May You Have Delicious Meals

Original title: おいしいごはんが食べられますように / Oishii Gohan ga Taberaremasu youni

Language: Japanese

Completed in: 2022

Synopsis:

Nitani, company employee who works in a suburb area of Japan, thinks food should simply serve to fill one’s stomach. He somehow starts dating Ashikawa, his coworker whom he disrespects for her weakness and inefficiency. Unlike Nitani, Ashikawa emphasizes the importance of eating well. She brings homemade food to work, and everyone seems to appreciate it. Meanwhile, a coworker begins to have some interest in Nitani. Her name is Oshio. She started working there one year after Ashikawa but she’s immediately known that she will be easily better at work than Ashikawa. She doesn’t like Ashikawa, because everyone tolerates and treats her better simply due to how she appears—weak and inefficient. So, she suggests Nitani that they bully Ashikawa together. By following Nitani and Oshio’s point of views, we gradually discover how they come to think that way, which leads to a surprising ending.

Publisher’s biography: Kodansha

Founded in 1909 in Japan, Kodansha is one of the leading publishers in Asia. We are currently increasing international live-action projects such as Drops of God (France) and many more.

Author’s biography: Junko Takase

Born in 1988. An up-and-coming author deeply influenced by Sayaka Murata (1979-). Recognized in Japan as a “Post-Murata” author with both youth and talent. Many point to the way that that many of her works reflect on the oppression faced (primarily by) women in modern society as a similarity to Murata. However, while Murata is known for writing wildly fantastical developments, Takase prefers to write in a more realistic tone, painting a vivid picture of the grotesque aspects of Japanese society.

Type of IP: Novel
Rights Holder: Kodansha Ltd.
Rights Available: World-wide