Udon no Hito by Est Em

This last Thursday I made my annual trip over to San Fransisco to visit the Japantown there, long story short I bought way too many snacks and had some lovely Katsu Donburi for lunch, but didn't buy much beyond that. I was looking for a specific character's figure but they didn't have one I wanted, but that's what eBay is for anyway. Its a lovely place for a day visit, and I recommend it to anyone who likes Japanese culture near the California bay area, its definitely more than just anime and manga, in fact my favorite store is the dollar-fifty store, Daiso, where just about everything costs a dollar-fifty and is super cute. Of course, if there is one of the few Mitsuwa Marketplaces anywhere near you, you should visit it, also. Anyway, I chose a food-themed manga since it was already on my mind.


Udon no Hito (The Lady of Udon) by Est Em

Art and story (c) Est Em

Genre: Josei
Length: One Volume – 8 Chapters and one extra


          Udon no Hito has a fairly simplistic art style, there were only backgrounds once in a long while, but, I'm only noting it from a review standpoint because I hardly noticed it as I was reading. This type of manga is the hardest to describe, actually, the word simplistic makes it seem plain and, technically, that is true but there is much more to the art than that general description. Despite the lack of detail or tones, it has a very appealing aesthetic and the facial expressions are very well done. The engaging way the faces make it clear what is going on is all you need, anyway. I really enjoyed the way the characters looked, personally. Its that art style though that has the shadow lines on the inside of the eye socket that can sometimes look awkward but once you've read one like it you get used to the visual. The udon (Japanese noodles in broth, wiki link) looks really delicious, I'd like to add.
            A college student and the school's cafeteria lady in charge of serving udon meet daily when the young man chooses to eat udon every day. Their relationship begins to evolve from that point, bu is it only fantasy, crushes, or will love blossom amid the thick, steamy bowls of noodles served between them every day?
           Want a cute love story? This'll do ya. This'll do ya in spades. It just flows seamlessly along as you see both sides of this relationship grow... over bowls of udon. Its not as simple as it initially appears, either, some drama is hidden amidst the silly jokes and will-they-won't-they. The main characters are clearly meant for one another, both a little clumsy and prone to flights of imagination, they're both very real feeling. This mangaka seems to have a good knack for writing believable and fun characters, and finding the humor in getting to know someone. Such as not knowing their name, and meeting them awkwardly outside of your usual meeting place and learning your fantasies are far from the truth. There's not any action or sweepingly romantic scenes in this manga, nor is there really anything outside of mundane life, but sometimes a slice of life manga can be just as good as any other type of story. This happens to one of those manga. Its effortless to read, adorable, fun, and memorable, perfect for the hour it takes to read it. I like fluffy shojo as much as the next manga fan, but, as a woman in the josei age group I always appreciate finding a josei manga that is so enjoyable. It also made me hungry for udon.


5/5 Just some light and humorous romance for an older audience.

Not enthusiastic enough son, try: YES PLEASE!!!