Oishinbo
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Episodes (43/136)
1 / 2- 11EP 11
Mr. Fukuman invites the Touzai team to a meal featuring a gold pot and a clay pot.
Jan 9, 1989Mr. Fukuman, president of Tsurumori Transportation, hosts the Touzai cultural news team for a special dinner. He serves blowfish on a heritage platter and turtle soup prepared in a solid gold pot. Yamaoka finds the flavor lacking and claims he could make a better version. The following day, Yamaoka serves a simple broth cooked in an old clay pot that has been used for making turtle soup for 30 years. The soup proves delicious, leading Fukuman to offer an exchange of his golden pot for the charred clay one.
- 12EP 12
Kaibara Rejects Reconciliation After Yamaoka Saves Dinner at Hanayama Restaurant
Jan 16, 1989President Ohara seeks to reconcile Yamaoka and his father to secure Kaibara’s contribution to the Ultimate Menu, but Kaibara refuses. Ohara invites the Touzai Culture Department staff and Kaibara to dine at the renowned Hanayama restaurant. Kaibara criticizes the fish soup and demands it be remade. Learning a temporary chef is working, Yamaoka offers assistance and prepares a replacement stock and fish dish that impresses Kaibara. When Kaibara visits the kitchen to praise the chef, he discovers Yamaoka prepared the meal. He insults both Ohara and Yamaoka, then storms out, destroying Ohara’s hopes for reconciliation.
- 13EP 13
Kurita and friends visit Yokohama Chinatown where Yamaoka’s culinary critique impresses Mr Shu.
Jan 23, 1989Kurita, Tabata, and Hanamura travel to Yokohama Chinatown to eat Chinese food, joined unexpectedly by Yamaoka. After a rude waitress drives them away from a popular restaurant, Yamaoka criticizes the food at a second location, provoking the chef. The owner, Mr Shu, intervenes and invites Yamaoka to his home to cook. There, Mr Shu and his wife judge Yamaoka’s Dongpo pork to be superior to their restaurant’s offerings. Yamaoka attributes the chef’s decline to Japanese customers who blindly follow mass media reviews. The chef promises to improve, and Dongpo is selected for the Ultimate menu.
- 14EP 14
Ohara hosts sumo champion at Takayama school with special yellowtail stew
Jan 30, 1989Ohara brings Kurita and Yamaoka to the Takayama sumo wrestling school to try the signature stew, where Kaibara unexpectedly shows up. Ohara organizes a pep rally for the champion, Wakayoshiba, who asks for fish stew. Ohara suggests yellowtail, but Yamaoka notices it is out of season, risking embarrassment for his boss and amusing Kaibara. To fix this, Yamaoka and Kurita travel to Hakata. There, Yamaoka persuades Otsuka, who runs a sumo tea-house, to provide a large fresh saw-edged perch. A devoted fan of Wakayoshiba, Otsuka travels to Tokyo to cook the fish himself. He prepares the meal dramatically for the impressed guests. The dinner succeeds, allowing Yamaoka to save Ohara from a potentially awkward situation.
- 15EP 15
Elderly Judo Master Rejects Substandard Sea Perch Curry at Family Restaurant
Feb 6, 1989Judo master Gentarou Torasawa intervenes to stop a purse-snatcher targeting Kurita, then invites her friends and Yamaoka to a curry shop owned by his granddaughter Asae and her husband Kitao Tochikawa. Torasawa orders a meatless dish, but Kitao serves sea perch which Torasawa deems inedible. Yamaoka agrees the low-fat fish lacks flavor. Torasawa leaves angrily, taking Asae. Kitao reveals he once qualified for Olympic judo before an injury forced him to open the restaurant. Later, Yamaoka suggests adding bone marrow to the curry, a change that succeeds and finally earns Torasawa's approval.
