Koizumi-san!
Want to go to karaoke with us? Our treat.
I've got these movie tickets. Want to come?
There's this café with great desserts.
I got free tickets to an amusement park.
The guys are really going after Koizumi lately.
It pisses me off.
Sure. She's been here for a while now, but she's still single.
Those poor boys.
They can ask her out all they want, but it's no use.
Ahh
Koizumi-san's only lover is ramen!
I know this all too well.
Why do you sound so condescending?
I guess you'll have to do. Misa-chan, want to come?
How dare you?!
Invite me first, or forget it!
Koizumi-san, let's walk home.
Together!
No, thank you.
I have plans.
See? She's a very shy person.
"See" what, exactly?
You think Koizumi-san has a boyfriend?
She has to. There's no way a girl that cute is single.
They really don't get it.
The only company she seeks out is ramen.
Ramen and nothing else!
I have plans.
It must be... ramen, and nothing... else.
Sorry! I'm going home!
That was fast.
Loves Ramen Noodles
Ms. Koizumi
Loves Ramen Noodles
Western Restaurant
Nihonbashi
It must be ramen, and nothing else.
Ramen...
You think Koizumi-san has a boyfriend?
She has to. There's no way a girl that cute is single.
Koizumi could never go out with some guy.
The only love for her is ramen.
She must have come to this business district for...
a ramen shop!
I-It's not a ramen shop?!
Koizumi-san going to a fancy, retro Western restaurant?
You're late!
This feels so wrong!
Sorry. Were you waiting long?
What's going on here?
Could she really be meeting some guy?
She keeps checking the time and looking around.
And what's with that "lovestruck maiden" look?
Adorable!
Wait, no!
Her in a high-profile celebrity area like this can only mean...
She's seeing an older man!
Thank you for waiting.
Let me introduce you to something lovelier than ramen.
I won't allow it.
I won't allow it!
I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever...
Thanks for waiting.
Sorry for being late.
It's fine.
It really is some guy!
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
Hey there!
Sorry about the wait.
We're really sorry.
Not just one, but a whole bunch of guys!
Could she actually be seeing multiple guys?
No!
You can't do that, Koizumi-san!
Koizumi-san! Koizumi-san!
Koizumi-san!
You have to stop!
Koizumi-san, that's really wrong!
Uh, well, we should be going.
Yeah.
Sorry we made you wait.
Man, I'm full.
No problem.
Well, back to work.
Huh? What?
You weren't here to meet with those people?
What are you talking about?
I was just waiting for them to leave their space.
Their space?
-men
Taimeiken
Y-You're saying that behind this Western restaurant, there's a stand-up ramen shop?!
What is this?
Ramen Corner
As the name suggests, this is a ramen corner.
I arrived at the same time as that group of four,
and since there are only four spots inside, I let them go first.
Oh...
So that's what it was.
Anyway...
Why are you here, anyway?
Well, uh...
I'm going to have ramen, as I had planned.
What about you?
Me, too!
You can see the entire kitchen from the counter!
A chashu ramen with borscht and coleslaw, right?
With borscht and coleslaw?
I'm going to get that, too.
Coleslaw
Borscht
Here's mine.
Here you go. Borscht with coleslaw.
The food looks so Western!
This is so good!
It's so good, I wouldn't be surprised if they charged way more!
I always order this when I come here.
Oh, you can see into the restaurant from here.
By the way, you can order ramen in there, too.
Then why'd you stand outside waiting to get in here?
Because...
I prefer the atmosphere in here.
One butter ramen and one chashu ramen.
Wow, this looks great!
Let's eat.
So good!
The butter melts into the soup.
This is the first time I've eaten standing up, and it's not bad at all.
I finally got to eat this.
I guess ramen really is your lover, huh?
What are you talking about?
Nothing!
Hey, why are you so far away, anyway?
It's not necessary to stand side-by-side.
What?!
Kyoto Ramen
Hakata Ramen
Fatback...
This area is Koizumi-san's "Temptation Alley"
Green onion...
Tonkotsu...
I'll go with you, Koizumi-san!
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Red or White
How does this look?
Oh, looks great.
White looks a little too good on me. You don't think it looks too plain?
I don't think so at all. It's perfect.
What about this one?
That looks great, too.
Red looks good on me, too!
But I feel like it's a little too aggressive.
Yeah, it's really cute.
This red one is cute...
But I do want a white summer outfit, too.
Hey, Yuu, which one do you like better?
I think they're both great.
Hey! Yuu, are you even looking?
I am looking.
This mannequin looks like Koizumi-san.
Ugh! Yuu!
Jeez...
I invited you to go shopping because you said Koizumi-san ran away from you.
That's not true.
We were walking home together, and I lost sight of her, that's all.
Bzz Bzz
Where are you?
Misa...
Huh...
You mean she ran away.
Well, we've come all this way, so you're coming over, right?
If it's not a bother.
My mom's at a class reunion.
It's early, but want to get some dinner first?
Sounds good.
Where should we go?
That new place by the shopping district has been getting rave reviews.
Their buckwheat flour crêpes are supposed to be amazing!
Want to check it out?
Oh... Well...
We're having ramen?
Yeah!
Their sign for tonkotsu ramen just looked so good!
Seriously, Yuu, Koizumi has totally poisoned you.
If someone mentions tonkotsu ramen, I can't hold back.
I'm on a diet right now, you know.
I would've liked something lighter and trendier.
But isn't this place pretty trendy, Misa-san?
The music they're playing is hip.
And look, they're not serving regular water. You get this delicious-smelling tea.
