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A review by shanaqui
Chef's Kiss by Jarrett Melendez
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Chef's Kiss is really, really cute. I like the art style, and found it very easy to follow what was going on, both due to the clarity of the art and a good layout. That's not always something you can take for granted (and depends strongly on your taste and visual comprehension skills), though it might sound like faint praise! I enjoy graphic novels, but being strongly non-visual, I'm not always the best at following them.
The cast of characters is fun: the main character is Ben, of course, who starts out looking for a writing job and then finally finds himself at the end of his tether, right in front of a restaurant that's hiring. He meets one of the chefs, Liam, who happens to be really cute, and then... then the weirdness starts. The owner of the restaurant seems reluctant to handle hiring, and to almost want to deter Ben, insisting he pass a series of challenges in order to work for them, judged by the restaurant's official taste tester.
The taste tester is a pig, Watson.
There are lots of silly bits surrounding Watson, but there's a serious core to the story. Ben has to struggle with what he really wants to do, with what he wants to be, and with what his parents want for him. Fresh out of college, he and the friends he lives with have their whole lives to figure out, including interpersonal issues. And, of course, he has a massive crush on Liam.
The whole thing is pretty light, all the same, with lots of cute moments between Liam and Ben, and between Ben and his friends. There's even a great scene with the owner of the restaurant that hits a strong emotional note -- though that's all I'll say about that. I found the story a bit ridiculous, at times, but fun.
The cast of characters is fun: the main character is Ben, of course, who starts out looking for a writing job and then finally finds himself at the end of his tether, right in front of a restaurant that's hiring. He meets one of the chefs, Liam, who happens to be really cute, and then... then the weirdness starts. The owner of the restaurant seems reluctant to handle hiring, and to almost want to deter Ben, insisting he pass a series of challenges in order to work for them, judged by the restaurant's official taste tester.
The taste tester is a pig, Watson.
There are lots of silly bits surrounding Watson, but there's a serious core to the story. Ben has to struggle with what he really wants to do, with what he wants to be, and with what his parents want for him. Fresh out of college, he and the friends he lives with have their whole lives to figure out, including interpersonal issues. And, of course, he has a massive crush on Liam.
The whole thing is pretty light, all the same, with lots of cute moments between Liam and Ben, and between Ben and his friends. There's even a great scene with the owner of the restaurant that hits a strong emotional note -- though that's all I'll say about that. I found the story a bit ridiculous, at times, but fun.