Tomiko and Miyako help a divorcee, an artist just moved back from Brooklyn, a girl looking for a non-haunted property and an aspiring novelist all find new apartments in and around Tokyo while they plan to renovate their own place.
I know it doesn’t sound like edge-of-your-seat reading - and it isn’t - but that’s partly why I like it. Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live? is the manga equivalent of a travel and food show rolled into one. Those shows obviously aren’t plotted like dramas, and they’re not for everyone, but I like watching them regardless, seeing the exotic locations and foods that I haven’t the opportunity or money to see and experience for myself.
Still, Makihirochi does try to include some fiction so we get to know a little about each of the prospective tenants and she sets up the renovation storyline for the twins so they’ve got something going on too. The art is necessarily very detailed so you get a strong sense of each neighbourhood’s character. And I liked seeing the interiors of the apartments - Japanese architecture is wonderful!
You have to be a very particular kind of reader to get anything out of this series - not just someone interested in slice-of-life comics but specifically the character of Tokyo itself. And I won’t say I thought this book was incredible but it is a very relaxing and enjoyable read like giving your brain a warm bath!
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