This is so cool!
I guess.
Care for a glass?
Thanks.
Oh, this is rooibos tea.
So, what are you getting?
Something spicy. Something really spicy!
That was fast.
Akamaru Modern
I guess I'll get...
Shiromaru Classic
Red or white, huh?
A Bowl of Origins
"A bowl of origins" or "a bowl of innovation."
A Bowl of Innovation
I can never make up my mind about stuff like this...
Hurry up.
Wait, what did Koizumi-san say that one time?
When I'm in a new restaurant, I start with their basic items.
If I follow her advice, I should order the "origins" with the white broth.
But she also said...
But it's not wrong to aggressively go for the item that interests you most.
If I go that route, it's the "innovation" with the red broth.
White
The Original
Origins?
Red
The Innovation
Or innovation?
What would Koizumi-san pick?
I wish you'd put that much thought into my outfits.
Red, I think.
I always take an aggressive stance, Koizumi-san.
All right, I get it. You want red.
Excuse me! Can we order, please?
Yes, I'll be right there.
Hey, do you think we're allowed to eat these bean sprouts?
I don't see why not.
Wait, is this all-you-can-eat bean sprouts?!
They're nice and spicy!
I love this!
This could be a side dish on its own!
But aren't we supposed to put them on our ramen?
I'm sure it's not a problem if we snack on them a little.
Besides, they say that if you eat bean sprouts before a meal,
it helps absorb excess fat.
It's kind of like that "low insulin diet" thing.
Plus, the capsaicin in red pepper helps metabolize the fats faster,
and the rooibos tea inhibits fat storage.
It's perfect!
Wow, you're a real expert when it comes to beauty.
Just leave it to me.
Thank you for waiting.
Here it is.
One Karaka ramen and one Akamaru ramen.
Let's eat!
Extra Noodles (Thin Hakata noodles)
Regular
yen / Small
yen
Oh, you can get extra noodles here.
I think I'll get some.
This is pretty light for tonkotsu. I feel like I could eat more.
Want to get some extra noodles and split them?
Aren't you on a diet?
I ate the bean sprouts, so I'm fine!
Good point.
Ippudo
I'm stuffed.
That was so good.
It hit the spot.
But eating that spicy food made me want something sweet.
What about your diet?
I drank that rooibos tea, so I'm fine.
Wanna buy some cake at the station and take it home, then?
Sounds good!
One Shiromaru Classic with a side of mentaiko rice.
Time to eat.
Excuse me.
I'd like extra noodles and an order of one-bite gyoza.
Coming right up!
That's right,
ramen truly is
The source of energy.
the source of energy
Don't you think so?
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Convenience Store
Today's mock exam didn't go that well.
I was so nervous, I didn't eat anything all day, but I'm also not hungry at all.
I'll buy a drink and go home.
It's still far away,
but I already get depressed thinking about entrance exams and career planning.
Welcome!
Maybe I just worry too much.
Koizumi-san?
What are you doing here on a Sunday?
I like their eat-in corner.
Uh, that doesn't answer my question.
I changed my regular plan for today and came to enjoy convenience store ramen.
This is paper trash.
She wasn't lying.
She has several empty containers already.
An unwavering appetite for ramen...
And she's still eating more?
I'm going now.
Sure.
As curt as ever.
I never thought of convenience stores as having a particularly good ramen selection.
They do.
You can divide convenience store ramen into roughly three types.
First, there's the refrigerated kind.
Ranging from microwaveable ones with lots of toppings,
to uncooked noodles meant to be prepared at home.
Uh-oh...
Looks like I triggered something.
Next, there's frozen ramen, which is quite popular recently.
Due to recent advances in technology, the freezing and thawing doesn't affect
We recommend microwaving this! * Please place the product on a microwave-safe dish with this side up. * When handling the dish, please be careful not to burn yourself.
the texture or flavor of the noodles, so they can be enjoyed to their full potential.
What's more, their price-performance ratio is outstanding.
This is true even though the alkaline water
in the noodles is sensitive to temperature changes.
Extraordinary, don't you think?
I don't think I quite get it.
And needless to say, there's also the cup ramen.
Aside from the known manufacturers and store brands,
there are many brands made in collaboration with famous restaurants.
In my opinion, their soup's flavor fidelity is quite decent.
Now that you mention it, I think I've heard of some of these places.
Incidentally, my current favorite is this simple dried sardine soy sauce ramen.
I always buy a hot spring boiled egg and a packet of tempura flakes for topping.
Once you add the egg, it does dilute the taste of the soup a bit,
so the trick is to add a little bit less water than normal.
The fishy broth and the tempura flakes go perfectly together.
While it may seem like junk food,
it's quite close to the tsukimi tanuki udon experience.
The real pleasure of convenience store ramen is the customization
you can do with the limited range of items available here.
Thank you!
This is weird.
What's this cup ramen doing in front of me?
Time to eat.
I had absolutely no appetite a minute ago.
Koizumi-san, do you ever worry about what you'll do after graduation?
Tempura Flakes
Thanks.
Right, then. Let's eat.
Time to eat.
That'll be 165 yen.
I'll pay with my phone.
Weird... Ramen is selling really well today.
I figured she was going to eat more.
I knew it...
She really is unwavering.
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Tomato Ramen
Euglena
Huge Line
Ah, I wonder where Koizumi-san is today.
And now, a poem.
"Koizumi-san.
Ah, Koizumi-san.
Koizumi-san."
Crap! The "n" of "san" is an extra syllable!
Who cares about that?
I don't even have the energy to comment.
Thank you for the meal!