Toriko Volume 10 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

There is a savage, alternate version of Earth where the pursuit of the most delicious foods in the world is most important.  It is either eat or be eaten, so practically everything and everyone is on the menu.  With his pal, a young chef named Komatsu, at his side, the ultimate Gourmet Hunter, Toriko, travels the world facing every beast in his way and putting many of them in his bottomless stomach.

As Toriko, Vol. 10 (entitled Wild Fight!) begins, the battle continues for the Century Soup, which is hidden somewhere in Ice Hell.  Toriko and his friends take on the minions of the evil Gourmet Corp for possession of the Century Soup, the bizarre, but super-delicious brew that only bubbles to the surface once every hundred years.  Toriko’s partners, Takimaru the Gourmet Knight and Gourmet Mafia lieutenant, Match, take on Barry Gamon and Bogie Woods.

Toriko takes on Tommyrod, a man whose body is an insect weapon of mass destruction, in a battle to end all battles.  Meanwhile, Komatsu meets Teppei, a Gourmet Reviver, and both making a shocking discovery about the Century Soup.

THE LOWDOWN:  After reading the ninth volume of the Toriko manga, I marveled at creator Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro’s imagination.  After finishing the tenth volume, I find that I just read a shonen battle manga that doesn’t want to look like other battle manga.

If Jack Kirby, R. Crumb, and Bill Sienkiewicz got together to create a superhero fight comic book, it might look similar to the big battle royale/freak show between Toriko and Tommyrod.  While reading this, I started to believe that Toriko might be the gourmet, chocolate-covered roach of the subgenre that is foodie manga.  I like looking at Toriko’s art and graphics, but I’ll need a strong stomach to have it as a regular reading meal.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers looking for something weird, but appropriate to thrill young readers will find it in Toriko.