Take the concept of television's popular Iron Chef
, add a few remarkably well-endowed men wearing snug cooking gear, toss in some gratuitous violence, and you've got Iron Wok Jan
. Young Jan is a fantastically gifted chef working out of the kitchen of the Gobancho restaurant, which specializes in Chinese food. In this episode, the mighty Jan is challenged by a stranger in town, a man determined to insult every dish he tastes at Jan's home base. Who was that masked man? None other than Mochizuki, former Gobancho chef, back from a sabbatical in China. He won't rest until he defeats Jan in the kitchen, but that's easier said than done. Even after Mochizuki betters his odds by crushing Jan's fingers, their first contest is a tie, with no clear winner between Mochizuki's Healthy Sweet-and-Sour Pork with Fruits, and Jan's Pomelo and Orange Sweet-and-Sour Pork. Frustrated, Mochizuki breaks Jan's arm for the second contest, but Jan trains a kitchen apprentice to pinch-cook for him, and comes out ahead with his Crispy-Scaled Tilefish. In a marked departure from most manga, much of this series
is devoted to straight information, with footnotes explaining the origin of specific dishes, lengthy discussions of each chef's strategy, and lovingly drawn images of fish reposing on platters. The b&w renderings of the ingredients aren't entirely appetizing, but the serviceable artwork carries the plot well enough. This episode ends with a final battle between the two chefs—another draw—clearing the way for number seven in this campy and delicious series. (Nov.)
