Noodle Fighter Miki

    (ADV Manga, 2005)
™ and © 2002 Jun Sadogawa

Miki Onimaru never really wanted to inherit the family ramen stand, and it shows in the fast and furious way she treats their customers. However, Miki’s mom is as hotheaded, kung-fu crazy, and bossy as this teen is, so Miki’s lot in life is to wait on tables and clean up her inevitable messes.

But at least Miki has some local antagonists to vent her aggression against. There are, for example, the neighborhood boy, the grocer Mr. Oota next door, and finally Megumi Kannazuki from the bakery across the road. The mirror image of her rival, Megumi is as cute and industrious as Miki isn’t, which means these two are destined to butt heads, chopsticks, and fists for the foreseeable future.

Culinary styles of martial arts is as old as Rumiko Takahashi’s Ranma, and Jun Sadogawa surely has the drawing capability to liven up a common narrative base. However, the menu of escapades he serves are lacking in flavor, substance, and coordination, and leave readers unsatisfied with empty stomachs.

— Oliver Chin
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