Toriko

Toriko
Firsttankōbonvolume cover, featuring the titular character, Toriko
トリコ
Genre	Adventure Comic fantasy Gourmet
Manga
Written by	Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	AUS:Madman Entertainment NA:Viz Media
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
English magazine	NA:Weekly Shonen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	May 19, 2008–November 21, 2016
Volumes	43
Anime film
Directed by	Mitsuru Obunai
Written by	Masaki Hiramatsu
Music by	Tomoki Hasegawa
Studio	Ufotable
Released	October 12, 2009
Runtime	28 minutes
Anime film
Toriko: Capture the Barbarian Ivy!
Released	October 23, 2010
Runtime	40 minutes
Anime film
Toriko 3D: Kaimaku! Gourmet Adventure!!
Directed by	Junji Shimizu
Written by	Isao Murayama
Music by	Hiromi Mizutani
Studio	Toei Animation
Released	March 19, 2011
Runtime	40 minutes
Anime television series
Directed by	Akifumi Zako Hidehito Ueda (100–147)
Produced by	Makoto Seino Naoko Sato Takashi Washio
Written by	Isao Murayama
Music by	Hiromi Mizutani
Studio	Toei Animation
Licensed by	Crunchyroll
Original network	FNS(Fuji TV)
Original run	April 3, 2011–March 30, 2014
Episodes	147
Anime film
Toriko the Movie: Secret Recipe of Gourmet God
Directed by	Akifumi Zako
Written by	Isao Murayama
Studio	Toei Animation
Licensed by	NA:Discotek Media
Released	July 27, 2013
Runtime	81 minutes

Toriko(トリコ)is a Japanesemangaseries written and illustrated byMitsutoshi Shimabukuro.It follows the adventures of Toriko, a Gourmet Hunter, as he searches for rare, diverse foods to complete a full-course meal. On his journey, he is accompanied by a timid chef who wants to improve his skills.Torikowas serialized inShueisha'sshōnenmangamagazineWeekly Shōnen Jumpfrom May 2008 to November 2016, with its chapters collected into 43tankōbonvolumes.

A short film was created byUfotablefor the Jump Super Anime Tour 2009, with another created for the 2010 tour. The manga has also been adapted into ananimetelevision series produced byToei Animation,which was broadcast in Japan from April 2011 to March 2014. Additionally, Toei developed a 2011 animated 3D short film and a 2013 feature film.

The manga series has been licensed for English release byViz Mediain North America andMadman Entertainmentin Australasia. Madman also licensed the anime series in Australasia, whileFunimationlicensed it in North America.Discotek Medialicensed the 2013 film in North America.

By August 2023, theTorikomanga had over 30 million copies in circulation.

Synopsis

Setting

The planet ofTorikois separated into two parts; the Human World(Nhân gian giới,Ningen-kai)and the Gourmet World(グルメ giới,Gurume-kai).The Human World is where modern civilization exists and occupies just 30% of the planet, the rest is the Gourmet World, which is inhospitable to most humans due to the strength of the wildlife and extreme climate changes. In the Gourmet Age(グルメ thời đại,Gurume Jidai),which began five centuries ago at the end of the hundred-year war, the taste and texture of food is extremely important. The International Gourmet Organization(Quốc tế グルメ cơ cấu,Kokusai Gurume Kikō)(IGO), maintains order and defends civilians from dangerous animals and gourmet criminals. Originally set-up by theUnited Nations,the IGO is now independent from them and holds more influence as it is composed of 360 nations.They apply a numerical rating from 1 to 100, referred to as Capture Levels(Bộ hoạch レベル,Hokaku Reberu),to most ingredients based on the difficulty of acquiring it.The IGO has a group of seven individuals with highly sensitive taste, called the Gourmet 7(グルメセブン,Gurume Sebun)or G7, that are in charge of assigning the star ranking of restaurants and the ranking of chefs.

Individuals known as Gourmet Hunters(Mỹ thực ốc,Bishokuya,lit."Gourmet Food Providers" ),who have usually trained their abilities to that of superhuman, are regularly hired by restaurants and the rich to seek high-level ingredients and rare animals. One can also increase their strength by implanting Gourmet Cells(グルメ tế bào,Gurume Saibō)into their bodies.Gourmet Revivers(Tái sinh ốc,Saiseiya,lit."Regeneration Providers" )are those who dedicate themselves to protecting ingredients from extinction or exhaustion, and who can also arrest people that partake in the transaction of illegal goods, violate poaching laws,or causes extinction of an entire species.

