Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live? 1 by Makihirochi Review

A couple of real estate agents show prospective tenants around Tokyo’s many rentable apartments. Didja know the trendy Tokyo district of Kichijoji isn’t the only cool place to live in the city?? And that’s the book - there’s no plot and creator Makihirochi makes no attempt at one either!

That sounds sooooo pants, right? And yet… I kinda dug it?! Makihirochi’s unabashed love letter to Tokyo is infectious!

The main characters, twins Tomiko and Miyako, are an adorbs pair of chubby girls who refreshingly look like the polar opposite of the sparkly tiny-waisted, giant-eyed monsters that are a staple of female anime characters. They’re gleefully unprofessional, love rock music, don’t really give a fuck about punctuality (a big deal in Japan), and one of them has tats (which excludes her from the public baths – tattoos are taboo in Japan as they’re associated with the yakuza). And they’re a likeable duo – almost like Beavis and Butthead in the way they mosh out when rock music’s playing – who’re actually really good at reading the customer’s needs and finding the right place for them.

Makihirochi slowly builds their characters over the book, much like she reveals the character of Tokyo through exploring its many districts. I enjoyed the insider’s perspective of the varied neighbourhoods and its features, as well as the different kinds of apartment you can rent in Tokyo for roughly 800 bucks a month (completely of my own will I’ve watched too many videos of Japanese apartment tours on YouTube!).

All locations, businesses, sights, etc. are real with details of where to find them, photos, opening times, and so on included at the end of each chapter, so that’s useful if you find something that catches your eye and you’re planning on visiting the city.

The art though is generic manga and the tenants’ stories are very mundane. And it is overly informative as I expect most readers aren’t planning on actually living in Tokyo! I’m not gonna say it’s a gripping read either – it’s not – and I definitely found it easy to put down after a chapter and read something with more of a pulse.

Still, this is a charming slice-of-life manga full of cool locations and a couple of delightful leads. Worth a read if you’re into property porn and/or the lightest and fluffiest of comics!