EPISODES: 69,  RATING: 13+, GENRE: COMEDY, CULINARY

It's 8 p.m. You're home after a long, exhausting day. You notice there is something on the dining table -- a loaf of bread. You pounce on it, not really caring about hygiene, in your ravenous state of mind. Your teeth sink into the crusty exterior of the bread, the delicious taste overwhelms your taste buds, and suddenly you're in heaven. Meanwhile, on earth your lifeless body is being examined by the policemen as they stand bewildered by your motionless figure and the loaf of bread in your hand. No, the bread does not have any poison in it. It's simply bread which takes you to heaven. Yeah, we went all 'what the hell', too.
“Yakitate!! Ja-pan” was originally a 25 volume long manga by Takashi Hashiguchi, which had been adapted into the anime series in 2004. The plot basically follows the story of a young baker, Kazuma Azuma who has a dream of making Japan's national bread, 'Ja-pan'. The series' name “Yakitate!! Ja-pan” means “Freshly Baked!! Ja-pan”. The word “Ja-pan” is a pun. Pan means bread in Japanese, so you see why the name of the national bread for Japan would be Ja-pan. Yes, another 'what the hell' moment.
Anyway, to realise his dream, Kazuma joins the famous bakery chain Pantasia, where he meets his co-worker and best friend/rival Kyousuke Kawachi. Kazuma has been shown to have the famous “solar hands” -- extremely warm hands, which are, for baking, a plus point. Along the way, like most anime, there are many competitions and challenges for our heroes. They meet up with new friends, encounter enemies and, obviously, bake some of the most amazing bread.

This anime has some eccentric characters, who will always keep you laughing. Watch out for Kyousuke and the food critic Ryo Kuroyanagi. There are references to other animes and media franchises, like “Dragon Ball Z”, “Zatch Bell”, “Naruto”, “BlackJack”, “Lord of the Rings”, “Gundam” etc. The animation isn't bad and the music is also pretty okay. Character design is good, although some of the characters' appearances tend to creep you out (Pyramid Guy). The show is pretty educational when it comes to baking, and they even teach you how to make bread easily.
This anime is definitely not one for intricate plotlines, extremely deep characters or slick action sequences. Some people find it ridiculous, but a lot of people seem to have enjoyed it all the same. Children especially loved the hilarity of it all. If you're looking for an anime that makes you laugh and teaches you how to make tasty treats, then this anime is for you. To be honest, the first half of the series is much more entertaining than the latter, which eventually becomes repetitive and predictable.
On a side note, the series won the 2004 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen manga. The sheer novelty of an anime and an award winning manga based purely on bread, of all things, might be worth checking out.