Hatsukoi Lunch Box
Putting Heart into a Lunch Box

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There are two ways to see Hatsukoi Lunch Box. You can first see it as a sweet shoujo that tells the love story of two foodies. You may be disappointed, because it will certainly not bring you an hectic story. But you can see it for what it really is : an advertisement in a manga form.

   The story is centered on Sae, a schoolgirl who loves to eat. In each chapter, she helps her friends to conquer the hearts of their loved ones by showing them how to cook bento for them. To help her, she is accompanied by Yuki, her childhood friend, and her ... older sister Shiori who are both very good cooks. A rather classic story, then.

The art style is nevertheless very pretty. The very cute chara-design of the author is easily recognizable. And that's without counting on the many dishes that all look appetizing. Nao Kodaka, the mangaka, managed to make me hungry only with drawings. Props to her. The design of the dishes may not be at the same level of the extremely detailed dishes of Shokugeki no Souma, but the use of the frames makes them very beautiful to see.

   As characters, it first have Sae, the main character. Nothing very interesting to say about her: she is the archetype of the girl with pigtails who loves to eat. It is mostly her absent mother and her assumed popularity with boys who make her original. But despite being rather basic, I personally managed to attach myself relatively quickly to her.
   Then there is Yuki, the childhood friend of the main character who helps her to cook. He is as basic as Sae, as he represents all the cliché of the love interest who likes to tease the protagonist.
   It's not better for the other secondary characters who all embody clichés : there is the nerd with glasses, the sportsman, the shy, and more. They are so basic that I think I will be unable to remember at least one of their names.

   But if you have to focus on a character, this will be on Shiori, Yuki's big sister. And that's when I explain why I think Hatsukoi Lunch Box is just a big advertisement. Shiori is presented as a talented cook, and it's often her who offers recipes to the protagonists. But what you should know is that the manga has been co-written with a famous Japanese cook. And you know what her name is? Shiori. Yes, Shiori is basically a self insert character.
   But that doesn't say why it make it an advertisement. In fact, when you buy a volume of Hatsukoi Lunch Box, you have, included in the price, a small cookbook with the recipes contained in the manga. You know what I mean? The creation of this manga is an excuse to sell Shiori's cookbooks. This explains why the history is so little detailed: it exists only to highlight the dishes of Shiori. To summarize, imagine Gordon Ramsey putting out a manga to promote his dishes. Yeah, money can push people to do weird things.

   However, I don't think anyone should be scandalized by that. It's a marketing technique like any other. And these recipes have been very helpful to me personally. Thanks to them, I was able to eat delicious dishes for a moment!
    However, it is difficult for me to recommend this manga. If you are looking for a shoujo with compelling and detailed history, Hatsukoi Lunch Box won't be for you. Actually, apart from recipes, there is not much to keep. I finally think that it would have been way better to buy the original cookbook of Shiori rather than a tome of this manga.