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キッチンのお姫さま [Kitchen no Ohime-sama] #1
Kitchen Princess, Vol. 01
HUNGRY HEART
Najika is a great cook and likes to make meals for the people she loves. But something is missing from her life. When she was a child, she met a boy who touched her heart--and now Najika is determined to find him. The only clue she has is a silver spoon that leads her to the prestigious Seika Academy.
Attending Seika will be a challenge. Every kid at the school has a special talent, and the girls in Najika’s class think she doesn’t deserve to be there. But Sora and Daichi, two popular brothers who barely speak to each other, recognize Najika’s cooking for what it is--magical. Is either boy Najika’s mysterious prince?
Najika is a great cook and likes to make meals for the people she loves. But something is missing from her life. When she was a child, she met a boy who touched her heart--and now Najika is determined to find him. The only clue she has is a silver spoon that leads her to the prestigious Seika Academy.
Attending Seika will be a challenge. Every kid at the school has a special talent, and the girls in Najika’s class think she doesn’t deserve to be there. But Sora and Daichi, two popular brothers who barely speak to each other, recognize Najika’s cooking for what it is--magical. Is either boy Najika’s mysterious prince?
187 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2005
135 people are currently reading
11293 people want to read
About the author
Natsumi Andō
77 books349 followers安藤なつみ, Andō Natsumi is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for Zodiac P.I. as well as Kitchen Princess, for which she won the Kodansha Manga Award for children's manga in 2006.
Favorites: Donald Duck
Favourite manga: Ossu! Ichijin and Kimagure Orange Road
Favourites: meats and fruits
Hobbies: shopping, reading and watching TV
Favorites: Donald Duck
Favourite manga: Ossu! Ichijin and Kimagure Orange Road
Favourites: meats and fruits
Hobbies: shopping, reading and watching TV
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 444 reviews
March 11, 2018
Die Story und der Zeichenstil sind etwas kitschig, aber super süß. Besonders toll finde ich, dass die Rezepte, die die Protagonstin kocht und backt, auch enthalten sind. Schöne leichte Geschichte für zwischendurch.
December 1, 2012
This manga was so cute! I love how the manga includes cooking. I got this manga because the cover seemed so cute and the synopsis made the story seem pretty cute also. This manga just screams out cuteness! There are also recipes at the end of every volume of the foods that Najika makes!
I loved Najika! She reminded me a lot of Tohru Honda from the manga, Fruits Basket. She shares almost the exact same personality. She is sweet, always wants to help, selfless, and never gives up. She does have her moments where you can tell that things are tough for her. Her passion for cooking is very admirable. Sora and Daichi are the two boys that Najika thinks might be her prince. I can’t guess which one it is. Both of the boys have their redeeming qualities although I am leaning towards Sora. I wonder what made the two brothers dislike each other so much. There is a mean girl, named Akane in this manga but I think there is something we don’t know about her.
The story is very sweet and simple. Najika goes to a special academy to find her prince. There is a whole lot of cooking involved to! This story is about all the characters and I do like it so far. All the characters are likeable…well except for Akane and her two annoying and hateful followers(another similarity to Fruits Basket).
The art is really pretty and cute! I loved the all the characters were drawn and the backgrounds were good to. I absolutely hate it when a manga has next to no backgrounds. I always drop manga like that. The art is good to look at and I flipped through the pages after reading it just to stare at the pretty pictures.
Kitchen Princess is a really cute story and I enjoyed it a lot! I found the story to be a very sweet one and I will definitely read the next volume.
I loved Najika! She reminded me a lot of Tohru Honda from the manga, Fruits Basket. She shares almost the exact same personality. She is sweet, always wants to help, selfless, and never gives up. She does have her moments where you can tell that things are tough for her. Her passion for cooking is very admirable. Sora and Daichi are the two boys that Najika thinks might be her prince. I can’t guess which one it is. Both of the boys have their redeeming qualities although I am leaning towards Sora. I wonder what made the two brothers dislike each other so much. There is a mean girl, named Akane in this manga but I think there is something we don’t know about her.
The story is very sweet and simple. Najika goes to a special academy to find her prince. There is a whole lot of cooking involved to! This story is about all the characters and I do like it so far. All the characters are likeable…well except for Akane and her two annoying and hateful followers(another similarity to Fruits Basket).
