The appeal and reputation of Mister Ajikko: New possibilities for cooking anime

Mister Ajikko - A masterpiece of gourmet anime

Japan was in the midst of a gourmet food boom in the 1980s. It was during this time that Daisuke Terasawa's original Mister Ajikko was serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine, and its popularity led to it being made into an anime. Broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 8, 1987 to September 28, 1989, every Thursday from 7:30 to 8 p.m., the anime ran for 99 episodes and is still beloved today as a landmark in gourmet food anime. This article takes a closer look at the appeal and influence of Mister Ajikko.

story

The Ajio Cooking Association reigns over the entire culinary world of Japan. One day, its chairman, Genjiro Murata, known as Ajio, happens to stop by a downtown diner called Hinode Shokudo. There, middle school student Yoichi Ajiyoshi is put in charge of the knives, and all the cooking is done by Yoichi. Ajio's secretary, Tarume, and others make fun of Yoichi for the layout of the restaurant and for being a child, but Ajio takes his chopsticks seriously and eats the katsudon that Yoichi has made. The moment he takes his first bite, Ajio is overcome with emotion. "It's delicious!" Ajio devours the katsudon with a heartfelt exclamation. That was the first meeting between Yoichi, the genius young chef known as Ajikko, and Ajio. This is where Yoichi's new path to reach the pinnacle of cooking through taste contests and taste searches begins.

Commentary

The gourmet boom of the 1980s expanded with manga at the forefront. This work was an anime adaptation of Terasawa Daisuke's comic Mister Ajikko, which was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine. While making the most of the strengths of the original work, the anime's original characters further enlivened the story, and the explosive reactions of the characters, including Ajiko, who ate Yoichi's food, to how delicious it was, became a hot topic. Due to the popularity of the show, it was decided to extend the run, and it ended up becoming a long-running program with a total of 99 episodes plus one special episode. The delicious expressions used in this show had a major impact on subsequent gourmet programs (including those outside of anime).

cast

・Ajiyoshi Yoichi/Takayama Minami/Ajiyoshi Noriko/Yokoo Mari/Yamaoka Mitsuko/Kawanami Yoko/Yamaoka Shigeru/Narahashi Miki/Ajiou/Fujimoto Yuzuru/Marui Yoshio/Iizuka Shozo/Shimonaka Motoyuki/Horiuchi Kenyuu/Tarume/Tatsuta Naoki/Sakai Kazuma/Suzuki Mie/Koorogi/Kamishiro Chie/Konishi Kazuya/Suzuoki Hirotaka/Nakae Heita/Sasaki Nozomu/Liu Hufeng/Tobita Nobuo/Ajishogun/Ginga Banjo/Bravo Uncle/Ishimori Tatsuyuki

Main Staff

・Planning by Sunrise ・Original story by Daisuke Terasawa (serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine)
Series Composition: Jinzo Toriumi, Otori Koubou (episodes 76-99)
・Chief writer: Noboru Shiroyama (episodes 1-75)
・Character design: Masahiro Kase, Kazuaki Mori (episodes 76-99)
・Cooking character design: Yoshie Kawamura ・Art: Kazuo Okada (episodes 1-25), Chitose Asakura, Torao Arai (episodes 26-99)
Chief animation director: Masahiro Kase (episodes 1-75), Kazuaki Mori (episodes 76-99)
Editing: Shuichi Kakesu, Satoru Ishida, Eigo Makioka Sound Director: Hiroshi Yamazaki Music: Daishi Fujita Chief Director: Noriyoshi Nakamura, Yuji Yamaguchi (episodes 51-99)
Director: Yasuhiro Imagawa Producers: Heita Gotsu (TV Tokyo), Tomoyuki Ikeda (TV Tokyo) (episodes 1-50), Toru Hasegawa (Sunrise) (episodes 1-74), Kenji Uchida (Sunrise) (episodes 75-99)

