What do you think?
Rate this book
きのう何食べた? [Kinō Nani Tabeta?] #4
What Did You Eat Yesterday? Vol. 4
Shiro turns down an offer to become a celebrity and Kenji's culinary adventures are reprised in a manga about a gay couple for mature -- in the true sense -- readers.
154 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2010
7 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Fumi Yoshinaga
157 books248 followersJapanese: よしなが ふみ
Fumi Yoshinaga (よしなが ふみ Yoshinaga Fumi, born 1971) is a Japanese manga artist known for her shōjo and shōnen-ai works.
Fumi Yoshinaga was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1971. She attended the prestigious Keio University in Tokyo.
In an interview, she said that "I want to show the people who didn't win, whose dreams didn't come true. It is not possible for everybody to get first prize. I want my readers to understand the happiness that people can get from trying hard, going through the process, and getting frustrated."
Little is known about her personal life. She mentions that her favourite operas are those by Mozart in the author's note of Solfege.
She debuted in 1994 with The Moon and the Sandals, serialized in Hanaoto magazine, but was previously a participant in comic markets.
Of Yoshinaga's many works, several have been licensed internationally. She was also selected and exhibited as one of the "Twenty Major Manga artist Who Contributed to the World of Shōjo Manga (World War II to Present)" for Professor Masami Toku's exhibition, "Shōjo Manga: Girl Power!" at CSU-Chico.
Outside of her work with Japanese publishers, she also self-publishes original doujinshi on a regular basis, most notably for Antique Bakery. Yoshinaga has also drawn fan parodies of Slam Dunk, Rose of Versailles, and Legend of Galactic Heroes.
Fumi Yoshinaga (よしなが ふみ Yoshinaga Fumi, born 1971) is a Japanese manga artist known for her shōjo and shōnen-ai works.
Fumi Yoshinaga was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1971. She attended the prestigious Keio University in Tokyo.
In an interview, she said that "I want to show the people who didn't win, whose dreams didn't come true. It is not possible for everybody to get first prize. I want my readers to understand the happiness that people can get from trying hard, going through the process, and getting frustrated."
Little is known about her personal life. She mentions that her favourite operas are those by Mozart in the author's note of Solfege.
She debuted in 1994 with The Moon and the Sandals, serialized in Hanaoto magazine, but was previously a participant in comic markets.
Of Yoshinaga's many works, several have been licensed internationally. She was also selected and exhibited as one of the "Twenty Major Manga artist Who Contributed to the World of Shōjo Manga (World War II to Present)" for Professor Masami Toku's exhibition, "Shōjo Manga: Girl Power!" at CSU-Chico.
Outside of her work with Japanese publishers, she also self-publishes original doujinshi on a regular basis, most notably for Antique Bakery. Yoshinaga has also drawn fan parodies of Slam Dunk, Rose of Versailles, and Legend of Galactic Heroes.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
June 18, 2022
Poor Shiro, it seems like he only ever gets invited to eat with somebody outside his household so they can gripe about their marriage or family life. Lol.
November 22, 2016
This series is so great. How does the author/illustrator depict such complicated, nuanced emotion and situation in just a few panels?
My one complaint for #4 in the series was: not enough time spent on story in each chapter. I wanted more melancholy and loss from the lawyer who remains so uncomfortable with being gay and only half 'out', more of the fun, unlikely friendship with the lawyer's food shopping buddy, more relationship development between lawyer and hair dresser boyfriends! I felt like too many panels were devoted to cooking and recipe, but that's directly related to my wish for more time with the protagonists.
Will I read the next edition? Absolutely!
My one complaint for #4 in the series was: not enough time spent on story in each chapter. I wanted more melancholy and loss from the lawyer who remains so uncomfortable with being gay and only half 'out', more of the fun, unlikely friendship with the lawyer's food shopping buddy, more relationship development between lawyer and hair dresser boyfriends! I felt like too many panels were devoted to cooking and recipe, but that's directly related to my wish for more time with the protagonists.
Will I read the next edition? Absolutely!
July 28, 2017
Shiro is really growing on me now that I'm starting to understand him a little better. And there are some super adorable moments in this volume.
May 22, 2018
I took my time reading this volume because of finals. Shiro and Kenji are wonderful together and I love seeing how they live their life and love each other while enjoying meals together.
January 6, 2018
4.0 Stars
Another super cute volume.
Another super cute volume.
![Profile Image for 小さな N (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)⊃ [_|_] ♡.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1611850887i%2F5476828._UX200_CR0%2C21%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 9, 2021
2021: I decided in January to finally continue reading this series this year and have resolved for myself to point out one thing that I especially liked for every volume. There usually is more than one thing that I enjoy but I want to try to pick out and focus on one and see how it goes for me.
I really loved Kenji and Shiro's inner monologues here. Kenji's like: "Shiro, I will never take you for granted." and Shiro's thinks, "I should value you more, Kenji."
########My old review will stay for now but please take it with a grain of salt because I see some things differently now.#########
2014: I'm really on the fence about this Manga (series). First and foremost this is, of course, a Manga about Japanese cuisine and I really like this part of it but it's also about Shiro and Kenji and I can't help but think that the way Shiro is portrayed is not very flattering. He comes across as unloving and self-centered most of the time. I mean he has his moments here and there but they barely make up for it, imho.
