Iron Wok Jan

Iron Wok Jan
Cover of the first Japanese volume
鉄鍋のジャン!
(Tetsunabe no Jan!)
GenreCooking,[1] martial arts[2]
Manga
Written byShinji Saijyo
Published byAkita Shoten
English publisher
ImprintShōnen Champion Comics
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Champion
Original run1995 – 2000
Volumes27
Manga
Iron Wok Jan! R: The Summit Operations
Written byShinji Saijyo
Published byAkita Shoten
ImprintShōnen Champion Comics
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Champion
Original runNovember 9, 2006 – December 9, 2010
Volumes10
Manga
Tetsupai no Jan!
Written byBingo Morihashi
Published byTakeshobo
ImprintKindai Mahjong Comics
MagazineKindai Mahjong
Original runAugust 12, 2015 – December 28, 2017
Volumes7
Manga
Iron Wok Jan 2nd
Written byShinji Saijyo
Published byFujimi Shobo
ImprintDragon Comics Age
MagazineMonthly Dragon Age
Original runJanuary 7, 2017 – 2019
Volumes7
Anime television series
Directed byEi Aoki
Written byMakoto Uezu
Music byTomoki Kikuya
StudioTroyca
Original networkTXN (TV Tokyo)
Original run 2026 – scheduled

Iron Wok Jan (Japanese: 鉄鍋のジャン!, Hepburn: Tetsunabe no Jan!) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shinji Saijyo. It was serialized in Akita Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion from 1995 to 2000, with its individual chapters being collected into 27 volumes. The manga follows a chef named Jan Akiyama as he works in a high-end Chinese restaurant.

A sequel, titled Iron Wok Jan! R: The Summit Operations, was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Champion from December 2006 to November 2010, with its individual chapters being collected into 10 volumes. A spin-off written and illustrated by Bingo Morihashi, titled Tetsupai no Jan!, was serialized in Takeshobo's magazine Kindai Mahjong from August 2015 to December 2017, with three volumes being published. Another sequel, titled Iron Wok Jan 2nd, was serialized in Fujimi Shobo's magazine Monthly Dragon Age from January 2017 to 2019, with seven volumes being published. An anime television series adaptation produced by Troyca is set to premiere in 2026.

Plot

One night after the restaurant closed, a boy walks into a high-end Chinese restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, and orders fried rice. After being served, the boy realized that it was of poor quality, he throws it away and enters the kitchen to make fried rice himself. The boy's name is Jan Akiyama, the grandson of Kaiichiro Akiyama, the "master of Chinese cuisine". Eventually, Jan, who believes that cooking is a battle, begins working in the restaurant with other chefs like Kiriko.

Characters

Akiyama family

Jan Akiyama (秋山 醤, Akiyama Jan)
Voiced by: Kikunosuke Toya[3]
Jan Akiyama is a 16-year-old talented young chef and the male protagonist of the manga. His grandfather is Kaiichiro Akiyama, the "master of Chinese cuisine".
Kaiichiro Akiyama (秋山 階一郎, Akiyanma Kaiichirō)
Kaiichiro Akiyama is known as the "master of Chinese cuisine". Kaiichiro raised Jan until his tastebuds began to fail, at which point he sent Jan to Gobancho and committed suicide by self-immolation.
Minki Tou (桃 明輝, Tō Minki)
Minki Tou is Jan's grandmother and Kaiichiro's wife.
Baku Akiyama (秋山 爆, Akiyama Baku)
Baku Akiyama is Jan's father and Kaiichiro's son.

Gobanchou family

Kiriko Gobanchou (五番町 霧子, Gobanchō Kiriko)
Voiced by: Ikumi Hasegawa[3]
Kiriko Gobanchou is one of the best cooks in Gobanchou, her family's Chinese restaurant in Ginza. She is the same age as Jan.
Takao Okonogi (小此木 タカオ, Okonogi Takao)
Voiced by: Kōhei Amasaki[3]
Mutsuju Gobanchou (五番町 睦十, Gobanchō Mutsuju)

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Shinji Saijyo, the series was serialized in Akita Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion from 1995 to 2000.[4] Its individual chapters were collected into 27 tankōbon volumes.[5] It was re-released into 16 kanzenban volumes between December 2004 and September 2007.[6][7] The manga was licensed in English by ComicsOne before the license was transferred to DrMaster.[8][9] Collectively, they published the manga's 27 tankōbon volumes in English between December 15, 2002, and December 28, 2007.[10][11]

A sequel, titled Iron Wok Jan! R: The Summit Operations (鉄鍋のジャン!R 頂上作戦, Tetsunabe no Jan! R: Chōjō Sakusen), was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Champion from November 9, 2006, to December 9, 2010.[12][13] Its individual chapters were collected into ten tankōbon volumes.[14]

