Yakitate Japan is your typical prodigy in something who almost never loses and his quest to achieve his goal in that something. This particular story is about a baking genius Azuma Kazuma and his dream to create the ultimate Ja-Pan, a bread good enough to be the Japanese national bread. To achieve his dream, he joins Pantasia - a famous bakery line & "fights" to protect Pantasia from the opposing bakery line St.Piere.
This anime is ALL about bread in case you didn't notice. I'm doubtful in the beginning. Come on, an anime about bread you've got to be kidding. I am amazed. Unlike many shounen anime, there is real substance- baking knowledge anyone. Infact you might just learn a thing or two from YJ.
In YJ you'll find many epic..hilarious moments. Over exaggerated reactions being one of them. Apparently, breads created by godly bakers are truly sublime to create involuntary reactions when eating. Permanent transformation to panda, sending people to heaven and even turning back time.
The characters here are unique and doesn't really fit into the typical character mold. Usually being over the top without being overbearing.
YJ also uses alot of puns & parodies to the extreme and even parodies itself. Although the puns and parodies are very humourous, without much knowledge of the Japanese language much of the puns will pass by without making much of a sense.
Fourth wall breakage seems to be the norm here too as the characters know that they're part of an anime.
But alas, YJ joins animes who overstayed their welcome. With 69 episodes the last arc became quite a bit of a bore. Especially the last episode that jumped out from nowhere. It was too open ended as I would like to see a more closing conclusion.
Overall, if you're looking for a comedy, this anime will definitely brighten your day. I know it sure did for me.
Rating: B