I'll continue reading this, but I sincerely hope for a gradual change of attitude in Shiro. I think the beginnings are already showing which is a start.
I really loved Kenji and Shiro's inner monologues here. Kenji's like: "Shiro, I will never take you for granted." and Shiro's thinks, "I should value you more, Kenji."
########My old review will stay for now but please take it with a grain of salt because I see some things differently now.#########
2014: I'm really on the fence about this Manga (series). First and foremost this is, of course, a Manga about Japanese cuisine and I really like this part of it but it's also about Shiro and Kenji and I can't help but think that the way Shiro is portrayed is not very flattering. He comes across as unloving and self-centered most of the time. I mean he has his moments here and there but they barely make up for it, imho.
I'll continue reading this, but I sincerely hope for a gradual change of attitude in Shiro. I think the beginnings are already showing which is a start.
July 8, 2017
Continuation of simple and sweet with much wonderful recipe filler. Realistic every day slice of gay food loving life in Japan.
September 19, 2017
Kenji cooking is basically my favorite thing. It's so different from watching Shiro. I love it!
January 5, 2024
This is just a really relaxing, very readable series, so I can see how it's gone on for so long. I suppose it's like traditional Sunday comic strips - For Better or For Worse ran for something like thirty years, without anyone waiting for a clear "end point." So a regularly published series about a middle-aged gay couple in Japan is actually really nice, and something to be happy about.
My main question is how there will be enough recipes to fill out 20+ volumes, but I'm not a very imaginative or inventive cook, so I'm sure that's not a difficult task for someone who actually enjoys that craft.
There isn't a huge amount to the stories in this volume: a few more instances of Shiro not wanting to be overly visible as a gay man, a cute chapter about Kenji being excited to finally take care of his overly independent boyfriend while he's ill, and a couple storylines about Kenji and Shiro both turning into confidantes for their employers.
Shiro's boss is having difficulties with her daughter-in-law, who's fulfilling the Ideal Housewife role that she had been criticized for diverging from in her youth - choosing instead to set up a successful law firm with her husband. But each generation has its own issues. Her mother thought she didn't take good enough care of her husband and that's why he got ill at a young age; she thinks her daughter-in-law is overfeeding her son.
I liked the quiet focus on different forms of feminism here, as well as with Shiro's friend's daughter later on - a woman who's been living with her boyfriend for eight years but sees no need to get married to have children.
This leads Shiro to ask Kenji how he feels about children. Kenji, unsurprisingly, has always wanted kids but is realistic about that not being possible for a gay man in Japan. Shiro, also unsurprisingly, has never even thought about children. I don't know if this will be a story element later on, or if they've just accepted what their lives are. I could definitely see Kenji spoiling a kid rotten, and Shiro teaching them how to cook.
I also really, really liked the end of this volume, when Shiro and Kenji both think about how much they value each other. (I liked, too, that Shiro complimented Kenji's bland, overly sweet, not very well thought out cooking. He's quiet and brusque but he cares a lot.)
It's very sweet and I'm growing to really appreciate this couple and their lives together.
My main question is how there will be enough recipes to fill out 20+ volumes, but I'm not a very imaginative or inventive cook, so I'm sure that's not a difficult task for someone who actually enjoys that craft.
There isn't a huge amount to the stories in this volume: a few more instances of Shiro not wanting to be overly visible as a gay man, a cute chapter about Kenji being excited to finally take care of his overly independent boyfriend while he's ill, and a couple storylines about Kenji and Shiro both turning into confidantes for their employers.
Shiro's boss is having difficulties with her daughter-in-law, who's fulfilling the Ideal Housewife role that she had been criticized for diverging from in her youth - choosing instead to set up a successful law firm with her husband. But each generation has its own issues. Her mother thought she didn't take good enough care of her husband and that's why he got ill at a young age; she thinks her daughter-in-law is overfeeding her son.
I liked the quiet focus on different forms of feminism here, as well as with Shiro's friend's daughter later on - a woman who's been living with her boyfriend for eight years but sees no need to get married to have children.
This leads Shiro to ask Kenji how he feels about children. Kenji, unsurprisingly, has always wanted kids but is realistic about that not being possible for a gay man in Japan. Shiro, also unsurprisingly, has never even thought about children. I don't know if this will be a story element later on, or if they've just accepted what their lives are. I could definitely see Kenji spoiling a kid rotten, and Shiro teaching them how to cook.
I also really, really liked the end of this volume, when Shiro and Kenji both think about how much they value each other. (I liked, too, that Shiro complimented Kenji's bland, overly sweet, not very well thought out cooking. He's quiet and brusque but he cares a lot.)
It's very sweet and I'm growing to really appreciate this couple and their lives together.
January 8, 2022
This volume had a bit more of a unifying element tying more of the stories together - in this case, this was the introduction of another gay couple into the story. But in line with the series as a whole, this isn't some big Western comic book story event, but just another element that may or may not come into the story when needed. And I do rather like this very slice-of-life approach to things.
