Tokyo life starting with painting

What elements does a good food comic need?

Glowing food painted in a fancy way? The contrast between the exaggerated reactions of the surrounding onlookers to the food and the calm and relaxed feeling of the actor?

No, that's not right. These can only be said to be the interesting elements of food comics.

For Hosokawa Koharu, a must-have factor for a qualified or even excellent food comic should be - authenticity.

That's right, no matter how fanciful you are, no matter how fancy your paintings are, only if it is based on reality can readers have a sense of involvement.

In the eyes of Hosokawa Koharu, Higashinoji's "The Lonely Gourmet" is just such a comic, real and plain.

Yes.

Higashinoji did not draw a character such as a genius cook with great color, nor did he draw any colorful and glorious dishes.

Everything is very ordinary, the real Tokyo street scenes, real people and things unfold in front of Hosokawa Koharu like a travelogue——

Inokashira Goro is a dull middle-aged man who seems unreasonable.

He owns a grocery store in Tokyo, and while running around for a living, he often encounters some weird customers.

And today is also a normal day for Inokashira Goro.

"So, what kind of tea cup do you want to make?" Inokashira Goro said to the customer in front of him with a business smile.

The other party was his regular customer, but Inokashira Goro knew that this customer was a bit difficult to deal with.

"Ah, it would be best if it was a teacup with this style." The middle-aged customer smiled and took out a poster.

It was an abstract poster with lines and circles connected together, making it dazzling to look at.

‘What I’m most confused about is this style’

When he saw that it was an abstract painting, Inokashira Goro's dull face suddenly darkened.

"Do you understand?" The customer next to him asked him for advice.

Are you giving me a riddle to guess? I don’t understand this either.

At this moment, Inokashira Goro even felt that the other party actually didn't understand anything.

But the other party was a customer, Party A, so he suppressed a bitter look on his face and asked in a low voice after a while:

"That means it's this silent, quieter style, right?"

After hearing this, the middle-aged customer's face was obviously stunned, and then he nodded in concentration: "So that's it."

"Huh?" Inokashira Goro obviously didn't expect the other party to say that, so he was stunned.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, Goro-san, you are right. It's a very silent, quiet style." The customer came back to his senses and nodded in affirmation.

Well

Inokashira Goro was silent for a moment, without delving into it, and then took out his notebook to record: "So what exactly do you want to make the teacup?"

The customer paused again for a brief moment, and then happily held Inokashira Goro's hand: "That aspect is all left to Goro-san."

ah? Leave it all to me?

"Do you just do what I want?"

"Yes, just do whatever you want, Goro-san. Don't you understand this very well, Goro-san?" the customer added with a smile.

Just do whatever you want and it depends on you

These are the fatal requirements of Party A in daily work.

How do I know what you want?

Inokashira Goro's dull face did not change.

It’s just that the wrinkles on my forehead are deeper.

Looking at Inokashira Goro's doubtful appearance in the manga, Hosokawa Koharu couldn't help laughing.

It's obviously a very ordinary meeting between Party A and Party B, and Party A's customer makes a request.

It is such a simple plot, but it was restored by Higashinoji to be extremely absurd, but also very realistic. The entire reception plot is full of humor and ridicule.

That's right, there are such parties in the world who will make many demands for you that you don't understand at all.

'You have to do this first, then this, and finally this - do you understand? ’ There are actually many such parties.

Because of the truth, Hosokawa Koharu laughed out loud, but also because of the truth, Hosokawa Koharu inexplicably felt the pressure of working-class people living in modern society.

Yes, Hosokawa Koharu laughs at Inokashira Goro because she is not Inokashira Goro, but in Japanese society, how many characters are there who are similar to Inokashira Goro?

Even Hosokawa Koharu himself sometimes plays the role of Inokashira Goro, running around for life.

Looking at Inokashira Goro standing on the street in the original manga, Hosokawa Koharu felt as if he had become the other person, drifting with the tide on the isolated island of Tokyo.

The sense of immersion is very strong.

"It's okay, there will always be a way."

Inokashira Goro, who was standing next to the telephone pole, muttered quietly, seeming to comfort himself.

Then, he raised his head and suddenly looked towards the streets of Tokyo. His dull expression was tense, as if something unfortunate had happened suddenly.

This made the viewer, Hosokawa Koharu, feel nervous, and she quickly turned the manuscript in her hand to the next page.

This is a set of long shot storyboards.

Along with the three crisp sounds of 'dong, dong, dong', the lens is also stretching.

The first shot is a close-up of Goro Inokashira's face in a daze with his mouth half-opened and his eyes looking forward in confusion.

The second shot is a close-up of Inokashira Goro's entire body, stunned in place.

The third shot is a close-up of the entire street scene behind Inokashira Goro and in front of him.

Under such a serious long shot, Inokashira Goro finally spoke: "I'm hungry."

This sudden "serious yet funny" contrast breaks the previous sense of oppression of being made difficult by Party A's customers, making the overall flow of the story more relaxed.

At this time, Hosokawa Koharu also thought of the title of Higashino Tsukasa's comic - "The Lonely Gourmet".

Looking at Goro Inokashira in the manga, he is looking for a street store, comparing it repeatedly but still not making up his mind.

Hosokawa Koharu suddenly became nervous for some reason.

She even felt that Inokashira Goro, who was so serious about cooking, was a real gourmet.

And Inokashira Goro's meal seems not to be an ordinary meal, but to perform some kind of sacred ritual, giving people an inexplicable sense of ritual.

Can he find a good store? Is it possible to eat good food and relax in a busy and difficult life?

All this affects Hosokawa Koharu's mood.

Finally, Goro stopped at a small street shop called Washokutei.

In the cartoon, he looks proud and confident.

He was very happy to find a good restaurant.

It was like knocking down the giant of reality.

‘You can’t do anything to me. ’

In the manga, the way Inokashira Goro perks up when he discovers delicious food seems to be a declaration of reality.

And this also brought the first episode of "The Lonely Gourmet" to its climax.