Antique Bakery, Vol. 1 (v. 1) [Paperback]

Fumi Yoshinaga (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 16, 2005

Ono has come a long way since the agonizing day in high school when he confessed his love to handsome Tachibana. Now, some 14 years later Ono, a world-class pastry chef and outed playboy has it all. No man can resist Ono's charms (or his cooking skills!) but he has just found a new position under a man named Tachibana. Can this be the only man who resisted his charms, and if so, will the man who once snubbed the "magically gay" Ono get his just desserts? And how in the heck did a former middleweight boxing champion wind up as Ono's cake boy? Digital Manga happily serves up the opening volume of Antique Bakery.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing (August 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569709467
• ISBN-13: 978-1569709467
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,020,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious, September 3, 2005

By 

Peter Oksman (Bronx, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Antique Bakery, Vol. 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

Many reviewers below seem to be suffering under the misconception that this is a yaoi manga. It is not. What it is, is a delightfull comedy/slice of life josei (adult woman) manga about 3 guys who run a bakery. Not plot driven (at least for vol. 1) it is rather a collection of viginettes about the 3 main characters and the people who visit the shop. The atmosphere is quirky and relaxed, the servings are bite-sized, elegant and delicious. Oh, i'm sorry, was I talking about the manga or the bakery? :) The pastries in the manga really do look and sound delicious - I read it while on a diet, and I was salivating all the way through.
This is good stuff people - don't pass it up. Manga with adult sensibilities is rare in this teenage manga glutted times, especially a feel-good one like this. Buy it, curl up in your favorite chair, and enjoy.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, funny manga, August 31, 2005

By 

Eleanor Skinner (Albany, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Antique Bakery, Vol. 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

I bought this un-previewed on the basis of good reviews, art samples, and its being a Kodansha award winner. However, I will say the reason I bought it un-looked-at is because a certain major chain bookstore *wrapped it in plastic.* There's no nudity! There are two panels where 2 men are having sex, but you can only tell it because of the position of their heads and shoulders. There is also one gay kiss. Now, just browsing in the bookstore, I can pick up numerous manga with naked breasts, in fact I'd say over 60% of those available, and I can pick up Chobits, where the main character and his friends press robot women in the genital area to turn them on. Am I supposed to be too warped by this to be able to see two men kiss? Come on, people! While I would be happy with a *little* less exploitation of naked ladies, enough with the censorship already.

Anyway, I didn't buy it for the sex. Which is completely irrelevant because this is an incredibly funny character piece. Three men work together in a bakery, one of them gay, and they're a great ensemble, with dialogue worthy of Homicide: Life on the Streets (tv series). (Although there's no crime in Antique Bakery.) The description of the bakery products is absolutely luscious too, I was hungry the entire time I read this. I want to taste those caramelised pears!! And the artist obviously *loves* to draw art nouveau dishware and furniture. I was mooning over a Mucha goblet in an art book I just got, and was very surprised to see it suddenly show up in the manga I was reading. (Man, I want one of those too!!) Anyway, I think there'll be a plot in volume 2, but until then just enjoy the characters reacting to each other!

One last note: At first I didn't like how Ono responded to Tachibana so mildly. His explanation seemed believable, but only just, and kind of lame. I thought he was one of those incredibly innocent, kind creatures you only find in Japanese manga/anime, like Tohru-kun in Fruit's Basket, and I wished he'd be a little more of a gay radical. But he does get his own back, really, he's like the quiet version of Brian Kinney from Queer as Folk! It's so hilarious to see that in manga.. By the end I see him as being extremely self-possessed, and disciplined (even if he indulges himself with wild flings whenever he wants to), and observing the world, feeling above the people who feel the need to be crude. And who doesn't? Why do we laugh at Tachibana all the time? Because he never gets the women he wants and doesn't understand the art of pastry. We don't really notice it, but if you're keeping Machiavellian realpolitik score, he's a pathetic figure. Apart from being rich, but then I'm sure Ono and Eiji-san have good salaries too (I hope)...

Anyway, great manga, don't buy it for cliche sex, buy it for the writing & the art! (Although a *little* more of Ono's sex life wouldn't hurt either...he's hot...)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who cares if it's not yaoi?, December 24, 2005

By 

Yomiko Readman (Davis, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Antique Bakery, Vol. 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

Okay, yes, I picked this up because I thought it would be shounen-ai/yaoi. But I was completely not disappointed (as others seem to be) that it was not really shounen-ai/yaoi at all. Yes, there is a gay character. But that's not the focus of the manga. He just happens to be gay. (He's also freaking hilarious, especially when he turns on the charm and I love him.) The writing is great (three men running a bakery and their lives) and it's sort of refreshing to be reading about older men (late 20s and early 30s) than teen angst. Highly recommended.