Oishinbo - Vol. 33 Ch. 299 - The Breath of Spring

[MangaDex]

 

[Mugiwara325]

Now here's an interesting development. Yamaoka has now been told, to his face, about Kurita's feelings for him. He's brushed it off, but it's pretty clear the revelation has shaken him somewhat.
As for Kinjo, he's now decided to take on a more proactive role (sort of. It's 'more' proactive but he's still trying to stage things rather than be upfront). It does make him more slimy, but I personally think it makes his character more interesting and gives him a proper role to play in this web of love. I also appreciate that they're having this conversation during rugby practice. It's a nice callback.

A bit of translation trivia: This chapter is the only one to share its name with another unrelated chapter, at least in Japanese. This chapter is titled 'The Breath of Spring' (春の息吹), but the title was used once before in Volume 6 Chapter 47, which is also titled 'The Breath of Spring' (春のいぶき), just written with hiragana. I decided to slightly change up the Volume 6 one because (1) I don't want to have two identical titles in English and (2) the Volume 6 chapter was using 'spring' poetically as the promise of a next year, rather than a promise of love, so it felt right to adjust the title to reflect that.

 

[thirtykei]

Are they gonna marry in this volume?

 

[77BLc9JwJGpLVARkamJx]

Never like asparagus, too hard to eat and tasted meh, even made my piss smell really bad.

 

[SonnyShizuku]

Seems like you forgot to put asparagus name in Japanese?

 

[Mugiwara325]

Seems like you forgot to put asparagus name in Japanese?

Asparagus is just called 'asparagus' (アスパラガス) in Japanese. When the name is the same like that, I usually don't list it in the Gourmet Notes.

Are they gonna marry in this volume?

Spoiler: Answer

No.

 

[Babymech2]

I have to admit that while the romance plot moved forward by leaps here, the food challenge was just nothing. I enjoyed the asparagus recipes, but come on - when they were struggling with their respective talents their relationship was bad and now that they're more successful their relationship is good? One, Yamaoka really didn't do anything, and two, is this really supposed to look like a good and stable relationship? Theoretically I guess they're supposed to have matured, but nothing here says that they've grown as people, just as artisans...

Also as a minor point on the translation, I don't think I've ever heard of a lynchpin driving people apart - they typically hold things together.

 

[Mugiwara325]

I have to admit that while the romance plot moved forward by leaps here, the food challenge was just nothing. I enjoyed the asparagus recipes, but come on - when they were struggling with their respective talents their relationship was bad and now that they're more successful their relationship is good? One, Yamaoka really didn't do anything, and two, is this really supposed to look like a good and stable relationship? Theoretically I guess they're supposed to have matured, but nothing here says that they've grown as people, just as artisans...

Also as a minor point on the translation, I don't think I've ever heard of a lynchpin driving people apart - they typically hold things together.

Good point. Gonna have to replace that word, thanks for pointing it out!
'Final straw' should carry the meaning I'm looking for.

 

[10milestereo]

the rare Direct Communication... wow... i have no faith this will go anywhere with any reasonable speed but it's something!

 

[d_a_renoir]

I'm surprised nobody tried to make the kabayaki aspargus yet. It didn't seem like a particularly difficult item to make.

 

[friendly]

I like that we're finally seeing a clear and direct motive for why our man doesn't take any romance cues- he grew up with a horrible model of relationships, and worries he'd be like his dad. Which makes sense. He has kind of a bad personality; he impulsively broke his dads works, and likes to keep a strange schedule. I don't think he's RIGHT, but it's a very reasonable response on his part to just.... kind of choose not to find out.

However, I can see the shape of 'actually it made his mom really happy to sacrifice everything to further his dads career and way of living, and he loves and adores her In His Own Way' coming down the bend with the parental stuff and I'm not looking forward to it lmao.

Especially since no matter how you slice it, growing up around that was clearly kind of traumatic, since it's literally prevented Yamaoka from feeling like he can ever get married. (Let alone his dad trying to get him fired from this job etc). My suspicion is eventually Yamaoka goes Wow... it Was Like That... I Understand Now.

in like. 100 chapters. Such is oishinbo. Thank you as ever for your hard work translating this story, I really enjoy all of it's ups and downs! or... side to sides, maybe.