Welcome to The Geek Syndicate everyone! Today, I would like to talk about the manga series What did you eat yesterday? (Kinou Nani Tabeta?) by shojo manga author Fumi Yoshinaga, better known for her series Antique Bakery. What did you eat yesterday? is an ongoing BL or shounen-ai slice of life manga that depicts the realities of gay couple Shiro Kakei and Kenji Yabuki. The series revolves around the life of 40 something Shiro, a disgruntled lawyer who looks to his and Kenji’s future by saving money where he can so that they can live comfortably in their old age since they are unable to have children to take care of them. Shiro and Kenji save money by renting a cheap apartment and allocating themselves a monthly budget of 25,000 yen for food among other things. Although Shiro comes across as a cheapskate, he greatly cares for those around him and expresses his love in different ways whether it is buying Kenji’s favourite fruit as a treat or helping his parents out of financial difficulties.
I bet you are all thinking though why the series is called What did you eat yesterday? If you have guessed that the series has something to do with food then you are absolutely correct. Shiro is a secret foodie with a huge passion for food, in each chapter you will find him preparing something delicious with the ingredients he has bought on special – occasionally splurging – and never making the same thing twice. This manga is not just a story about a gay couple, it is also a cook book of sorts with Shiro guiding you every step of the way, whether he is making strawberry jam for his and Kenji’s morning toast, or eggplants and tomatoes with Chinese-style spicy pork for dinner after a hard day of work. Shiro finds cooking a relaxing activity and has no problems with cooking every night as it allows him to be creative and express himself.
This series is important in the way it depicts the lives of these two men, showing some of the realities experienced by homosexual men and women the world over such as parents who reject their children or struggle to fully accept them and how in some workplaces it is okay to be openly gay while in others not so much. What did you eat yesterday? offers a more realistic representation of a world than other BL or shounen-ai works, it does not present an unrealistic world with unrealistic scenarios but instead brings to life a story that could actually take place in real life making it an enriching tale. Just Hungry blogger Makiko Itoh said that while she was “initially drawn to this manga because of the food… I also fell in love with the story itself. It’s one of the nicest depictions of an ordinary middle-aged couple who happen to be gay that I’ve seen anywhere.” Without a doubt I would highly recommend this work as the first 3 volumes were just magic to read and I absolutely can’t wait for more!
You can view What did you eat yesterday? here, but if you enjoy the series please support Fumi Yoshinaga by buying her work, she earns nothing from fan translations.
4.5 of 5 stars.
Tomoharu
Blogging Otaku 