Light Novel Review: Cooking with Wild Game Volume 1

Similar to its story quality, Cooking with Wild Game Volume 1 is noteworthy for offering authentic characters and strong personalities. Starting with Asuta, his personality is that of a helpless, easily-startled teen with zero knowledge of this new world. He believably lacks common sense as it applies to the forest’s edge and this world, yet he never lets it overwhelm him. He remains observant and willingly relies on Ai Fa, even if he feels unnecessarily guilty about it. His narration is pretty funny at times too, bringing his brand of light-heartedness to a situation that can easily overwhelm, stress, or even terrify. In his entirety, he is a believable character. It’s natural to understand his emotions and thoughts, and as such, easy to become immersed in his tale. And, he’s easy to empathize with; one who is acutely aware of his shortcomings, yet keeps striving forward for the sake of those he’s relying upon.

However, Asuta also has a quirkiness to him, and it’s taken too far a bit too often. At times, he comes off like a cliché anime character. For example, he’ll refer to Ai Fa as sir or captain, though thankfully Ai Fa threatens him to stop. He can also seem like an outright ass by using such humor, since those around him have no idea what he’s going on about. For this type of joke to occur once or twice is tolerable, but to keep pushing it only hurts Asuta’s personality. There are also moments where he can be overly fearful or terribly self-demeaning, again for humor, but it diminishes him. Lastly, some of his inner thoughts are uncomfortable. As I said above, he overthinks women’s appearances, especially when he starts over admiring Ai Fa, or those times when he describes and contrasts her appearance versus her personality. These monologues can become long, muddled, and awkward to the point that they reflect poorly on Asuta’s character.

As for our heroine, Ai Fa, she possesses a more complex personality than we’re first led to believe. At the start, she is someone who has closed off her heart and displays an emotionless façade, due to her hunter’s mentality and her ostracization by her people. Yet, when Asuta shows up, she slowly begins to open herself up, as no one, not even the toughest of hunters, can truly shut themselves off from others forever. And so, she starts lowering her guard around Asuta, which segues into showing more affection to Rimee and Jiba Ruu when they enter the story. We get to see that along with the strength and determination of a hunter of the forest’s edge, Ai Fa is actually quite kind, and has caring and empathetic sides. She has her flaws too, some of which make her a more endearing character. Sometimes she just doesn’t know how to react to her own feelings or fails to hide what she’s feeling, giving her moments of pure innocence and charm. I’d say she is as easy to cheer for as Asuta, and it’s a pleasure to witness her steady transformation.

Not all of her character traits are a positive, however. As I mentioned earlier, Ai Fa tends to use physicality on Asuta. Whether it’s because he’s said or done something uncouth, intentionally or not, he’ll end up on the receiving end of a punch, kick, or hit to the face. She’ll also react similarly when given a compliment by Asuta. Again, an aspect of her personality is that sometimes, Ai Fa just doesn’t know how to react. However, physicality as a means to demonstrate this discomfort or embarrassment is something I find cliché and crass. I get it, it’s supposed to be a funny way to show a childish or inexperienced side of Ai Fa. And, it does serve to remind us readers that these are two young adults with much growing to do, yet Ai Fa’s brutishness can be intense and stressful. Overall, I feel this element of Ai Fa’s character does more harm than good, failing to add any charm or cuteness to her as intended.

As for the supporting cast, many whom will become reoccurring are introduced this volume, and they receive surprisingly notable development. I’m especially impressed with Rimee Ruu, the eight-year-old who literally pops into the story and initiates the interactions between the Fa and Ruu clans. She’s a ball of energy who doesn’t hold back her thoughts or feelings and is an excellent contrast to Ai Fa. She’s also an innocent kid, which offers a degree of sociability when she interacts with Asuta for the first time. Lastly, her feelings toward her friends and family are heartfelt, as she displays this when requesting Asuta to help her great-grandmother, Jiba Ruu. Rimee Ruu is adorable and energetic, and I’m impressed with how well her character is developed in such a short span.

Other characters introduced include the other members of the Ruu, and each receives enough development to establish their base personalities. The men, including Donda, Jiza, and Ludo, all possess an innate fierceness, whether it’s a lion-like pressure, quiet strength, or kid-like exuberance, respectively. The women, like Reina, Mia, and Rimee, are more open-minded to Asuta’s presence, ideas, and techniques. Reina Ruu stands out, as she is quickly enamored by Asuta’s skills, alluding to her own passion for and future pursuit of cooking. The stubbornness, doubtfulness, and hard-headedness can be felt from the hunters, as the women and younger members demonstrate similar caution and suspicion, yet thoughtfulness and consideration. And, there’s a shared quality of genuine care, love, and protectiveness amongst them all. The similarities show that these people are a tight-knit family, and yet each also receives development enough for their own unique personalities and distinctions to shine, which I find an impressive feat for a first volume.

A final thought regarding Volume 1, I very much appreciate the artwork included within its pages. The story is a fairly vivid one, full of depth and detail, so having such expressive art certainly raises that vividness to another level. Having visual references for the characters and specific aspects of the story is also helpful and aids in immersion. I also appreciate just how many pieces of art are included, as it’s more than I typically expect for a light novel. The many depictions of the key elements and the details they provide really help to solidify the foundation for the series.

Cooking with Wild Game Volume 1 is a curious, entertaining read which accomplishes much for a first entry to an extended series. We see the start of a fantastic tale in which a teenager trainee chef will use his culinary skills to bring new strength and opportunity to a forest-dwelling community. We are introduced to that chef, Asuta, along with Ai Fa, his new clan head, and a charming group of characters who will shape, and be shaped, by each other. A cooking themed slice-of-life story with lighthearted interactions and humor, Volume 1 surprises with its depth, complexity, and willingness to integrate these lighter tones with conflict, intimidation, failure, and the honest struggles that come with primitive living. A few missteps regarding characters’ quirks and actions, as well as translation and presentation do impact the overall experience. Even so, Volume 1 is a remarkable start to Asuta’s trial-filled journey to find his place in this new world as he strives to improve the livelihoods of his new family, friends, and adopted people.