Review: The Food Diary of Miss Maid, Vol. 1
A yummy and fun slice of life of a maid trying out all sorts of yummy/seasonal food!
One of my Kodansha 1.10 euro first volume book haul! This time a maid, food, and Japan! It was so cute!
In this one we meet Susume, a maid from a big big mansion set in Great Britain who is now in Japan visiting… well and now stuck. Because the mansion? It kinda got destroyed. Oopsie! And that means that everyone will have to either stay were they are (like Susume) or go to another place along with the master. For a year. Yep. And that means that Susume is staying in Japan, but instead of feeling scared/alone (yes, she is also at times feeling sad, but for most she is very happy) she goes out and finds yummy foods, gorgeous sights, and makes friends along the way. Each chapter features another food that our maid will be trying out. Mostly she will be getting them from stores, but there is also a chapter in which she makes tea for her neighbour/friend who has a bad case of hayfever (maybe I should try that tea as well). I really loved seeing which food was featured, we get items like melonpan, baumkuchen, dango, and others. I have to say I was really hungry at the end, haha. I loved her reactions to the foods she tried. She has such a cute face and some wonderful expressions. That is why I love food manga. Yes the food is perfect, but I am also 100% there for the reactions.
Susume was also a really fun character and I love seeing all the plans she has for her stay in Japan. I also love that, instead of wearing something different, she just keeps wearing her uniform. And that being a maid runs deep in her blood, haha. She just cannot resist. There was one panel in which you saw her true maid skill and I was just clapping. Haha.
I also loved seeing various places she visited along the way. From pretty parks to visiting her grandma in another part of Japan to just walking through the town.
The art was just so pretty! Sometimes a bit silly. But there were also some gorgeous panels that just had me go ohh! Some feature our maid, others feature food. OMG, the food! And the drinks!
At times she felt like really out of touch with the world. I mean, some things I would get, but not knowing how you eat certain foods? You can just figure that out, no need to grab a book for that girl. Just try it out and go with it.
But all in all? I really enjoyed this one and this whole volume was perfect for this season because it is all very much for the Spring season. I am curious what is next for our maid in Japan and if that other maid we saw in the last panels will be a good addition and join the fun! I cannot wait to continue reading this one!