On the hunt

I'm thinking of picking up the first few volumes of Viz's Yakitate!! Japan (story and art by Takashi Hashigushi). A pun-filled cooking comedy about a young man with "otherworldly baking powers"? So right up my alley.

Here's the publisher's description:

England. France. Germany. What common thread binds these three nations together? Answer: each is famous for producing unique, distinctive, delicious bread. But what of the island nation of Japan, home to rice and delicacies of the sea? Is there not a doughy, gastronomic delight they can claim as their own? The answer is no...until now! Kazuma Azuma, a 16-year-old-boy blessed with otherworldly baking powers, has taken it upon himself to create Ja-pan, the national bread of the land of the rising sun!

Ordinarily, I'd hesitate before starting a twenty-six-volume-long manga series, but Viz is a pretty reputable publisher and so far they've been churning this one out at a rate of seven volumes per year.