Toriko 3D Opens! The Appeal and Evaluation of the Gourmet Adventure

Toriko 3D Opening! Gourmet Adventure!! - Its Appeal and Evaluation

Overview

"Toriko 3D Opening! Gourmet Adventure!!" is a 3D movie based on the popular manga "Toriko" by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi, and was released on March 19, 2011. Distributed by Toei and directed by Shimizu Junji, this short 40-minute film vividly depicts the world of gourmet food and adventure. The story is set in a gourmet era in which people seek unknown delicacies, and depicts the encounter and adventures of the legendary gourmet chef Toriko and the young boy Peck.

■ Story

We are in the gourmet era. The time to explore unknown delicacies has arrived. A young boy named Peck arrives at the Gourmet Market, an open-air market with the world's best gourmet ingredients, but instead of looking for ingredients, he is looking for a gourmet. A gourmet is a food hunter who travels the world in search of unexplored flavors, searching for and capturing unknown ingredients. The person Peck is looking for is the legendary gourmet, Toriko, who is said to be the most charismatic of gourmets.

Following the guidance of the wholesaler Tom, Peck heads to an island where he finally meets Toriko while being attacked by a violent food ingredient, the red-haired pig. Peck immediately asks Toriko to capture the monster bird Gerold. His village was on the verge of being destroyed by an attack by the mountain monster Gerold! Gerold's capture level (a number indicating the difficulty of capture as determined by the International Gourmet Organization IGO) is at least 6. What exactly does level 6 mean, far exceeding capture level 1, which is "only possible with the efforts of 10 professional hunters to bring him down"?

Just imagining the appearance of such a monster bird, Toriko groans. I want to eat it!!

"Eat" or "be eaten" -- in search of undiscovered flavors, the charismatic gourmet hunter Toriko is about to embark on a life-or-death gourmet battle!

■Explanation

Two of Weekly Shonen Jump's greatest adventure manga will be released in 3D for the first time! Under the name of "Jump HEROES film", the now national hero Luffy and his friends, as well as the new hero Toriko, will jump out of the screen next spring in a spectacular double feature with full-length 3D images!

Weekly Shonen Jump (published by Shueisha) is the most popular comic magazine, boasting a weekly circulation of approximately 3 million copies. Since its launch in 1968, it has always released popular, nationally representative works that are absurd yet captivating to the hearts of children. Its popularity is not limited to Japan, but continues to fascinate readers all over the world. Two popular works currently serialized in Japan's leading weekly magazine, Shonen Jump, have finally been made into 3D movies!

The 3D movie will be "One Piece," written by Eiichiro Oda, which has been the most popular serialized work for over 10 years. The total number of copies of the comics (volumes 1 to 60) has exceeded 200 million, the highest number in Japan! The movie "ONE PIECE FILM STRONG WORLD," which was released in theaters at the end of last year, was produced by the original author, Eiichiro Oda, himself, and was linked to the original manga and TV anime, resulting in an unprecedented long run and a strong hit with box office revenues of 4.8 billion yen! It was the number one Japanese movie of the first half of 2010! Now, the undisputed champion of "Shonen Jump" in the 21st century is finally taking part in a 3D movie for the first time!

The other title is "Toriko" (originally written by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi), a promising rookie that will carry the next generation of Weekly Shonen Jump! Set in the gourmet era, this gourmet battle manga follows the legendary hunter "Gourmet Hunter Toriko" as he travels the world in search of unknown flavors, capturing and harvesting various ingredients. The currently published comics (volumes 1-11 and a spin-off) have already sold over 4.8 million copies. What's more, just one year after the series began, it was adapted into an anime for the "Jump Super Anime Tour 2009," and this mega-hit title, one of "Shonen Jump's" top picks, will be making its full-scale film debut in 3D alongside "One Piece"!

These two major comics, which truly represent the world's weekly magazine "Shonen Jump", will finally be transformed into powerful 3D images and run wild on the big screen in the spring of 2011! There's no doubt they will be the talk of the town!!

■Cast

・Toriko/Ryotaro Okiayu ・Komatsu/Romi Park ・Tom/Tetsuya Kakihara ・Narration/Katsuhiro Higo, Jimon Terakado, Ryuhei Ueshima (Dachou Club)

■ Main staff

Original story by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro (published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine)
・Screenplay: Isao Murayama ・Director: Junji Shimizu

■ Main Characters

・Toriko A "gourmet hunter" who searches for and eats undiscovered ingredients in search of unexplored flavors. Among them, Toriko is known as the most charismatic of all. His special moves include the "knife" which unleashes a sharp chop from his hand, the "fork" which pierces the opponent with his hand, and the "nail punch" which is a series of punches with incredible force. When hunting, he sometimes appears like a "demon god" that even ferocious monsters fear, but he also believes in not killing for any purpose other than to eat. He accepts a request from Peck to eat the flesh of Gerold, the high mountain monster, but...

