Oishinbo
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Episodes (10/136)
- 1EP 1
Ohara announces the Ultimate Menu project, testing staff with a water and tofu challenge.
Oct 17, 1988To mark the 100th anniversary of the newspaper Touzai Shimbun, President Ohara launches the "Ultimate Menu" initiative. He selects reporters with the best culinary taste, starting with a test where staff must distinguish between three samples of water and tofu. Yamaoka arrives late due to a hangover and consumes the samples rather than analyzing them. Only Yūko Kurita and Yamaoka pass, earning them the project assignment. Ohara invites renowned gourmands to design the menu, but Yamaoka criticizes their pretentious international selections like foie gras. Instead, he spends a week with fishermen catching Monkfish. Yamaoka prepares ankimo by removing the liver, washing it in sake, and steaming it. During the final tasting, Ohara declares the fresh ankimo superior to canned foie gras, dismissing the experts.
- 2EP 2
Ohara seeks Kyogoku's approval for art section via a culinary challenge with his father.
Oct 24, 1988Ohara attempts to secure a Renoir painting from Mantaro Kyogoku by hosting him in Ginza. After an initial restaurant fails, Yamaoka and Kurita arrange a dinner at Okaboshi, recommended by Tatsu. Kyogoku praises the simple meal of rice, miso soup, and Tosan-style grilled fish. He suspects Yamaoka is the son of Yūzan Kaibara, prompting Yamaoka to offer his resignation from Touzai to avoid comparison. Kaibara arrives and challenges Yamaoka to a tempura taste test. Both select chefs, but Kaibara’s choice wins. Despite being defeated, Yamaoka withdraws his resignation, determined to prove he is his father's equal.
- 3EP 3
Yamaoka critiques Itayama's department store vegetables and helps him restore freshness.
Oct 31, 1988Yamaoka accompanies Kurita to the opening of a new department store constructed by Shuji Itayama, a renowned gourmand. Upon tasting the produce, Yamaoka notes that despite their appealing appearance, the vegetables lack flavor. Itayama presents his food court, which hosts venues operated by famous restaurants from across Japan. Yamaoka expresses disdain, accusing Itayama of selling stale goods and exploiting restaurants forced to use inferior ingredients to offset high rents. Itayama complains to Touzai and withdraws advertising from the paper. To resolve the conflict, Yamaoka visits a farm with Itayama, allowing him to recall the taste of fresh vegetables from his childhood. Consequently, Itayama reforms his supply system, leading to the store's success through the sale of fresh produce.
- 4EP 4
Dainichi President Kuroda's Fresh Fish Banquet Challenge at Karuizawa
Nov 7, 1988Dainichi Electronics President Kuroda hosts an annual banquet at his Karuizawa facility, serving sashimi from a tank-held white trevally. A guest claims the fish lacks freshness, prompting Yamaoka to agree and challenge Kuroda to a comparison using fresh stock. Yamaoka purchases a trevally, ensuring it is killed and bled immediately before packing it in ice. Both men prepare sashimi that evening. The guests unanimously prefer Yamaoka's dish, as he explains that fish caught directly from the ocean maintains superior health and condition compared to those kept alive in tanks for over a week.
- 5EP 5
Hanakawa seeks a better broth recipe after police intervention
Nov 14, 1988Kurita treats Yamaoka to a meal at Hanakawa’s unlicensed handmade soba stall. Yamaoka criticizes the broth’s flavor, prompting police to shut down the business. Inspector Nakamatsu offers a license if the taste improves. Hanakawa fails to perfect the recipe until Yamaoka tricks him into visiting a restaurant to learn the secret. He adopts the new broth, securing his license from Nakamatsu, though the inspector still demands further flavor enhancements.
- 6EP 6
Yamaoka seeks a rare phantom mackerel to impress Kaibara at Hatsuyama restaurant.
Nov 21, 1988Touzai staff attend the Hatsuyama restaurant reopening, where Kaibara insults Yamaoka before they name favorite sashimi. Yamaoka chooses mackerel, prompting a search for a rare specimen. He travels to Hayama and, with fisherman Kurita, catches a large phantom mackerel after three days. The prepared dish delights the staff and Kaibara, who then storms out over plate design. Days later, Kaibara sends beautiful handmade plates to the restaurant, resolving the conflict through this gesture.
- 7EP 7
Inspector Nakamatsu enlists Yamaoka to assist arrested chef Kinzo Ikada-ya
Nov 28, 1988Inspector Nakamatsu requests Yamaoka's assistance after Kinzo, a former chef at the renowned eel restaurant Ikada-ya, is arrested for causing a disturbance. Kinzo had protested the former owner's decision to replace charcoal with gas for grilling eel to improve efficiency. To support Kinzo, Yamaoka and Kurita help him establish a temporary restaurant within Itayama's department store food court, allowing him to compete directly against Ikada-ya. Kinzo's charcoal-grilled eel proves highly successful, leading the chastened owner of Ikada-ya to rehire him to work in the restaurant once again.
- 8EP 8
Ohara seeks donations from miserly President Narisawa who demands a free meal
Dec 5, 1988Ohara approaches Dainichi Oil President Heikichi Narisawa for African food appeal donations. Hideo Tanimura and Kurita visit his run-down headquarters. Narisawa agrees to donate only if Touzai provides a decent meal. Ohara invites him to an expensive restaurant, but Narisawa storms out, objecting to the cost. To save the situation, Yamaoka invites his friend Tatsu to take Narisawa to a department store food fair. They enjoy free delicacies and sake. Impressed that Touzai spent no money, Narisawa makes a very generous donation.
- 9EP 9
Ohara and staff visit Gingorou's sushi restaurant, leading to a culinary challenge and blind taste test.
Dec 12, 1988Touzai President Ohara brings the Culture Department to a famous sushi establishment managed by Gingorou. Yamaoka criticizes the preparation quality and challenges Gingorou to compare his skills elsewhere. The group visits a hidden restaurant where Gingorou and the owner, Tomi, prepare sushi using identical ingredients. During a blind taste test, Tomi's creation is declared superior, irritating Gingorou. Yamaoka utilizes a hospital scanner to demonstrate the difference in rice compactness between the two chefs. The narrative reveals that Tomi is actually the renowned chef Tomijirou, who abandoned his previous restaurant to find joy in cooking for regular customers he considers friends.
- 10EP 10
Kaibara Criticizes French Cuisine At Le Canard Before Praising It Later
Dec 19, 1988Le Canard, a renowned French restaurant in Ginza, hosts a dinner for invited guests including Tanimura, Tomii, Yamaoka, and Kurita. Yūzan Kaibara also attends, harshly criticizing the fish course by claiming Japanese methods are superior. He further disparages the traditional French duck sauce, favoring Japanese condiments instead. Yamaoka defends the sauce, labeling Kaibara as conservative. In response, Kaibara prepares traditional Japanese dishes, serving bonito sashimi with mayonnaise and soy sauce upon Yamaoka’s request. The group finds the unconventional combination successful, causing Kaibara to leave in disgust. Yet, days later, Kaibara publishes an article praising Le Canard’s cuisine.
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Frequently asked questions
- How many episodes does Oishinbo have?
- Oishinbo has 136 episodes.
- When did Oishinbo come out?
- Oishinbo came out in 1988.
- Which studio made Oishinbo?
- Oishinbo was produced by Shin-Ei Animation.
- Who directed Oishinbo?
- Oishinbo was directed by Yoshio Takeuchi.
- Is Oishinbo finished?
- Current status of Oishinbo: Finished.