subtitle

Episode 1: The genius chef Ajiyoshi Yoichi makes his appearanceEpisode 2: The spaghetti challengeEpisode 3: The showdown with Chef MaruiEpisode 4: The curry genius Sakai KazumaEpisode 5: The killer pineapple curryEpisode 6: The secret ramen battleEpisode 7: A fierce battle ramen festivalEpisode 8: The secret of the tender steakEpisode 9: The deciding steak contestEpisode 10: Sardine gratin tastes like mother's cookingEpisode 11: A challenge from Aji ShogunEpisode 12: The ultimate skewered hamburgerEpisode 13: Japan's best okonomiyaki battleEpisode 14: The okonomiyaki battle - even the judges are our enemyEpisode 15: Ajikko struggles - the ekiben showdownEpisode 16: The magical piping hot makunouchi bentoEpisode 17: The tempura bowl battle with giant fried oystersEpisode 18: A great struggle? Homemade Chocolate Competition・Episode 19/Omelette Competition・Beat the Cooking Machine・Episode 20/Japanese Taste・Ochazuke Competition・Episode 21/Chef Grand Prix・Fry Competition・Episode 22/Chef Grand Prix Final・Four Heavenly Kings Curry Competition・Episode 23/Clash! Super Luxury Seafood Curry・Episode 24/Kazuma vs. Pizza Pie Competition・Episode 25/Yoichi and Kazuma's Burning Passion! Pizza Pie Showdown・Episode 26/Here Comes the Naniwa Donburi Brothers・Compete in Osaka・Episode 27/Compete in a Three-Legged Race! Yoichi and Kazuma's Curry Donburi・Episode 28/Fierce Battle! Osaka Castle・Curry Donburi Spring Battle・Episode 29/A Formidable Opponent! Mr. Nabekko Appears・Episode 30/Taste Test! Ajikko vs. Mr. Nabekko・Episode 31/Conveyor Belt Sushi Competition! Protect the taste of Noren・Episode 32/Conveyor belt sushi battle! Defeat Taste Shogun・Episode 33/Bento Wars! Hinode Shokudo is in danger!
・Episode 34 / Bento Wars! The Taste of the Downtown Area is My Father's Taste・Episode 35 / A Foreign Challenge! The Vienna Boys' Cooking Team・Episode 36 / The World's Best Children's Lunch・Episode 37 / The Cold Chinese Noodle Competition! Yoichi in a Big Trouble in Nagoya・Episode 38 / The Cold Chinese Noodle Competition! A Big Reversal in the Capital of Kyoto・Episode 39 / One Knife! The Chawanmushi Competition・Episode 40 / The Unadon Competition! In Search of the Golden Eel・Episode 41 / The Takoyaki Battle・A Showdown with Aji Shogun!
・Episode 42 / No Questions Asked! A Gyoza Battle・Episode 43 / The Rough Sea Battle・A Challenge from the Chef of the Sea・Episode 44 / The Rough Sea Battle・The Secret of Yoichi's Stone-Grilled Fish・Episode 45 / Mountain Desert Battle! Cooking Survival with the Formidable Nabekko・Episode 46 / Mountain Desert Battle! A Great Victory with Special Kamado Steaming・Episode 47 / The Fateful Showdown! Yoichi and Kazuma's Sanma Battle・Episode 48 / A Challenge to the Taste Hermit! This is the Trump Card to Victory・Episode 49 / Searching for Taste! Marui vs. Mr. Ajikko・Episode 50 / Farewell Marui! The Path of Cooking is an Endless Challenge・Episode 51 / A Challenge to the Mysterious Chinese Soup! A Visitor from Hong Kong・Episode 52 / A Challenge to the Mysterious Chinese Soup! The Secret of Cordyceps Sinensis・Episode 53 / A Challenge to Steamed Gyoza! Ajikko Goes to Hong Kong・Episode 54/Steamed dumpling showdown! Ajikko vs. Hufeng・Episode 55/Ramen showdown! The amazing 4,000-year history of China・Episode 56/Ramen showdown! White soup vs. black soup・Episode 57/Almond jelly tofu showdown! The seven chefs of Aji Shogun appear・Episode 58/Almond jelly tofu showdown! The road to the 36th room of Ryorinji Temple・Episode 59/Farewell Hong Kong・Defend the Ajioh Building!
・Episode 60/The Gyoza Battle・A Big Turnaround! The Ambitions of Aji Shogun・Episode 61/The New Year's Eve Soba Delivery Battle! The Battle at Inari Shopping Street・Episode 62/The New Year's Eve Soba Delivery Battle! The Mysterious Hero Ajitoukan Appears・Episode 63/The Kanazawa Nigiri Sushi Contest! The Challenge of Genesushi Taitora・Episode 64/The Kanazawa Nigiri Sushi Contest! A Big Victory with Ingenious Sushi Toppings・Episode 65/The Snow Festival Frankfurt Competition! The Demon of the North Appears・Episode 66/The Snow Festival Frankfurt Competition! A Showdown with Sekiba・Episode 67/The Alex Express Gourmet Incident! Robocook's Second Challenge・Special/It's the Seven Chefs of Aji Shogun! Everyone Gathers・Episode 68/The Alex Express Gourmet Incident! Aim for the Goal with Dessert・Episode 69/The Island Touring Seaweed Hotpot Competition! The Seven Chefs, Master Oishi, Appears・Episode 70/The Island Touring Seaweed Hotpot Competition! The Challenge of the Setouchi Boys' Cooking Team・Episode 71 / The determined hamburger competition! The unrepentant Abe and Oikawa・Episode 72 / The hamburger competition showdown! The strongest of the Seven Knives, Abe Ichiro, appears・Episode 73 / The tough hamburger competition! A letter from Uncle Long Legs・Episode 74 / Japan's best sukiyaki competition! Search for the taste of your memories・Episode 75 / Sukiyaki showdown! The strongest of the Seven Knives vs. Mr. Ajikko・Episode 76 / Mount Koya, tofu competition! A journey of 3000 ri to visit the Ajikko・Episode 77 / Taking on the mysterious Ajikko Grand Prix tofu cooking!
・Episode 78 / The big battle at Mt. Koya! Tofu steak vs. sesame tofu・Episode 79 / The rice dumpling and Kashiwamochi competition! The challenge of the second-year Hana-gumi cooking team・Episode 80 / The rice dumpling and Kashiwamochi competition! The taste comparison on May 5th・Episode 81 / The storm-bringing curry competition! Kamon and Mori's big counterattack・Episode 82 / Yoichi and Kazuma in danger! A big turnaround with German-style curry・Episode 83 / A challenge to make udon that doesn't get cold! Aji no Matasaburo appears・Episode 84 / The school delivery competition! A big victory with special udon・Episode 85 / The original croquette battle! The love story of Taru-me・Episode 86 / The original croquette battle! A taste battle on a luxury cruise ship・Episode 87 / A yakitori competition! A challenge to try the taste of a long-established restaurant・Episode 88 / Yakitori drum battle! A big victory with an innovative sauce - Episode 89: Afternoon at Hinode Restaurant: Find the missing curtain!
・Episode 90 / Ice cream showdown! Mitsuko and cricket's challenge・Episode 91 / Ice cream showdown! A midsummer night taste contest・Episode 92 / Onigiri contest! Japan's number one irresponsible cook appears・Episode 93 / Onigiri showdown! Irresponsible cooking vs. mom's cooking・Episode 94 / A desperate cooking three-round battle! Abe Ichiro's second challenge・Episode 95 / Ajikko's final battle! The biggest sandwich contest in history・Episode 96 / Let the chef's poem resound・Recover Ajiou's memories!
・Episode 97: Kazuma's secret revealed! A sad pilgrimage to the taste ・Episode 98: The long journey to the taste ・A lonely search for taste ・Episode 99: Thank you for the meal! Mr. Ajikko

