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A review by notevenastar
Tokyo Tarareba Girls, Vol. 4 by Akiko Higashimura
3.0
I’m going to keep going with these but it’s becoming more and more of a downer. A top review said it— but this story feels incredibly cynical towards the protags. It’s dawning on me that this is a series devoid of death, violence, or any physical trauma but the author still finds way to be emotionally brutal. Rinko made some definite strides this volume and she has never once stopped being lovable and compelling, but I’m really tired of watching her get steamrolled and bullied by the asshole who’s shaping up to be her endgame love interest.
Tangent: I have always HATED the trend of calling female characters “weak” or “too stupid to live” (especially when it’s men entering female spaces and genres solely to be cruel). To be clear, I don’t think Rinko or any of the girls fit either of those awful categories, but I feel like the author is almost trying to get us to feel some degree of spite towards them. Like I get the sense she’s trying to get us to see the protags negatively when in reality, they’re just women going through realistic relationship and morality hurdles.
Ugh. Despite all this, the manga is remaining thought provoking and emotional and I really do love Rinko. One more for the night?
Tangent: I have always HATED the trend of calling female characters “weak” or “too stupid to live” (especially when it’s men entering female spaces and genres solely to be cruel). To be clear, I don’t think Rinko or any of the girls fit either of those awful categories, but I feel like the author is almost trying to get us to feel some degree of spite towards them. Like I get the sense she’s trying to get us to see the protags negatively when in reality, they’re just women going through realistic relationship and morality hurdles.
Ugh. Despite all this, the manga is remaining thought provoking and emotional and I really do love Rinko. One more for the night?