Shinya Shokudou isn't your typical run-of-the-mill gag-manga with weird drawings and even weirder characters. It's actually a metaphor for daily life, incorporating all it's hardships and joyful moments, packed tight with a bunch of characters who couldn't be more unique in their weird behaviour and tastes.

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Story The story is told in an episodic style, meaning every chapter is basically a stand-alone story and can be understood without having read any prior chapters (though that may not necessarily be advised). A typical chapter consist of an introduction, in which either a certain character or meal is being indroduced, followed up by some kind of personal problem or concern that usually revolves around the characters philosophy of life and lastly: a revelation that leads to either a meal being given a new way of being served or cooked or a character adapting to a new way of life. ___ Art The drawings might appear a bit lackluster at first, but being honest, they are indeed decent at worst. The purpose of depicting emotions and creating atmospheres, that usually underlies manga drawings, is definitely met by the art featured in Shinya Shokudou. The wacky lines match the characters well, not only as a caricature of their personalities, but also as a way to show the uniqueness that everyone carries deep inside of them, no matter how trivial their life might appear in a bigger context. ___ Characters The characters are the real selling point of Shinya Shokudou. Seldom have I seen as diverse a cast as the one featured in this manga. Every new character introduced is a real treasure chest filled with weird eating habits, tastes and background stories as strange as they come. Ranging from Yakuza members to transgender couples, over Mahjong enthusiasts and japanese adult video actors and actresses, every character quickly becomes a part of the world and not rarely also finds a way into the readers heart. As we get an inside into every characters personality through some kind of story, the only story the reader doesn't get a look into, is the story behind the main character. The manga does a good job at letting the reader get a grasp of the protagonists personality only through his behaviour and his reactions. ___ Enjoyment Not a single time was I bored while reading. More than one time did this manga make me laugh out loud and more than one time did I have to shed a tear. The balance between comedy and drama is superb and the dialogues never get boring, despite the huge amount of text sometimes displayed.

All in all, I would say this Manga is worth a read, if anything, to at least see the beauty in the daily life activities that we so often dismiss as mundane.