Tonsuki | Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill

Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill

How much of a foodie are you? While we love eating all sorts of foods, making them is an entirely different art. Whether or not your culinary abilities are up to par, we can all appreciate good food with people we care about. But we must ask ourselves some crucial questions, like, “If the apocalypse happened tomorrow, will I be able to cook to save my life?” Indeed, cooking is an essential survival skill, so let’s see what anime can teach us.

“Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill” goes by synonyms like “Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi,” “Regarding the Display of an Outrageous Skill Which Has Incredible Powers,” and simply “Tonsuki.” This TV anime series consists of twelve 23-minute episodes, which aired from the 11th of January until the 29th of March in Winter 2023.

It was produced by Bushiroad and dugout and brought to life by Studio MAPPA, featuring the genres of adventure, comedy, fantasy, and gourmet alongside the theme of Isekai. The crew behind it includes producer Ogawa Takahiro, director Matsuda Kiyoshi, and assistant producers Ishii Yumi and Nakai Yuusuke. It received a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years of age or older.

Tonsuki is based on the Source Light novel of the same title, which started publication on the 25th of November 2016 and is still ongoing. It is the work of author Eguchi Ren and artist Masa. Since May 6th, 2019, J-Novel Club has been offering the series digitally in English. The anime was also released on Blu-ray and DVD in three volumes from the 26th of April until the 28th of June, 2023.

As self-explanatory as the series title is, the story focuses on an ordinary salaryman named Tsuyoshi Mukouda. This man is accidentally summoned to the Kingdom of Reijseger in an Isekai world to help defend it against its enemies as its hero. But unlike your everyday Isekai MC, Mukouda grows wary of the royal family's true intentions and manages to talk his way out of the situation.

He could do so thanks to his non-combat skill, the "Online Supermarket," which is supposedly “useless.” Soon, this ability proved to be anything but useless; Mukouda could cheaply purchase food products and utensils from Japan, which are considered luxuries in this new world. Working with what he has, Mukouda proceeds to cook up a storm using his ability, which catches the attention of the fearsome mythical wolf Fenrir.

This legendary beast has become obsessed with the MC’s delicious delicacies and swiftly negotiates a contract to become his familiar. Now with Fenrir by his side, Mukouda starts to travel this new world while earning his keep as an adventurer and merchant. But the best part is that he gets to enjoy daily delectable meals!

There was no real reason or need for this light novel to get an anime adaptation, but here we are. This is primarily a series about food, and most of these delicacies copy their real-life counterparts into anime format almost perfectly. The ingredients are pretty realistic, too—the ones that make food taste good in real life. We have had plenty of Isekai Food anime in the past, and not all of them were satisfactory, but this one is worth a watch. It follows the general formula of having great mascots or beautiful women, making said characters eat delicious food with exaggerated expressions, and using animation akin to food porn.

Because this is an Isekai, it can meet all those requirements with creativity and ease. Tonsuki uses a god-tier legendary wolf, an adorable baby slime, and plenty of goddesses who love food to his advantage. In all honesty, anticipating and looking forward to seeing such otherworldly beings react to our IRL food is more satisfying than you’d think. The stellar animation and artwork during the cooking scenes also enhance the watching experience and make this odd setting quite enjoyable.

There isn’t much of a story here; this anime feels more like a commercial for certain foods and Japanese restaurants. Do not expect depth in this plot; it is simply what you read in the synopsis and is average overall. There is no grand story here; it's just the MC meeting all sorts of new characters, making different kinds of food, or cooking alongside monsters. You can expect the mascots to do their own thing most of the time, like taking down foes while Mukouda is cowering in fear or running for his life. The remainder of the show is just characters eating various delicacies and overreacting to them. This is a simple, relaxing, laid-back anime with little to no action.

The series characters aren’t stellar in any way, being very mediocre, but the mascots are memorable and lovable. The show focuses more on developing cooking skills while going on adventures than character development, so don’t expect any of that. Mukouda is refreshing because he isn’t powerful but reliable and has godly cooking skills. If you’re seeking an overpowered protagonist, look no further than the mascots! We see how this odd group of main characters goes around the world while doing business and building relationships with new characters.

The most vital department at Tonsuki is the visual arts department. The artwork will grow on you as you progress through the series, and they did an outstanding job here. The colors are vivid and warm, but the natural treats are the cooking sessions with crisp art and spectacular animation. While the action scenes were never the focus here, they did a reasonable job. Overall, the animation is relatively simple but good, incredibly befitting the general vibe of this anime. The food art was next level, though; if it doesn't make you hungry at least once, there’s a problem here...

The OSTs are well-made and enhance scenes to higher levels. The opening theme is "Zeitaku na Saji" by Van de Shop, and the ending is "Happy-go-Journey" by Yuuma Uchida. The voice actors did a stellar job.

This shouldn't come as a surprise, but the cooking scenes start off with some tasty gourmet sounds like sizzling and the like, then an ensemble of clattering cookware sounds. These are all so realistic and manage to draw you into the world of the culinary arts.

Overall, Tonsuki is a supremely chill watch. But it’s better to have something to snack on while watching this because you will get hungry, so even a salad would do. This is a breath of fresh air within the overwrought genre of Isekai, so do try it. I’d even go as far as to say that it was one of the better anime releases of late, ideal for those looking for a simple and laid-back series that guarantees some good times. All in all, an above-average recommendation!