- 16EP 16
Kurita and Yamaoka assist Wang Xiaolong in Yokohama to prove his culinary skills
Feb 13, 1989Kurita and Yamaoka travel to Yokohama to work on the Ultimate Menu. They are invited to visit Shu, whose wife asks for their help. Her daughter, Mei-Mei, fell in love with their cook, Wang Xiaolong. They ran away and opened a small Chinese restaurant which has proved very popular. To achieve recognition from the Chinese community and be able to borrow money to establish his own restaurant, Wang will have to prove his culinary skills. He prepares a meal for the Chinese community leaders, but his fried rice fails to meet the standard they expect, and the loan is refused. Yamaoka intercedes and asks for a second chance. He shows Wang how to confidently control the flame and his second effort is successful. Shu and the other community leaders lend him the money he needs, and he is welcomed back into the family.
- 17EP 17
Tōjin Tōyama’s wedding prompts a culinary contest between his son and assistant
Feb 20, 1989National treasure potter Tōjin Tōyama marries the younger Ryouko Suzumura. During the wedding, Tōyama requests Yamaoka to instruct Ryouko in cooking. Kaibara criticizes Yamaoka’s culinary abilities, leading Tōyama to propose a cooking contest between father and son to prepare rice and miso soup. Tōyama’s assistant Motomura assists Kaibara. The judges determine that Motomura’s dishes are superior. Kaibara attributes this outcome to the attention to detail and the hospitable heart embedded in the preparation process. Devastated by the loss, Yamaoka decides to cease betting on horse races for the time being.
- 18EP 18
Yamaoka seeks premium oysters via biker gang after criticizing their riding style
Feb 27, 1989Yamaoka publishes a Touzai News article asserting that bōsōzoku members are cowardly and rely on powerful machines to compensate. In response, a group of bikers invades the Touzai offices to argue that Yamaoka misunderstands their enjoyment of high-speed riding. Meanwhile, Motomura resigns from Tōyama, prompting a farewell party. Dissatisfied with the quality of oysters at the restaurant, Yamaoka recruits the bikers to drive him to the Shima Peninsula to source superior ingredients for dinner. This journey covers a 1,100 kilometer round trip. The bikers deliver the oysters just in time for service, but they are subsequently arrested for speeding. Although the oysters prove successful, Kaibara continues to criticize Yamaoka for his grandstanding behavior.
- 19EP 19
Kurita and Yamaoka help Inspector Nakamatsu improve his love interest's ice cream business in Roppongi
Mar 6, 1989Kurita and her friends visit Yamaoka in Roppongi, where they encounter a crowded ice cream parlor. During the wait, they witness Police Inspector Nakamatsu being removed for causing a disturbance. Upon questioning, Nakamatsu reveals his affection for Utako Mizumori, an ice cream saleswoman whose business is struggling. The group tastes her product and notes that despite high-quality ingredients, the texture is dense and heavy. Yamaoka proposes a solution by comparing the aeration levels of Roppongi’s popular ice cream against Mizumori’s using a samurai sword. She demonstrates that the superior product has more air, creating a melt-in-the-mouth sensation. Mizumori adjusts her manufacturing technique based on this insight, leading to a significant increase in her shop’s success.
- 20EP 20
Nobuko Mayama visits Touzai to discuss her restrictive marriage and limited diet.
Mar 13, 1989Former employee Nobuko Mayama, formerly Hayashi, visits the Touzai offices to discuss her unsatisfactory marriage to Oboshi Realty President Mayama. She reveals that her husband survives on a restricted diet supplemented by vitamins, a habit stemming from his strict upbringing. Although Yamaoka previously ignored her romantic interest, Kurita convinces him to intervene. The group visits Nobuko’s home, where Yamaoka challenges the husband to a spinning top game, wagering that the loser must eat a meal prepared by the winner. After the husband loses, he reluctantly agrees to the terms. Yamaoka and Nobuko prepare a tonkatsu dish using high-quality ingredients. Despite initial resistance due to his rigid past, the husband honors the bet and tearfully discovers a new world of flavor through the meal.
