manga_9

Most Japanese children have likely been scolded at least once for bringing manga to the dinner table. However, we’ve found a creatively designed set of plates that make comic books an integral part of any meal.

This is your Throwback Thursday article of the week, your peek into the archives of RocketNews24 featuring articles from back when we were just getting started. We’d hate for you to miss any of the quality quirky news from Asia and Japan just because you recently stumbled upon our site. And if you’re a devout RN24 reader, thanks for sticking around! Enjoy this blast from the past! 

(Originally published on June 22, 2011)

These intuitively named Manga Plates are decorated with manga-style illustration and sound effects that bring a whole new level of excitement to eating.

Many of the plates feature sound effects that can make the dish appear much more dramatic if arranged properly.

We were particularly impressed by the grilled fish severed in two by chopsticks against a scream of pain: “Gyaaaaaa!”

These plates were actually designed as a final graduation project by Mika Tsutai, a product design major at the Kyoto Institute of Technology. Mika, who arranged the food in the pictures shown above and below herself, comments that her favorite piece is “Jyaan!”—the Japanese onomatopoeia for “Ta-da!”—as it conveys the clearest image.

Mika also comments: “I want to create things that will excite people,” and, if the chance arises, she’d like to try to work in a field that “doesn’t appear to have any relation to design.”

We’re looking forward to seeing what kind of interesting product this young designer will come up with next!

Pictures: Manga Zara (http://mika-tsutai.cdx.jp/)

▼ “Zuzu” (Onomatopoeia for slurping)

▼ “Shakiin!” (Onomatopoeia for cutting something cleanly in two)