So beautiful, so lovely, just an all around wonderful book about people's love for sushi. I have loved sushi for most of my life and to see it so beautifully cast was amazing.

Docu-comics are not for everybody. I usually enjoy them, but this one, I will admit, was above my paygrade. The level of detail the author went into was _astounding_ - not just when it came to sushi itself, but also all the details around making it - the fishing, the wasabi etc. - and for people interested in that kind of minutiae, the book would be an absolute treasure. Unfortunately I'm not, so I was kinda bored at times, but that's an issue of mismanaged expectations, and in no way the fault of the book.

The artwork was gorgeous, and I loved how it was pretty much black and white - except for when it came to the sushi, where the colours came out to play. Very effective way of playing with the medium.

An amazingly detailed and well-researched book on sushi. Don't be fooled by the format. This book has tons of information and goes beyond fish since it also shows you the process for making soy sauce, sake, and sushi rice. You will learn a lot, but thanks to the format and the wonderful illustrations, it doesn't feel like a textbook or reference work. There's a story and a bit on sushi in France as well. Highly recommended for serious sushi lovers and Japanophiles.

I requested this book from NetGalley in an act of arrogance. I was curious how much there really is about the preparation of sushi that I didn't already know about. After all, it doesn't look that difficult! But I was quite wrong, and I've never been happier. Learning so much about sushi has never been more delightful!

There are three main things that I believe made this graphic novel so effective. The first was how much detail was included, the second was how thorough the research presented was, and the last was the effective use of presenting the information through a graphic medium. These three components made this graphic novel be the absolute best work it could be!

As I mentioned, the amount of detail in this book is absolutely astounding. From the lists of the different sushi forms, to the step by step guide of how different components that are integral to sushi are prepared, to the lists of items that were deliciously described at each restaurant or eatery, the overall effect was the same. I felt myself learning a lot and feeling like I was there experiencing everything that the author and his crew did. There's an art to conveying so much information without overwhelming the reader, and this book perfected that balance. While I did try to savor each page and piece of information, at no point did I find myself overloaded with too many facts or images. The detail in this book was truly masterful.

Then we have the thoroughness of the research. While you might assume from the title that the only deep dives this book contains are the elements of sushi and the history of sushi in Japan, that couldn't be farther from the truth! Yes, those two elements are the main focus of the book, but along the way we learn about different fishing practices, about sake and wasabi and nori, about the blades that are used to cut the fish, and the ceramics used to plate the sushi and hold the sake. The different sushi restaurants, from high end to everyday cafes, from traditional to modern, and from Japan to France, each added something to this book in order to help the reader gain the most complete understanding of all the little things that go into sushi making, and how they might differ from place to place and even store to store. At no point did I have a question about a process that wasn't talked about at some length in the book.

Lastly, we have the medium itself, the beautiful artwork! One of the things that I adored about this book was the use of color. Most of the story was in shades of black and white, but every so often there would be a pop of color, in a piece of sushi, on the sign of a building, on a fish in the market. These pops of color were so purposeful, and really helped the reader take notice of the important details! The stark contrast really worked to highlight the main element of each page! Since sushi has a very visual component in its preparation, I was excited for a graphic novel about sushi, but the actual artwork and coloring, truly made this book a wonder!

In all, I gave this book 4 stars! I had a fantastic time reading it, and would definitely recommend it to any sushi lover out there!

For what this is, it's good. It's a very thorough examination of sushi and everything that is used to make it, going through history and different production methods. Using the travelogue framework to tell a story makes it a little less textbook and slightly more like a story, but you need to be really into sushi, Japanese culture, or food history to really get everything there is to get out of this. I often found myself a bit bored, but that's on me, not the book.

While this is a graphic novel do not forget that it is primarily an educational resource on the history of sushi. Definitely a quick read to dip your toe into the history of sushi and it most certainly will spark some to start making their own sushi at home. The book was beautifully drawn and the artist sparingly used color to bring the fish to life in a very effective manner.

I got his book for free in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and NBM Publishing for the ARC.

I count myself among the millions who consider themselves lovers of sushi who long to visit Japan, so choosing to read this graphic novel was a no-brainer. I loved that this covered all aspects of sushi making and saki pairings. Alarcon meets with a few different sushi chef's from Japan who offer different dining experiences. There's the hard to find, upscale restaurant; the more casual restaurant with table service; people who prepare sushi in their homes, which can also double as a restaurant; and a chef in France who is bringing the most authentic experience possible to Paris. Alarcon and his crew also meet with fisherman, saki brewers, a soy sauce factory, and a wasabi gardener to show how complex it all is while telling the origins stories.

This book is full of information and I loved that the illustrations did not take away from the story. Alarcon uses color sparingly, and at the right moments, to draw attention to the beauty of the finished product.

Highly recommend for people interested in sushi, food, travel, and culture.

(I found two types in this book. One I did not bookmark, but the last panel on pg. 102 should read "The eel is ready to be cooked")

If you have a family member or friend that loves all things Japanese or sushi in particular, you can’t go wrong in gifting them The Art of Sushi.

The book tells the tale of how a French manga artist learns everything about sushi from two Japanese chefs and their suppliers. Any reader will learn new details about sushi and obtain a new respect for its creation. Best of all, recipes are included for some of the food described in the book including a Sake Mojito.

Overall, The Art of Sushi is a great choice to learn about sushi. 5 stars!