A spin-off series, titled Tetsupai no Jan! (鉄牌のジャン!) and written and illustrated by Bingo Morihashi, was serialized on Takeshobo's Kindai Mahjong magazine from August 12, 2015, to December 28, 2017.[15][16] Its individual chapters were collected into seven tankōbon volumes.[17] Another sequel manga, titled Iron Work Jan 2nd, was serialized in Fujimi Shobo's magazine Monthly Dragon Age from January 7, 2017, to 2019.[1][18] Its individual chapters were collected into seven tankōbon volumes.[19]

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on December 15, 2025. It will be produced by Troyca and directed by Ei Aoki, with series composition handled by Makoto Uezu, characters designed by Masako Matsumoto who is also serving as chief animation director, and music composed by Tomoki Kikuya. The series is set to premiere in 2026 on TV Tokyo and its affiliates.[9][20][3]

Reception

Comics Worth Reading's Johanna Draper Carlson liked the use of caricatures to dramatize the manga.[21] Manga Life's Michael Aronson commended the manga for its art and its ability to appeal to audiences.[22] Animefringe's Ridwan Khan liked the "love-hate relationship" between Jan and Kiriko.[23] IGN's A.E. Sparrow felt the artist did a great job in making a cooking competition as compelling to watch "as watching two feudal clans go to war".[24]

References

  1. ^ a b Pineda, Rafael (January 15, 2017). "Iron Wok Jan! Chinese Cooking Manga Gets New Series". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  2. ^ Thompson, Jason (August 5, 2010). "House of 1000 Manga - Iron Wok Jan". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d Cayanan, Joanna (February 15, 2026). "Iron Wok Jan! Anime's Teaser Video Unveils Main Cast, More Staff". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  4. ^ Thompson, Jason (July 3, 2012). Manga: The Complete Guide (Google Books). Del Rey Books. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-345-53944-1.
  5. ^ 鉄鍋のジャン 27 (27) (少年チャンピオン・コミックス) (コミック) (in Japanese). ASIN 4253052762.
  6. ^ 鉄鍋のジャン (1) (MF文庫) (文庫) (in Japanese). ASIN 4840111863.
  7. ^ 鉄鍋のジャン 16巻 (16) (MFコミックス) (コミック) (in Japanese). ASIN 4840119465.
  8. ^ Macdonald, Christopher (July 26, 2002). "New Comicsone Aquisitions [sic]". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
  9. ^ a b Loo, Egan (December 15, 2025). "Iron Wok Jan! Manga Gets TV Anime by Director Ei Aoki, Troyca in 2026". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  10. ^ Saijyo, Shinji; Oyama, Keiko (2002). Iron Wok Jan Volume 1 (Iron Wok Jan (Graphic Novels)) [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback). ISBN 158899256X.
  11. ^ "Iron Wok Jan volume 27 (End)". DrMaster. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  12. ^ 週刊少年チャンピオン 2006年No.50 (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  13. ^ 週刊少年チャンピオン 2011年No.2+3 (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  14. ^ 鉄鍋のジャン!R 10―頂上作戦 (少年チャンピオン・コミックス) (in Japanese). ASIN 4253212700.
  15. ^ 近代麻雀9月15日号 8月12日（水）発売！ (in Japanese). Takeshobo. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  16. ^ 西条真二「鉄牌のジャン！」完、悪童ぶりと料理の腕で敵を粉砕する麻雀無敗伝. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. December 28, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  17. ^ 【3月1日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 1, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  18. ^ 累計発行部数800万部の料理バトル漫画「鉄鍋のジャン！」×ジビエ居酒屋「米とサーカス」がコラボレーション！　11月1日より「ダチョウカルパッチョ」「ハクビシン地獄鍋」「脳みそ茶碗蒸し」など7品を再現。 (Press release) (in Japanese). Asia TokyoWorld Co. Ltd. October 19, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2026 – via PR Times.
  19. ^ 鉄鍋のジャン!!2nd　7 (in Japanese). Kadokawa. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  20. ^ TV Anime 'Iron Wok Jan' Official [@tetsujan1995] (December 15, 2025). 『鉄鍋のジャン！』2026年TVアニメ化決定🥘超ティザーPVを初公開します🧑‍🍳 (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved December 17, 2025 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  21. ^ Carlson, Johanna Draper (March 24, 2006). "Iron Wok Jan! Book 1". Comics Worth Reading. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
  22. ^ Aronson, Michael. "Iron Wok Jan v1". Manga Life. Archived from the original on May 17, 2006. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  23. ^ Khan, Ridwan (February 2003). "Iron Wok Jan! Vol.1". Animefringe. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  24. ^ Sparrow, A.E. (November 27, 2006). "Iron Wok Jan Vol. 20 Review". IGN. Retrieved March 22, 2009.

Further reading

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