Plot

See also:List of Toriko characters

Toriko is a Gourmet Hunter searching for the most precious foods in the world so he can create his full-course meal. A man with inhuman ability, he utilizes his incredible strength and knowledge of the animal kingdom to capture ferocious, evasive, and rare beasts to further his menu. He is accompanied by the weak and timid chef Komatsu, who, inspired by Toriko's ambition, travels with him to improve his culinary skills and to find rare ingredients. Toriko and his friends often fight against the Gourmet Corps(Mỹ thực hội,Bishoku-kai),who seek to take control of the world's entire food supply and are looking for the highly sought-after ingredient GOD(GOD ( ゴッド ),Goddo),which the legendary Gourmet Hunter Acacia used to end the war that took place five-hundred years before the series began.

Media

Manga

Main article:List of Toriko chapters

Written and illustrated byMitsutoshi Shimabukuro,Torikowas serialized in the manga anthologyWeekly Shōnen Jumpfrom May 19, 2008,to November 21, 2016.The 396 individual chapters were collected and published into 43tankōbonvolumes byShueishabetween November 4, 2008,and December 31, 2016.Readers and fans of the series were able to submit ideas and designs for monsters and ingredients that appear in the manga.

At San Diego Comic-Con International 2009,Viz Mediaannounced they had licensedTorikofor English release.They released the 43 volumes from June 1, 2010,to August 7, 2018.The manga premiered in the February 2010 edition of a digital supplement available only to subscribers of Viz's printedShonen Jumpmagazine.When the printed magazine ended,Torikowas one of the launch titles of its digital successorWeekly Shonen Jump(originally namedWeekly Shonen Jump Alpha), starting with chapter 171 in its debut issue on January 30, 2012.TheTorikoandOne Piececrossover was sent out free to annual subscribers of the magazine who signed up before April 30, 2012.Madman Entertainmentreleased the first volume in Australasia on July 10, 2010,and have released twenty-six volumes as of April 10, 2015.

Shimabukuro collaborated withEiichiro Oda,author ofOne Piece,for a crossover one-shot of their series titledTaste of the Devil Fruit!!(Thật thực! Ác ma の thật!!,Jisshoku! Akuma no Mi!!,lit."The True Food! Devil Fruit!!" ),which ran in the April 4, 2011 issue ofWeekly Shōnen Jump.There is also a spin-off manga series titledGourmet Academy Toriko(グルメ học viên トリコ),written by Toshinori Takayama and illustrated by Akitsugu Mizumoto. It was serialized inSaikyō Jumpfrom December 3, 2010 to December 2, 2016,with the chapters collected into 9tankōbonbetween April 4, 2012 and December 31, 2016.

Films

A short film simply titledToriko,directed by Mitsuru Obunai and produced byUfotable,was shown on October 12, 2009 at the Jump Super Anime Tour 2009.It was streamed onWeekly Shōnen Jump's English website one month later.A second short, titledToriko: Capture the Barbarian Ivy!(トリコ バーバリアンアイビーを bộ hoạch せよ!),was shown at the following year's Jump Super Anime Tour on October 23, 2010.

An animated3D filmshort,Toriko 3D: Kaimaku! Gourmet Adventure!!(トリコ3D khai mạc!グルメアドベンチャー!!,Toriko Surīdī: Kaimaku! Gurume Adobenchā!!),produced by Toei Animation, was released in Japanese theaters on March 19, 2011 as a double feature with theOne PiecefilmOne Piece 3D: Mugiwara Chase.

A feature-length film,Toriko the Movie: Secret Recipe of Gourmet God(Kịch tràng bản トリコ mỹ thực thần の siêu thực bảo,Gekijō-ban Toriko Bishoku-shin no Chō Shoku Takara),was released in theaters on July 27, 2013.It was licensed in North America byDiscotek Media,who released the film on DVD and Blu-ray in 2018.

Anime

See also:List of Toriko episodes

In December 2010, it was announced thatToei Animationwould be adaptingTorikointo an anime television series in 2011.It is directed by Akifumi Zako and began broadcasting in Japan onFuji Televisionon April 3, 2011.It took overDragon Ball Kai's 9:00 am slot on Sunday in the "Dream 9" time-slot, airing beforeOne Piece.A cross-over special betweenTorikoandOne Piece,considered episode 1 ofTorikoand episode 492 ofOne Piece,aired as the series' premiere,with another between the two series airing on April 10, 2012, episode 51 ofTorikoand episode 542 ofOne Piece.A two-part hour-long crossover special betweenToriko,One PieceandDragon Ball Zaired on Fuji TV on April 7, 2013.Referred to asDream 9 Toriko & One Piece & Dragon Ball Z Super Collaboration Special!!,the parts are considered episode 590 ofOne Pieceand episode 99 ofTorikorespectively. TheTorikoanime ended with episode 147 on March 30, 2014, being replaced by the return ofDragon Ball Kai.