Appeal of the work

The greatest appeal of "Mr. Ajikko" is undoubtedly its depiction of food. The food that Yoichi makes draws the viewer in both visually and taste-wise. In anime, the characters' reactions are often exaggerated to express the deliciousness of the food, but in "Mr. Ajikko" this is taken to an extreme. Ajiou's cry of "It's delicious!" when he eats the katsudon will surely have left a strong impression on viewers. Furthermore, the various cooking challenges that Yoichi takes on not only teach viewers a new world of cooking, but also serve as a story that conveys the importance of passion for cooking and hard work.

Another point not to be missed is the story of Yoichi's growth. Yoichi started out as a boy working in a downtown diner, but he grows through various cooking competitions, and his journey to finally reach the top of the Ajiou Culinary Association is inspiring to viewers. Yoichi's interactions with his friends and rivals are also depicted in depth, making it an enjoyable human drama.

Influence

"Mr. Ajikko" was a pioneer of gourmet anime and had a huge impact. In particular, the way it portrayed the deliciousness of food is said to have had a huge impact on subsequent gourmet anime and gourmet programs. Yoichi's passion and hard work for cooking also impressed many viewers and sparked their interest in cooking. Furthermore, the many cooking challenges that Yoichi takes on not only teach viewers a new world of cooking, but also serve as a story that conveys the importance of passion and hard work in cooking.

"Mr. Ajikko" is also a work that symbolizes the gourmet boom of the 1980s. At the time, manga and anime were driving the gourmet boom, and "Mr. Ajikko" played a part in that. While making the most of the strengths of the original work, the original characters of the anime further enlivened the story, and the explosive reactions of the characters, including Ajiou, who ate Yoichi's food, and expressed how delicious it was, became a hot topic. Due to the popularity of the show, it was decided to extend the broadcast, and it ended up becoming a long-running program with a total of 99 episodes plus one special episode. The delicious expressions used in the show had a major impact on subsequent gourmet programs (including those outside of the anime).

Recommendation

"Mr. Ajikko" is a monumental gourmet anime that is still loved by many fans today. Yoichi's passion and efforts for cooking, as well as his story of growth, not only inspire viewers, but also arouse interest in cooking. It is a must-watch work, especially for those who love cooking and those interested in gourmet anime. It is also an important work for learning about the gourmet boom of the 1980s, and will give you an insight into the culture and customs of the time.

Furthermore, the appeal of "Mr. Ajikko" lies in its depictions of food, which draw the viewer in both visually and taste-wise, and the way in which it expresses deliciousness has had a major influence on subsequent gourmet anime and gourmet programs. Yoichi's passion and hard work for cooking has touched many viewers and sparked their interest in cooking. Furthermore, the many cooking challenges that Yoichi takes on not only teach viewers a new world of cooking, but also serve as a story that conveys the importance of passion and hard work in cooking.

Above, we have explained in detail the appeal and influence of "Mister Ajikko." As a monumental gourmet anime, this work is still loved by many fans to this day, so we hope you will give it a watch.