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smorkin's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent series, feeling like a mix between "Bridget Jones' Diary" & "Sex and the City". Equally funny, but with a large dose of melancholy and anger mixed in. The tension between the author and her own characters is what makes this so good: You can feel how exasperated Higashimura is with her characters, sometimes even angry at them, but at the same time with lots of empathy for their situation. Also good: The main male character Key who you're never sure how to interpret. His comments about the women are always mean and upsetting, with just a hint of truth in them to make it uncomfortable for everyone.
And yes, it is a comedy, even (perhaps) a rom-com, but with lots of barbs, making it a delightful read. Weird though that Kodansha first published all nine volumes digitally, but waited until this coming summer (2018) with starting a physical edition.
And yes, it is a comedy, even (perhaps) a rom-com, but with lots of barbs, making it a delightful read. Weird though that Kodansha first published all nine volumes digitally, but waited until this coming summer (2018) with starting a physical edition.
schmilda's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
jazjoyner91's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
matchamademoiselle's review against another edition
4.0
Trois trentenaires célibataires amusantes et décalées qui se retrouvent régulièrement autour d'un verre d'alcool pour se raconter leurs déboires et se plaindre. Enfin, ceci jusqu'à ce qu'un jeune modèle vienne donner un coup de pied dans la fourmilière… !
Tokyo Tarareba Girls c'est un titre qui fait du bien, une tranche de vie qui change de ce qu'on a l'habitude de voir. Un manga incisif, sarcastique et très réaliste.
En suivant ces femmes dans leur quotidien, on est plongé dans une critique de la société dans laquelle la femme doit se caser avant un certain âge sinon il est trop tard. L'horloge tourne inlassablement, et le manga souligne avec ironie qu'il n'y a pas de place pour les excuses du type « y a qu'à, faut qu'on ». Tic tac tic tac.
Je me suis tout de suite identifiée à ces filles et j'ai été touchée en plein cœur.
Elles nous montrent aussi la solitude que peuvent ressentir les femmes qui ne cherchent pas forcément l'homme idéal, mais plutôt à ne plus être seules, quitte à faire des choix douteux.
Les personnages ne sont pas lisses, douces, gentilles et pailletées, on les découvre sous leurs pires jours (rarement dans le cliché stéréotypé féminin et délicat) les rendant tellement plus humaines.
J'adore retrouver les personnages tout au long des tomes que je déguste avec délice et frustration à chaque fois que j'en termine un. Même les dernières pages bonus où l'autrice se confie et raconte des anecdotes, mais aussi avec l'ouverture d'un faux courrier des cœurs, sont drôles et intéressantes.
Je conseille très très très vivement Tokyo Tarareba Girls. Merci à Akiko Higashimura et au Lézard Noir pour cette pépite.
Tokyo Tarareba Girls c'est un titre qui fait du bien, une tranche de vie qui change de ce qu'on a l'habitude de voir. Un manga incisif, sarcastique et très réaliste.
En suivant ces femmes dans leur quotidien, on est plongé dans une critique de la société dans laquelle la femme doit se caser avant un certain âge sinon il est trop tard. L'horloge tourne inlassablement, et le manga souligne avec ironie qu'il n'y a pas de place pour les excuses du type « y a qu'à, faut qu'on ». Tic tac tic tac.
Je me suis tout de suite identifiée à ces filles et j'ai été touchée en plein cœur.
Elles nous montrent aussi la solitude que peuvent ressentir les femmes qui ne cherchent pas forcément l'homme idéal, mais plutôt à ne plus être seules, quitte à faire des choix douteux.
Les personnages ne sont pas lisses, douces, gentilles et pailletées, on les découvre sous leurs pires jours (rarement dans le cliché stéréotypé féminin et délicat) les rendant tellement plus humaines.
J'adore retrouver les personnages tout au long des tomes que je déguste avec délice et frustration à chaque fois que j'en termine un. Même les dernières pages bonus où l'autrice se confie et raconte des anecdotes, mais aussi avec l'ouverture d'un faux courrier des cœurs, sont drôles et intéressantes.
