Danica Davidson
July 17, 2023 
Papa and Daddy’s Home Cooking is a relaxed, slice-of-life manga involving families and food. The two main characters, Sengoku and Harumi, are suddenly in positions of being single fathers to young children. Sengoku’s ex shows up with a daughter he didn’t know existed and leaves her with him. Harumi’s wife left both him and their son. Now the two men are living together and trying to make things work.
The manga isn’t a BL or yaoi, or if it is, it’s a real slow burn for these characters to become a couple. (Other characters in the manga do confuse them as a couple, and since mangaka Yuu Toyota is also behind the BL manga Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard!?, it’s an easy mistake to make.) No, it just seems like two fathers living together out of necessity, and they’re both opposites. Sengoku decides that they’ll do a good cop, bad cop thing. Harumi, who is always kind and gentle, is the good cop, while the hot-heated Sengoku is the bad cop. But as the manga continues, we get to see Sengoku gradually becoming a better father and not always being so hot-headed. And we see why, even though Harumi is so kind, his workaholic lifestyle seems to have driven his wife away.
The kids are picky eaters, and because Sengoku is not well-off financially, he does the cooking and cleaning for the household. It’s an issue finding meals the kids will eat, and this leads to cooking class. Several meals get made in the manga, and as a nice touch, their recipes are included in the back for anyone who’s interested.
While the food is the title’s focus, the book isn’t just about eating. It’s also about watching the characters grow in organic ways. There are heartfelt scenes, and some scenes where everything is gotten across through imagery and not dialogue. This is a calm, decompressing read about family life and the meals that bring them together each day.
Story & Art: Yuu Toyota
Publisher: Mangamo
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
