Namida no Tantanmen (Teary Tantan Noodles) Oneshot Manga Review

Worn out by the world a young woman finds comfort

food and solace in a tiny Chinese Restaurant.

My Thoughts
Hands down Namida no Tantanmen is the best oneshot I have read in years. Oneshots have always intrigued me. Most of them are more like tantalizing tastes of a manga's potential. You read the oneshot then wish for more. Namida no Tantanmen doesn't leave you with an unfinished sense. For once this oneshot of 41 pages did what mangas with hundreds of pages often are incapable of: it told a complete story.

I cannot remember the last time I read a food manga. Food doesn't interest me much in reality. In Namida no Tantanmen the element of food is important but adds to the storyline not detracts. Part of the irony of the story is this Chinese restaurant doesn't actually have any noodles. This is one mystery which goes along with the character's owners. The wife

who always seems ¨weighed down¨ and a husband hidden behind kitchen walls. They once had a beautiful restaurant but circumstances tore it away leaving it a cruel memory.

The main character in this reminded me so much of many people I know. She doesn't like her job but like most of us, does it because it is a job. You need funds to survive aka a job even if this job is not your first pick. Strangely it is the troubles of the restaurant which is soon to close which give her a reason to go one with life. To search for something to give purpose to this life. Something unusual to most of us.

Though I believe this oneshot to be one of the best in

my book of reads it's art was a mix. I love the backgrounds of the city. They remind me of a watercolor. Details indicated by foggy lines give a look befitting the storyline. Mostly the characters are well done except for one detail which drove me insane. Side shots of the main characters face have the angle of the chin off for the rest of the facial details. If this was an artistic choice then I didn't like it. If it came from being a beginner artist then it needs a bit of modifying.

To the Reader
I loved this oneshot. I truly did and I believe you may feel the same. Now younger readers may not fully get just why this manga rings so true. You haven't hit the job ages which ends up making so many people completely jaded. Lucky you are living in the bubble which won't be cracked until the job struggles set in. No offense meant to you but it may strike your fancy more to check out reviews here like Orange Marmalade or Angel Beats or Alive-The Final Evolution. 

Details

Name(s): 涙のタンタン麺 ; Teary Tantan Noodles

Artist(s): Takahashi Tsutomu

Author(s): Takashi Tsutomu

Release: 2014

Chapter(s): Oneshot

Genre(s): Drama, Slice of Life, Seinen

Status: Complete

Anime: No