In 2011,Funimationannounced that it licensedTorikofor streaming in North America within four days after the Japanese broadcast. It premiered onHuluand Funimation's official website on April 14.Eventually, the series was rescheduled to stream within three days after the Japanese broadcast.Funimation began releasing the series on DVD with an English dub from January 8, 2013, which abruptly stopped on May 7, 2013, for unknown reasons.Madman Entertainment announced they licensed the anime for Australasia on February 3, 2013.

Other media

A book titledToriko Gaiden(トリコ ngoại vân)was published on October 2, 2009, consisting of an interview with Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro, the 2007Torikoone-shot, and other unrelated one-shots by the author.The guidebookToriko Gourmet Hunting Book(トリコ グルメハンティングブック)was released on November 4, 2011 and includes the original one-shot forTorikofrom 2002 and theOne Piececrossover chapter.A third companion book, listed as simply the 29.5 volume ofToriko,was released on June 4, 2014.

The television showSakiyomi Jum-Bang!created a Vomic, aportmanteauof voice and comic, of the first couple chapters ofTorikoin 2009. The segment has voice actors act over a manga series as the pages are shown on screen, Toriko was played byTakashi Kondōand Komatsu byDaisuke Kishio.

There have been fivevideo gamescreated byNamco Bandaibased onToriko.Two for thePlayStation Portable,Toriko: Gourmet Survival!(2011) andToriko: Gourmet Survival! 2(2012),and three for theNintendo 3DS,Toriko: Gourmet Monsters!(2012),Toriko: Gourmet Battle!(2013) andToriko: Ultimate Survival(2013).Toriko and Zebra are also playable characters in theWeekly Shōnen JumpcrossoverPlayStation 3andPlayStation Vitafighting gameJ-Stars Victory VS.

Reception

In 2009,Torikowas nominated for the second annualManga Taishōaward.The first and second collectedtankōbonvolumes, both released on November 4, 2008, were ranked 10th and 11th respectively onOricon's manga chart for their first week, with nearly 70,000 and 67,000 copies sold.It was the 10th best-selling manga series during the first half of 2011, with over 1.8 million copies sold.Torikowas the eleventh best-selling manga series of 2012, with over 3 million copies sold,and the thirteenth best of 2013, selling 2.8 million.In 2011,Namco Bandai GamesestimatedTorikowould bring US$25.6 million in toys for the 2012 fiscal year.The series had 18 million volumes in circulation by November 2013;over 20 million volumes in circulation by June 2014;over 25 million copies in circulation by November 2020;and over 30 million copies in circulation by August 2023.

Otaku USA's Joseph Luster calledToriko"an absolute feast for fans of beasts", not able to tell "whether Shimabukuro just comes up with everything on the spot or if it's all meticulously planned out", and said that the series' charm is "how it effortlessly applies classicshonentropes to such an outlandish world. "However, he commented that "The formula ofTorikois apparent right from the start in true shonen fashion[...] tougher and tougher creatures will quickly follow. "Deb Aoki writing forAbout.comalso praised the imaginative beasts and monsters of the series, as well as the occasional informational bits on the true science of foods, but called the art "grotesquely goofy."

Lissa Pattillo ofAnime News Network(ANN) calledTorikoan "in-your-face action story riding on the back of a gastronomic fetch-quest."She compared Toriko's design to that of characters fromDragon BallandFist of the North Star,and suggested this might deter some readers.ANN's Rebecca Silverman stated that "Shimabukuro has clearly devoted time and thought to crafting the story's world, as complex creatures, animal profiles, and distinctive landscapes attest.", and called his art an "odd mix of old schoolJoJo's Bizarre Adventure-style manly men and newerOne Piece-stylechibis."Carlo Santos, also for ANN, praised the action, saying "For over-the-top action, it's hard to beat the thrill of Toriko punching out a swarm of giant insects, or the creep factor of a villain who literally wears another human's skin.", and called the art one of the series' highlights.Reviewing the anime, Santos said "Fans will know what to expect in each adventure: ravenous strongmen flexing their superpowers, ferocious foes being slaughtered by said strongmen, and a rich, imaginative world full of impossibly delicious foods. But the simplicity of Toriko is also its downfall: there are no clever twists in store, the characters don't develop at all, either personally or interpersonally, and even the most calculating villains are just mindless targets waiting to be knocked down one by one. The on-again, off-again animation also does a disservice to the bright colors and creative designs of the series."

External links

• Official manga websiteofWeekly Shōnen Jump(in Japanese)
• Official anime websiteofToei Animation(in Japanese)
• Official manga websiteofViz Media
• Official manga websiteofMadman Entertainment
• Toriko(manga) atAnime News Network's encyclopedia