The art is really pretty and cute! I loved the all the characters were drawn and the backgrounds were good to. I absolutely hate it when a manga has next to no backgrounds. I always drop manga like that. The art is good to look at and I flipped through the pages after reading it just to stare at the pretty pictures.
Kitchen Princess is a really cute story and I enjoyed it a lot! I found the story to be a very sweet one and I will definitely read the next volume.
May 30, 2022
Ma!!! Kako sam oduševljena.❤️
I recepti nakon svakog volume-a🥺🥺🥺
I recepti nakon svakog volume-a🥺🥺🥺
July 2, 2022
food mangas are so wholesome 🤍
September 3, 2023
Najika is an orphan who grew up in a loving orphanage with a dear nurse and many friends. Food has a special place in her heart since the day she met a little "prince" who gave her his snack while she was crying to be in Heaven with her parents, and told her that "good food makes you smile, and smiling is the reason you were left on this Earth". So naturally, now as a young woman, she will now make it her life mission to find her prince. Especially since she got accepted in the academy for her special talent... cooking 🤌
I love cooking and I love eating 😋 This manga is just so wholesome and I don't care it has 253834784 cliches 🥹
Plus there are recipes at the end of the volumes??? I'm trying the flan today 🧐
I love cooking and I love eating 😋 This manga is just so wholesome and I don't care it has 253834784 cliches 🥹
Plus there are recipes at the end of the volumes??? I'm trying the flan today 🧐
August 22, 2018
Najika has been accepted to Seika Cooking Academy. When the students think she doesn't belong there, she tries to prove them wrong and her magical meals brings her to the attention of brothers Daichi and Sora who think she is something special. Is one of them her prince? Read on and find out for yourself.
This is a pretty good cooking manga and I look forward to continuing the manga in the future. Definitely check this manga out wherever you read manga at online, at your local library and wherever books are sold.
This is a pretty good cooking manga and I look forward to continuing the manga in the future. Definitely check this manga out wherever you read manga at online, at your local library and wherever books are sold.
November 28, 2014
When I first saw this, my expectations were:
After I read it, I was like:
Guys, this was actually pretty good! Maybe it's because I can connect so well with Najika that I enjoyed it so much! I want the best for everyone, but am not afraid to put someone in their place if they hurt someone, or myself. Najika spoke up and defended herself when she was bullied, and I approved!
If you enjoy Nanami Momozono's spunkiness from Kamisama Kiss, you will love Najika! Kitchen Princess is a cute manga, one that I liked so much that I actually went ahead to Barnes and Noble to pick up the next two. This series is as good as Kamisama Kiss, except sweeter, and with a pretty good love triangle. I really really want her to end up with Sora though....she even blushes around him and stuff, sooooo come on, make it happen!
If you want a shoujo that's light and fluffy and makes you want to cook, try Kitchen Princess!
If you want a light and fluffy manga that slowly becomes dark and makes the heroine a badass, check out Kamisama Kiss.
Guys, I believe I have fallen in love with Shoujo again! Kitchen Princess was good!
After I read it, I was like:
Guys, this was actually pretty good! Maybe it's because I can connect so well with Najika that I enjoyed it so much! I want the best for everyone, but am not afraid to put someone in their place if they hurt someone, or myself. Najika spoke up and defended herself when she was bullied, and I approved!
If you enjoy Nanami Momozono's spunkiness from Kamisama Kiss, you will love Najika! Kitchen Princess is a cute manga, one that I liked so much that I actually went ahead to Barnes and Noble to pick up the next two. This series is as good as Kamisama Kiss, except sweeter, and with a pretty good love triangle. I really really want her to end up with Sora though....she even blushes around him and stuff, sooooo come on, make it happen!
If you want a shoujo that's light and fluffy and makes you want to cook, try Kitchen Princess!
If you want a light and fluffy manga that slowly becomes dark and makes the heroine a badass, check out Kamisama Kiss.
Guys, I believe I have fallen in love with Shoujo again! Kitchen Princess was good!
December 12, 2012
Kitchen Princess is about a girl named Najika who has an extremely positive an upbeat personality. She has been admitted at Seika Academy’s Special Class because she has a talent in cooking. Through various adventures and mishaps she struggles to find her way along with the help of Daichi and Sora Kitazawa.
I read this series on a whim; I was really into cooking at one point. It is cute and fun, just pure enjoyable reading. I was delighted to find out that there are even recipes for what she makes in the back! I am totally going to try them.