- 21EP 21
American Chef Jeff Larson Seeks Apprenticeship Under Sushi Master Oofuji
Mar 20, 1989Jeff Larson, an American chef, visits Touzai Chief Tanimura to find work at a Japanese restaurant and improve his skills, bringing his own knife. Tanimura directs him to the West Coast restaurant, where the sushi chef prepares sashimi with showmanship. Jeff critiques the dish as below par, a view Yamaoka shares. Yamaoka challenges the chef to a chilled perch competition in a week. Yamaoka introduces Jeff to sushi bar chef Oofuji, who accepts him as an apprentice. Oofuji trains Jeff in proper knife usage by shaving daikon radish and teaches fish cutting secrets. A week later, Jeff wins the competition at West Coast but respectfully acknowledges the opposing chef's skills.
- 22EP 22
Mantaro visits Okaboshi restaurant where chef Ryouzou overcomes smoking to regain his position.
Mar 27, 1989Touzai News hosts an Impressionist exhibition, prompting Mantaro Kyogoku to loan a Renoir painting. Chief Tanimura invites Mantaro to the Okaboshi restaurant to express his gratitude. There, the talented young chef Ryouzou prepares the next course. They discover Ryouzou was previously fired from Kaibara's Gourmet Club due to criticism of his sashimi. When Mantaro requests the same dish, Ryouzou becomes anxious and steps outside. Upon his return, he cooks the meal, but Yamaoka detects cigarette smoke that has ruined the fish's flavor. Ryouzou quits smoking, and Mantaro and Yamaoka arrange for him to secretly cook at the Gourmet Club. His first dish impresses Kaibara with its subtlety, leading to Ryouzou's reinstatement.
- 23EP 23
Touzai News guests visit Ueno sukiyaki restaurant after mix-up with owner
Apr 10, 1989Touzai News brings African Poet Amal Julah and his wife to Japan for a meal at Ushimatsu in Ueno, but they mistakenly enter the wrong branch. The young owner ejects them, forcing a visit to the correct location where the beef flavor disappoints. They overhear Kaibara criticizing the food as substandard, and his reaction to shabu-shabu is equally negative. Later, a chef from the first Ushimatsu attacks the owner, alleging inheritance fraud. Yamaoka advises the young chef to create a hybrid Rosanjin-style sukiyaki with shabu-shabu elements. Nakagawa invites Kaibara to taste the dish, and despite recognizing Yamaoka’s influence, Kaibara praises the result, securing the restaurant's success.
- 24EP 24
Kurita seeks help to resolve a ramen restaurant dispute between twin sisters' husbands.
Apr 24, 1989At her high school reunion, Kurita meets Mayumi and Masumi, whose husbands ran the Ryuryu-ken ramen shop. After receiving three stars from Ramen Mania, the brothers fought, leading Hakuryu to open a rival branch across the street. Kurita enlists Yamaoka, who agrees despite missing horse race betting, to assist. They visit Ramen Mania and meet an expert research team. The group evaluates both locations but finds the ramen unsatisfactory. Yamaoka proposes that Hakuryu cook noodles prepared by Koryu, which revitalizes the dish. The editor states the restaurant keeps its three stars only if Koryu makes the noodles and Hakuryu cooks. The following day, Kurita claims a big win at the races and treats the office staff to lunch.
- 25EP 25
Kurita and Yamaoka explore poultry farming to improve her grandmother's dining experience
May 1, 1989Kurita invites her grandmother to Torigen in Tsukiji for mizutaki, but the elderly woman complains that the chicken tastes inferior to the past. After Kurita shares this at work, Yamaoka takes her to a large poultry farm where she witnesses poor bird treatment and antibiotic use. They then visit a small, free-range farm run by an acquaintance of Yamaoka. Kurita returns her grandmother to Torigen, where Yamaoka serves a meal prepared with free-range chicken, delighting the old woman. The restaurant owner explains he uses factory-farmed birds due to lower costs. Consequently, the Kurita family begins raising chickens in their own backyard.
