What an odd story! I found myself being entranced by the world set up in this manga series. Half mad max, half Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi. Excited to see where the story goes from here!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Okay, so, this is a post-apocalyptic world, about 500 years after whatever screwed things up did its thing. Water is scarce, and life on Earth has evolved to adapt to this. Humans, however, don't seem much different, though we probably need less water? That part's not really mentioned. It's in this setting that we meet Gordon, with his crazy food truck.
While driving through a desert, Gordon almost runs over a bundle of... Arisa, a mysterious young woman wrapped in a sleeping bag-type thing, naked and asleep. He can't just leave her there, so he picks her up and puts her in the truck, and it soon becomes apparent that she's not your average person - she eats like an army, and has super-human abilities; it's no wonder the military soon comes looking for her. Gordon has skills of his own, and the pair manage to stay just ahead of the people after them, and find ingredients along the way. There's a nice balance between action and intrigue and the more mundane day-to-day survival, and we get a good feel for the characters and world in this first volume. Now, about the nudity: was it necessary? No. At the same time, it doesn't feel entirely like fan service; Gordon isn't phased by her nakedness other than telling her to put some clothes on, there are no Lucky Pervert moments, and Arisa isn't posing provocatively all over the place; I barely noticed it, to be honest. So, yeah, it's not integral to the story, but it also didn't feel sexualized to me. YMMV.
I enjoyed this one, definitely worth checking out!

#CrazyFoodTruckVol1 #NetGalley

This was totally bonkers. The sexy/sexist cheesecake aside, the idea of a postapocalyptic food truck, making recipes from mutant plants and animals is an amazing premise, and there is enough dark backstory for both main characters to set up what looks to be a fun series.

This is a WILD manga. First you have just an average food truck proprietor making his food for the hungry and paying customers, except it's the middle of nowhere and no one comes to buy food. After that, he finds a mysterious, naked woman and brings her onto his truck. She has some sort of powers, a mysterious history, and bottomless stomach. Thus begins a race away from the military police the food truck proprietor (I forgot his name) once belonged to and working to solve societal woes. It doesn't make sense entirely but the ride is half the fun.

This manga has a great story, characters and world. I loved it all. I cannot wait to read more.

5 out of 5 stars

A man in a food truck in a Mad Max-type post-apocalyptic wasteland travels in search of ingredients and patrons to serve. One day as he travels along, he finds an inflatable sleeping bag in the middle of the road with a naked, unconscious teen inside. Unable to leave her there, he brings her in and discovers she doesn't know how she got there or who she is, but she's very hungry and very strong. Also there might be an army looking for her.

This manga is completely delightful. It's a bit Run Lola Run, La Femme Nikita, and Mad Max mixed with Delicious in Dungeon at the same time, with this powerful teenage girl partnering up with a grizzly old man to catch creatures, make good food, and fight for the less fortunate while the army chases after them. The illustrations are kinetic and fun with great facial expression work. This is a great set up, covering a lot of territory in a first volume and I can't wait until there's more available.

There's a running gag about how Arisa does not understand why she has to wear clothes, which is a bit eyerolling and feels like it's just a way to have a topless girl wandering around, but other than that, I thought this book was amazing.

Crazy Food Truck was quite the interesting read. The title pretty much sets my expectations, something that would be crazy and somehow mesh that random factor into a food truck narrative. The outcome was hilariously both expected and unexpected to me. Of course I expected a crazy tale of a food truck driver and his interactions with the people and world around him, but the introduction of some elements of the story was, well, quite crazy.

Starting off as just a man and a food truck cooking some tasty dishes, I had expected potentially series similar to Isekai Shokudou (Restaurant to Another World), where food would be used as a platform for storytelling, similar to a family dinner table, but instead take a wild approach to some of the passerby’s narratives thereby making the food part of the wild adventure instead. The main pair, Gordon & Arisa, establish the crazy narrative from the start. Gordon is quite chill, relaxed, and more composed while Arisa provides a much more chaotic flair to the duo. The pair work together quite well despite very little understanding of each other in the first volume. Seeing these two interact together is very enjoyable to watch; the moments where these two work together in synergy, both in food and fighting , is great. The use of nudity is also more used to showcase the playful and innocent nature of Arisa and avoids any excessive fanservice most series are accustomed to. The action seems with both Gordon and Arisa are drawn very well and are fun to read.