Najika reminded me a lot of the Fruits Basket character Tohru Honda, having a love of life and everyone/everything around her even though tragedy has clouded her past. Najika is selfless and always that first one to offer a helping hand.
I also like how this manga has a direction of where it is going and a direction for the characters to take. They know what path they want to go and what goals they are searching for. It is one of those manga stories that seems to be really inspirational to me and inspires me to go and try to find out what I want to do with my life.
I read this series on a whim; I was really into cooking at one point. It is cute and fun, just pure enjoyable reading. I was delighted to find out that there are even recipes for what she makes in the back! I am totally going to try them.
Najika reminded me a lot of the Fruits Basket character Tohru Honda, having a love of life and everyone/everything around her even though tragedy has clouded her past. Najika is selfless and always that first one to offer a helping hand.
I also like how this manga has a direction of where it is going and a direction for the characters to take. They know what path they want to go and what goals they are searching for. It is one of those manga stories that seems to be really inspirational to me and inspires me to go and try to find out what I want to do with my life.
August 13, 2009
I finally found a Manga series I like! Najika’s parents died when she was young, and she now lives at Lavender House, a home for orphans. Not long after their deaths, she was comforted by a boy who gave her flan. The spoon he left behind is the only clue she has to her “Flan Prince” but she is determined to find him and make him the best dessert in the world. She traces the spoon to Seika Academy in Tokyo, where she earns admittance in the 7th grade based on her enormous cooking talent. At the academy she becomes friends with 2 brothers, the sons of the Director. Could one of them be her Flan Prince? Each chapter has a particular food that Najika cooks, and there are recipes at the end of each book. I like this better than other Manga I’ve read for several reasons: there aren’t that many characters so it is possible to keep them straight; the plot is relatively simple; and I can generally tell which characters are male and which are female. And, of course, it’s food fiction! (Review is pretty much for the whole series)
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May 18, 2018This contains an enjoyable protagonist (reminds me a bit of my cinnamon roll Tohru Honda), the story and writing flow smoothly, there's a love triangle that is already breaking my heart (and I normally dislike love triangles!), and I enjoyed reading this volume very much! I'm not down with the girl-hate bullying stuff, but that's a typical manga trope that will most likely be resolved and the current female antagonist will most likely become our protagonist's best friend, so I'll allow it for now!
April 5, 2012
Kitchen Princess has a romance plot that is similar to so many other romance manga that I won't even try to list them all. That's ok. What makes Kitchen Princess enjoyable is the execution. Najika is sweet, and I love her passion for cooking. (Isn't it nice to read a romance plot where the girl is passionate about more than just the boy in her life?) The romance is actually starting off slow in the first volume, and I really like when authors take their time developing relationships. The art is very cute, and especially good when illustrating the food. It's a very fun read, and I'm eager to continue the series.
March 4, 2020
This is the first non-fantasy manga I've read...but it was great! Like a Disney Channel Original Movie, this first volume featured a likable heroine, a cute story, a dash of romance, and plenty of fun! I look forward to reading more like this!
July 19, 2020
I don't normally read Shoujo manga, not because I have anything against them, but more because the opportunity has never reared it's head. In fact, the only reason I read Kitchen Princess is because I borrowed it off of my sister when I had nothing else to read. But truth be told, it was actually quite good.
In general, the artwork is pretty simplistic, with the artist rarely pushing the boat out. However, when it comes to her illustrations of food, she really lets her talent shine. The food in this graphic novel looks good, really good, so good that there would be no judgement if you found yourself nibbling on the corner of a page just in case. I know I did.
Alongside the 'apparently inedible' illustrations, the main strength of this manga is to be found in its story. The premise is pretty basic; It's your standard Cinderella affair with two Prince Charmings, except on this occasion, it is the heroine who is responsible for discovering which prince the glass slipper fits. Okay, that was a terrible analogy, and maybe this is nothing like Cinderella, but I'm sure you get what I mean.
Anyway, the gist of all that was to imply that the story is pretty basic, and it is, but I think in many ways it is that simplicity that makes the tale so charming and easily digestible. And it is that ease of read that leaves a craving on my tongue, a craving to take another bite of this delicious story in volume 2. (Too many food puns?)