- 26EP 26
Inamura explains his dietary restrictions to the Ina Gourmet Club members
May 8, 1989Shuji Itayama asks Yamaoka and Kurita to clarify why Inamura, a member of the Ina Gourmet Club, selects ingredients but refuses to eat. The pair interviews Inamura, discovering he is a knowledgeable connoisseur of Japanese and French cuisine who deeply loves his ailing wife. To test his resolve, Yamaoka hosts a club meeting at a Chinese restaurant and serves Fó tiào qiáng, a rich soup reputed to tempt even Buddha. Contrary to expectations, Inamura eats the dish enthusiastically. Kurita reveals she spoke with Inamura’s wife, confirming he promised to avoid restaurant meals until she recovers. Inamura admits the truth and apologizes to the group for his previous behavior.
- 27EP 27
Cultural clash emerges as staff and activists debate Japanese whaling traditions and sustainability.
May 15, 1989News reports on protests against Japanese whaling inspire deputy director Tomii to crave whale meat, leading the Culture Department staff to a Shibuya restaurant. There, they encounter Kyogoku and Kaibara, but the meal is interrupted by protesters, including Jeff Larson. Kaibara angrily leaves, criticizing Japan's failure to protect its traditions. Later, Kurita and Yamaoka take Jeff to Kyogoku’s estate in Osaka, where he is served sashimi. Jeff praises the flavor but condemns the practice as barbaric upon learning it is whale. Kyogoku defends it as cultural heritage, while Yamaoka argues that killing whales is no different from other animals and cites IWC data showing growing populations. Jeff mentions an upcoming visit by Watt, an anti-whaling vice president, before arriving agitated at work the next day.
- 28EP 28
Mr. Watt threatens sanctions while Kakumaru defends whaling at a bunraku performance
May 22, 1989Mr. Watt tells Jeff that whaling is unimportant but useful for painting Japan as barbaric to raise environmental funds, threatening US sanctions to ban it. Yamaoka and Kurita interview journalist Matsukawa, who sets up a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Kakumaru. The minister dismisses them, prioritizing trade over whaling. Later, Kaibara meets Kakumaru at the Gourmet Club, leading to an invitation to a bunraku performance with Mr. Watt. During the reception, a puppeteer notes the wires are made of whalebone. Mr. Watt angrily declares whales more important than art. Kakumaru counters that whalebone could be imported from the US, which also hunts whales. After a heated argument, Mr. Watt leaves, while Kakumaru reaffirms his support for continued whaling.
- 29EP 29
A Trip to Izu Shirakawa Onsen with Tomii and the Staff
May 29, 1989Tomii arranges a company excursion to Izu Shirakawa onsen for Touzai News, only to discover that Akasaka, manager of rival Teito Shimbun News, has reserved the same location. While Touzai staff stay at a small guesthouse, Teito occupies the new Tropical Hotel, which has purchased all local seafood. Local fisherman Matsu, a friend of Yamaoka, offers hamanabe hotpot as an alternative. The Touzai team enjoys a beach evening, but Teito staff miss dinner after evacuating due to a fire. Touzai employees assist in the rescue, and Matsu and Yamaoka save the managers before sharing their meal with the rivals. The following morning, Yamaoka guides everyone to Matsu's bamboo forest for fresh takenoko sashimi.
- 30EP 30
Yamaoka recruits retired athletes to save a struggling udon shop from gangsters.
