"The first thing is being fed. Being a good or bad person comes after that."

A shounen manga which is based around the concept of gourmet food... Before you dismiss the work of Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro as a stupid and inane concept portrayed in the leastin fitting format, let's look at where the series has gotten in about 130 chapters.

This manga has not only been compared to One Piece (currently the biggest named Manga in Japan) for its imagination and colorful cast, it recently knocked Bleach off the throne as No. 3 of the "Big Three" (Previously One Piece, Naruto and Bleach). Yes, we all know that with what the quality of Bleach has been for the last couple of years, this doesn't necessarily speak volumes. What does speak volumes is that it's already been sold 7,4 million copies of the paperback volumes as of May 2011. Now, again, sales doesn't necessarily translate into high quality. But I've found that the old credo "why the hell are the japanese so obsessed with this show/manga/cardgame etc?" usually bears fruit which is why I started reading it.

Without going into too much detail, the main plot revolves around what's called a "Bishokouya" or "Ingredient Hunter" and a chef who partner up to find rare and exotic ingredients. As they begin their adventure, the imaginative lore of the world quickly unfolds and a greater goal shared by sinister organisation, legendary ingredient hunters, feared and renowned chefs as well as other characters begin. What everyone is looking for is the ingredient called "God" which in the ancient times of whatever world this is "stopped a world war".

Expect to see alot of traits similar to other shounen mangas. People obsessed with realism need not bother. But those that enjoy easy-to-read adventure comics with incredible imagination and love poured into the product will get a kick from this series.

Oh, it's called Toriko. So you know what you're looking for.