Though, I feel the crazy nametag in Crazy Food Truck is too overwhelming right now. I feel as there are some parts of the story that just feel too random. There is a lot of interesting development as they describe the barren landscape and showcase more of the story, but I feel the introduction of this mysterious armed group chasing after them feels out of place, like it was just forced into the narrative. However, at the same time, I do want to admit that it feels in place as well because it would not be a crazy food truck without some crazy factor to it.

I look forward to seeing how the plot progresses. The setting is quite unique early on and honestly adds a unique factor to a series focused on food. The food they collect and how they interact with the world is quite different from other series I have watched. I absolutely love the main characters introduced so far. There is a lot the series can provide in the future with more time to progress in the story, and I’m all for that.

- Jay “Shirocast” Galiza

I really enjoyed this first volume of Crazy Food Truck. We got to see a little bit of what's going on but there's still a ton of unanswered questions. I like not knowing everything that's going on in a book. I can't wait to see all of our questions answered in the coming volumes! I also really enjoyed having the recipes that were used throughout the book compiled in the back of the book. Overall, this is an interesting first volume and I'm looking forward to volume 2!

It's cute, and a brisk read, but the nudity is completely gratuitous and unnecessary, and women only seem to serve as props.

4.5/5 Stars

I finished this manga at lightning speeds--it was so much fun to read! I'd definitely recommend this series to those who enjoyed food manga set in another world such as Delicious in Dungeon and Drifting Dragons. In Crazy Food Truck, however, there's more of a post-apocalyptic, sci-fi feel. All of the land Gordon covers in his food truck is covered in sandy deserts and whatever remains of human civilization might have existed at some point. Even when he finds a town, you can see dunes settled around buildings that are in rough shape, and the townsfolk aren't in the best shape themselves. The only law around seems to be ex-militia and the actual military roaming around. Doesn't help that the military seems to be after Gordon and the random, constantly hungry girl he picked up in the desert. Can't a guy just enjoy selling delicious food?

I loved the unique animals present, and explanations on how they evolved with the land. Between learning about the creatures themselves and how Gordon best prepares them, it really helps to build up the world without taking a ton of exposition to do so. The answer of how the world ended up this way remains a mystery, and I like it that way! It'll be fun to explore in later volumes--along with why exactly Gordon is on the run, and why Arisa exists...

The artwork in this volume was fantastic. Gordon cook sizzling bacon, slurping delicious ramen, and preparing fried squid burgers were all drawn beautifully. I had to go out and buy a BLT to eat for lunch after finishing the volume because of how good everything looked. Fantastic use of screen tones and well-drawn food.

The action scenes flowed perfectly, and it was great seeing a middle-aged main character in a manga who can really fight back. Same for Arisa, who has her own wild way of fighting that suits her energetic, rambunctious personality. Plus, with each fight we get another glimpse into the the possibilities about both of their pasts.

The reason I docked this book half a star is because if the author wanted to turn Arisa into fanservice and have her run around topless or naked most of the time, he should have made her an adult. I have no idea why he would make her a minor if he wanted to draw this constantly.

Looking forward to the next volume.

Crazy Food Truck has lots of things I like....a post-apocalyptic setting, a grouchy protagonist, weird food stuff, and just enough mystery to keep things going. It also has a constantly-naked, constantly-hungry teenage girl. Not my thing, but whatevs.

This was a solid first volume. It set the tone, had some laughs, had some action, and sets things up for a longer story. I enjoyed the art a lot. Just the right volume of detail.

It took me about 20 minutes to read this. I'd read more.

This was a bit of a weird. From the premise and cover I thought I would LOVE this first volume. But truth be told, it was just a bit meh for me. There were some cool moments, but most of it fell a bit flat for me. I had reviews and thought "well I'm sure the girl being naked can be overlooked" but it has to be said that she just gets naked for zero reason and it's not even effective in terms of comical effect. I do appreciate that Gordon is just like "bruh put on some damn clothes" instead of perving, but I still wish if they were gonna get her naked they'd at least turn into a funny recurring joke or something. Instead it just felt random.

I guess I'm intrigued enough that I might continue on with volume two if it's ever available as a proof, but I wouldnt go out of my way to get them.