Thanks to Papercutz and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A beautiful book about sushi making with some very welcome and related digressions into the culture around the food. The art is incredible and the use of color really allows the food illustrations to shine. This is a French book about Japanese cuisine that will appeal to foodies everywhere. The inclusion of recipes at the end is a nice touch for anyone inspired to try making their own sushi dish.

This was an excellent book. For someone new to the world of sushi (eating, not making), it was so fun to learn some of the history behind it, in addition to procedure. And a graphic novel was the perfect way to learn! Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this very fun book!

This was so interesting! A graphic novel all about Sushi! You learn all about the different fish, how rice is grown, the different knives they use, the different parts and kinds, and so much more! All with a sort of story that goes along with it. I learned so much, I wasn’t expecting that! And the art was great too! I loved the use of color, and the art style. When I was done I was craving sushi so badly!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I randomly picked this up from Netgalley. I saw it was about sushi and was sold. I'm a huge fan of sushi. I honestly could eat sushi everyday. I barely know anything about sushi. This book really taught me a lot about it. Here I was thinking that all sushi was pretty much the same but there is so much more to it. Some sushi chefs will make sushi the traditional way while others will take a more modern approach. They all have different ways of getting the fish they use. They even prepare the fish in different ways. It was so interesting to read about. You also learn about other components that sometimes make up sushi. You learn about how nori is made and how the rice is grown. They even show us the process of how a popular sake is made. There are pictures for everything in this book. So if you like sushi don't read on an empty stomach. You will be drooling over the pictures otherwise.

*I just want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy of this wonderful book. This thorough visual guide through the history, tools, ingredients, preparation, and serving of sushi, along with the recipes and a list of recommended sushi restaurants at the end of the book, is a must read for everyone who enjoys sushi. I gained a deeper appreciation of one of my favorite foods as I learned more about the history and craft of sushi making.

Absolutely wonderful execution.
I love sushi and other Japanese food, so this intrigued me but I didn't necessarily think I would learn a lot of new information. It turns out that this author was able to capture the perfect snapshot of a trip to Japan. There are sections on shoyu production, types of knives, conveyor belt sushi, and so much more. Great balance in terms of giving enough information without spending too long on any one thing. I also really enjoyed how the art is primarily greyscale with pops of color reserved primarily for the food that is being highlighted.

The author flies to Japan on a gourmet quest to discover everything there is to know about sushi. Starting with the basics, he visits Mizutani, a famous, Michelin-awarded chef who serves it the traditional way. There is much to learn already in those first few pages. I didn't know that it is perfectly acceptable to just use my fingers to eat sushi. All those forms, all the different fishes and fish-parts! 

This documentary isn't narrated as a full text, but in the form of a beautifully drawn graphic novel. 

The next day, they follow the chef to a huge fish-market in Tokyo. I've learned much about a rapid slaughter technique Ikejime which is very important for preserving fish quality and also as a humanistic way for treating fish. The reader literally watches a tuna cut to pieces using huge Samurai blades.

Sushi isn't only about the fish, but also and mostly about the rice. Later on, the author will visit a rice farm and get to know about it. Before that, he visits Okada, a young chef who breaks the old sushi tradition - he serves for example Octopus Sashimi, pressed anchovy sushi, or grilled Shellfish. Directly after that visit, they get out of bed at 3a.m. and enter a fisher boat.

There are many other places they visit in those 165 pages. Of course, there's the Sake brewery, soya sauce makers, but also a ceramicist producing the sake cups, an eel fisher, a nori (the seaweed surrounding Sushi) farm, and a restaurant with running-sushi. 

This book is comes exactly at the right time as a last-minute Christmas gift! It's informative and fun to read.

A complete and comprehensive guide on what it takes to make traditional and amazing sushi. The information is relayed in graphic novel format, making it easier to understand and dive into. The images were fantastic but after the first few topics, I got a little bored. There were deep dives into two sushi masters and then the individual components of sushi production (fishermen, sake makers, rice growers) and while the information was interesting, it got a little repetitive and dry. Still, I recommend this for foodies and those who love to learn about the tradition behind sushi and Japanese culture.

Great art, great info, but began to drag. Some of the text felt awkward, but that could be the translation. I'll suggest this to people interested in Japan or food manga

This graphic novel about the culinary art of sushi was amazing. The information was vast - from history and tradition to types of sushi and trends to accompaniments like rice and saki. The artwork was creative and engaging and lent itself to drawing the reader’s eye to the important elements of the frame. This book will make its way into my school library but may also find its way into my private collection.

If there is any industry even tangentially related to preparing, serving, or eating sushi, the creators of this book have found someone to interview about that. Lots of pictures and descriptions of people doing work with their hands, really satisfying and educational.

Unlike my teenager, I rarely read graphic novels/manga. However, drawings and bite size pieces (see what I did there?!) of information and dialogue were the perfect way to tell the complicated story of a seemingly simple meal.

The sushi we are shown goes from sophisticated high end sushi, through to innovative sushi and on to the simple homemade hand-rolled style. That’s just the final product though. We also learn about the production of nori seaweed sheets, of soy sauce manufacture, of sake, of the ceramics the meal is served on; how fish are caught and more humanely killed so as to preserve flavour and texture; how crucial the relationship between chefs and fish market traders is; of knives and how to use them. (Did you know that Maguro bocho and Oroshi bocho, the swords used to cut freshly caught tuna, are forbidden to be taken from the fish market? “However, they’ve been found among certain yakuza….”)

The drawings are predominantly black and white with splashes of colour to highlight the food. The text is a mixture of dialogue and information. Together, they make a feast of a book!

Thank you to Papercutz/ NBM Graphic Novels and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this fabulous book.