Ranked #478

Kitchen no Ohimesama (Manga)

I saw this manga at the bookstore, and was intrigued enough by the cover to pick up a volume to give it a try. I must say, it wasn't money wasted... just not put to the amount of enjoyment that I wanted. Don't get me wrong, this manga is definately a ten- if you're around eight years old. That is precisely the age group that this manga was written for.

The plot is typical for a young girl's manga- a bright, bubbly girl as the lead, and two boys competing for her heart. Knowing that it was for young girls didn't make the plotline more palatable- I still winced when it became clear very early on who her 'prince' was. The lead's boys are stereotypical, cookie-cutter leads for their roles. One is the bright, friendly, most-loved son oif the family and the other is an angry, argumentative 'black sheep', if they can be called that at their ages. And the Lead Girl? She can cook, and she's nice. Not terribly original- these same concepts have been put to use elsewhere with better results.

Given the legnth of the manga, you don't really get more of their personality. Of course, you also have the standard mean classmates, clueless school administrators, and the lead girl always showing them the light with her cooking. I must say, all the dishes she makes look delishious, but it still doesn't say much when that's the most memorable part of the story.

Do NOT make this the end-all of your manga experience. Use it as a chance to leap into better and better series. If you're looking for good manga that's similar, try Shugo Chara! and Beauty Pop, or if you're a bit older, Chibi Vampire , Ouran High School Host Club, or even Ah! My Goddess. Those do the same story, but with a twist each time and are classics in their own right. read more

This is an outstanding manga.
story is about a female heroine who has absolute taste in food and can create dishes that brings smiles to everyone. the heroine is an orphan raised in Hokkaido with people that are warm and supportive of her cooking. Her deceased parents were also one of the greatest pastry chefs known all around the world. Because of her family history as well as her absolute taste, she gets invited to a prestigious school. One of the main reasons for the heroine to accept the scholarship to the school is to find her Flan Prince who's given her strength during her childhood after the death of her parents.

Throughout the chapters, the heroine goes through cooking competitions as well as romantic dramas and tragedies that finally end with a happy ending.

The only bad thing about this manga has to be that it's too short and doesn't have a clear ending to her pastry success. The manga implies for her success in the future but doesn't show the readers what exactly happens.

Overall, it's a fantastic manga and one of the best I've read. :D read more

this manga is GREAT!! i love the characters and the storyline as well. its an awesome roller coaster love story which gets better and better as the story progresses. so basically:
I LOVE THIS MANGA!! =D
hehe thats what i can say overall

Simply put, it's a sugar-encrusted dessert of a manga.

More elaborately put...well, let's start simply with the characters. Our protagonist Najika has a tragic history, but is an excellent cook and seems to be a very kind, caring and generally nice person. A little bit of a Mary-Sue, but not horrible.

Our two male leads don't have much background when we first meet them, and though this does change later, we still aren't very sympathetic with their love for Najika. The supporting cast is mediocre at best, most of the characters fitting easily into stereotypes without much pushing and shoving.

The tragedy of Najika's past is continually put into the spotlight, so that, I can only assume, readers feel more sympathy for her than they would otherwise. It was fine in the first five or six volumes, but by #9 it was just ridiculous.

The art is okay, it's nothing super-special. The food is drawn well with enough detail so you can tell exactly what it's supposed to be, but it's no mouthwatering gourmet meal leaping off the page.

This story is perfect if you're a younger reader looking to start out with a nice simple manga that's easy to read and enjoy, but if you've been reading for a while and are past the stages where you gape over the huge eyes and flip confusedly through the pages reading the wrong way, Kitchen Princess won't satisfy you.

Pros:
-Good for younger readers.
Cons:
-Plotline is overused.
-Characters come off as stereotypical.
-For $10.95 USD a volume, I would say it isn't worth the money.

Recommended? No. read more

Another typical shoujo manga which I don't think deserve #250 in the manga list because it is extremely predictable and there is nothing unique about the story that can make you not forget about it and want to read it over and over again. It is basically about an orphan from Hokkaido who goes to Tokyo to find his Flan Price as he was the one who gave her strength when she was down (in Hokkaido when she was younger). So basically it's a journey of love and cooking, which is very typical. It's worth the time to read, but it's not worth the money to buy. read more

Kitchen Princess is an interesting and extreme Shojo-y Shojo manga. (If you read it, it makes sense) Spanning 10 volumes, it manages to hit many great story points in a manner that seems wholly believable. Is it cliched? To an extent. But then again, it's a Shojo manga, if you're surprised by cliches in this genre, you're proabably not the biggest reader of it.

Two quick things: Whoever you think the "Flan Prince" is, wait until the end of volume 10 to see if you're right.

This manga also gets very ...heavy starting in the end of the fifth volume.

Overall though, it is a very enjoyable manga that has already been released in its entirety in the U.S., so if you can, try and pick it up at your local bookstore (or just read it there, like I did). read more

I've never reviewed anything before, but I'll do my best to be honest and say what I truly thought rather than just buttering the manga up with praise it doesn't deserve.

