Get Ready to Get Hungry:Ramen Daisuke Koizumi-san Manga Impression

Synopsis

Get ready to gain a love for ramen with a tale involving a mysterious blonde beauty named Koizumi-san. On the outside she may seem like an aloof pretty student, but in truth, behind this pretty face lies a ramen master with a deep love for the dish. Whether it be travelling to another country or climbing up a mountain, Koizumi-san would do it in her hunt for the best ramen in real-life places.

The Good

If you liked ramen before then get ready to have some heavy cravings for the dish after reading the series. Whether it be because of the different facts about the dish being explained or how the art takes focus on the expressions of the characters when they are eating, there are all kinds of details to the series that makes you want to sit down and have a dish of your own. Personally, there’s just a fun aspect about learning the different ways someone can enjoy a dish, especially one that most people usually think as something simple.

Regarding the art, it’s nice to see that there is effort towards the design of the main cast but also the side characters even. What’s more, other than the main character herself, the entire art and design of the series gave off a nice and simple feel to it. On that note, the series itself just gives a warm and fun feel to it whether it be with the different ways and different versions that the characters can enjoy ramen or some of them gain a bonding experience from eating together.

That’s one of the strongest of the manga, the development of the character over eating together. It’s subtle but it’s pretty nice to see overall. There’s no dramatic changes between the characters but that’s what makes it so interesting, seeing how certain interactions and situations result in and what changes happen with the characters.

The Bad

For one thing, with the simplicity of the series’ concept, there isn’t much plot to be found with the series. When looking at the bigger picture of the series, it seems that the only thing that is keeping the series is the different ramen being explored in the manga and even then, it may too much on ramen facts for some readers. Basically, as a slice of life work, there isn’t much of a solid plotline to follow.

Another off point to note on the series is that in some chapters, some scenes seem just a little off. It’s mainly with the expressions of the characters after finishing their bowl, sure, it’s meant to show their bliss of enjoyment, but personally, the whole high blush and slight drool expressions is just a little off for me. It would have been just as fine if they had a simple look of contentment but again it’s a personal perspective.

And while there has been a good deal of development for the other characters, it would have been nice to see more development or at least exploration on Koizumi’s character/background outside of her obsession with ramen. Like, how did her addiction start? How does she know German? Little things like these would be nice to explore about her. Sure, there are certain chapters where we see her getting closer with some of the characters and imparting some ramen knowledge, but it would be nice to see some personal exploration on her as a character.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a series dedicated to all things ramen and how it can be enjoyed, this is the series for it. What makes the concept work so well is seeing how the different characters enjoy and bond over this one dish. This results in a subtle but nice amount of development in character relations. The only issue that can be said against the series is that with it being a slice of life and comedy work, there isn’t much of a plot line to be expected, and with the focus being mainly on Koizumi’s obsession over ramen, there isn’t much room over personal character exploration. Other than these two issues, the series is a warm and fun series that leave you craving for a nice bowl of ramen.

Rating: 7/10