As time passed, Food Wars! had gathered quite a large following, and the story was now progressing to what was known as the "first hell" of Totsuki Culinary Academy's high school division—the lodging training camp. This arc had allowed the plot to rapidly unfold.
By now, the series was receiving heaps of positive feedback, especially from the numerous food vloggers who praised it highly.
Every time a new chapter was released, these vloggers had plenty of material for their videos.
Compared to Cooking Master Boy, the dishes in Food Wars! were actually achievable, and quite a few of them turned out to taste pretty good when made in real life.
For example, the "Mackerel Burger Set," the "Grilled Horse Mackerel with Cabbage Puree and Sichuan Pepper," and the "French-Style Braised Cabbage Rolls" were all praised by various vloggers after trying them out.
Moreover, the series didn't only feature normal recipes.
There were also the legendary "dark dishes."
Things like "Grilled Squid Tentacles with Peanut Butter" or "Honey-Marinated Squid Legs" were some real nightmare fuel for viewers but attracted a good number of curious onlookers.
Thanks to these food vloggers spreading the word, the manga became even more popular among food lovers.
Word-of-mouth spread quickly, and the number of readers kept growing.
Aside from those in the culinary community, there was plenty of discussion about the manga in general.
Many readers had started affectionately calling the protagonist "the King of Medicine." Jokes about the manga being a sort of "aphrodisiac adventure" were taking root in people's minds. Of course, not everything was praise, and as the series continued, there were also a few critics in the comments section:
"Shameless."
"Fanservice manga."
"Poor character development."
Comics are often most popular among young people, and young readers are quick to react. So, when these negative voices arose, the fans inevitably fired back, leading to heated arguments.
Some even started to criticize the manga for its portrayal of women's reactions, calling it disrespectful.
The backlash from female fans was intense; their "combat power" wasn't just a joke. It could even take down big games like League of Legends in heated discussions.
But this time, they picked the wrong target.
The Porter was a big name with a massive fan base full of young people.
His works appealed to both male and female readers, creating a very broad fanbase.
As soon as these criticisms appeared, many loyal fans of the Porter stood up to defend him.
Sure, these fans often criticized the Porter in their own way, but deep down, they genuinely liked his comics, even if he sometimes liked to mess with them with unexpected twists.
After all, his stories were just that good.
And so, faced with this new wave of complaints, fans fired back:
"Anyone who actually reads the manga knows that the explosive reaction to food happens to both guys and girls, regardless of age. The Porter is fair to everyone!"
"Yeah! They even had an old man's clothes fly off after eating a dish. Are we supposed to start protesting about that?"
All in all, whether people liked this setting or not, at least when anyone mentioned food and clothes exploding, Food Wars! was what came to mind. That alone was a success in its own way.
In reality, those who enjoyed the manga far outnumbered those who disliked it, and the series was pulling in some seriously impressive stats.
Meanwhile, Katekyō Hitman Reborn! was nearing its conclusion as Food Wars! continued to soar in popularity.
It must be said, the later parts of Reborn! were incredibly captivating. Elements like the "Box Weapons," the "Real and Fake Six Funeral Wreaths," and the incredibly powerful antagonist Byakuran pushed the series to new heights. With the Future Arc now wrapping up, readers couldn't stop discussing it.
This arc was, without a doubt, the most intense battle in the entire series so far.
The protagonist Tsuna and his team faced their strongest opponent yet—Byakuran.
He had the GHOST, an alternate version of himself from another world.
This GHOST could absorb others' flames and transfer all that absorbed power directly to Byakuran.
In short, this made him a nightmare for the heroes.
Had the shadows of the First Generation Vongola not appeared on the rings to recognize Tsuna and his guardians, unlocking the rings' true power, Byakuran would have won.
"At the end of the day, wherever you go, everything seems just like scenery."
Byakuran's final words left many people with conflicted feelings.
The characterization in Reborn! was done remarkably well.
Every character had a distinct personality.
Even Byakuran, who barely appeared early on, left a deep impression on readers as the final boss.
At first glance, he seemed like your typical evil villain—aiming to dominate the world and become its new ruler.
But in the context of Reborn!, this ambition didn't feel out of place.
After all, Byakuran had the power to see through dimensions, making him aware of almost everything happening around him.
Byakuran could share knowledge and thoughts with his alternate selves in parallel worlds, allowing him to access vast amounts of information.
This overwhelming influx of knowledge left him feeling disconnected from ordinary life, consumed by an endless sense of boredom and emptiness.
Thus, he sought to conquer the world merely for fun!
That's right; as he himself put it, everything was just scenery to him.
This mindset earned Byakuran a measure of sympathy from some readers.
However, Byakuran's belief in his own omnipotence was also his downfall. When the First Vongola Family appeared out of nowhere, even he was caught off guard.
Despite his power, this unexpected twist led to his defeat.
However…
"Did Uni really die?"
In the restored future, Uni was gone for good. Reversing the timeline and sealing the Mare Rings came at a heavy cost—Uni from this world had to disappear forever!
"No way…"
"Why does the Porter keep doing this?!"
Many readers were in denial.
In their minds, just like Tsuna, they kept picturing the girl with the healing smile and a heart full of resilience.
Even though Uni seemed to live a happy life, she had been bearing the weight of a terrible fate all along.
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