Crazy Food Truck Volume One focuses on the owner of a food truck in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Crazy Food Truck Volume One
Written by: Rokurou Ogaki
Publisher: Shinchosa Publishing Co.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: May 17, 2022

Volume One opens with a man in his food truck making a BLT sandwich, but we quickly learn he’s making the sandwich for himself because he hasn’t had any customers. Which isn’t surprising when it comes out that he lives in what looks like a post-apocalyptic world. One day, as he’s traveling, he almost runs over a naked girl who’s sleeping in a sleeping bag in the middle of the road. He takes her in, and quickly learns that she’s a glutton. It also takes a while for him to finally convince her to put on some clothes.

While on their travels, they are stopped by members of the military, who are looking for the girl. She surprises everyone by taking on all the military men and easily defeating some of them with strength. The two are chased in the food truck, but it turns out the truck isn’t just a normal food truck… it’s got weapons. With these, their pursuers are defeated.

We learn that the girl is named Arisa, and that the man is named Gordon Goliath. It turns out they’re both on the run from the military. Unfortunately, for most of the volume it’s not known exactly what each of their stories are or why they’re being pursued by the military. By the end of Volume One, the reader gets a better idea about Gordon, but there’s still some vagueness surrounding Arisa. But before we get these reveals, the two have some adventures that allow them to start getting to know each other better, with one of the adventures leading to the military finding the two of them. By the end of the volume, Gordon and Arisa seem to become a team, so it appears this series will be focusing on the two of them on the run in the food truck while being chased by the military.

There is one particular member of the military focused on here, a man named Major Kyle. I found him to be a rather annoying character, but he’s the one who has a connection with Gordon. Kyle’s attitude and behavior were off-putting to me, but I guess he needed to be that annoying to make it clear to the reader that he’s going to be the main antagonist.

One thing I found a little bothersome with the art is the fact that Arisa, the main female, is either depicted nude or in “fanservice” panels in most of her appearances in this volume. According to a line of dialogue from when the military asks Gordon if he’s seen Arisa, she is about 17 years old. If that age is correct and she really is a minor, then I find these panels of her to be on the creepy side. If I knew for sure that Arisa was legally an adult, then this depiction wouldn’t bother me nearly as much.

Speaking of Arisa, I’m glad to see that she’s a physically strong character. However, I didn’t really like the depiction of her being such a glutton and trying to play this off for some humor. While I don’t find Arisa to be nearly as annoying as Major Kyle, I still found myself having a hard time warming up to her as a character. Since she’s one of the two protagonists, this isn’t a good thing. By not warming up to her by the end of Volume One, I’ll have a harder time caring about her as a character if I read future volumes of Crazy Food Truck.

By the time I finished Crazy Food Truck Volume One, I found myself feeling kind of “meh” about it. I think there’s an interesting idea going into this series, but I found that the execution of the idea isn’t working as well for me as it could have. If I’m given the opportunity to read the next volume of Crazy Food Truck to review it, I wouldn’t turn it down. However, after reading this volume, this isn’t a title I would try to chase down on my own. In a lot of ways, I hope I am provided the opportunity to read a digital review copy of the next volume, so I can see whether the manga stays at the level it’s at, or if perhaps the narrative starts improving with the next volume.

Ok, so a brand new manga, you probably feel it is a dime a dozen these days. But hear me out, Crazy Food Truck is worth your time. It is a combination of things that should not work but ends up working terribly well. Plus it has fan service, Ah, now I've got your attention. As with most, we come for the fan service and end up sticking around for the story, and this even though it is early days might be a story you don’t want to miss. Well, as stated previously this feels like a concept of a lot of different things, that should not actually work together. We have Gordon a middle-aged man, with a marvelous mustache. He has the look and feel of a hard man, you know the type, is strong, independent, and pays attention to every little detail. Knows how to handle himself in a fight. But, then you also get to see the father figure in him, that has compassion and patience. Throw in a world that is drowned in sand and water is a scarce commodity. To fish flying around and being caught in the sands. Then we jump to the scarce beauty of Arisa, who is seemingly always naked. On top of that, you have this militia out trying to capture her. And then it is also about food and the preparation and appreciation of it.
Yeah, I get it, it feels all over the place. But somehow the writer finds a way to make everything transition into one other and it is brilliant. The pacing of this manga is tremendous never feeling too fast but also not being slow and cautious. The fighting scenes work and are not over-detailed and easy on the eyes. This could possibly be a future great, but it is still early days should it stay on course this will be a fantastic ride.

