A review by bluenicorn
Cigarette Girl by Masahiko Matsumoto

3.0

I'm not sure that I totally understood everything going on here... unless it really was just going for a sort of "slice-of-life wherein most things are terrible" thing. Which is not an insult- just important to realize before diving in. I think the person who used the "quiet lives of desperation" reference really nailed it. There were moments of tenderness, vulnerability, and and so on; but most things are kind of lousy and it goes on. Not bad, and important for "the canon" but not something I'd want to read on my own.