This is my first experience with josei manga (although, shoujo could also be referred to this manga) - and what a rare treat it is! Now being adapted into a 12 episode anime after previously been made into a J-drama, as well as a Korean live action movie, Antique Bakery is, itself, an award winning manga first published in 1999. The characters themselves are as mismatched a bunch that I have ever seen: A homosexual pastry chef, a former boxing champion turned apprentice, a "self-styled" ladies man, and Chikage. Watching how these characters interact with each other is really what makes thismanga so great and worth reading. And is definitely one of the reasons why I enjoy it so much. That, and that it's a refreshing change from the kind of manga that I usually read.

The only complaint that I have about Antique Bakery is the length of the manga, as it's only 4 volumes in length - it's have really liked if it had been a longer running manga. But at 23 chapters, it's not too bad. Artistically, the manga is, well, pretty nice to look at. Especially when considering that all the main characters are all men. That and all the cakes - even if they are illustrations. The art may be liner - but it's well detailed and very nicely composed. It's amazing to see how easily the character's expressions change from one panel to the next. It may be fair to say that the variation in styles between the characters is probably the manga's "saving grace". However, its also quite easy to see that this manga is especially aimed towards the female populous. You couldn't miss that fact, even if you tried. Despite all the humor that this manga contains, there are other, more serious issues at hand here too.

If josei (or shoujo) manga is something that you enjoy reading, then be sure to give Antique Bakery a try. Even if this is something new, I really think that other readers could actually enjoy it. It does, however, go into detail about homosexuality (nothing graphic) relates issues, as well as references to kidnapping. So, if you have something against homosexuality, then maybe Antique Bakery just isn't for you.