characters you got the feeling didn't have the right development, or just took a wrong turn and turned into worse.

Nevertheless, if you watch Yakitate!! Japan and you enjoy a good comedy, and even if you don't like to bake you're most likely gonna enjoy it after all.

"come on, watch Yakitate!" "Whats this Anime about?" "Bread backing" "..."
That was my firt reaction when i heard of Yakitate! Japan, thats the common reaction when i recommend this anime.

"OMG!!!! This ANIME IS awsome!!"
That was my reaction after watching an few episods and the common reaction of people i know who watched it.

Its hard to start to watch the anime, thats why i will list the most reasone why most of you are afraid of this topic, backing bread, because that were the reseaon why i was afraid or not really interested into yakitate.

1. Its a shounen-Manga based Anime, which means, it will be an ... anime with a lot of episodes, maybe filler because the anime reach the manga to fast.
Thats true. There were a lot of episodes, but each episode it so funny that you just want to watch more and in the 69 there is not a single episode that isnt uniqe. The problem of Anime catching up with manga, is one of the common problems of Shounen-Manga based anime and that there will be fillers, but in Yakitate, even there are filler, you dont reconize it.

2. Due to the Shounen aspect, the characters will be really weak and stereotypical.
Thats true too. The main Characters are really most like the common shounen characters.The developeman of the characters are shounen-typical too and the backgrounds and the motivations of the villains are stereotypical too. Even so, the characters are really thought-through and good choosen, and bring some little surprises too.

3.(and the most important point) AND THE STORY???? WHAT THE HECK CAN HAPPEND IN AN ANIME ABOUT BREAD!?!?!?
When you hear about an anime about a ninja boy who wanna be a hero, you know it will be a good story with nice character and a lot of action.
When you hear about an anime about a sports you would know that it will be about determination, willing to win and about friendship and rivalry.
when you hear about an anime with mecha, you know it will be fight between meachs and big battles.
But what about cooking?
the last cooking anime was cooking master boy, that thats an anime most dont know.
The importants reason of seeing Yakitate Japan isnt the animiation stil, the art or the characters, it is because of the awsome story and the amazing humor.

Its an anime that can show you the joy of cooking.
Its an anime with an incredible form of humor.

But the most important reason to watch it, and why i like to watch it:

Its fill your heart with enjoyment and pleasure while watching each episode.

Yakitate Japan is story about azuma kazuma who is a pure genius in making bread + having the 'solar hands' which is a natural helper in making bread making it more delicious. he keeps on making bread through the years after becoming interested in bread and wishes to create the ultimate bread and call it 'Japan'. i'll just get to the point here.

Story:
... the story is actually quite simple. on the first episode you get to see kazuma as a kid and he goes to find a job with Panasia Bakery. As soon as the story begins, it's already like a competition. the first bread i guess was to catch the interest of the audience and to show what Yakitate Japan was about. it was just naan but with a weird shape.

as the story continues, he becomes comrade with Kyousuke, tsukino and several others. there's several competition throughout the anime. the best was probably during the international championship. here you get to see how serious bread making really is in this anime ==. the finals was also really just ridiculous but interesting to watch. who would ever knew the deliciousness of a bread could bring people back in time to change history.
this is truly the climax of the whole anime.

after that point, the anime becomes quite boring. there's no excitement af competition or whatsoever. Kai found a girlfriend and finally, kazuma created the ultimate 'Japan'.

Sound/Art: nothing special, really.

Characters:
great. every character is unique in its own way. my favourite character has to be Kuroyanagi Ryo because of how he keeps on over reacting when eating delicious bread. its the best part of any episode. you just want to see how the person will react after eating the bread. for example. eating a dragon shaped bread turns him into Bruce Lee.

the protagonist, Kazuma has a childish personality so he really doesn't feel like the main character except when he finds a way to make a delicious bread. sometimes, it feels like watching from a third person's perspective. but it doesn't matter because this is a comedy, not an action packed anime.

theres also this side-character named kinoshita who's really funny at times. he's the character who gets ignored and works on his own in the bakery everytime all the other characters go into a competition. overall, all the characters where great and distinct from one another.

Overall:
enjoyed it very much. recommended to anyone looking for something not too heavy but with a plot. i wasn't really satisfied with the ending but other parts of the story where just great.

the show is worth watching over &over again. cos its has a weird sense of humor in a good way..maybe its because its the first anime that ive completed watching all episodes that i gave it a 10 but maybe if i watch other anime i would still give Yakitate Japan a 10 because of the very wacky characters.

This anime kept me hooked. You really have no choice but to continue with the next episode to find out what's going to develop next in the story.

There''s no boring filler (so far anyway) and before you know it, one episode it's over! That's how good it is. You will not find it draggy at all. There's always new challenges and it's amazing how the creator can come up with so many more new items.

It's never boring cause there's so many different aspect of it that is shown with each new challenge. The emotional value attached to the compeittion, the people involved are ... somehow intriguing, the research of the ingredients to make the requirements of the competitions and, of course, the technique of showing the actual competition itself in an almost astronmic way.

Well it sounds crazy but Yakitate!! Japan is an anime about baking bread. You can learn how to make bread along the way too if you are intrested. If you like comedy and you want to learn on how to bake bread then this is the anime for you but if you just want to watch it for the entertainment then that 's ok too. Along the way you might laugh your guts out because of all the stupid yet extremly funny jokes. I just love this show because of all it's great jokes but the one that makes most of them is my favorite ... character, Azuma Kazuma or Kazuma Azuma....which ever works for you. So yeah, I give this anime two thumbs up.

