Comics / Manga

Toriko: Volume 5

By Leroy Douresseaux
April 29, 2011 - 13:40

Toriko Volume 5 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Toriko is a shonen manga that takes place on a savage world (which the characters call “Earth”) where the pursuit of the most delicious foods is the number one priority.  Practically everything and everyone is on the menu; it’s eat or be eaten.  The ultimate Gourmet Hunter, Toriko, and his bottomless stomach travel the world facing every beast in his way and eating most of them.

As Toriko, Vol. 5 (entitled The Regal Plateau!!) begins, Toriko and his friends continue their search for the Regal Mammoth.  Inside this mountain-sized creature’s body is the delicious “jewel meat,” an amazing cut of meat that tastes like rib, sirloin, heart, liver, and all types of meat combined.  To find the Regal Mammoth, they must race across Regal Isle to the mega-heights of Regal Plateau, home of the Mammoth.  However, the evil Gourmet Corp. has sent its GT Robots to be part of this meat lovers’ feast.

THE LOWDOWN:  I was lukewarm on Toriko after reading it for the first time.  It reminds me of an Akira Toriyama manga, specifically Dragon Ball.  After reading it for a second time, I now get its funky vibe.  Toriko is like an Underground Comix version of a shonen manga (comics for teen boys).  It is a monster comic and fight comic on steroids and a hyperactive child’s imagination.  With its weird creatures, big brawls, and outlandish heroes and villains, it is typical Shonen Jump, but visually imaginative enough to appeal to shonen fans of any age.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers looking for a monster comic book to thrill young readers will find it in Toriko.

A-

 

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12