A hungry boy wandering around the Gourmet Market, an open-air market for gourmet food. He meets Toriko, who he has been searching for, and begs him to exterminate Gerold, who suddenly attacked his village. Although he grew up in a village where hunting was the main focus, he is not very good at hunting. On the other hand, he is a studious person and has knowledge of ingredients that even Toriko is impressed with.

Komatsu: The head chef of Hotel Gourmet visits Toriko to ask for food supplies. His encounter with Toriko eventually helps him reach even greater heights as a chef!

A wholesaler who knows Tom Toriko well. He gladly accepts Peck's wish to meet Toriko and takes him to an island, but...

・Peck's Mother ・Village Chief ・Villagers ・Red Pig ・Bat Snake ・Yasagure Goat ・Barbarian Monkey ・Bambro ・Monster Bird Gerold

■ Theme songs and music

・ED1
・"The Sharing Song ~Toriko's Theme~"
・Song: Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

■ Evaluation and impressions

Despite its short running time, "Toriko 3D Opening! Gourmet Adventure!!" is a work that brings out the charm of the original work to the fullest. In particular, the use of 3D images makes the gourmet battles and confrontation scenes with unknown ingredients more realistic and powerful. The sense of realism that makes Toriko's special moves and the terrifying power of the monster bird Gerold seem to jump out of the screen has the power to draw the audience into the world of the story.

Furthermore, the story, which begins with Toriko and Peck's first encounter, firmly depicts themes of friendship and adventure, making it enjoyable not only for fans of the original work, but also for audiences experiencing the world of Toriko for the first time. Toriko's character setting and his determination to stick to his beliefs leave a strong impression on viewers. In particular, Toriko's belief that he will not kill anything except for the purpose of eating will encourage viewers to think about food issues and ethics in modern society.

The acting of the cast is also superb, with Okiayu Ryutaro as Toriko captivating with his powerful and sometimes humorous performance, while keeping the image of the original character intact. Park Romi as Komatsu also has an excellent combination with Toriko, playing an important role in livening up the story. The narration is also a luxurious line-up of Higo Katsuhiro, Terakado Jimon, and Kamijima Ryuhei, who guide the story's progress smoothly and enjoyably.

Don't miss the music either. The ending theme "The Sharing Song ~Toriko's Theme~" by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra is a song that symbolizes Toriko's adventure and passion for gourmet food, leaving a lasting impression on the audience after the movie.

■ Recommendation points

"Toriko 3D Opening! Gourmet Adventure!!" can be recommended for the following reasons.

1. **Powerful 3D Visuals**: Scenes of gourmet battles and confrontations with unknown ingredients are depicted in realistic 3D visuals. In particular, Toriko's special moves and the terrifying power of the monster bird Gerold are so realistic that they seem to jump out of the screen.

2. **The Appeal of the Original**: The world view and character settings of the original Toriko are faithfully preserved, and fans of the original will be satisfied with the content. Toriko's themes of belief, friendship, and adventure are firmly depicted.

3. **Cast performances**: The performances of Ryutaro Okiayu as Toriko, Romi Park as Komatsu, and the narrators are superb, making the story more exciting. Toriko's character, in particular, is captivating with his powerful and sometimes humorous performances, remaining true to his image in the original work.

4. **Music**: The ending theme "The Sharing Song ~Toriko's Theme~" by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra is a song that symbolizes Toriko's adventure and passion for gourmet food, and leaves a lasting impression on the audience after the movie.

■ Related works and their appeal

"ONE PIECE FILM STRONG WORLD," which was released at the same time as "Toriko 3D Opening! Gourmet Adventure!!," is another powerful work that utilizes 3D images. "ONE PIECE" is a popular manga originally created by Eiichiro Oda, and is a national work with a total circulation of over 200 million copies. The film depicts the adventures of Luffy and his friends, and the worldview of the original work is faithfully reproduced, with the original author himself taking the executive production lead. By enjoying the double feature of "Toriko" and "ONE PIECE," you can fully experience the charm of Weekly Shonen Jump.

The original Toriko manga is also very fascinating, packed with many elements such as gourmet battles, confrontations with unknown ingredients, and the friendship between Toriko and Komatsu. The manga is currently published in volumes 1-11 and a spin-off, boasting popularity with over 4.8 million copies sold. It has also been made into an anime, which was first shown at the Jump Super Anime Tour 2009. By reading the original manga, you can learn more about the world of Toriko that is not depicted in the movie.

■ Summary

"Toriko 3D Opening! Gourmet Adventure!!" is a work that brings out the power of 3D images and the charm of the original work to the fullest. It firmly depicts the adventures of Toriko and Peck, the gourmet battles, and the theme of friendship, making it enjoyable not only for fans of the original work, but also for audiences experiencing the world of Toriko for the first time. The acting of the cast and the music are also superb, leaving a lasting impression on the viewers. By enjoying the related work "ONE PIECE FILM STRONG WORLD" and the original manga, you can fully experience the charm of Weekly Shonen Jump. Please watch this work and experience the world of Toriko.