キッチンのお姫さま/Kitchen no Ohimesama 10
Kitchen Princess Volume 10 manga review

Kitchen Princess Volume 10 is now included in Kitchen Princess Omnibus Volume 4. It is out of print as an individual volume.

–> Purchase Kitchen Princess Omnibus Vol. 4 from RAKUTEN.COM (formerly BUY.COM)
–> Purchase Kitchen Princess Omnibus Vol. 4 from BARNES & NOBLE
–> Purchase Kitchen Princess Omnibus Vol. 4 from RIGHTSTUF!

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

After Najika’s confession to Daichi, she has a chat with the Director, who’s relieved that Daichi is starting to eat. Daichi returns to school but has to reject Najika’s feelings. Seiya tries to make a move but is blocked by Akane for not considering other people’s feelings. Meanwhile, Daichi and his father make up as Najika and Seiya prepare for their trip to Paris for a cooking competition. While in Paris, Seiya and Najika have a chat where Najika says she still loves Daichi.

Meanwhile, Najika’s guardian, Hagio-sensei, has a heart attack and is rushed to the hospital. Najika is reached in Paris and panics since she’s so far away and wants to be by Hagio-sensei’s side. Seiya remembers Akane’s words to him about considering others and arranges to get Najika home to Hokkaido immediately. He promises Najika to do well in the competition for her sake, which is happening on the next day. As Najika heads home, Seiya goes to the competition after taking a call from Akane which calms him down.

After getting to Hokkaido, Najika visits the recovering Hagio-sensei, who is sleeping. After checking in on the sleeping orphans, Najika learns that a boy had been helping watch them. Najika wonders who this was and goes for a walk down to the river that almost killed her as a kid. There, she finds Daichi and after a conversation with him, learns that he was the boy who saved her, thus making him her Flan Prince. He explains that until recently, he didn’t remember even ever being in Hokkaido. With that, he confesses his love for Najika, making her very happy.

Back at the hospital, Najika and Daichi visit Hagio-sensei and see Seiya on the TV, having won the competition with a dish he named after Najika. As they watch the interview with Seiya, he reveals that he used to make flan for customers at his family’s hotel. Thus it was that flan which Daichi got from the hotel and eventually gave to Najika as children. With that, Najika makes Daichi a crème brûlée and they finish things off with a kiss.

In the omake story, Akane deals with a bit of loneliness as Najika is at a cooking competition and Seiya is in Paris. When Akane gets a TV gig to make a dessert, she is close to failing when Seiya returns to save her with a dish he made.

Thoughts/Review: Heh. Man, this manga lays it on thick. ^_^;

For all three guys that were romantically involved with Najika, all three were considered to be her “Flan Prince” for some length of time. As such, these red herrings made the eventual (and in the end, predictable) making of Daichi the true Flan Prince have less meaning. After all, Sora claimed to be the Flan Prince for a while, then Najika thought that Seiya was because the flan he makes is identical to the one she had as a little girl. So Daichi saying he is the Flan Prince is anti-climactic. *_*

Ah, but this manga is for young teen girls and as such, I’m sure there was much rejoicing at Daichi and Najika kissing for real. Plus, there was an added sweetness to having Seiya and Akane become a couple.

Beyond that, I’m finding it difficult to write much else. Things cruised to pretty much the ending I expected with a detour of having Hagio-sensei have her heart attack. The Akane stuff, which I may have liked best, was a nice touch.

On the Del Rey side, the standard stuff is here to include Japanese honorifics, the translator notes, and recipes used.

I’ll try to write up some final thoughts in the coming days.