Have you always suffered the charm and elegance of a place like France and are you super greedy for chocolate and sweets in general? Then you can’t not read Chocolatier – Chocolate for a broken heartthe most recent work of Setona Mizushiroalready famous author of several yaoi. This manga, published since 2008 in Japanese magazines Rinka And Flowershas finally arrived here in Italy thanks to J-POP Manga on February 16, 2022.
Before analyzing the first volume in detail, however, let’s see the plot below: Sota is the son of a renowned pastry chef and lives in Japan. He is madly in love with Saeko, a young girl who gets engaged every year with the most beautiful and popular boy in the school. One day, Sota declares her feelings to her fellow student, who, having recently interrupted her last relationship, now seems to reciprocate what her fiercest suitor feels: the two start dating, but on Valentine’s Day Saeko she refuses the chocolates Sota had brought her as a gift, confessing that she is back with her ex-boyfriend. Knowing his beloved’s passion for chocolate and trying to win it back, Sota moves to France, where he is studying hard to become an excellent chocolatier. His fame will certainly be able to attract the attention of Saeko, who, once again, will reserve a bitter surprise for Sota … but how will he react this time?
- Original title: Shitsuren Shokoratie
- English title: Chocolatier – Chocolate for a broken heart
- Japanese release: 2008
- Italian release: February 16, 2022
- Number of volumes: 9 (complete)
- Publishing house: J-POP Manga
- Type: comedy, romantic
- Drawings: Setona Mizushiro
- History: Setona Mizushiro
- Format: 12.4 × 18, b / w, dust jacket
- Number of pages: 192
We reviewed Chocolatier – Chocolate for a broken heart via press volume provided to us by J-POP Manga.
A bittersweet love
The characters we meet while reading this story are numerous, but the main protagonists are Sota and Saeko. Sota Koyurugi he is a boy as naive as he is determined, in fact if on the one hand he is convinced that he can impress Saeko simply by becoming a good pastry chef and preparing all the desserts that the girl is crazy about, on the other hand he is also incredibly motivated to do this, and it is known that stubbornness and firmness are the first key ingredients useful for achieving any type of goal. However, Sota tends to idealize her dream girl a lot, describing her to everyone as a fairy, and always justifying her every behavior, even when she hurts him by telling him she got back with her ex while the two of them were still dating. In short, Sota initially does not care about being treated as an object and not being respected in the least by the beautiful Saeko, he just needs to be as close to her as he can, to the point of putting his feelings and her health in the background. . Over time, however, he will understand that love cannot be one-sided and that continuing to chase Saeko will lead him nowhere.
Saeko Takahashi she loves chocolate and is, as can be seen from the plot, one of the most fascinating girls in school, but she is also a real opportunist, as she constantly changes her acquaintances, driven by interest and not by real feelings. Even when she agrees to go out with her Sota in fact, she does it simply because she feels lonely and not because she really has feelings for him. We are therefore faced with a girl of soap and water with an apparently innocent air, who however she combines all the colors, making our Sota suffer.
Among the secondary characters we find Oliviera boy otaku that he will become one of Sota’s best friends, hosting him in France and helping him with language and work; Karoukoalso an employee of the pastry shop where Sota works, a serious and reliable girl, very attentive to sales strategies, secretly in love with Sota; MatsuriSota’s younger sister, with a sparkling and exuberant soul, and finally the father of the two, who appears more rarely in the first volume.
A story of personal and professional growth
At first glance, one might think that this story is entirely focused on chocolate, but it is not: it is true that it plays an important role in the events and that those who love all the varieties of this ingredient cannot help but be watering. mouth every time he runs into a scene depicting cakes, pastries and other similar delicacies, but Chocolatier is also about love, friendship and above all about personal growth. We are therefore faced with one josei which presents a great psychological introspection of the characters, in primis of the male protagonist, who in the course of history undergoes a gradual evolution, already clearly visible from the first volume now examined. In fact, the Sota we know in the first pages is not the same as the last ones: from a simple, naive and condescending boy he slowly transforms into a charming, professional and shrewd man..
One of the strengths of this manga lies in my opinion in the message that the author wants to convey through the same: every individual in his life is destined to face events and difficulties of different kinds that can bring him down, but after a fall one must always get up and proceed with his head held high, stronger than before. Especially in love, that’s okay “… show your feelings, but don’t be fooled”. This is what Sota will learn, who from the rubble of his sentimental disappointments will find the starting point to build himself and his future, also starting to think in a completely different way than in the past. Another noteworthy aspect is the incredible emphasis placed on emotions and moods through the dialogues, including internal ones, of the characters, all characterized to perfection, including the secondary ones. This means that the reader remains literally glued to the pages and is also encouraged to continue reading by purchasing the volumes following the first to find out what will happen next, entering into empathy not only with the main protagonists.
A manga that winks at the West
The pace is quite sustained and pressing, and this too results in a point in favor for the story itself, which appears dynamic and engaging. From a technical point of view we can observe, even simply by leafing through the pages of the booklet, that the illustrations were made with a style much closer to that of western comics: looking at the faces and bodies of the characters we certainly notice the presence of less details and details, and also the proportions are different compared to the classic manga. Although they are accompanied by simple designs that alas do not convey great amazement, the tables appear overall pleasant and harmonious as a whole, composed of clean lines and rounded shapes. The backgrounds are sometimes treated in detail, other times totally absent, while the dialogues are rather dense.
Sota attends a pastry school and is in a relationship with Saeko, who is one year older. In love with her since he saw her four years before her, on Christmas Eve he finally managed to kiss her. His girlfriend loves chocolate and Sota spends her days practicing to become a good chocolatier. Even though she smells like cigarettes and refuses to meet him on Valentine’s Day, he keeps trying without giving up, but …
Buy Chocolatier: Chocolate for a broken heart following this link at the special price of € 7.12 (instead of € 7.50). Available from February 16, 2022. Support Akiba Gamers by purchasing on Amazon through this box!
Analyzing the external aspect of the first volume of Chocolatier, we can affirm that the dust jacket immediately attracts our attention: the charming Sota, in his pastry chef’s estate, seems to invite us to taste the delicacies of his pastry shop. If we then look at the original cover, we discover that it represents a real chocolate bar, typically depicted in cocoa-colored squares: you will want to give it a bite! At the end of the story we find a nice note from the author, who confesses that she has lost interest in various things in her life, but that her passion for chocolate has never failed her so far. Furthermore, the mangaka reminds us that even Napoleon seemed unable to live without chocolate! Recommended for those who cannot do without love, even knowing that sometimes it can leave a bitter aftertaste in the mouth, just like chocolate, Chocolatier is also suitable for those who are in a continuous phase of growth and evolution.
A manga that triggers questions in each of us
Chocolatier – Chocolate for a broken heart it is a funny comedy, but it is also able to make the reader reflect: first on the concept of love, then on the meaning of life in general, with its ups and downs, as well as on the meaning that each individual attributes to their personal and professional fulfillment . A story that therefore speaks not only of romanticism and how incredibly irresistible chocolate is, but which also addresses the theme of growth and maturation. The public accustomed to the classic manga is perhaps a bit perplexed in front of the illustrations of this manga, made in a decidedly particular style, but also for this reason Chocolatier is a work destined to remain etched in the mind and heart of each of us.
A comedy that makes you think
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