P.s
What is the deal with the artwork is Shojo manga? Why is every panel so sparkly and flowery? Is this a mechanism that the author uses to convey emotions or is it just an outdated and rather sexist belief in what makes girls smile? 5/5
In general, the artwork is pretty simplistic, with the artist rarely pushing the boat out. However, when it comes to her illustrations of food, she really lets her talent shine. The food in this graphic novel looks good, really good, so good that there would be no judgement if you found yourself nibbling on the corner of a page just in case. I know I did.
Alongside the 'apparently inedible' illustrations, the main strength of this manga is to be found in its story. The premise is pretty basic; It's your standard Cinderella affair with two Prince Charmings, except on this occasion, it is the heroine who is responsible for discovering which prince the glass slipper fits. Okay, that was a terrible analogy, and maybe this is nothing like Cinderella, but I'm sure you get what I mean.
Anyway, the gist of all that was to imply that the story is pretty basic, and it is, but I think in many ways it is that simplicity that makes the tale so charming and easily digestible. And it is that ease of read that leaves a craving on my tongue, a craving to take another bite of this delicious story in volume 2. (Too many food puns?)
P.s
What is the deal with the artwork is Shojo manga? Why is every panel so sparkly and flowery? Is this a mechanism that the author uses to convey emotions or is it just an outdated and rather sexist belief in what makes girls smile? 5/5
January 14, 2017
Komik-komik awal yang berseri, selalu kelihatan desain karakternya masih kaku ya kkkkkk~ Tapi makin ke sini-sini, desain karakternya jadi semakin luwes (Daichi makin ganteng :>) wkwkwkwkwkk
Suka banget sama seri yang satu ini; tentang memasak. Dari baca komik ini (dulu pas SMP) aku jadi tau banyak hal soal makanan dan filosofi makanan juga :") Dari cara memasak, dengan siapa kita makan, memikirkan orang yang akan menyantap makanan yang kita hidangkan, kebahagiaan saat orang tersebut menyukai makanan yang kita sajikan; semua itu aku dapatkan dari membaca komik ini.
Di volume pertama ini, Najika datang ke Seika Gakuen untuk mencari Pangeran Puding yang dulu menyelamatkan hidupnya. Seika Gakuen ternyata sangat luar biasa bagi Najika yang selama ini hidup di pedesaan. Belum lagi kenyataan bahwa Najika dimasukkan ke kelas khusus di mana siswa-siswanya adalah mereka yang menjuarai lomba minimal tingkat nasional. Najika di volume pertama ini, masih belum tahu kemampuan yang dimilikinya apa; apa yang membuatnya masuk ke Seika Gakuen dan ditempatkan di kelas khusus pula. Tapi Najika tidak mudah menyerah! Dia akan membuktikan kemampuannya dengan masakan-masakan miliknya :> (dan dengan bantuan dua cowok tampan; Daichi dan Sora ehehehe)
p.s : di dalam komik, disertakan resep untuk makanan yang ditampilkan di dalam komik. Aku penasaran ingin mencoba Rainbow Colored Jelly dan Christmas Cookie. Sepertinya itu mudah :3 Oya, resepnya disertai ilustrasi yang lucu khas Natsumi Ando. Gemas lihatnya :3
Suka banget sama seri yang satu ini; tentang memasak. Dari baca komik ini (dulu pas SMP) aku jadi tau banyak hal soal makanan dan filosofi makanan juga :") Dari cara memasak, dengan siapa kita makan, memikirkan orang yang akan menyantap makanan yang kita hidangkan, kebahagiaan saat orang tersebut menyukai makanan yang kita sajikan; semua itu aku dapatkan dari membaca komik ini.
Di volume pertama ini, Najika datang ke Seika Gakuen untuk mencari Pangeran Puding yang dulu menyelamatkan hidupnya. Seika Gakuen ternyata sangat luar biasa bagi Najika yang selama ini hidup di pedesaan. Belum lagi kenyataan bahwa Najika dimasukkan ke kelas khusus di mana siswa-siswanya adalah mereka yang menjuarai lomba minimal tingkat nasional. Najika di volume pertama ini, masih belum tahu kemampuan yang dimilikinya apa; apa yang membuatnya masuk ke Seika Gakuen dan ditempatkan di kelas khusus pula. Tapi Najika tidak mudah menyerah! Dia akan membuktikan kemampuannya dengan masakan-masakan miliknya :> (dan dengan bantuan dua cowok tampan; Daichi dan Sora ehehehe)
p.s : di dalam komik, disertakan resep untuk makanan yang ditampilkan di dalam komik. Aku penasaran ingin mencoba Rainbow Colored Jelly dan Christmas Cookie. Sepertinya itu mudah :3 Oya, resepnya disertai ilustrasi yang lucu khas Natsumi Ando. Gemas lihatnya :3
October 4, 2021
Vuosien varrella olen lukenut oman leiviskäni suomeksi käännettyä mangaa, mutta aika harva on jäänyt millään tavalla mieleen. Natsumi Andon "Kitchen Princess 1" (Egmont, 2010) on kuitenkin mielestäni yksi tämmöinen poikkeus.