When you read the first volume of this manga, you will assume it to be stereotypical and like many other shoujo manga. You have your cheerful and energetic lead and the two main boys who are complete opposites. At first, they seem like cardboard cutout characters. You can find them in any story.

As the story goes on, it changes. At first, it's just a flick, but then it delves into character depth. Starting with a character death (not saying who because of spoilers.) You see the background of each character and you start to sympathize with them. They become much less stereotypical to you.

The whole story becomes serious, something that you didn't expect. It starts making you actually feel things partly due to the beautiful art that depicts the emotions so well. It had me in tears for a character that I didn't even like.

Also, just one more thing, something that was fun in this manga was that even though it constantly teased you with who the flan prince was, it was never right! It always changed and you thought it was someone else. First it was ********** and than it was ******** and than you finally figured it out with ******. All in all, it really a complete shock to me.

Overall: This manga is amazing. It's emotional, cute, funny, and wonderful. That's all I can really say. It's a lovely manga that I would recommend to all shoujo lovers.

read more

Kitchen Princess...a very fluffy and cute shoujo romance. But it is actually more than that, it is very gripping manga with great characters and a worthwhile romance.
STORY:
8/10
The story is fairly cliche, a girl named Najika is trying to find her "Flan Prince" who saved her from drowning in Hokkaido when she was younger. Though the original concept was not the best, the story is actually well done. There are very big twists in the plot and various love interests.
ART:
10/10
Beautiful artwork, very well done. Fits the typical shoujo image.
CHARACTER:
9/10
Najika: The heroine of the series. She dreams of becoming a professional chef like her parents and has attended the academy based on a spoon that her "Flan Prince" left her years ago when she almost drowned. I really enjoyed her. She seemed like an airhead but was really not. She is actually highly skilled and is very caring. She is also very clever and always thinks of others.
Sora: Najika's initial love interest. Very typical shojo boy. Nice and a very fast mover with girls. Very popular with girls and is captivated by Najika's talent, and later Najika herself. Again, a typical shojo boy but still adds to the story.
Daichi: Sora's brother. He is also fairly popular except he is almost the opposite of Sora. While still nice, he is more secretive and colder. Yet this is just to hide the fact that he generally cares and is carrying a huge guilt on him.
Akane: Najika's initial enemy, but later her best friend. She is a model who is very pretty. She is in love with Daichi. I really enjoyed her. She is very interesting and funny. Overall, a brilliant character.
ENJOYMENT:
10/10
More than just a shoujo romance to me. I was very upset when I finished the series. You can't help but feel happy during some of the chapters. It is an addictive one.
OVERALL:
10/10
As usual, I would not recommend this unless you like romance manga but it is a very good read.
-OtakuKLP >.< hope this helped!! read more

I'm not going to open up with a cheesy opening quoting a famous line in the manga or something no I'm just going to jump write into writing this review

Story it's a big factor of almost any manga that you will read and it is no different in this manga. The story in this manga makes the veteran otaku think "Hey, haven't I read that somewhere before?" well I will answer that question and say yes you have read it somewhere before or something like it the story is generic only with different characters setting and set up if you're coming into this manga expecting something amazing in the ways of story then you will be thoroughly disappointed, Which leads me on to my next subject.

Art it's important when reading manga because if it wasn't for the art the manga would just be a novel, but you don't want that right? I thought so. So this manga just has any generic art style you will find almost anywhere in the shoujo manga realm it's unique since the art style doesn't have much show outside of shoujo manga, but it is generic but tasteful like that salad you ate last monday.

Character's are generic bland and tasteless in this manga, but they will still make you feel warm inside after full completing the manga why? Well I will tell you why because the mangaka represents them in a way that will leave a deep impression on you heart and soul.

Enjoyment well what can I say I thoroughly enjoyed this manga inside and out I sped through this manga in 2 days because of how much I enjoyed it and how it shows the characters and story.

I rate this manga inside and out a very solid 8 why because of how the ending and the story progressed and they showed every thing in a tasteful way especially the very last line in this manga.

"I want to hear them say with a smile on their face, Thanks you! It's really delicious!"
~ Kazami Najika

Those were the last words you will read at the end of this manga and after you read those words tell me that you didn't think they presented the manga a great way. read more

Kitchen Princess was the first manga I ever read. It moved me...I found myself in tears whenever I finished it.

Story - 8
It's about a young girl, Najika Kazami, who's an extremely talented cook...with an amazing sense of taste. Her parents, who were talented pastry chefs, died long before the series starts. She goes to this prestigious school on scholarship (was it?), hoping to find the "Flan Prince" who saved her life (I think).
She meets two boys, the sons of the Academy's Director, Sora and Daichi.
Not to spoil it, but since it's pretty much obvious, at least to me, one of them is the Flan Prince. =3

Art - 9
Ok...let's see...I love Andou-san's artwork. It's cute and beautiful. I love how she does the eyes. For all I care, it was the manga's cover art that made me pick it up in the first place...probably if I'd picked another title (Hana Yori Dango perhaps?), I'd have been given a bad first impression on manga.

Characters - 10
...

Enjoyment - 10
I found myself laughing along with Najika during the happy times, crying with her during the sad. I enjoyed it a lot. read more