The Law Of Ueki, Volume 9 Book

The second Yakitate!! Japan volume taps the brakes after a whirlwind first volume. This is probably advised, just from a normal story arc viewpoint, but the first half is a bit of a struggle, leaning heavily on these untranslatable puns rather than the competitive action we get a taste of in the first volume. Luckily that competition angle returns for the second half, so the volume ends on a high note.

Still, its appeal as a love letter to baking, while mixing in humor and strong characters, stands strong. Even if we're missing the genius of the original Japanese puns, the whole tone feels like a lighthearted wink at the reader; it doesn't matter if the identifiable jokes fall flat in English, the characters themselves are funny simply by how they think and act. Even a slower volume like this remains endearing.