Sarjakuva edustaa vähän nuoremmille lukijoille tarkoitettua shōjo-mangaa. Sympaattisen tarinan ensimmäisessä osassa tutustutaan orvoksi jääneeseen Najika-tyttöön. Hän muuttaa maaseudun rauhasta tokiolaiseen eliittikouluun, jonka oppilaat ovat toinen toistaan lahjakkaampia.
Luokkakaverit pitävät ruoanlaitosta pitävää Najikaa maalaisjunttina ja väheksyvät häntä kaikin tavoin. Luvassa on koulukiusaamista ja muuta draamaa, mutta hyväsydäminen sankarittaremme yrittää olla lannistumatta. Lopulta hyvä ruoka tuo hymyn huulille ja pelastaa synkeimmänkin päivän.
Romantiikkaa sarjaan tuo keskenään riidoissa oleva veljespari. Molemmat heistä tuntuvat olevan kiinnostuneita päähenkilöstämme, mutta voisiko toinen heistä olla myös salaperäinen Vanukasprinssi?
Sarjakuvan juoni on viihdyttävä, eikä sen seuraaminen vaadi kummempia erityislahjoja. Suuria silmiä ja vielä suurempia tunteita sekä kaikenlaista suloista söpöilyä on luvassa. Ja mikä parasta, viimeisillä sivuilla on mukana myös Najikan käyttämiä reseptejä jokaisen kotikokin tarpeisiin!
Sarjakuva edustaa vähän nuoremmille lukijoille tarkoitettua shōjo-mangaa. Sympaattisen tarinan ensimmäisessä osassa tutustutaan orvoksi jääneeseen Najika-tyttöön. Hän muuttaa maaseudun rauhasta tokiolaiseen eliittikouluun, jonka oppilaat ovat toinen toistaan lahjakkaampia.
Luokkakaverit pitävät ruoanlaitosta pitävää Najikaa maalaisjunttina ja väheksyvät häntä kaikin tavoin. Luvassa on koulukiusaamista ja muuta draamaa, mutta hyväsydäminen sankarittaremme yrittää olla lannistumatta. Lopulta hyvä ruoka tuo hymyn huulille ja pelastaa synkeimmänkin päivän.
Romantiikkaa sarjaan tuo keskenään riidoissa oleva veljespari. Molemmat heistä tuntuvat olevan kiinnostuneita päähenkilöstämme, mutta voisiko toinen heistä olla myös salaperäinen Vanukasprinssi?
Sarjakuvan juoni on viihdyttävä, eikä sen seuraaminen vaadi kummempia erityislahjoja. Suuria silmiä ja vielä suurempia tunteita sekä kaikenlaista suloista söpöilyä on luvassa. Ja mikä parasta, viimeisillä sivuilla on mukana myös Najikan käyttämiä reseptejä jokaisen kotikokin tarpeisiin!
October 9, 2011
This is one of those manga you look at and go, "Did they seriously make a manga about a girl cooking?"
Well, I saw it and said the same thing, then bought it. XD
It follows the typical shoujo mold. Girl in love with two guys (who happen to be brothers and complete opposites!), girl gets enemies because both boys show interest in girl, girl eventually becomes friends with enemies because she understands them, etc.
It's so typical, but it's just so cute. And besides, it has very yummy looking food. Plus recipes in the back.
Well, I saw it and said the same thing, then bought it. XD
It follows the typical shoujo mold. Girl in love with two guys (who happen to be brothers and complete opposites!), girl gets enemies because both boys show interest in girl, girl eventually becomes friends with enemies because she understands them, etc.
It's so typical, but it's just so cute. And besides, it has very yummy looking food. Plus recipes in the back.
April 26, 2020
This book is SO fat phobic, I just can’t give it a good rating because of that. It made me so uncomfortable and angry that these characters were so awful. It wasn’t challenged during the book (which would have slightly made up for it) which really irked me. Also, there was a lot of girl on girl hate in this which I really dislike. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this and am unlikely to read the second volume and continue with the series.
