Summary
 

Toriko Volume 1 follows the story of none other than Toriko, a man who lives to hunt the best-tasting delicacies in the world. With a stomach that’s near impossible to fill (as the bonus story in the back indicates), and a nose that can smell not only flavors but quality of food, Toriko sets out on various adventures in an attempt to fulfill his number one dream: to create the perfect eight-course meal that could satisfy anyone, namely himself.
 
After reading the teaser for Toriko, I couldn’t help but laugh in delight at the premise. How absolutely silly, yet wonderfully so. Volume one introduces us to the almost outright-flaming minor character of Uumen Umeda, who is planning the menu for a large party of the world’s most important people. But of course the finest meat available won’t work: he wishes to have the meat of the impossible-to-catch Garara Gator! So, he sends one of his chefs, Komatsu, to commission world-famous gourmet hunter, Toriko, to catch this prey for them.
 
 
Highlights
 
The story for Toriko isn’t too serious, keeping things relatively lighthearted, and leaving plenty of room for attempts at humor that are either hit or miss (many of which may depend on the age of the reader). There are plenty of pop-culture references, including Star Wars, King Kong and even to Barrel of Monkeys, all of which at least induce a smile, if not a small laugh of appreciation. The artwork is the typical art for shonen manga: large, muscular men and huge monsters. No mention on if the women are stereotypically drawn with large breasts and tiny waists, because in Volume One there is hardly a woman in sight.
 
Although the story itself is quite humorous, I have not seen such blatant displays of ‘I am stronger than you’ since Dragonball Z. No monster is a match for Toriko, especially when he whips out his ‘Fork and Knife’ technique that easily brings down his opponents. In this world, the strongest monsters are said to be at a hunting level of five, but even by the end of it, Toriko is hunting beasts estimated to be at level nine, and still having next to no difficulty with them. The narrative constantly brags about his abilities and how utterly amazing he is, almost to the point of being tiresome.
 
Overall
 
In the end, Toriko is quite enjoyable. With no romance in sight, this first volume is filled with action, large monsters, bathroom jokes and plenty of food. The action could have been more intense, problems could have been more difficult and Toriko could at least have had a truly hard time with an animal to give the story more tension. But as a lighthearted comedy/action manga, it really was very good.
 
Comicsonline gives Toriko Volume One 3.5 Garara Gators out of 5.
 
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