"A story of bakers? What can be so funny?" These are the first words you say about this series. Then you watch a few episodes and then you can't stop laughing.

The best and clasics moments of Yakitate Japan comes when the judges eat the bread and then they have to score it. This moments are really amusement and some times you have to turn off the tv if you don't want to die of laughter.

It has a lot of healthy humor for all people and you learn about gastronomy too. Correct art, funny and catchy music, adorable characters and many parodies of other known series ... rounded one of the better comedies you could watch.

It becomes a bit repetitious in the third season but it's nothing really important. If you like comedies then you must watch this show.

'I have a dream, to make a bread worthy to be called Japan's, the Ja-Pan!'

For those that are not well versed with nihon-go, Ja-Pan is actually a sort of pun that suggests that it is a japanese-styled or created bread. The series tells the tale of the protagonist and his quest to make the ultimate japanese bread(Ja-Pan) and how he faces of with many different types of bakers, not only among the japanese but also among other countries at a point

This series can be considered a legend in the genre of cooking manga as they truly focus on how the full potential of bread can ... be realised simply from using other food or drinks that can complement the taste of bread and even improve its taste. In layman terms, you could call this the series that depict the theoretical potential of bread when certain conditions have been met.

Another thing to note, this series is also intelligent in the creation of puns thus I would suggest to find a subber that also notes down when puns are used and the meanings of the puns so that you can fully enjoy this series.

All in all, this is a very enjoyable and informative cooking anime that may even spark your interest in the culinary world and not only that of bread-making. Also, do not expect much from this series graphically as it is a rather old series.

Yakitate!! Japan is the lyrical ballad of Azuma Kazuma as he attempts to champion the world of bread through power of his own hands. Bread, you say? That's right. Bread. Yakitate!! Japan gives light to the merciless stage of baking wrought with hate, love, jealousy, and incidental comedy. It is unlikely that viewers can comprehend the deep nature of baking, fused with technique, skill and inborn talent. Yaktiate!! Japan begs the question, "how many breads have you eaten in your life?"

The story of Yakitate!! Japan is wonderfully refreshing as it parodies the battle/fighting genre in the whackiest manner. Certain scenes go as far as borrowing ... animation stylings of Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon and even Mobile Suit Gundam. Overall, it is a light-hearted series that takes on a life of its own. It is both unexpectedly comical and unexpectedly educational. Fairly in-depth descriptions of different varieties of bread and baking techniques are included throughout the series. The gags, however, work on numerous levels, from simple (and not so simple) to blatantly outrageous, including puns based on the Japanese language. In which case, this may be lost in translation. Still, the overall effect is still retained.

The art is understated, most of the time. However, this helps to create a dramatic contrast when scenes grow to be over the top. This juxtaposition adds to the comical intentions of the series. As for the soundtrack, Taku Iwasaki leads the helm as the composer. He is better known for his contributions to Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen. The soundtrack reflects the whimsical nature of the show with clever use of wind and stringed instruments. By composing Yakitate!! Japan, he completes repertoire from samurai to baking bread and samurai who bake bread.

Unfortunately, character development is typically stagnated in this genre, and parodies of this genre. Yakitiate!! Japan falls to these common pitfalls. (Purposefully or in-parody of? I don't know if this was intentional or a natural progression. Though, the greatest parodies might always keep the viewer guessing.) Though Azuma Kazuma is the main character of the show, Kuroyanagi is the star. His love for bread is unparalleled, and is unashamed to demonstrate it. It might be too bold to say, however, any detriment of the show is redeemed by the inclusion of Kuroyanagi in the cast.

Finally, it should be noted that the animated series was unable to keep up with the manga. Yakitate!! Japan's odd 69 episode run was most definitely cut short due to difficulties in production. This ties in with my greatest issue with Yakitate!! Japan, being that it had to end.

P.S. It's hard to make bread. I tried several of them from the show.

Yakitate Japan is a really good shounen anime about baking bread. It is pretty heartwarming, really funny, has a lot of story about bread and the actual anime as well, it also has a lot of great relatable characters, plenty of over the top moments and reactions that I honestly enjoyed. Honestly speaking tho Yakitate Japan is one of my favorite anime of all time, its probably top 2 depending on which day or time I'm watching them. It tells the story of a child named Azuma Kazuma who was inspired by a old baker to make a bread for Japan that is equivalent to ... rice
and can be accepted and is for the Japanese people, along his journey he makes many friends and enemies, while constantly evolving his Japan bread series.

Pros:
-Really great characters with a lot of character development and depth to them
-Funny moments
-Pretty straightforward story that is easy to follow
- Japanese references that reign true to its country of birth
- Over the top moments and reactions that make the anime what it is
- Has a lot of insight about various foods and breads
-Unique powers for bakers that are mainly about their hands like the solar hands etc.

Cons:
-The soundtrack is a little bit weak compared to other anime
-Sometimes they are over the top moments that makes no sense

Overall Yakitate Japan is a really good anime that it managed to clinch my spot of top 2 favorite anime of all time, which is not an easy peak to achieve. It isn't perfect but in my eyes it is. It is also unique compared to other food anime, as it takes a boring concept of making bread and makes it exciting and even teaches the viewer how to bake bread plus encourages them to be a baker themselves.This anime earns itself a 10/10 rating for me, a truly marvelous and perfect anime about food. I highly recommend this anime, as unlike food wars or any other anime about food, a lot of people don't know this show, and it is a highly underrated gem.