Jun 5, 1989Yamaoka and the Culture Department Flower Trio visit Chikaraya, a traditional udon restaurant, after the final day of Ozumo. Although the noodles are excellent, rude gangsters have driven away customers. Later, Yamaoka prevents Otani, a young sumo wrestler, from jumping off a bridge due to his slow progress and limited role as a chef. The following day, Otani visits the Touzai office, where Chief Hideo Tanimura introduces him to judo competitor Oyama. Manager Maehara of the sports division then presents Ouma Ginkichi, a wrestler. During lunch, these athletes reveal their retirement. Yamaoka arranges for them to work at Chikaraya. They resolve the gangster issue, and their physical strength and enthusiasm become ideal for crafting elastic, soft noodles, leading to the restaurant's significant success.
- 31EP 31
Kyogaku judges ayu tempura contest between Yamaoka and Kaibara while hospitalized.
Jun 12, 1989Hospitalized after a fall, Kyogaku complains about the food until Yamaoka promises ayu tempura upon discharge. Kaibara challenges Yamaoka’s cooking skills, leading to a taste test judged by Kyogaku at Tōyama’s residence. Yamaoka selects sweetfish from the Hozu River, while Kaibara chooses fish from the Shimanto River near Kyogaku’s childhood home. Although others find the dishes similar, Kyogaku is moved to tears by Kaibara’s preparation, declaring it the best he has ever tasted. Kaibara explains that cooking is an art that stirs emotions, not just a matter of skill. Inspired by this emotional connection, a contemplative Yamaoka resolves to incorporate this lesson into his Ultimate Menu.
- 32EP 32
Uda opens a hamburger stall after leaving Gourmet Club, facing initial customer rejection until he learns bread pairing from a sushi chef.
Jun 19, 1989Uda, a Gourmet Club chef, quits to open a hamburger shop, angering Kaibara who views this as wasted training. Head chef Nakagawa and Uda meet Yamaoka, where Uda explains his goal to create food appreciated by the masses rather than a select few. With Yamaoka’s assistance, Uda opens a street stall, but customers dislike the hamburgers despite the high-quality meat and condiments. Puzzled, Uda visits a sushi restaurant with Yamaoka. The sushi chef serves various types, including tuna belly, but the dish fails because the tuna and rice do not complement each other. This experience reveals Uda’s mistake: he failed to select bread that pairs well with his burgers. After changing the bread, his stall becomes highly successful. Uda sends a hamburger to Kaibara, and the day before opening, Nakagawa arrives with pickles, indicating Kaibara’s tacit approval.
- 33EP 33
Kurita and Yamaoka help Miyoko cook home-style meals for her husband
Jun 26, 1989With payday near, Touzai employees frequent the canteen more often. Kurita reconnects with former college classmate Miyoko Kasada, who seeks divorce after three months of marriage due to suspicions of her husband’s infidelity. To investigate, Kurita treats Yamaoka to dinner in exchange for assistance in tailing the husband. They observe him visiting a home-style restaurant for three hours daily before returning home. Miyoko later serves them food prepared from cookbooks and microwaved. Yamaoka clarifies that her spouse prefers traditional home cooking over exotic dishes. He instructs Miyoko on preparing uzume-meshi using fresh ingredients. Consequently, her husband begins returning home early each evening to enjoy her homemade meals, resolving the marital tension.
- 34EP 34
Koizumi learns about awabi variety while resisting Yamaoka's requests regarding Tanimura
Jul 3, 1989Touzai News editor-in-chief Kyōichi Koizumi pushes for a pop culture shift and plans to oust director Tanimura, prompting objections from Yamaoka. After criticizing the slow progress on the Ultimate Menu, Koizumi insists raw abalone is the only proper preparation. Yamaoka challenges this view by showcasing cooked and dried varieties, eventually convincing Koizumi to visit the Shima peninsula for abalone steak. Koizumi acknowledges his error in judging the ingredient's versatility. Despite Yamaoka’s plea to spare Tanimura, Koizumi dismisses him angrily. Tanimura later informs the Culture Division he retains his post, revealing Koizumi compared Yamaoka to abalone. While Yamaoka views this as a compliment, Tomii interprets it as a jab at Yamaoka’s unrequited feelings for Kurita.
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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.