Glance Through: Toriko

*snort*

Okay... okay

This anime takes place in a world that really loves its food. And who can blame them? As far as I can tell, their entire world IS food, what with all the Donburi plants and beverage springs lying around. The people here love their food so much that a group of people (known as the Gourmet Hunters) can make their living (and fame) traveling  the world finding new ingredients, collecting (and killing) them and cooking them up into tasty side-dishes. (they also get news coverage.... It's serious business)

Our story follows the adventures of a particularly famed Hunter by the name of Toriko shortly after aspiring chef Komatsu informs him that the IGO (International Gourmet Organization, just go with it) needs him to hunt down a special Gararagator for a feast. After this adventure wraps up Komatsu decides that he'll be a better chef if he understands what food looks like before it hits the market.

It doesn't always look pleasant

And yes. He eats the whole thing.

The characters have already gotten a fair amount of  development and I'm actually pretty impressed. Toriko is really likable (and strangely philosophical)and Komatsu... I'm workin' on it. 

One problem I can foresee for this series going forward is the fact that you're really meant to care about the food. Don't get me wrong; I love food. But (for obvious reasons) I've never eaten the fruit of the Donburi Tree or the meat off a Gararagator, so I have a little trouble identifying with our characters' food-gasms. It's also a little hard not to laugh at the ridiculous lengths to which this guy goes for this stuff. The episodic nature of this show already shows signs of branching out into a more arc-based plot (complete with an evil food organization...)

Art wise: No bishies for this one, folks! It's bright, it's colorful, but the sparkles normally reserved for the pretty-boys only come out for the steaks. And muscle-mass actually means something in terms of strength. gosh

The Audio: Old-school is the word of the day here. The background music has a real savor of old-time shonen and it makes me feel nostalgia even though I'd never heard of the thing before. The opening theme is, get this, actually ABOUT the show! (can't REMEMBER the last time I saw that.)

The sub is the only version of this so far, and it's passable. I like Toriko's voice pretty well, but I know I'd like Komatsu better if his voice were different. He's always either really excited or bugging out, and at either extreme his voice sounds horribly whiny. He doesn't break your ears, but he makes me glad Funimation's got this on their portal.

This is recommendable to people who want some action, foodporn (kinda sorta), or just a break from complexity. It's very likable, but also extremely silly. The art is so old-school it's subversive, and it might even be a plus. (If it's a minus... you can deal with it, right?)

I might review more of this later... we'll see

-Please bear in mind that I've only watched 2 episodes (that's why it's a glance). I made some guesses, but I obviously don't know everything.

Man, I could use some chips.