January 30, 2021
Thought it was gonna be good but the art was off that I couldn’t focus on the story ugh 🤦♀️
March 10, 2023
This was cute and a little sad. All she wanted to do was fit in.
August 30, 2025
ahhh this is so cute! I'm obsessed with Nijika! all of the food looked so good and I loved the recipes were included at the end of the book! I can't wait to start volume 2!
January 2, 2010
Fluffy shoujo! The main character is the orphan of two pastry chefs. When she discovered her parents were gone, she wandered crying until a young boy gave her some flan and told her to smile every time she ate something good. Over the years in her orphanage, Najika perfects her baking/cooking skills partly to pay homage to her parents, and partly due to the love of food this boy inspired in her. The manga opens with Najika preparing to leave for a prestigious academy. The spoon left in the flan that boy gave her held the emblem of this school, and as it's her only clue to finding the boy again, she enrolls in Seika Academy.
Unfortunately, while art may be great and the plots differ from shouja manga title to shoujo manga title, one's bound to run into the same romance situations in many manga. In this one, the two main males introduced are the cool, seemingly-indifferent-yet-warmhearted-underneath-his-exterior Daichi, and Sora, the popular guy who seems sweet, but might have some hidden secrets (Daichi calls him a traitor and in one of the conversations he has with Daichi, we can infer that Sora has some "plan" in store for Najika). We can probably guess that the prince of her past is one of these two. Based on the situation and the character descriptions, what other manga title does this remind you of? If you thought of Furuba (Fruits Basket), you're right. Personally, though, this never deters me from reading shoujo. Guilty pleasure, I guess.
I did enjoy this. I knew I'd like the art from the front cover; it's pleasing to know that Natsumi Ando, creator of Zodiac P.I. (one of my faves), did the art for this series. If you like commonplace shoujo titles like that don't have a fantasy element, this one's for you. Recipes for all of Najika's creations are included in the back of the manga for a bonus.
Unfortunately, while art may be great and the plots differ from shouja manga title to shoujo manga title, one's bound to run into the same romance situations in many manga. In this one, the two main males introduced are the cool, seemingly-indifferent-yet-warmhearted-underneath-his-exterior Daichi, and Sora, the popular guy who seems sweet, but might have some hidden secrets (Daichi calls him a traitor and in one of the conversations he has with Daichi, we can infer that Sora has some "plan" in store for Najika). We can probably guess that the prince of her past is one of these two. Based on the situation and the character descriptions, what other manga title does this remind you of? If you thought of Furuba (Fruits Basket), you're right. Personally, though, this never deters me from reading shoujo. Guilty pleasure, I guess.
I did enjoy this. I knew I'd like the art from the front cover; it's pleasing to know that Natsumi Ando, creator of Zodiac P.I. (one of my faves), did the art for this series. If you like commonplace shoujo titles like that don't have a fantasy element, this one's for you. Recipes for all of Najika's creations are included in the back of the manga for a bonus.
March 12, 2020
This was an extremely cute and calming manga to read and to relax me after reading the previous chapters of My Hero Academia ha...
November 5, 2011
I finished all 10 volumes of this series quite a while ago, and I totally loved it! :) 4 stars!
Basically, Kitchen Princess is about a girl named Najika who is admitted into Seika Academy's Special class because of her excellent talent of cooking. During her time at Seika Academy, she meets Daichi and Sora Kitazawa, and her adventures start from there.
Kitchen Princess was a cute story with the plot that had to do with romance and food. :) I can't spoil too much, but Kitchen Princess included romance, jealousy, tragedy, a bit of grief, a bit of suspense, and food.
I loved this series because it was highly original. I've never read any of these kinds of ideas in American novels before, so I really love how Kitchen Princess is so original.
It represents jealousy with Akane--Najika's fellow classmate, and there are a few love triangles included in the story as well.
It also represented how two people who look exactly alike could be so different from each other.
Overall, I loved Kitchen Princess. I totally recommend this to shoujo fans in search for a realistic fiction romance that includes cooking and romance, as well as tragedy and a couple of valuable life lessons. :) Go read!
I didn't spoil anything in this review because I'm lazy today. :P
~I'll show you a sweet dream next night.