Je conseille très très très vivement Tokyo Tarareba Girls. Merci à Akiko Higashimura et au Lézard Noir pour cette pépite.
cerianns_bookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
If this series ends with Rinko being in a relationahip with Key, I'll riot.
baoluong's review against another edition
5.0
Rinko may be 33 years old but she's still a girl at heart. With dreams of finding the one, she grows dishearten when she realizes she hasn't found anyone up until now. The proverbial clock is ticking and she thinks she may have to settle or (bit of an exaggeration) die alone.
Higashimura includes clever details into her characters. Rinko is portrayed in the opening pages with rhinestone nails that she spent $300 as a birthday present to herself. Her phone case is decorated in bows. She boasts her greatest weapon is her bank account. This shows Rinko as a functional adult with certain playful hobbies she can afford. She dedicated her life to a career in writing and has started a small business writing scripts. However, it's pointed out that her stories are grown up versions of the shoujo genre (stories aimed at young girls). Her protagonists are 40 something women who can't decide between the handsome CEO or the cute barista. In a way, she hasn't really given up on the idea of being in love instead of simply being loved.
The jokes are funny and I attribute it to the translation. The facial expressions and character interactions deliver emotion. I ultimately like the female friendships. The trope of all women only talking about men is fleshed out and subverted. What they actually talk about are themselves in relation to men and in a setting that isn't expected like getting wasted on a weekday. Why do they care about getting married and not so much who they're getting married to? Does love have an expiration date? Can you not lure in men with your fat bank account?
Rinko's drunken hallucinations are also hilarious, well, not the alcoholism part but since she's functioning at work and manages to keep her bank account fat then what can I say to some fun times?
And holy shit, what just happened. My heart, this is not a shoujo, repeat not a shoujo. Now I understand why people like those cheesy dramas where Olivia Pope sleeps with the president or Annalise Keating having affairs with detectives. I wanted the romance to happen but I was not ready for that to happen. This is not supposed to be cutesy romance where dreams come true. I was expecting an independent woman and here I get a really independent woman climbing the corporate ladder! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!
I recommend this series if you like reading about falling in love and don't want to wait 100 chapters for the characters to decide to hold hands.
Higashimura includes clever details into her characters. Rinko is portrayed in the opening pages with rhinestone nails that she spent $300 as a birthday present to herself. Her phone case is decorated in bows. She boasts her greatest weapon is her bank account. This shows Rinko as a functional adult with certain playful hobbies she can afford. She dedicated her life to a career in writing and has started a small business writing scripts. However, it's pointed out that her stories are grown up versions of the shoujo genre (stories aimed at young girls). Her protagonists are 40 something women who can't decide between the handsome CEO or the cute barista. In a way, she hasn't really given up on the idea of being in love instead of simply being loved.
The jokes are funny and I attribute it to the translation. The facial expressions and character interactions deliver emotion. I ultimately like the female friendships. The trope of all women only talking about men is fleshed out and subverted. What they actually talk about are themselves in relation to men and in a setting that isn't expected like getting wasted on a weekday. Why do they care about getting married and not so much who they're getting married to? Does love have an expiration date? Can you not lure in men with your fat bank account?
Rinko's drunken hallucinations are also hilarious, well, not the alcoholism part but since she's functioning at work and manages to keep her bank account fat then what can I say to some fun times?
And holy shit, what just happened. My heart, this is not a shoujo, repeat not a shoujo. Now I understand why people like those cheesy dramas where Olivia Pope sleeps with the president or Annalise Keating having affairs with detectives. I wanted the romance to happen but I was not ready for that to happen. This is not supposed to be cutesy romance where dreams come true. I was expecting an independent woman and here I get a really independent woman climbing the corporate ladder! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!
I recommend this series if you like reading about falling in love and don't want to wait 100 chapters for the characters to decide to hold hands.
koshicrow's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
meadows2020's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
meevees's review against another edition
3.0
The first volume was a lot of fun and had me wanting more, but it started losing me with the second one. The characters are very human and relatable, it's just very introspective with pacing that made me feel a lack of forward motion. I suspect that's exactly the point, and in that sense Higashimura nailed it, but I don't think it's for me.
myblackbookish_life's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minus a star because fuck Key and his misogynistic, ageist, blonde, rude, annoying model ass 😭