A review by millie
Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns by Akiko Higashimura

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 okay : here's another convoluted review !

so tokyo tarareba is about a trio of 30 something women (33 to be exact) living in tokyo but here's the catch : they're all unmarried and unlucky/unhappy with their love & work lives so almost every night, they gather to drink, complains and talk about "what-if", one night they get told off by a younger man who call them loud, childish and annoying hags and it goes downhill from here.

i both loved and hated reading tokyo tarareba girls, i loved it because it's a funny & lighthearted read while being deeply reflective about life as a woman who grow older and i hated it because of how raw it could get and hit sensitive points, especially about what is happiness? what do i really want in life? in my career? in my relationship?

the main trio is a set of complex characters that i couldn't help but love and empathize with, they're all very aware of the problems in the relationships with men but the reason they don't stop is because they're lonely, unhappy and only just want to feel loved sometimes, it's about convenience rather than happiness.

(however all the men in this manga are despicable losers, especially the main male character.)

so yeah!!! i think it's a very interesting read which is joyful, touching and depressing.