Oh boy, here we go again. A native Italian reviewing a Japanese past cookbook... I guess something's cooked, but it's not the pasta XD
... just kidding, of course. I have already reviewed a number of Sayu Studio's dōjinshi in the past, from travelogues to, well, other pasta cookbooks. While I have to admit a lot of early appeal came form Nanahime's artwork (seems like the artist now goes by the nickname 春巻クリスティン? Harumaki Christine? 0-0), I ended up staying for Yuzuru Sayus' simple, easy to make recipes. Add to this some impressive photography / layout work, and you have all the elements for the perfect dōjinshi.
Also, I literally eat pasta every single day so, yeah, there's that.
パスタと休日 vol 1+2+α is, as the title might suggest, a compilation work, collecting together three different publications from 2013. A smart move, considering that each single work, while certainly displaying impressive production values with its large A4 format and full color, would probably be a bit on the slim side on its own.
As already mentioned, I'm a very big fan of Nanahime / Christine's work, and the stuff on display certainly does not disappoint. The collection as a whole has a brand new cover, and the main illustrations for each separate volume are preserved as inserts: still, we're still at roughly 6-7 pieces of artwork for the whole collection, which honestly left me wanting for more.
Fortunately, the rest of the content is far from disappointing. The whole series of cookbooks is explicitly geared towards singles: simple, quick recipes one could conjure up with whatever's laying in the fridge after a long day at work. Each recipe is presented with a full page, mouth watering macro-shot; while the opposite page is dedicated to the recipe itself, each preparation step usefully laid out both in writing and pictures - pretty much impossible to mess up. Sayus' photography work is excellent, crisp and vivid even within the smallest of frames; and all of the recipes are tasty and practical. Some dip a bit too much into fusion, but that's probably my 100% italian soul talking. To be honest, I haven't spotted any cardinal sin.
"Volume α", tacked at the end, is a bit of an oddball, as it focuses on iced coffee and assorted recipes rather than pasta. I won't comment on these, as I'm very specific when it comes to my coffee; and even more with risotto, which I refuse to eat unless it's a very precise texture. Still, all I have said about volumes 1 and 2 still apply. Good stuff.
The series, by the way, is still ongoing, and has reached vol.25, not counting offshoots, side volumes, and travelogues. Unfortunately, it seems Nanahime is no longer making the covers, which is a bit of a bummer. Oh well...
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