(中華一番!, The best in Chinese (food)) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Etsushi Ogawa.

A second 24-episode anime television series adaptation of Shin Chūka Ichiban!, or True Cooking Master Boy, produced by NAS and Production I.G, aired for two seasons from October to December 2019 and January to March 2021, respectively.

The story takes place in 19th-century China during the Qing dynasty, where the Emperor was weakened, and the country was close to chaos.

It is a country where insulting a high-grade chef or fooling around with cooking could land a person in a jail, and impersonating a top-chef is as bad as usurpation of authority.

During his journey, he meets great friends and fierce rivals who wish to challenge him in the field of cooking.

Chūka Ichiban!, written and illustrated by Etsushi Ogawa, was first serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from October 11, 1995,[11][12] to May 29, 1996.

It is directed and written by Itsuro Kawasaki, with characters designs by Saki Hasegawa and music composed by Jun Ichikawa.

[4] After the final episode, it was announced that the series will be receiving a second season, with the staff and cast are reprising their roles.