*I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
This book has left me wanting more, I can’t wait to read how this story continues! This story was fun and moved at a nice pace. Running a food truck in a post-apocalyptic wasteland is tough and it gets even more complicated when the driver picks up a naked woman in the middle of the road. Now he has to find food to make, customers to sell it to and try to keep the new woman from eating it all. This story picks up quickly as the military starts chasing after the truck. It is because he doesn’t have the right food license or could it be due to the new companion? I don’t want to give anything away. If you like adventure comics, recovering memory characters, surviving in post-apocalyptic worlds, action/fighting, and food this is a story for you.

The premise of this manga sounded great. Food truck owner Gordon stumbles across a naked young lady in the middle of the desert. After she's eaten him out of house and home, he finds out that she's on the run from the militia. Suddenly they're on a race across this apocalyptic world, staying one step ahead of the law while looking for new customers to serve.

It feels like this focuses entirely too much on the naked body of a seventeen year old girl, to the point where it completely hijacks the story. It's so much gratuitous fan service, that it detracts entirely from the main plot. If she's not running around in the nude, then she's leaving a wake of destruction in her path. I find it very difficult to find this character even the least bit likeable. In fact, it makes you pity the main character even more.

Gordon is living the dream: making boatloads of BTLs or Squid burgers to sell on his food truck. His only problem? There aren’t many customers to be found in this war-torn, post-apocalyptic landscape. One day, on his way to find some customers, Gordon narrowly misses running over an air-conditioned sleeping bag in the middle of the road. Inside the bag is a naked woman who is ravenously hungry. Gordon brings her aboard the truck and sets out some food and water, which she devours instantly. She proceeds to the devour all of the BTLs he made, plus pretty much all of his other provisions, prompting a trip to the desert ocean where he can fish for wildlife that has evolved since the oceans dried up. Later, Gordon and his new companion help a town being held hostage to make beer at a brewery, and the military catches up with them. Both Gordon and Arisa seem to have a past with the military, and this shared adversity makes them deadly fighting partners against the trained soldiers.
There are so many post-apocalyptic stories coming out right now, but this one is set apart in its inclusion of food manga tropes. The back includes all of Gordon’s recipes, like many food manga do, and there are many comforting images of food and folks enjoying what they’re eating. Arisa is naked more often than not, and the “boss” of the brewery has many women attending him that he treats as sex toys, so this is probably not one for the school shelves. The focus on Arisa’s naked or clothed chest is obvious - most illustrations of her include an angle from which her bosom is largely featured. Aside from the objectification of her bits, she is an extremely skilled fighter and pretty powerful - she knocks dead a giant squid with one well-placed karate chop. There might be some more serious notes coming in further volumes, especially with the mystery of Gordon and Arisa’s past, but even if it’s just two folks going around trying to feed people, I’m ok with that too. This was a fun adventure and a little bit different of an apocalypse story that has sort of worked into my brain and made me intensely curious for what other shenanigans the two can get into.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Adult

This will be a hard review to write.

Gordon has a food truck in a post-apocalyptic future. He looks for food to sell to customers. One day he runs into a woman named Arisa and takes her on board his food truck on his adventures. She is frequently nude, hungry, and violent. She is sometimes adorably drunk.

This is a post-apocalyptic story so I signed up for weird. I'm okay with the weird. For instance, the seas are gone, so they go fishing in the desert for sand creatures that evolved from sea creatures. I thought that was hilarious and well-drawn.

Also, I know that post-apocalyptic stories feature loads of violence, which I enjoyed. The action scenes are great!

There was enough of a mystery set up to intrigue me.

BUT! And I hate adding this...I just don't understand the purpose behind all the nudity of the main female character. I suppose it could be justified in the subsequent volumes, but right now it seems, like gross pandering.



Thank you to NetGalley for a preview copy of this manga.

I don't think I'm the target audience for Crazy Food Truck, but the story hit the ground running and the first volume sets itself up nicely for the next. The world it exists in looks like a post-global warming desert landscape where seafood is now sandfood; it was probably the most interesting part of the book for me. This would be a tough sell for school libraries with the gratuitous nudity.

This title was really fun! Local man is just trying to live his life, and make good food in his truck. So what if it's the middle of an apocalypse?. He comes across a young woman in the middle of nowhere. Part found-family and part action story. The art is expressive, and I found myself really liking how all the different parts of the story came together. Rock on, Crazy Food Truck! I want seconds.