Toriko, Episode 8: That Which is Passed Down! Activate, Gourmet Cells!

I've really only been into manga for the past five years or so. And for a time, I only read series' that had started before I got into it, like One Piece, Naruto and Bleach. But then came Toriko. A manga by Mitsutoshi Shimabakuro which follows a "Gourmet Hunter" named...Toriko.

A good chunk of the series revolves around the capture and preparation of delicious food. So think of it like a version of Yu Gi Oh! where the card game have been replaced with sandwiches.

Seriously though, I really didn't like this series at first. But it started to grow on me as I went on. At first, Toriko is a rather unbeatable hero, as most Shonen protagonists start out. He is much more seasoned than characters like Monkey D. Luffy or Ichigo Kurosaki and knows his way around in the Age of Gourmet. But, as drama dictates, must face stronger opponents, and, as powerful as Toriko appears, he's not up to par with some other characters.

The real heart of the series is a young chef named Komatsu. He's accompanied Toriko on nearly all the missions he's been shown on. He's not a superhuman, but his cooking skills do come in handy if you're preparing something extremely volatile. Also, he seems to have an instinctual ability to find rare ingredients.

As I mentioned earlier, a good chunk of the series revolves around catching rare and delicious foods because, in the world of Toriko certain foods can increase your abilities and make already powerful people even stronger.

An anime adaptation of Toriko has gone into production from Toei animation famous for animating One Piece and the Dragon Ball series. I have mixed feelings on the series mainly because of Toei's decision to massively tone down the level of violence and the introduction of the character Tina.
The face that haunts my dreams. Anyway, a more recent episode has at least given us a good fight. Toriko vs. GT Robot.