What elements are needed for a good food comic?

The colorfully painted luminous food? The contrast between the exaggerated reactions of the onlookers around the food and the calm and relaxed feeling of the actor?

No...that's not right. These can only be said to be the interesting elements of food comics.

For Hosokawa Koharu, the essential factor for a qualified or even excellent food manga should be - authenticity.

That's right, no matter how fanciful you are, no matter how fancy your paintings are, only by being based on reality can you give readers a sense of involvement.

In the eyes of Hosokawa Koharu, Higashino Tsukasa's "The Lonely Gourmet" is just such a comic, real and plain.

Yes.

Higashinoji did not draw a character such as a genius cook with great color, nor did he draw any colorful and glorious dishes.

Everything is very ordinary, real Tokyo street scenes...real people and things unfold in front of Hosokawa Koharu like a travelogue——

Inokashira Goro is a dull middle-aged man who seems unreasonable.

He owns a grocery store in Tokyo. As he is running around for a living, he often encounters some weird customers.

And today is also a normal day for Inokashira Goro.

"So, what kind of tea cup do you want to make?" Inokashira Goro said to the customer in front of him with a business smile.

The other party was his regular customer, but Inokashira Goro knew that this customer was a bit difficult to deal with.

"Ah, it would be best if it was a teacup with this style." The middle-aged customer smiled and took out a poster.

It was an abstract poster with lines and circles connected together, which made people feel dizzy when they looked at it.

'What I'm most confused about is this style...'

When he saw that it was an abstract painting, Inokashira Goro's dull face suddenly darkened.

"Do you understand?" The customer next to him asked him asking for his opinion.

Are you giving me a riddle to guess? I don't understand this either...

At this moment, Inokashira Goro felt that the other party actually didn't understand anything.

But the other party was a customer, Party A, so he suppressed a bitter look on his face and asked in a low voice after a while:

"In other words...it's this kind of silence, a quieter style, right?"

After hearing these words, the middle-aged customer's face was obviously stunned, and then he nodded in concentration: "So that's it..."

"Huh?" Inokashira Goro obviously didn't expect that the other party would say that, so he was stunned.

"Ah...Sorry, sorry, Goro-san, you are right. It's a very silent, quiet style." The customer came back to his senses and nodded in affirmation.

Well...

Inokashira Goro was silent for a moment, without delving into it, and then took out his notebook to record: "So what exactly do you want to make the teacup?"

The customer paused again for a brief moment, and then happily held Inokashira Goro's hand: "I'll leave that aspect entirely to Goro-san."

Ah? Leave it all to me?

"Do you mean just do what I want?"

"Yes, just do whatever you want, Goro-san. Don't you understand this very well, Goro-san?" the customer added with a smile.

Whatever... do whatever you want... it's up to you...

These are the fatal requirements of Party A in daily work.

How do I know what you want?

Inokashira Goro's dull face did not change.

It’s just that the wrinkles on my forehead are deeper...

Looking at Inokashira Goro's doubtful appearance in the manga, Hosokawa Koharu couldn't help laughing.

It's obviously a very ordinary meeting between Party A and Party B, where Party A's customer makes a request.

It is such a simple plot, but it was restored by Higashinoji to be extremely absurd, but also very realistic. The entire reception plot is full of humor and ridicule.

That's right, there are such parties in the world who will make many demands for you that you don't understand at all.

‘You have to do this first, then do this, and finally do this – do you understand?’ There are actually many such parties.

Because of the truth, Hosokawa Koharu laughed out loud, but also because of the truth, Hosokawa Koharu inexplicably felt the pressure of working-class people living in modern society.

Yes, Hosokawa Koharu laughs at Inokashira Goro because she is not Inokashira Goro, but in Japanese society, how many characters are there who are similar to Inokashira Goro?

Even Hosokawa Koharu himself sometimes plays the role of Inokashira Goro, running around for life.

Looking at Inokashira Goro standing on the street in the original manga, Hosokawa Koharu felt as if he had become the other person, drifting with the tide on the isolated island of Tokyo.

The sense of immersion is very strong.

"It's okay, there will always be a way."

Inokashira Goro, who was standing next to the telephone pole, muttered softly, seeming to comfort himself.

Then, he raised his head and suddenly looked towards the streets of Tokyo. His dull expression was tense, as if something unfortunate had suddenly happened.

This made the viewer, Hosokawa Koharu, feel nervous, and she quickly turned the manuscript in her hand to the next page.

This is a set of long shot storyboards.

Along with the three crisp sounds of 'dong, dong, dong', the lens is also stretched.

The first shot is a close-up of Goro Inokashira's face in a daze with his mouth half-opened and his eyes looking forward in confusion.

The second shot is a close-up of Inokashira Goro's entire body, stunned in place.

The third shot is a close-up of the entire street scene behind Inokashira Goro and in front of him.

Under such a serious long shot, Inokashira Goro finally spoke: "I'm hungry."

This sudden "serious yet funny" contrast breaks the previous sense of oppression caused by Party A's customers making things difficult for them, making the overall flow of the story more relaxed.

At this time, Hosokawa Koharu also thought of the title of Higashino Tsukasa's comic - "The Lonely Gourmet".

Looking at Goro Inokashira in the manga, he is looking for a street store, comparing it repeatedly but still can't make up his mind.

Hosokawa Koharu suddenly became nervous for some reason.

She even felt that Inokashira Goro, who was so serious about cooking, was a real gourmet.

And Inokashira Goro's meal seems not to be an ordinary meal, but to perform some kind of sacred ritual, giving people an inexplicable sense of ritual.

Can he find a good restaurant? Can he eat good food and relax in a busy and difficult life?

All this affects Hosokawa Koharu's mood.

Finally, Goro stopped at a small street shop called Washokutei.

In the cartoon, he looks proud and confident.

He was very happy when he found a good restaurant.

It was like knocking down the giant of reality.

'You can't do anything to me.'

In the manga, the way Inokashira Goro perks up when he discovers delicious food seems to be a declaration of reality.
Chapter completed!