Basically, Kitchen Princess is about a girl named Najika who is admitted into Seika Academy's Special class because of her excellent talent of cooking. During her time at Seika Academy, she meets Daichi and Sora Kitazawa, and her adventures start from there.
Kitchen Princess was a cute story with the plot that had to do with romance and food. :) I can't spoil too much, but Kitchen Princess included romance, jealousy, tragedy, a bit of grief, a bit of suspense, and food.
I loved this series because it was highly original. I've never read any of these kinds of ideas in American novels before, so I really love how Kitchen Princess is so original.
It represents jealousy with Akane--Najika's fellow classmate, and there are a few love triangles included in the story as well.
It also represented how two people who look exactly alike could be so different from each other.
Overall, I loved Kitchen Princess. I totally recommend this to shoujo fans in search for a realistic fiction romance that includes cooking and romance, as well as tragedy and a couple of valuable life lessons. :) Go read!
I didn't spoil anything in this review because I'm lazy today. :P
~I'll show you a sweet dream next night.
April 28, 2015
The art really irritates me, maybe it's because I've read other manga - not so great - with a similar kind of art where the plotlines were irritating. I don't usually like my characters young and fourteen. With the exception of Fly High! (Which I really loved. Kitchen Princess has a similar feel actually). But there is something familiar and sweet about this. I like that there is some tragedy, and that the relationships are deep. I like the protag, she's happy and not pathetically sweet. She's like Tohru from Fruits Basket. Happy-go-luck and never down, yet wants to help others and never gives up. And I can't help but like this.
September 14, 2015
Why did it take me so long to read this? It's not only fun, but it also has Ando's trademark understanding of bullying as well as one of the few decent portrayals of an eating disorder I've encountered in manga. (It really is fun, despite those last two points!) I'll definitely be finding the rest.
May 25, 2022
I read this in what an hour? So good and cute I love stuff focused on food, and it was such a great ideia to have the recipes on the end. Also I don't know wich of the brothers I like the most, could she date both of them pretty please?
February 17, 2022
I loved this manga. It was a really quick read :)
July 15, 2021
Adorable and funny. I love how Najika put cookies on the Christmas tree
October 31, 2025
Review for compelte series.
Reread 2025
Najika was left orphaned but has a passion for baking and cooking. After the loss of her parents, she was so devastated that she wouldn't speak to anyone - that is until she met a boy who gave her comfort and a perfectly delicious treat. With nothing but a special spoon to go on, Najika strives to be an even better cook so that she may one day find the boy and repay his kindness by making him the best desert.
Kitchen Princess has a lot of the less good shoujo cliches and far too many coincidences; Najika is new to an elite school where she is disliked. She stumbles into the good graces of the head master's two sons who form the typical love triangle. There are your usual rivals and bullies and some of the drama feels extremely over the top. However, despite falling into a few common pitfalls, this series also has a lot of heart. I suspect it lies in the main subject of baking and cooking - while I have no special interest in either, it's just the way it's woven into the story that gives it a very wholesome feeling.
Najika is truly passionate about cooking and a lot of it focuses on her philosphy. She believes that making food for others is a way to make them happy, and each incident is indeed Najika finding ways to look out for people's welbeing and making them happy by means of the dishes she makes. The explanations and thoughts that go into these bring a lot of charm to this series which simply makes it stand out despite the otherwise extremely formulaic plot.
The remaining cast is largely likeable. One of my favourites is somewhat surprisingly Akane who starts out as a bully but has great character development throughout the series and ultimately becomes a great friend. The brothers typical roles of the calm and dependable Sora and the more rebelious and at times moody Daichi. As is often the case, Najika naturally gravitates toward Sora but it's just as clear that Daichi is as much a likely romance option. I never really warmed up to Sora so I didn't care much for their interactions and I liked Daichi well enough, but I'd argue that romance isn't what I enjoy most about this series. In any case, things become a little more complicate which puts a bit of a spin on the otherwise typical dynamics between these three. Also a little mention for Fujita, the seemingly lazy chef who lets Najika work in his diner. He seems to have a pretty interesting story even though we only get to see snippets in bonus chapters.
While I can't say that this is going down as a favourite of mine, I can appreciate why it's a popular series and I definintely did enjoy both my original and my reread. It's a cute little extra that each volume as recipes as the end. This is also one of those series where you see quite a leap in the art improvement - I enjoy Ando's art and while the earlier volumes are definitely cute, I really enjoyed the art from around volume 8 onwards.
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