There are countless old anime that you will never and **even more** that you will never even hear of in your lifetime. Plenty of these obscurities purely exist because they have simply faded away from the public consciousness due to their lack of quality. Ippon Bouchou Mantarou is a rare exception, an old anime you don’t see discussed in even the deepest circles that absolutely deserves to be remembered.
I’ll admit, I never would have known it existed myself unless I saw it pop up when searching for [Ippon! Again](https://anilist.co/anime/136435/Ippon-again/) when it was airing and had its name pop up alongside it. My curiosity piqued, I went to look up the show and found very little but [a single review](https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=408312) that described it as “a gem hidden in the rough.” This was enough for me to check it out and it was absolutely worth it. So now, it’s time for me to inspire you to do the same!
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##Why Watch Ippon Bouchou Mantarou
###What Is Ippon Bouchou Mantarou About?
Kazami Mantarou, a young and aspiring chef, wants to prove to his father that he has the cooking skills to take over the family restaurant. [Wait, doesn’t that sound familiar?](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/67/68/74/676874c0463cdd2c657c1997fc002464.jpg) That simplification isn’t quite fair as there isn’t a weird battle cooking highschool to attend in this one.
Instead, Kazami actually enters wagers and competitions set up by a business giant that owns tons of family restaurants across Japan as he wants to not only prove his own skills but be able to learn more so he might earn his father’s respect. While there are a few over-the-top moments involving onion chopping or garnishing food with the literal fauna and flora around you, the show is remarkably grounded at points. Quite a bit of it discusses cooking techniques and theories that everyday people could actually use and there are moments where food history in Japan is discussed (with the story focusing on preserving it).
###Let’s Face It: Food Wars Has Problems
Look, I’m not the first person to have some complaints about Food Wars despite adoring the show. Maybe for you, the ecchi “foodgasms” were just a bit too over the top. Maybe you just wanted something more grounded and realistic while still having just enough wow factor in moments to be surprising and incredible. Or heck, maybe like many, you simply lament that the series seems to go further downhill with each season released.
### A Low Time Investment To Watch
All those problems I listed? You won’t run into them in *Ippon Bouchou Mantarou*. The series refuses to overstay its welcome, if anything you’ll be upset that this only got two thirty-minute episodes when you finish it just like I did. But let’s face it, many cooking shows are extremely massive in length and people are busier than ever these days. So this low time investment to watch is a bonus.
###[The End of an Era](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSANTmM8gDQ&ab_channel=eudes)
A simple and brief history explanation for those who don’t know: In the 1980s, thanks to readily available and reasonably priced VHS as well as a massive economic bubble in Japan, tons of studios put out OVAs for their anime adaptations. That bubble, like any other, eventually burst, leading to the release of OVAs becoming more and more of a rarity going into the 1990s.
*Ippon Bouchou Mantarou* was released in 1991 and I promise there is a reason this still got made when the money for OVAs was drying up. I promise that Yoshio Takeuchi, a man who worked on and directed historically significant/iconic anime like [Space Cobra](https://myanimelist.net/anime/2451/Space_Cobra), [Attack No.1](https://myanimelist.net/anime/1550/Attack_No1), [Aim for the Ace!](https://myanimelist.net/anime/313/Ace_wo_Nerae_1979), and [Takarajima](https://myanimelist.net/anime/2618/Takarajima) ([another show I’ve suggested checking out](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/110q4l9/wt_takarajima_a_legendary_70s_swashbuckling/)) decided to direct it. Why other incredible talents like [Akira Mano](https://myanimelist.net/people/48086/Akira_Mano), [Hidehito Ueda](https://myanimelist.net/people/22587/Hidehito_Ueda), and [Noriyoshi Matsuura](https://myanimelist.net/people/27853/Noriyoshi_Matsuura) also signed on. They created something truly unique and special that deserves more than it has gotten.
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###Links For Those That Want Them:
[MAL](https://myanimelist.net/anime/6384/Ippon_Bouchou_Mantarou) | [AniList](https://anilist.co/anime/6384/Ippon-Bocho-Mantaro/)
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##TLDR
*Ippon Bocho Mantaro* is a hidden gem about competitive cooking that had incredible talents behind the helm. Its vibes are unique, you won’t find anywhere else — it isn’t Food Wars, it isn’t [Yakitate!! Japan](https://myanimelist.net/anime/28/Yakitate_Japan), it isn’t [Chuuka Ichiban!](https://myanimelist.net/anime/110/Chuuka_Ichiban) **it is Ippon Bocho Mantaro and you will not regret giving it a watch!**
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