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 runJune 1995March 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, 2006December 9, 2010
Volumes10
Manga
Tetsupai no Jan!
Written byBingo Morihashi
Published byTakeshobo
ImprintKindai Mahjong Comics
MagazineKindai Mahjong
Original runAugust 12, 2015December 28, 2017
Volumes7
Manga
Iron Wok Jan 2nd
Written byShinji Saijyo
Published byFujimi Shobo
ImprintDragon Comics Age
MagazineMonthly Dragon Age
Original runJanuary 7, 2017December 9, 2019
Volumes7
Anime television series
Directed byEi Aoki
Written byMakoto Uezu
StudioTroyca
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. The manga was licensed in English by ComicsOne before the license was transferred to DrMaster.[3]

A sequel, Iron Wok Jan! R: The Summit Operations, was also released in Japan by Akita Shoten[4] and in France by Soleil Manga.[5] A spin-off, Tetsupai no Jan!, by Bingo Morihashi, was published by Takeshobo from August 2015 to December 2017.

An anime television series adaptation produced by Troyca is set to premiere in 2026.

Characters

Akiyama family

Jan Akiyama (秋山 醤, Akiyama Jan)
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)
Kiriko Gobanchou is one of the best cooks in Gobanchou, her family's Chinese restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo. She is the same age as Jan.
Takao Okonogi (小此木 タカオ, Okonogi Takao)
Mutsuju Gobanchou (五番町 睦十, Gobanchō Mutsuju)

Media

Manga

Akita Shoten released the 27 tankōbon manga between June 1995 and March 2000.[6][7] The manga was re-released into 16 kanzenban volumes between December 2004 and September 2007.[8][9] ComicsOne and DrMaster published the manga's 27 tankōbon between December 15, 2002, and December 28, 2007.[10][11]

Akita Shoten started releasing the sequel, Iron Wok Jan! R: The Summit Operations (鉄鍋のジャン!R 頂上作戦, Tetsunabe no Jan! R: Choujou Sakusen), on November 9, 2006, and concluded on December 9, 2010, in the Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine.[12][13] From March 8, 2007, to January 8, 2009, the publisher released ten bound volumes.[4][14]

A spin-off series, Tetsupai no Jan! (鉄牌のジャン!), written and illustrated by Bingo Morihashi was serialized on Takeshobo's Kindai Mahjong magazine from August 12, 2015 to December 28, 2017.[15] The successor of the manga, titled Iron Work Jan 2nd, was serialized in Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Dragon Age magazine from January 7, 2017 to December 9, 2019.[16]

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. The series is set to premiere in 2026.[17][18]

Reception

Comics Worth Reading's Johanna Draper Carlson comments on the illustrator's use of caricatures to dramatise the manga.[19] Manga Life's Michael Aronson commends the manga for its art and its ability to appeal to audiences.[20] Animefringe.com's Ridwan Khan comments on the "love-hate relationship" between Jan and Kiriko.[21] IGN's A.E. Sparrow comments on the artist's ability to make a cooking competition as compelling to watch "as watching two feudal clans go to war".[22]

References

  1. ^ Rafael Antonio Pineda (January 15, 2017). "Iron Wok Jan! Chinese Cooking Manga Gets New Series". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  2. ^ Thompson, Jason (August 5, 2010). "House of 1000 Manga - Iron Wok Jan". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  3. ^ "New Comicsone Aquisitions [sic]". Anime News Network. July 26, 2002. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "鉄鍋のジャン!R 頂上作戦 第1巻" (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
  5. ^ "Iron Wok R Tome 1" (in French). BD Fugue. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  6. ^ 鉄鍋のジャン 1 (1) (少年チャンピオン・コミックス) (コミック) (in Japanese). ASIN 4253051960.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 鉄鍋のジャン (1) (MF文庫) (文庫) (in Japanese). ASIN 4840111863.
  9. ^ 鉄鍋のジャン 16巻 (16) (MFコミックス) (コミック) (in Japanese). ASIN 4840119465.
  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. ^ "Iron Wok Jan! Chinese Cooking Manga Gets New Series". Anime News Network. January 15, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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 Twitter.
  19. ^ Carlson, Johanna Draper (March 24, 2006). "Iron Wok Jan! Book 1". Comics Worth Reading. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
  20. ^ Aronson, Michael. "Iron Wok Jan v1". Manga Life. Archived from the original on May 17, 2006. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  21. ^ Khan, Ridwan (February 2003). "Iron Wok Jan! Vol.1". animefringe.com. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  22. ^ Sparrow, A.E. (November 27, 2006). "Iron Wok Jan Vol. 20 Review". IGN. Retrieved March 22, 2009.

Further reading