On August 5, 2026, an article discussing the Japanese manga 'Dokugui Daisuki! Mochizuki-san' was published on the Chinese portal site Sohu.

The article stated, 'The themes of recent Japanese manga are becoming increasingly unique. The era when mainstream passionate works enjoyed overwhelming popularity has quietly come to an end. What is now garnering the empathy of many people are works based on daily life, with the recent blockbusters 'Yanineko' and 'Jimoto Saikou!' being prime examples.'

It also explained, 'While many people are still immersed in the afterglow of these two works, the anime adaptation of 'Dokugui Daisuki! Mochizuki-san,' a work of the same lineage, has been announced. This work is attracting significant attention as it revolves around the theme of "binge eating by a corporate drone OL." What surprised and intrigued many was the figure of "approximately 7,000 kilocalories per meal."'

It then mentioned, 'The protagonist, Mikoto Mochizuki, is a 21-year-old office lady in a sales administration role. Standing about 153 centimeters tall and weighing about 60 kilograms, she is usually a calm, quiet, and very ordinary office worker. However, when hunger strikes, she transforms, and her mind fills with high-calorie foods. The skillful aspect of author Maruyo no Kamome is that this work is not depicted as a mere eating competition.'

The article introduced, 'All the binge eating depicted in the work consists of dishes familiar to office workers, and the story's focus is not on "how delicious the food is," but rather on "how much liberation is felt the moment it's eaten." The work even features its own unique term, "Itaru." This term refers to a state where, due to consuming a large amount of food, blood sugar levels rapidly rise, enveloping one in a euphoric feeling akin to being tipsy, and making all work stress seem to vanish.'

Furthermore, it stated, 'Readers superimpose themselves onto the protagonist, who continues to eat while understanding that the high-fat, high-salt food is bad for her body and will make her gain weight. Many recall similar experiences: returning home with an exhausted body after work, opening a delivery app even when not hungry, and trying to drown out the day's hardships with high-calorie food. By portraying the extreme conflict of knowing it's better to stop but being unable to, the work led to a surge of readers empathizing with modern people's emotional overeating.'

It then stated, 'This work only began serialization in May '24 by Hakusensha and was initially a small-scale work published bi-monthly. However, immediately after its serialization began, it became a trend on X (formerly Twitter) and also became a topic of discussion in China under the moniker "Gourmet Horror Manga." What is frightening is not the depiction itself, but rather its extreme realism, making it easy for readers to see themselves reflected in it.'

It also argued, 'Reflecting on the trend of Japanese manga in recent years, it's clear that mainstream passionate works depicting effort and growth no longer hold the same appeal as before. Instead, works that resonate with the emotions and daily lives of ordinary people tend to generate more discussion. In a time when reality itself is sufficiently exhausting, readers don't want to see the protagonist's growth or struggles even in manga; rather, they want to release stress with the characters, immerse themselves in a gentle and kind world, and forget their troubles for a while.'

It concluded by stating, 'Both Mikoto Mochizuki, who repeatedly binges, and the world of 'Yanineko' are essentially mirrors reflecting the stress of modern society. Perhaps we read these manga because we seek a place in the two-dimensional world where we can catch our breath.' (Translation/Editing: Iwata)