Despite the seeming "lightness" of the narrative approach, we as readers have managed to learn a LOT about our protagonists and to some degree some of the supporting characters who have become part of the story.
Beyond the recipes and the foibles of leads, we're also getting a very interesting introduction to the nuances of how the Japanese live as LGBT individuals. And this is rather fascinating to me as it's pretty different from how things are here and probably in other countries.
Great feel-good reading all around.
Despite the seeming "lightness" of the narrative approach, we as readers have managed to learn a LOT about our protagonists and to some degree some of the supporting characters who have become part of the story.
Beyond the recipes and the foibles of leads, we're also getting a very interesting introduction to the nuances of how the Japanese live as LGBT individuals. And this is rather fascinating to me as it's pretty different from how things are here and probably in other countries.
Great feel-good reading all around.
October 28, 2019
It seems like these came out once a year in Japan, so this is the second volume in a row to feature a New Year's meal: soba this time. Shiro and I agree, soba is only worth it if you have tempura too, but Shiro's nervous about making tempura, of all things! Turns out he doesn't own a thermometer, which I, raised by a mother terrified of deep-frying, find to be the most useful tool of all? Come on, Shiro, you can shell out a few yen for the sake of delicious fried things.
The translation continues to be a bit iffy, for example, there's an exchange where Shiro asks, "Want simmered apples* on your toast?" and Kenji replies, "Totally want!" I mean, I know how the exchange went down in Japanese, but an enthusiastic "yes!" or "yeah!" or "definitely!" would have been more natural in English.
*also kind of a weird word choice
The translation continues to be a bit iffy, for example, there's an exchange where Shiro asks, "Want simmered apples* on your toast?" and Kenji replies, "Totally want!" I mean, I know how the exchange went down in Japanese, but an enthusiastic "yes!" or "yeah!" or "definitely!" would have been more natural in English.
*also kind of a weird word choice
October 21, 2022
This was interesting learning about Japanese gay culture. Apparently talking about food seasonings is(or was since this manga is kind of old now) seen as gay. I’ve seen in other manga where desserts are viewed as feminine, and it’s sort of taboo for men to enjoy sweets. They talked about how long term partners would adopt their partner so their inheritance and benefits would go to them and not homophobic family members.
February 28, 2025
what a peak volume. i love how it expands the world of the story - the gay couple, kayokos family, shiros boss, kenjis boss too. shiros headspace becomes so much clearer from this chapter on, hes very honest with himself and hes become more introspective. thats one of the credits i will alw give this series, that shiros development feels so real and genuine. #32 is sooo simple and beautiful truly the reason this went up to 5 stars
September 24, 2019
It is good and better than the earlier volumes of the series. I just wanted more on their relationship, I can see how happy they are to a degree; however I feel that there is a need for more than just a sense of setting on Shiros part. That is how I feel sometimes when I read him, I hope that in later volumes there will be a flashback detailing what got them together
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2022
I have finished my commitment of what I checked out from the library and I will not be continuing with the rest of the series. There wasn't enough actual story between full recipes for me to really want to continue.
November 30, 2025
I’ve grown to enjoy reading about Shiro’s and Kenji’s lives, and I’ve come to appreciate the fact that this is the first manga focusing on a gay couple that doesn’t take place in a school setting (!). Gotta try some of these recipes!
August 28, 2019
This is a cute, vanilla series. I wish I could try the foods he makes. Looks so yummy.
September 12, 2019
I can’t decide if I’d like the food in this manga or not.
July 11, 2021
I like how the side characters are developing their own stories.
And the simmered apples sound amazing! I can just imagine the autumn-y caramel-y aroma!
And the simmered apples sound amazing! I can just imagine the autumn-y caramel-y aroma!
July 20, 2021
Such a feel good series, and I really would love to try to make some of these recipes!
November 23, 2021
I can't stop reading these. My life would be complete if there was a cookbook of all the recipes. Oh and please bring the TV show to North American Netflix please please please!
April 13, 2022
While the "recipies" remain a focus in almost every reasonable way, the backstory between the boys is becoming more interesting and complex.
April 21, 2022
Delightful and endearing couple.
February 21, 2023
the last story was cute!
March 14, 2024
there's so much internalized homophobia in this series ;___:
July 17, 2025
literally why can't all domestic life manga be like this
February 28, 2025
I definitely enjoyed this volume than the last three! I love to see how their relationship grows throughout the each volume, and of course, the food they make. Though...why is the Hiro lcheating?? I would have dropped him as a friend.
July 28, 2021
I love how they both thought that they should never take each other for granted. My heart.
This is definitely such a slice of life and I'm really like the slow pace.
This is definitely such a slice of life and I'm really like the slow pace.
June 29, 2015
The food and relationship goodness continues in Volume 4. Shiro takes another turn at cooking, and we get to see Kenji's thoughts about this, which I find highly entertaining. Kenji continues to explore his thoughts about being openly (or not) gay, and what long-term relationships entail. The cooking segments seemed especially accessible in this volume, though that may just be me getting used to them. Good stuff!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews