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東京タラレバ娘 [Tōkyō Tarareba Musume] #9
東京タラレバ娘（９）
「ああだったら…」「こうなれれば…」ずっとタラレバ言いながら、幸せになりたいとずっと思ってた。私達にとって愛とは？ 恋とは？ 幸せとは？ タラレバ娘たちが葛藤と矛盾の末にたどり着いたラストを見逃すなかれ。
156 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 13, 2017
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January 15, 2019
I was holding off reviewing this because I've been in DENIAL about how this whole series made me feel. Let me tell you: don't start this series. Not if you want a satisfying story.
The first volume had so much promise! Three female protagonists in their 30s: one who's in a career mid-life crisis, one who's perfected her craft as a pub chef, and one who never leaves her comfort zone and still lives at home while working as a manicurist. They've been friends since high school and love to meet up for drinks to chat and complain and just unwind. Seems pretty normal and fun to me.
One of the things they like to talk about is how hard it is to find a good partner in a relationship. And... I mean, I kind of get it? The series is kind of harsh with the main characters. I'm fine with somebody telling them to stop complaining and just DO SOMETHING to change what makes them unhappy. That's totally fine. It kind of puts the mirror in their face and makes each woman question what exactly she thinks she is missing, whether she actually misses it, whether her feelings come from societal expectations or genuine feelings, and whether what they want is even attainable. ALL GREAT QUESTIONS.
The problem lies in the treatment of these questions. Higashimura (for some reason) sits on the fence and beats up her main characters until they're pulp on the sidewalk. The guy who "wakes up" the protagonists straight-up makes Character #1's character more difficult than it needed to be by deliberately calling out her work and getting her fired. Again, it's fine to criticize someone, especially if he really thought her work sucked, but it's a little weird that he keeps hounding her and commenting on every little choice she makes. Where is this coming from?? Why does she even like this guy?? Is disdain the new flirting or something? Seriously, I'm all for blunt characters, but he's not being blunt: he just constantly judges Character #1 at every turn. It's... it's really weird. And I hated watching her spiral into self-hatred and trying to force herself to be something else that didn't come naturally or comfortably. There's leaving your comfort zone, and then there's convincing yourself that you need to become something else entirely (all while hating yourself for not changing fast enough).
Meanwhile Characters #2 and #3 get woefully undeveloped storylines. #2 has to be told to leave her very, VERY useless boyfriend who is simultaneously dating three other women. Oh, but it's not her LIFELONG FRIENDS who tell her this. Nope. It's that GREAT GUY who also judges the first main character until she's raw. Good God, Higashimura, is this guy just a deity who goes around fixing people's relationship problems? He's still friends with the boyfriend, shouldn't someone judge him for his friend choices? I'm glad #2 gets out of the relationship, but the way it happened robbed her of some sorely needed agency. She doesn't change, she just escapes. And I think I would have liked to see her do it of her own volition.
#3 really gets the shaft. She starts an affair with a married man who claims he has a DOA relationship with his wife. Then she finds out the wife is pregnant. And then the guy's sister catches them in bed while his wife is going into labor. Oy. Frankly her story had the most nuance, because she leaves him after she decides she can't reconcile this behavior with her conscience. And it was heartbreaking to watch her shove her initial misgivings to the side. The end result is that she can try to put everything behind her, but even that isn't great. I wish she could have had a better ending.
And to top it all off, Character #1 finally rebuilds her life, renews her appetite for life, sharpens her work skills, and starts dating an old boyfriend of hers who has also been beaten around by life circumstances. It's not ideal, but it feels good? Normal? I would have preferred if she had realized she didn't need to have a relationship if she didn't feel 100% into it (and finished the story single but happier about her life), but noooooo, the author decided the BETTER ending would be to throw comfort out the window and shoe-horn feelings for the bossy guy, Judgy McJudgerson. Because he's hot? And mean? And says he might not be into a relationship? EVEN BETTER. Excuse me while I go cry over the sheer disappointment.
If you can't pinpoint Higashimura's take on her three characters' struggles with 30s relationships, here's why: she gives us a mixed bag. Nuance is good. But we don't get nuance. It looks like nuance at first, or rather, the story PROMISES nuance. Then it ditches nuance on the side of the road. By the end, I figured out what bothered me about Higashimura's approach to the main problem: she kind of blames the women. If they're not in a relationship, it's because they're too picky, too lazy, too anything. And that CAN be true, but... does that mean you should just settle for whatever happens? What's the goal here? To be married, or to be happy? At no point does Higashimura score the goal she set up. This last volume is wishy-washy, and there's a mixed message about having no regrets, but none of the characters end up in anything RESEMBLING happiness or satisfaction. It's kind of sad.
All in all, I get why Higashimura gets frustrated and wants to show that sometimes people need to get up and GO DO STUFF, be proactive, chase desires, etc. But with romance and relationships, it would have been nice if she had stopped trying to shift blame from party to party. The characters at the beginning blame men, and then a man blames them instead. Couldn't ANYBODY have tied the story together by pointing out: "Look, it's not always about who's to blame. Some people find a life partner. Others don't. Just do your best, try to live life to the fullest, and be happy and healthy." Aren't those goals hard enough? We have to add blame now??
Not really recommended as a good josei series. It was good at first but spiraled and never recovered. I wish I hadn't bought the series because every volume strung me along and I ended up disappointed.
Now if you want a really good, thoughtful, and entertaining story about adulthood, relationships, employment, societal expectations, and even AGE GAP relationships, I can recommend NOTHING BETTER than Kodansha's other series, "The Full-Time Wife Escapist." THAT SERIES did nothing but improve and improve.
The first volume had so much promise! Three female protagonists in their 30s: one who's in a career mid-life crisis, one who's perfected her craft as a pub chef, and one who never leaves her comfort zone and still lives at home while working as a manicurist. They've been friends since high school and love to meet up for drinks to chat and complain and just unwind. Seems pretty normal and fun to me.
One of the things they like to talk about is how hard it is to find a good partner in a relationship. And... I mean, I kind of get it? The series is kind of harsh with the main characters. I'm fine with somebody telling them to stop complaining and just DO SOMETHING to change what makes them unhappy. That's totally fine. It kind of puts the mirror in their face and makes each woman question what exactly she thinks she is missing, whether she actually misses it, whether her feelings come from societal expectations or genuine feelings, and whether what they want is even attainable. ALL GREAT QUESTIONS.
The problem lies in the treatment of these questions. Higashimura (for some reason) sits on the fence and beats up her main characters until they're pulp on the sidewalk. The guy who "wakes up" the protagonists straight-up makes Character #1's character more difficult than it needed to be by deliberately calling out her work and getting her fired. Again, it's fine to criticize someone, especially if he really thought her work sucked, but it's a little weird that he keeps hounding her and commenting on every little choice she makes. Where is this coming from?? Why does she even like this guy?? Is disdain the new flirting or something? Seriously, I'm all for blunt characters, but he's not being blunt: he just constantly judges Character #1 at every turn. It's... it's really weird. And I hated watching her spiral into self-hatred and trying to force herself to be something else that didn't come naturally or comfortably. There's leaving your comfort zone, and then there's convincing yourself that you need to become something else entirely (all while hating yourself for not changing fast enough).
Meanwhile Characters #2 and #3 get woefully undeveloped storylines. #2 has to be told to leave her very, VERY useless boyfriend who is simultaneously dating three other women. Oh, but it's not her LIFELONG FRIENDS who tell her this. Nope. It's that GREAT GUY who also judges the first main character until she's raw. Good God, Higashimura, is this guy just a deity who goes around fixing people's relationship problems? He's still friends with the boyfriend, shouldn't someone judge him for his friend choices? I'm glad #2 gets out of the relationship, but the way it happened robbed her of some sorely needed agency. She doesn't change, she just escapes. And I think I would have liked to see her do it of her own volition.
#3 really gets the shaft. She starts an affair with a married man who claims he has a DOA relationship with his wife. Then she finds out the wife is pregnant. And then the guy's sister catches them in bed while his wife is going into labor. Oy. Frankly her story had the most nuance, because she leaves him after she decides she can't reconcile this behavior with her conscience. And it was heartbreaking to watch her shove her initial misgivings to the side. The end result is that she can try to put everything behind her, but even that isn't great. I wish she could have had a better ending.
And to top it all off, Character #1 finally rebuilds her life, renews her appetite for life, sharpens her work skills, and starts dating an old boyfriend of hers who has also been beaten around by life circumstances. It's not ideal, but it feels good? Normal? I would have preferred if she had realized she didn't need to have a relationship if she didn't feel 100% into it (and finished the story single but happier about her life), but noooooo, the author decided the BETTER ending would be to throw comfort out the window and shoe-horn feelings for the bossy guy, Judgy McJudgerson. Because he's hot? And mean? And says he might not be into a relationship? EVEN BETTER. Excuse me while I go cry over the sheer disappointment.
If you can't pinpoint Higashimura's take on her three characters' struggles with 30s relationships, here's why: she gives us a mixed bag. Nuance is good. But we don't get nuance. It looks like nuance at first, or rather, the story PROMISES nuance. Then it ditches nuance on the side of the road. By the end, I figured out what bothered me about Higashimura's approach to the main problem: she kind of blames the women. If they're not in a relationship, it's because they're too picky, too lazy, too anything. And that CAN be true, but... does that mean you should just settle for whatever happens? What's the goal here? To be married, or to be happy? At no point does Higashimura score the goal she set up. This last volume is wishy-washy, and there's a mixed message about having no regrets, but none of the characters end up in anything RESEMBLING happiness or satisfaction. It's kind of sad.
All in all, I get why Higashimura gets frustrated and wants to show that sometimes people need to get up and GO DO STUFF, be proactive, chase desires, etc. But with romance and relationships, it would have been nice if she had stopped trying to shift blame from party to party. The characters at the beginning blame men, and then a man blames them instead. Couldn't ANYBODY have tied the story together by pointing out: "Look, it's not always about who's to blame. Some people find a life partner. Others don't. Just do your best, try to live life to the fullest, and be happy and healthy." Aren't those goals hard enough? We have to add blame now??
Not really recommended as a good josei series. It was good at first but spiraled and never recovered. I wish I hadn't bought the series because every volume strung me along and I ended up disappointed.
Now if you want a really good, thoughtful, and entertaining story about adulthood, relationships, employment, societal expectations, and even AGE GAP relationships, I can recommend NOTHING BETTER than Kodansha's other series, "The Full-Time Wife Escapist." THAT SERIES did nothing but improve and improve.
January 15, 2020
Well what a disappointing end to this series. The first couple of books were so entertaining and had so much promise and while the ending is supposedly a "happy ever after," it feels like it was the wrong choice. Rinko deserves to be happy, and not to be someone else's potential happiness. While I can get behind a redemption story, this is just an awful, romanticized abusive relationship where the character suddenly is sUcH a nIcE GUY! I enjoyed many of the character's flaws and decisions as it made them human, but not in terms of Key--he was 100% a trope. And poor Hayasaka--he desperately needed a happy ending and is instead just used not once, but twice within this series. Seriously, what a cop-out!
June 9, 2021
"I know what kind of comic I made, and I know I just threw gas on the fire of your fear, so I'm really sorry about that!!"I read volumes 8 and 9 at once, so don't remember specific details about what happened where. Volume 9 has only the last two chapters of the main story, and there's a lot of empty space in those chapters, so they more or less count for one volume of story.
I liked how the ending is just as equivocal as the rest of the story. What would be the real difference between Rinko going with the movie fan guy, or Key, if "their happiness" is the ideal? Is it just a matter of chemistry? Level of comfort? What's that relationship going to look like after a year or two, when Key's grief has had ample opportunity to be less raw? The over-the-top imagery and emotion could be interpreted as a revelation or a happy ending, but I don't know. What is happiness, anyway?
Hayasaka's way too understanding/wise (?), for sure. There isn't a hint of any sort of sadness when Rinko chooses Key before they even have their housewarming party. Never mind jealousy or anger!
If there's any overall advice in this series, it's on the very last page. What Higashimura says at least in part is a reiteration of what was stated by Key in these last couple volumes: girls' nights out only fan the flames of discontent and loneliness. If you want somebody, go out there and find them! Time's a wastin', especially if you're past 30. (These are Higashimura's thoughts, not mine, by the way.)
This series is somewhat less compassionate toward folly than the other couple of Higashimura's series I've read, but these characters are older and should know better! In theory. Yeah, people are pretty silly, no matter how old they get. :)
December 24, 2021
Una definición fácil para este tebeo sería "Sexo en NY ambientado en el Tokyo de 2015", pero, al contrario que en la serie norteamericana aquí las cosas son bastante más de andar por casa. Rinko y sus amigas son tres treintañeras atrapadas en un larguísimo período de estancamiento económico, pilladas con el pie cambiado en una época de importantes cambios sociales, donde intentan ser mujeres independientes y modernas pero que a su vez se ven presas de la inercia de las antiguas costumbres sociales. en este caso, casarse lo antes posible, no sólo en busca del afecto sino también como via de escape a una mediocre situación laboral y personal. Desde Rinko, que trabaja como guionista de seriales de internet de poca monta ofreciendo fantasías románticas consolatorias a treintañeras como ella, hasta Kaori, que apenas gana lo suficiente con su salón de manicura y se ve obligada a vivir con sus padres, pasando por Koyuki que trabaja en un bar tradicional japonés propiedad de su padre diabético con el que también vive. Y para desfogarse de sus frustraciones, las tres protagonistas se reúnen en el local de Koyuki a dar voces, comer y emborracharse como posesas, sumidas en un ciclo de autocompasión sin fin que se retroalimenta con unas relaciones amorosas que van de lo "mejor esto que nada" a lo "ya cualquier cosa me vale" en su desesperada búsqueda del afecto.
Higashimura comenta en el epílogo del primer tomo que esta serie se le ocurrió por la brasaza que le dan sus conocidas y amigas solteras. Que, aunque se ha casado dos veces, lo que a ella le hubiera molado es haber sido una persona soltera sin compromisos que vive la vida como le da la gana sin dar explicaciones a nadie, y que no está muy a favor del matrimonio como fuente de felicidad, bálsamo que cura todas las aflicciones, un concepto un poco egoísta e infantil. Que el amor es todo lo contrario, es entrega a otra persona donde la felicidad de ésta es más importante que la nuestra, y que es fundamental estar en paz con una misma para que nuestras relaciones románticas funcionen. Partiendo de aquí, el manga se convierte en una historia de aprendizaje de estos conceptos disfrazada de comedia romántica, donde además se aúnan varios temas interesantes; la obsesión de la sociedad con la juventud y la novedad, que provoca esa sensación de quedarse apartado del mundo al ir envejeciendo, la frustración al ser incapaces de comprender que no cumplir una serie de expectativas juveniles no equivale al fracaso vital, el papel de las fantasías románticas en el comportamiento amoroso de las personas y, sobre todo, la exaltación de la amistad femenina, el alcohol y la comida.
El tebeo es realmente entretenido, se lee prácticamente solo y resulta enormemente divertido, una especie de actualización del shojo a un público más adulto. Higashimura es una observadora ingeniosa y graciosísima cuyos chistes fluyen de esa forma tan natural que sólo está al alcance de los mejores, aunque el pico cómico se alcanza en el hilarante segundo tomo, absolutamente descacharrante, yendo en descenso (en cantidad, que no en calidad) a partir de ahí. Me gusta mucho como Higashimura inserta momentos muy emotivos y hasta desoladores, los personajes dan hasta penilla porque la autora no se corta en mostrarnos crudamente sus pequeñas miserias, sus comportamientos menos estimulantes y su tendencia a ponerse en ridículo. Me ha chirriado un poco la melodramatica historia del personaje masculino principal insertada en un relato tan costumbrista, resulta un poco folletinesca, un mecanismo para provocar los acontecimientos del final. Y la resolución también me ha resultado algo decepcionante, si bien se inserta el mensaje antes mencionado del amor como entrega, se acaba optando por un final consolador de cuento de hadas que resulta un poco brusco, en un relato de aprendizaje encuentro más importante el hallazgo espiritual que la recompensa "material". Es decir, todo lo que Higashimura nos cuenta en su epílogo sobre el matrimonio y la pareja podría haberlo plasmado en el argumento y hubiera resultado más natural, más orgánico que un final feliz que se ve venir desde el minuto uno. Quizá la autora no pudo resistirse a la empatía, incluso la compasión por sus personajes, sus amigas y todas las lectoras que se identificaron a tope con esta historia y quiso regalarles el final que ellas desearían.
Higashimura comenta en el epílogo del primer tomo que esta serie se le ocurrió por la brasaza que le dan sus conocidas y amigas solteras. Que, aunque se ha casado dos veces, lo que a ella le hubiera molado es haber sido una persona soltera sin compromisos que vive la vida como le da la gana sin dar explicaciones a nadie, y que no está muy a favor del matrimonio como fuente de felicidad, bálsamo que cura todas las aflicciones, un concepto un poco egoísta e infantil. Que el amor es todo lo contrario, es entrega a otra persona donde la felicidad de ésta es más importante que la nuestra, y que es fundamental estar en paz con una misma para que nuestras relaciones románticas funcionen. Partiendo de aquí, el manga se convierte en una historia de aprendizaje de estos conceptos disfrazada de comedia romántica, donde además se aúnan varios temas interesantes; la obsesión de la sociedad con la juventud y la novedad, que provoca esa sensación de quedarse apartado del mundo al ir envejeciendo, la frustración al ser incapaces de comprender que no cumplir una serie de expectativas juveniles no equivale al fracaso vital, el papel de las fantasías románticas en el comportamiento amoroso de las personas y, sobre todo, la exaltación de la amistad femenina, el alcohol y la comida.
El tebeo es realmente entretenido, se lee prácticamente solo y resulta enormemente divertido, una especie de actualización del shojo a un público más adulto. Higashimura es una observadora ingeniosa y graciosísima cuyos chistes fluyen de esa forma tan natural que sólo está al alcance de los mejores, aunque el pico cómico se alcanza en el hilarante segundo tomo, absolutamente descacharrante, yendo en descenso (en cantidad, que no en calidad) a partir de ahí. Me gusta mucho como Higashimura inserta momentos muy emotivos y hasta desoladores, los personajes dan hasta penilla porque la autora no se corta en mostrarnos crudamente sus pequeñas miserias, sus comportamientos menos estimulantes y su tendencia a ponerse en ridículo. Me ha chirriado un poco la melodramatica historia del personaje masculino principal insertada en un relato tan costumbrista, resulta un poco folletinesca, un mecanismo para provocar los acontecimientos del final. Y la resolución también me ha resultado algo decepcionante, si bien se inserta el mensaje antes mencionado del amor como entrega, se acaba optando por un final consolador de cuento de hadas que resulta un poco brusco, en un relato de aprendizaje encuentro más importante el hallazgo espiritual que la recompensa "material". Es decir, todo lo que Higashimura nos cuenta en su epílogo sobre el matrimonio y la pareja podría haberlo plasmado en el argumento y hubiera resultado más natural, más orgánico que un final feliz que se ve venir desde el minuto uno. Quizá la autora no pudo resistirse a la empatía, incluso la compasión por sus personajes, sus amigas y todas las lectoras que se identificaron a tope con esta historia y quiso regalarles el final que ellas desearían.
June 4, 2019
I'd give this series 3.5 stars as a whole. Not as good as Princess Jellyfish, but I liked where it went in the end. Too many Tokyo Tararebar bonus comics, which I didn't always care for, and the last two volumes could've been combined into one (too much bonus content vs actual comic).
January 27, 2022
I thought I’d have more to say but I just… don’t? I’m the biggest cry baby in the world and I couldn’t muster up anything more than just disappointment at the ending? Like I said in my review of Volume 7, I normally welcome and enjoy spoilers but this time, I feel like knowing the ending made everything feel flat.
I barely even have the energy to comment on how rushed And I’m incredibly disappointed with the fact that we didn’t get satisfying endings for Koyuki or Kaori. We don’t even really get to see them end their awful relationships with their respective boyfriends?! I feel so genuinely cheated. I adored all three of the protags so much and Rinko was the only one whose arc was fully realized. I hated the way it ended for her, but at least the story committed to seeing things through. I genuinely wonder if the author ran out of steam or stopped caring for these last couple of volumes. And god— why did the extra content take up thirty pages?!? I feel like there could have been way more story content there.
And I feel like the messages regarding female friendship were mixed, throughout the series. Sometimes, the story seems to condemn the girls for being so close— to the point where it’s occasionally implied that the reason none of them are married is because their bond is so tight. However, sometimes the story does play their love for each other straight and I’m genuinely relived the story ends on that note. They’re besties for life, and that much warms my heart.
On another semi-positive note, I’m glad none of the girls . It does feel like a hollow victory, , but at the very least, there’s a little bit of triumph in the girls keeping close as friends and going into the future with some degree of confidence.
Anyways. I know there’s an epilogue and I’ll try to get my hands on that. But seriously, it’ll be awhile before I continue to Princess Jellyfish or the author’s other works. It’s genuinely almost painful that I got so invested with these wonderful characters only for the conclusion to be deeply unsatisfying and almost reductive.
(And I love how I said I didn’t have the energy to say all that much but proceeded to write an essay. I always have a lot to say.)
I barely even have the energy to comment on how rushed And I’m incredibly disappointed with the fact that we didn’t get satisfying endings for Koyuki or Kaori. We don’t even really get to see them end their awful relationships with their respective boyfriends?! I feel so genuinely cheated. I adored all three of the protags so much and Rinko was the only one whose arc was fully realized. I hated the way it ended for her, but at least the story committed to seeing things through. I genuinely wonder if the author ran out of steam or stopped caring for these last couple of volumes. And god— why did the extra content take up thirty pages?!? I feel like there could have been way more story content there.
And I feel like the messages regarding female friendship were mixed, throughout the series. Sometimes, the story seems to condemn the girls for being so close— to the point where it’s occasionally implied that the reason none of them are married is because their bond is so tight. However, sometimes the story does play their love for each other straight and I’m genuinely relived the story ends on that note. They’re besties for life, and that much warms my heart.
On another semi-positive note, I’m glad none of the girls . It does feel like a hollow victory, , but at the very least, there’s a little bit of triumph in the girls keeping close as friends and going into the future with some degree of confidence.
Anyways. I know there’s an epilogue and I’ll try to get my hands on that. But seriously, it’ll be awhile before I continue to Princess Jellyfish or the author’s other works. It’s genuinely almost painful that I got so invested with these wonderful characters only for the conclusion to be deeply unsatisfying and almost reductive.
(And I love how I said I didn’t have the energy to say all that much but proceeded to write an essay. I always have a lot to say.)
April 22, 2019
3 stars for the series as a whole. The first few chapters were so funny, I regularly quoted them to others. The serious bits were good too, there was some truth in there, though it seemed bleak at times. But the advice columns were just horrible... They really brought the series down for me. And then the ending wasn't anything that people didn't see coming for miles. And I really hated this thing being repeated 'you are old, you have to settle down, you have to lower your standards'. Sure some people might have standards that are too high, but high standards in general aren't a bad thing...
Tldr: loved the beginning, it all went downhill from there...
Tldr: loved the beginning, it all went downhill from there...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2023
El manga en general me deja sentimientos encontrados y este último tomo cierto sabor agridulce.
Comencé el manga (la colección) pensando que iba a ser una historia desenfadada y divertida pero casi desde el primer tomo ya empecé a notar que iba a ser más una tragicomedia que otra cosa.
Las chicas, tres amigas treintañeras que piensan que han estado malgastando su juventud, deciden de buenas a primeras que ya es hora de encontrar un marido y a ser posible que sea un buen partido y así poder dejar de trabajar. Hasta aquí todo acorde con lo que viene siendo la sociedad japonesa, que nos puede hacer apretar los dientes y gustar más o menos pero así son las cosas y así nos las cuentan.
En esta búsqueda del marido ideal las chicas tomarán decisiones poco acertadas, todo con cierto toque de humor siempre, eso sí, pero que a mí me causaba entre rabia y lástima. Que equivocaciones comete todo el mundo a lo largo de la vida pero yo lo que quería es que estas tres mujeres hicieran su vida y fueran felices y se dejaran de complicarse la existencia.
A todo esto hablemos del guaperas rubiales don yo lo hago todo perfecto y además soy joven, no lo he soportado, no me gustaba su actitud de superioridad, ni sus malas formas, ni su toxicidad, no me ha convencido su historia personal que no me ha hecho comprenderlo casi nada, porque una cosa son las vivencias de uno y otra cosa es volverse un borde alegando que has tenido una vida difícil o una desilusión o lo que sea.
Sin entrar en spoilers, no me convence el final demasiado, ni la actitud de Rinko con según qué cosa. Rinko, así no.
Soy malísima con los nombres pero el personaje que más me ha gustado ha sido la compañera de trabajo de Rinko, muy divertida.
Comencé el manga (la colección) pensando que iba a ser una historia desenfadada y divertida pero casi desde el primer tomo ya empecé a notar que iba a ser más una tragicomedia que otra cosa.
Las chicas, tres amigas treintañeras que piensan que han estado malgastando su juventud, deciden de buenas a primeras que ya es hora de encontrar un marido y a ser posible que sea un buen partido y así poder dejar de trabajar. Hasta aquí todo acorde con lo que viene siendo la sociedad japonesa, que nos puede hacer apretar los dientes y gustar más o menos pero así son las cosas y así nos las cuentan.
En esta búsqueda del marido ideal las chicas tomarán decisiones poco acertadas, todo con cierto toque de humor siempre, eso sí, pero que a mí me causaba entre rabia y lástima. Que equivocaciones comete todo el mundo a lo largo de la vida pero yo lo que quería es que estas tres mujeres hicieran su vida y fueran felices y se dejaran de complicarse la existencia.
A todo esto hablemos del guaperas rubiales don yo lo hago todo perfecto y además soy joven, no lo he soportado, no me gustaba su actitud de superioridad, ni sus malas formas, ni su toxicidad, no me ha convencido su historia personal que no me ha hecho comprenderlo casi nada, porque una cosa son las vivencias de uno y otra cosa es volverse un borde alegando que has tenido una vida difícil o una desilusión o lo que sea.
Sin entrar en spoilers, no me convence el final demasiado, ni la actitud de Rinko con según qué cosa. Rinko, así no.
Soy malísima con los nombres pero el personaje que más me ha gustado ha sido la compañera de trabajo de Rinko, muy divertida.
August 16, 2025
Vol. 4 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 5 ★★☆☆☆
Vol. 6 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 7 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 8 ★★☆☆☆
I hate the ending. Key and Rinko's dynamic is one where she has to grovel for his approval, which I find appalling and not romantic in the slightest. I don't get why Rinko is so hung up on Key in the first place. Other than being hot, rich, and famous, what does he have going for him? It's not like they have gone through a lot together and developed a solid bond. It genuinely feels like she only pities him and wants to fix a broken man. The ending would be more palatable if Key is remorseful and shows initiative to be better, yet the onus is solely on Rinko. I don't see their relationship lasting without Rinko grows resentful.
Vol. 5 ★★☆☆☆
Vol. 6 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 7 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 8 ★★☆☆☆
I hate the ending. Key and Rinko's dynamic is one where she has to grovel for his approval, which I find appalling and not romantic in the slightest. I don't get why Rinko is so hung up on Key in the first place. Other than being hot, rich, and famous, what does he have going for him? It's not like they have gone through a lot together and developed a solid bond. It genuinely feels like she only pities him and wants to fix a broken man. The ending would be more palatable if Key is remorseful and shows initiative to be better, yet the onus is solely on Rinko. I don't see their relationship lasting without Rinko grows resentful.
February 5, 2026
je reste sur ma première impression d'une série à la fois charmante et frustrante. la fin est à la hauteur de la série, même si j'aurais préféré autre chose... suis trop lesbienne pour pleinement être touchée methinks, mais globalement c'était intéressant et pertinent
February 21, 2022
What if, what if I told you I loved these What If Girls?
Read
March 7, 2024ît was an really easy read, its more on the realistic side of life so if you are in your 30's you can at least relate a little bit with them hahaha
March 12, 2020
This was perfect until the end.
December 19, 2017
A satisfying conclusion to a fantastic series!
February 22, 2020
So I actually read the first volume last month but apparently forgot to add it to Goodreads, so I just added it to my series binge today. In accordance with my NLROMV, I gave no review on the middle volumes but also the first volume that I forgot to give my initial feelings on. Which means that this review IS IT.
First off, I love Higashimura’s work. She is always about calling out the lies we tell ourselves and complacency we settle with. Princess Jellyfish was the story of a girl who had beautiful dreams, but felt that she couldn’t fulfill them as someone outcasted for having too much passion about something no one else cared about. When her complacency is broken by possibly losing her safe haven and a boy who has been outcasted in different ways but still pursues his passions and dreams, she is forced to act to find her happiness.
Tokyo Tarareba Girls is similar. We follow three friends who find themselves 33 and unmarried. They all want a love story, and they often meet to drink and consider all the what-ifs that could lead their lives to happiness, while stuck on the regrets of their past. What if they had settled with that guy? What if they stayed with that broke musician? They spin these what if stories as Rinko, a screenwriter, thinks she has a second chance with a guy she once rejected because she kept thinking, “What if there’s a better guy than is just around the corner?” When the second chance goes awry, she finds herself drinking with her friends saying “What if...” And a young guy tells them off about all their what-ifs at their age. The young guy turns out to be a model and actor named Key who happens to be working with Rinko soon. Key has his own feelings about love and what-ifs, so the girls and him become enemies of sorts as they all try to live their lives happily.
You may already see where this is going... three girls happy with complaining about their love lives at girls’ nights are forced to face all their what-ifs and fight to find their own happiness. If they want to get married and fall in love so bad, maybe they should speak up and do something about! But it can be hard to go from ideals to reality. This guy seems perfect so I’ll leave the job I love for him and change myself! I will be in an affair just to be with a guy who I love and who loves me! This guy will take me so I don’t have to ask and be rejected by the guy I love! Because what if that’s as close to love as I can get? What if I can be happy with just this? These girls fight to find what will really make them happy, even if it’s hard, even it means this won’t be the “safe” option, even if it means they won’t get married by the Tokyo Olympics.
And I love it.
I will say that a lot of the series seems on the surface to be saying a woman can only be happy married or with a man, but it’s not. In her author comics at the end of the volumes, Higashimura, a divorcee with no intention to marry anytime soon, tells us that the point is to find what will really make you happy, even if it’s not easy. These three girls happen to want relationships and marriage, but other women in the series don’t. Some want careers, fun, or peace. The point is to not wait your whole life passively for those things to happen for you. You have to be proactive and brave. And this applies to men, too. Men have what-ifs, and they sometimes force those what-ifs on women to handle them, rather than deal with reality on their own. What if you changed your hair? What if you looked more like this person I really want to be with? What if you stayed convenient for me? And that is also the wrong way to live.
We all have certain ideals in life, but reality waits for no one. Time will keep going, so you better start living a life you love rather than just considering the what-ifs, the tarareba. Go. Capture your happiness. That is what Tokyo Tarareba Girls is about, and I loved every part of it. The characters, the relationships, the imagery, the liver and milt, the ideals, but mostly, the reality.
Truly a series worth a read.
Volume: 5*
Series: 5* HIGHLY recommended
First off, I love Higashimura’s work. She is always about calling out the lies we tell ourselves and complacency we settle with. Princess Jellyfish was the story of a girl who had beautiful dreams, but felt that she couldn’t fulfill them as someone outcasted for having too much passion about something no one else cared about. When her complacency is broken by possibly losing her safe haven and a boy who has been outcasted in different ways but still pursues his passions and dreams, she is forced to act to find her happiness.
Tokyo Tarareba Girls is similar. We follow three friends who find themselves 33 and unmarried. They all want a love story, and they often meet to drink and consider all the what-ifs that could lead their lives to happiness, while stuck on the regrets of their past. What if they had settled with that guy? What if they stayed with that broke musician? They spin these what if stories as Rinko, a screenwriter, thinks she has a second chance with a guy she once rejected because she kept thinking, “What if there’s a better guy than is just around the corner?” When the second chance goes awry, she finds herself drinking with her friends saying “What if...” And a young guy tells them off about all their what-ifs at their age. The young guy turns out to be a model and actor named Key who happens to be working with Rinko soon. Key has his own feelings about love and what-ifs, so the girls and him become enemies of sorts as they all try to live their lives happily.
You may already see where this is going... three girls happy with complaining about their love lives at girls’ nights are forced to face all their what-ifs and fight to find their own happiness. If they want to get married and fall in love so bad, maybe they should speak up and do something about! But it can be hard to go from ideals to reality. This guy seems perfect so I’ll leave the job I love for him and change myself! I will be in an affair just to be with a guy who I love and who loves me! This guy will take me so I don’t have to ask and be rejected by the guy I love! Because what if that’s as close to love as I can get? What if I can be happy with just this? These girls fight to find what will really make them happy, even if it’s hard, even it means this won’t be the “safe” option, even if it means they won’t get married by the Tokyo Olympics.
And I love it.
I will say that a lot of the series seems on the surface to be saying a woman can only be happy married or with a man, but it’s not. In her author comics at the end of the volumes, Higashimura, a divorcee with no intention to marry anytime soon, tells us that the point is to find what will really make you happy, even if it’s not easy. These three girls happen to want relationships and marriage, but other women in the series don’t. Some want careers, fun, or peace. The point is to not wait your whole life passively for those things to happen for you. You have to be proactive and brave. And this applies to men, too. Men have what-ifs, and they sometimes force those what-ifs on women to handle them, rather than deal with reality on their own. What if you changed your hair? What if you looked more like this person I really want to be with? What if you stayed convenient for me? And that is also the wrong way to live.
We all have certain ideals in life, but reality waits for no one. Time will keep going, so you better start living a life you love rather than just considering the what-ifs, the tarareba. Go. Capture your happiness. That is what Tokyo Tarareba Girls is about, and I loved every part of it. The characters, the relationships, the imagery, the liver and milt, the ideals, but mostly, the reality.
Truly a series worth a read.
Volume: 5*
Series: 5* HIGHLY recommended
August 24, 2022
I loved the overall message of this series, but I hated the ending so so much. I understand it "wasn't meant to be predictable or practical" but the final choice in love interest is painfully disappointing in a realistic kind of way. It hurts.
July 1, 2021
I enjoyed this series in general, I think it’s good, and it’s important to see adult women represented with an eye to real life everyday problems. It wasn’t a 100% fun or comfortable read, but I don’t think it was meant to be.
I appreciated that Higashimura normalises everyday suffering throughout. The characters have some good times, but no one is having fun 100% of the time. Life is a struggle - it’s not a fantasy. I’d like to see more of these mundane but important struggles come up in fiction. I think many people weigh themselves up against an ideal life where they’re happy all of the time, which is pretty much impossible. Celebrating folks’ everyday struggles and triumphs; when some things are going well, or even when everything is going wrong, gives an alternate yardstick to compare our lives against.
I liked the ‘because’ angle at the end. I liked that Rinko realised that this time she wanted the other person to be happy whether they were in a relationship or not, rather than obsessing about measuring her own happiness.
But one thing that I felt was missing throughout the series was any mention of the girls finding happiness or fulfilment in something other than love and marriage. There was a brief blip in volume 4 where Rinko got really into her work, but that never really went anywhere. I know that the author was using the main characters as extreme examples of women who thought about nothing but relationships, but it might have been nice to at least have one or two moments or ways in which they found some personal fulfilment in their work, outside interests, families etc.
The other main issue I had was with Key’s character. He’s just a non-person throughout, especially when compared to the nuance present in the main characters. He feels like a plot device. Also no idea why she decided to end the series with Key as the main romance. Was it just pandering to an audience that would want to see Rinko end up in a steamy romance with a random hot character? I respected Higashimura for the ending of Princess Jellyfish specifically because it wasn’t trite like that. All I can do is shrug at this decision with TTG.
Otherwise, I wasn’t super into the Tararebar sections at the back. If there was going to be extra content, I’d rather have seen side stories with the characters or some autobio stuff from Higashimura (the milt & liver were kind of annoying…).
I still appreciate this series though for being down-to-earth and relatable: it’s not escapism for 30-somethings, it’s talking with them.
I appreciated that Higashimura normalises everyday suffering throughout. The characters have some good times, but no one is having fun 100% of the time. Life is a struggle - it’s not a fantasy. I’d like to see more of these mundane but important struggles come up in fiction. I think many people weigh themselves up against an ideal life where they’re happy all of the time, which is pretty much impossible. Celebrating folks’ everyday struggles and triumphs; when some things are going well, or even when everything is going wrong, gives an alternate yardstick to compare our lives against.
I liked the ‘because’ angle at the end. I liked that Rinko realised that this time she wanted the other person to be happy whether they were in a relationship or not, rather than obsessing about measuring her own happiness.
But one thing that I felt was missing throughout the series was any mention of the girls finding happiness or fulfilment in something other than love and marriage. There was a brief blip in volume 4 where Rinko got really into her work, but that never really went anywhere. I know that the author was using the main characters as extreme examples of women who thought about nothing but relationships, but it might have been nice to at least have one or two moments or ways in which they found some personal fulfilment in their work, outside interests, families etc.
The other main issue I had was with Key’s character. He’s just a non-person throughout, especially when compared to the nuance present in the main characters. He feels like a plot device. Also no idea why she decided to end the series with Key as the main romance. Was it just pandering to an audience that would want to see Rinko end up in a steamy romance with a random hot character? I respected Higashimura for the ending of Princess Jellyfish specifically because it wasn’t trite like that. All I can do is shrug at this decision with TTG.
Otherwise, I wasn’t super into the Tararebar sections at the back. If there was going to be extra content, I’d rather have seen side stories with the characters or some autobio stuff from Higashimura (the milt & liver were kind of annoying…).
I still appreciate this series though for being down-to-earth and relatable: it’s not escapism for 30-somethings, it’s talking with them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2022
OK, I don’t normally review the manga I read but I’m here to throw my hat in the ring for Tokyo Tarareba Girls. I actually liked the ending.
Don’t get me wrong, I do not like Key & I don’t like Rinko’s choice to try dating him. But the point was that she finally made a choice to do something. Instead of thinking, “what if” and wishing about what could have been and living in the past, Rinko finally decided to make a choice to be present in the present.
Every event up until now showed how the girls lived in the past because they were obsessed with what could have been. If only I stayed with the musician; if only I had met the cheater before he was married; if only I accepted that coworker’s proposal, then I would be happy now: this is how the TTG think. Rinko’s graduation from being a what-if girl required her to start thinking about what would make her happy right now, and not what superficial goal (ie marriage) would have made her happy “by 33”. That pivot in thinking resulted in her becoming grateful for every moment of life instead of regretting what she did or didn’t do.
I really liked her final speech, and how Rinko is now going to think of her past as “Because” instead of “What if”. Because she lived in the sticks, she was able to meet her best friends and true soulmates- I really liked the sentiment. I think I can totally relate to the theme here- whether about romance or university choice or family matters. We all know some Tokyo Tarareba Girls (maybe we are or have been them…) who commiserate over boys and what they “didn’t do” who we wanna smack some sense into! No one wants the people they love to live a life of regrets and sadness.
Rinko did not grow up a lot during TTG but she grew up a little bit. It’s not the revelation that maybe you wanted or expected but I think it’s great.
Key still sucks tho lol
Don’t get me wrong, I do not like Key & I don’t like Rinko’s choice to try dating him. But the point was that she finally made a choice to do something. Instead of thinking, “what if” and wishing about what could have been and living in the past, Rinko finally decided to make a choice to be present in the present.
Every event up until now showed how the girls lived in the past because they were obsessed with what could have been. If only I stayed with the musician; if only I had met the cheater before he was married; if only I accepted that coworker’s proposal, then I would be happy now: this is how the TTG think. Rinko’s graduation from being a what-if girl required her to start thinking about what would make her happy right now, and not what superficial goal (ie marriage) would have made her happy “by 33”. That pivot in thinking resulted in her becoming grateful for every moment of life instead of regretting what she did or didn’t do.
I really liked her final speech, and how Rinko is now going to think of her past as “Because” instead of “What if”. Because she lived in the sticks, she was able to meet her best friends and true soulmates- I really liked the sentiment. I think I can totally relate to the theme here- whether about romance or university choice or family matters. We all know some Tokyo Tarareba Girls (maybe we are or have been them…) who commiserate over boys and what they “didn’t do” who we wanna smack some sense into! No one wants the people they love to live a life of regrets and sadness.
Rinko did not grow up a lot during TTG but she grew up a little bit. It’s not the revelation that maybe you wanted or expected but I think it’s great.
Key still sucks tho lol
January 22, 2024
Unfortunately, the ending brought the entire story down. I understand that this was another tale about choosing love instead of settling for a confortamble life, but that is just not my perspective as someone that is also 33 years old now.
In the end, the main character simply decided to leave a nice stable guy that would make her happy for the sad asshole guy that she loves and she decides that what will make her happy is to make him happy even if he doesn't love her as much (what?). She even asks what she has to change in order for him to love her, which was exactly the issue she had with a former guy she dated and one of the reasons she broke up with him... I would be fine if she ended up with sad guy if she had never been with the other nice guy and if she didn't decide to basically live just for the one guy she currently loves. I kept reading this manga hoping for an ending that would be different than this end goal that I was expecting, but in that way it was predictable. At least it was realistic enough to not make the guy instantly love her back, but the reason he was interested in the main character in the first place is because she resembles his dead lover (I hate this kind of plot line).
On a happier note, the women decided that they like hanging out to drink and complain and nothing changed much in that aspect. At least, the friends of the main character decided not to keep seeing the cheaters too. That is why the volume gets 2 stars instead of 1.
In the end, the main character simply decided to leave a nice stable guy that would make her happy for the sad asshole guy that she loves and she decides that what will make her happy is to make him happy even if he doesn't love her as much (what?). She even asks what she has to change in order for him to love her, which was exactly the issue she had with a former guy she dated and one of the reasons she broke up with him... I would be fine if she ended up with sad guy if she had never been with the other nice guy and if she didn't decide to basically live just for the one guy she currently loves. I kept reading this manga hoping for an ending that would be different than this end goal that I was expecting, but in that way it was predictable. At least it was realistic enough to not make the guy instantly love her back, but the reason he was interested in the main character in the first place is because she resembles his dead lover (I hate this kind of plot line).
On a happier note, the women decided that they like hanging out to drink and complain and nothing changed much in that aspect. At least, the friends of the main character decided not to keep seeing the cheaters too. That is why the volume gets 2 stars instead of 1.
September 29, 2022
The beginning is very repetitive, we keep getting monologues about being 30 and not married, which are really the same topic with different metaphores.
After a while the story picks up and becomes more engaging, especially while introducing the storylines of the other two girls.
What I really couldn't stand was the positive depiction of Key, the asshole male interest that serves as "wake up call" for the protagonists that ends up being the romantic interest of the lead. At that point the two storylines of the friends are completely abandoned and a cheap sob story is brought up to justify the dude's behaviour and make the ending more palatable.
After a while the story picks up and becomes more engaging, especially while introducing the storylines of the other two girls.
What I really couldn't stand was the positive depiction of Key, the asshole male interest that serves as "wake up call" for the protagonists that ends up being the romantic interest of the lead. At that point the two storylines of the friends are completely abandoned and a cheap sob story is brought up to justify the dude's behaviour and make the ending more palatable.
October 14, 2022
總算看完了
就算是漫畫
全英文九集也看了四個月才看完
尤其讀者來信篇字多又小，看得有夠累
那些甘願當小三喜歡搞一夜情天性愛出軌的
就別上來哭結不了婚了好嗎!!
劇情有點虎頭蛇尾的感覺
雖然金髮男賤嘴都嘴到點上
但不能接受最後三集金髮男上位
跟日劇改編不同的是
倫子已經跟早坂君同居了
還是二度甩了早坂
跑了六集也看不出倫子愛金髮男那裡啊
Interesting Behavior!! (請參美帝空軍禮貌對話詞語對照表)
日劇改成一起找房子的過程中
倫子逐漸發覺其實並不是真的愛早坂
比漫畫合理得多，我不能接受漫畫結局啊啊
雖然我也是轉職魔法師後才開始努力
又是男性，可能無法體會女性的感覺
不過還是覺得日本人框架很沉重
尤其看讀者來信的內容
日本人總是覺得一定要這樣或那樣才是人生正軌
好累啊，過三十歲又怎樣啦~
最後劇情轉折不喜歡，總體評價兩顆星
吉高由里子好正，看日劇就好啦
就算是漫畫
全英文九集也看了四個月才看完
尤其讀者來信篇字多又小，看得有夠累
那些甘願當小三喜歡搞一夜情天性愛出軌的
就別上來哭結不了婚了好嗎!!
劇情有點虎頭蛇尾的感覺
雖然金髮男賤嘴都嘴到點上
但不能接受最後三集金髮男上位
跟日劇改編不同的是
倫子已經跟早坂君同居了
還是二度甩了早坂
跑了六集也看不出倫子愛金髮男那裡啊
Interesting Behavior!! (請參美帝空軍禮貌對話詞語對照表)
日劇改成一起找房子的過程中
倫子逐漸發覺其實並不是真的愛早坂
比漫畫合理得多，我不能接受漫畫結局啊啊
雖然我也是轉職魔法師後才開始努力
又是男性，可能無法體會女性的感覺
不過還是覺得日本人框架很沉重
尤其看讀者來信的內容
日本人總是覺得一定要這樣或那樣才是人生正軌
好累啊，過三十歲又怎樣啦~
最後劇情轉折不喜歡，總體評價兩顆星
吉高由里子好正，看日劇就好啦
December 10, 2020
honestly this series has mostly just taught me that higashimura is kind of a dick which is unfortunate because i really liked princess jellyfish
1 star
1 star
November 10, 2024
genuinely one of the worst endings i ever had the displeasure of reading
May 12, 2023
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Putting one giant review of the overall series on the last volume instead of tiny ones at every one because I don't remember exact moments in every book lol BUT!
I would just like to express how incredibly disappointed I am in the ending for Rinko (our main female protagonist). I think this series had such a grand opportunity to have that trope of "old gossipy women" and flip it from running-out-of-time-need-to-fall-in-love-now to the power of friendship or self-love even. Rinko's friends, Kaori and Koyuki, and introduced and heavily involved in the series and even have their own stories with relationships and old flames, and it becomes very confusing seeing them just dropped. There is no definitive conclusion to their situations and while I can understand them putting their love lives on hold for the happiness of Rinko, they're just big plot holes than never get resolved.
NOW... as far as Rinko's relationship goes, what the hell? Key, the male lead she ultimately ends up with, is insulting, blunt beyond belief, and just an overall mean person to Rinko throughout most of the series that, to me, there was no room for love to grow. AT ALL. Maybe a crush, fine. He's mean to her, meets her a few more times and then ends up taking a liking to her. I would've been understanding of that. They run into each other 4-5 times, with him being nothing but an asshole towards her and her friends for having "girls' nights out" at a pub one of them works at, makes Rinko LOSE HER JOB, then later, because he feels maybe a little bad throws her a bone with a job opportunity in some bumpkin ass city (this does ignite a new passion in her that makes her appreciate the small jobs instead of holding onto that big ticket mindset of making it big as soon as one arrives to a large city like Tokyo (which is why it confuses me even further when instead of having a comfy relationship with Hayasaka-san, she throws it all away for Key)).
It's revealed that Key was once married to a woman 14 years his senior who looks exactly like Rinko which is why, as mean as he may be to her, there is a small fondness for her and he doesn't completely toss her aside. In my opinion, it comes off as super manipulative and it sucks that her friends, after wishing her well on finally having a stable relationship (there's a whole thing about infidelity and adultery and pregnancy scares), they pressure her into going to Key because of the resemblance between her and his late wife. "And what does that have to do with me?"-Rinko (I wish)
There's definitely really great moments in the manga. Comedy is on point, the art is beautiful and there's really great lessons and situations that we as readers can learn from as we grow older, but I think this series went the wrong way in terms of growth within the main character. Rinko is a smart woman who is work/goal oriented and seems to have a good head on her shoulders despite not having the best luck in the romance department. However, it falls flat and seems not like her character at all to go with a man who, to her face, tells her he may never love her. It's discouraging as a fellow girl boss to see another woman try her hardest to "fix him" (get up girl!!!).
All in all, I think this is an okay series, hence the 3 stars. I think this gets such high praises since it's the same mangaka as Princess Jellyfish, but I just found it to come to such an anticlimactic, and honestly frustrating end. I don't know, maybe it's because it didn't end how I wanted it to lol but I just think this could've gone in such a more empowering way, especially because the whole series is about tackling the stigma against "spinsters" (Key's words, not mine!!!!!!). If you happen to pick it up, I would say give it a read, but I wouldn't go as far as to recommend it fully.
Putting one giant review of the overall series on the last volume instead of tiny ones at every one because I don't remember exact moments in every book lol BUT!
I would just like to express how incredibly disappointed I am in the ending for Rinko (our main female protagonist). I think this series had such a grand opportunity to have that trope of "old gossipy women" and flip it from running-out-of-time-need-to-fall-in-love-now to the power of friendship or self-love even. Rinko's friends, Kaori and Koyuki, and introduced and heavily involved in the series and even have their own stories with relationships and old flames, and it becomes very confusing seeing them just dropped. There is no definitive conclusion to their situations and while I can understand them putting their love lives on hold for the happiness of Rinko, they're just big plot holes than never get resolved.
NOW... as far as Rinko's relationship goes, what the hell? Key, the male lead she ultimately ends up with, is insulting, blunt beyond belief, and just an overall mean person to Rinko throughout most of the series that, to me, there was no room for love to grow. AT ALL. Maybe a crush, fine. He's mean to her, meets her a few more times and then ends up taking a liking to her. I would've been understanding of that. They run into each other 4-5 times, with him being nothing but an asshole towards her and her friends for having "girls' nights out" at a pub one of them works at, makes Rinko LOSE HER JOB, then later, because he feels maybe a little bad throws her a bone with a job opportunity in some bumpkin ass city (this does ignite a new passion in her that makes her appreciate the small jobs instead of holding onto that big ticket mindset of making it big as soon as one arrives to a large city like Tokyo (which is why it confuses me even further when instead of having a comfy relationship with Hayasaka-san, she throws it all away for Key)).
It's revealed that Key was once married to a woman 14 years his senior who looks exactly like Rinko which is why, as mean as he may be to her, there is a small fondness for her and he doesn't completely toss her aside. In my opinion, it comes off as super manipulative and it sucks that her friends, after wishing her well on finally having a stable relationship (there's a whole thing about infidelity and adultery and pregnancy scares), they pressure her into going to Key because of the resemblance between her and his late wife. "And what does that have to do with me?"-Rinko (I wish)
There's definitely really great moments in the manga. Comedy is on point, the art is beautiful and there's really great lessons and situations that we as readers can learn from as we grow older, but I think this series went the wrong way in terms of growth within the main character. Rinko is a smart woman who is work/goal oriented and seems to have a good head on her shoulders despite not having the best luck in the romance department. However, it falls flat and seems not like her character at all to go with a man who, to her face, tells her he may never love her. It's discouraging as a fellow girl boss to see another woman try her hardest to "fix him" (get up girl!!!).
All in all, I think this is an okay series, hence the 3 stars. I think this gets such high praises since it's the same mangaka as Princess Jellyfish, but I just found it to come to such an anticlimactic, and honestly frustrating end. I don't know, maybe it's because it didn't end how I wanted it to lol but I just think this could've gone in such a more empowering way, especially because the whole series is about tackling the stigma against "spinsters" (Key's words, not mine!!!!!!). If you happen to pick it up, I would say give it a read, but I wouldn't go as far as to recommend it fully.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2018
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
A Tokyo version of Sex in the City is perhaps the best indicator of what you will find in this manga. Three women, all in their early 30s, realize they are getting old and may miss their chance to find love and happiness with a partner. These are their adventures as they reconsider their lives and life choices. The manga was a hit in Japan and even turned into a live action J-drama.Story: Rinko, Kaori, and Koyuki - three best friends who drink copious amounts of alcohol while commiserating over life, are forced to one day realize that they are in their 30s and yet none have found a lasting partnership. Rinko is attempting to create a career as a scriptwriter, Kaori has her own manicure salon, and Koyuki works in her father's small restaurant - the hangout of the girls when they want to get drunk and complain about men. When a young man gets tired of their antics in the restaurant, he calls them 'white if' girls - women who have grown up but spend all their time thinking 'what if' rather than actually doing anything. Shocked and dismayed, the girls set out to change their lives.
Rounding out at 9 volumes, the heart of the story is each woman finding a guy who seems perfect for them but always has a fatal flaw. It is in this way that the appeal of Tarareba girls can be found: the author is unsparing in her portrayals of all three, showcasing their flaws and shortsightedness as easily as she does their charms. Indeed, most of the time they are being told just how silly, immature, clueless, and naive they can be. This isn't the series you want to read if you want overidealized heroines; I love that josei manga (manga geared for women and not girls) can often eschew happily ever after endings in favor of more nuanced storylines with bittersweet denouements.
Those looking for a clean romance won't find it through to the end. Instead, we have our flawed heroines and their flawed love interests flailing around trying to find their way in a complex world. But it is an entertaining read and grounded enough to keep readers invested to the end. The J-Drama made from this series doesn't have the charm of the manga and so I encourage reading the manga first before seeing the live action adaptation.
The title of the story comes from a play on words: Rinko often has drunken episodes where a pair of talking food pieces (codfish milt and liver) scold her and torment her with reality. If you take the words in Japanese, the two food items sound like "tara reba" - what if. Hence, the theme of the story of the girls spending too much time getting drunk and giving what if stories.
Our heroines aren't the brightest but they feel like real people; the author based the characters off her friends and it is an unflinching view of a society obsessed with youth. At heart is the idea that past the age of 27, a woman becomes a 'fruitcake' - something useless and tasteless that sits on a shelf forever because no one wants it. It's an unflinchingly harsh view and perhaps Western readers won't quite understand the seriousness with which these characters take the social norm of needing a man to be happy and fulfilled - to prove their worth as a woman.
In all, I enjoyed the series and the J Drama for it's somewhat quirky but often harsh view of Tokyo women who have reached their 30s single. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
March 9, 2018
“I spent all my time wondering ‘what if,’ then one day I woke up and I was 33,” main character Rinko says on the first page of Tokyo Tarareba Girls. Rinko and her close friends Kaori and Koyuki are all 33 and single, with past loves and painful regrets. They meet regularly to drink in Koyuki’s family-run pub, celebrating successes and drowning their sorrows, still aiming for the same personal and professional dreams. However, from the day a young stranger in the pub tells them to quiet down, Rinko’s luck seems to go downhill—or is she just facing up to the reality of her situation at last?
Akiko Higashimura of Princess Jellyfish fame wrote Tokyo Tarareba Girls as her exasperated response to a very specific phenomenon: her single female friends, on hearing the announcement that Tokyo will host the Olympics in 2020, panicking that they would still be unmarried by then. While Higashimura makes clear in editorial notes that she personally doesn’t value marriage very highly, she also notes that reaction to Tokyo Tarareba Girls has been “intense,” with some calling it a horror story. Fair warning, older readers: whether you’re in Rinko’s position or not, her musings about the passing of time are all too real, a punch to the gut for anyone past their 20s.
However, the silver lining to this truth-telling is one of the most fleshed-out representations of thirtysomething women in any manga around. Tokyo Tarareba Girls is, above all, a tribute to female friendship. The main trio compliment, commiserate, fight, play wingwoman and, of course, drink together. The support they give each other is constant, and even the most cutting of jibes is quickly forgotten as they face their next crisis together. The male characters, meanwhile, are a parade of Mr. Wrongs, and whether or not the women should settle for them is a recurring theme. Anyone who enjoyed Bridget Jones’s Diary or Sex and the City is likely to find this manga irresistible.
Fortunately, Tokyo Tarareba Girls balances out the frequent bittersweet content with easy comedy. Higashimura is unafraid to make her women look ugly or to put them in cringeworthy social situations. Yes, the result sometimes feels a little harsh, but no harsher than real life, and always more entertaining. In a landscape of stories about teens, it’s almost a relief to see a warts-and-all view of adult women of this age.
In this final volume of the series Rinko's finally decides to try and build a future with Key. There is not guarantee that they will succeed but they commit to finding what happiness they can in the present. It is overall a strong resolution for all of our characters that in the end celebrates female
friendship.
Akiko Higashimura of Princess Jellyfish fame wrote Tokyo Tarareba Girls as her exasperated response to a very specific phenomenon: her single female friends, on hearing the announcement that Tokyo will host the Olympics in 2020, panicking that they would still be unmarried by then. While Higashimura makes clear in editorial notes that she personally doesn’t value marriage very highly, she also notes that reaction to Tokyo Tarareba Girls has been “intense,” with some calling it a horror story. Fair warning, older readers: whether you’re in Rinko’s position or not, her musings about the passing of time are all too real, a punch to the gut for anyone past their 20s.
However, the silver lining to this truth-telling is one of the most fleshed-out representations of thirtysomething women in any manga around. Tokyo Tarareba Girls is, above all, a tribute to female friendship. The main trio compliment, commiserate, fight, play wingwoman and, of course, drink together. The support they give each other is constant, and even the most cutting of jibes is quickly forgotten as they face their next crisis together. The male characters, meanwhile, are a parade of Mr. Wrongs, and whether or not the women should settle for them is a recurring theme. Anyone who enjoyed Bridget Jones’s Diary or Sex and the City is likely to find this manga irresistible.
Fortunately, Tokyo Tarareba Girls balances out the frequent bittersweet content with easy comedy. Higashimura is unafraid to make her women look ugly or to put them in cringeworthy social situations. Yes, the result sometimes feels a little harsh, but no harsher than real life, and always more entertaining. In a landscape of stories about teens, it’s almost a relief to see a warts-and-all view of adult women of this age.
In this final volume of the series Rinko's finally decides to try and build a future with Key. There is not guarantee that they will succeed but they commit to finding what happiness they can in the present. It is overall a strong resolution for all of our characters that in the end celebrates female
friendship.
November 9, 2025
This botches the ending. I think I agree with the themes of this more than a lot of people, but it doesn't feel like Higashimura knew where she was going until she got here. I don't think a happily ever after was ever in the cards here. From the beginning this series has just been a little too sharp for that.
The theme of this work has always been that when it comes to romance you have to fish or cut bait. Spending every night hanging out, drinking, and complaining with your friends about your love life is a form of procrastination. At some point the characters each have to decide that either A. they want a traditional marriage with kids, and achieving that will require work and sacrifice or B. they want something else, and they need to decide what that is and do the hard work of forging their own path.
There are always going to be people who disagree with the choice the main character makes, and that ruins the work for them. I don't care about that perspective. The problem I have with this work is that they didn't pull off the ending they chose. I think that's partially because they wanted it to feel like a surprise. If they had made it more obvious that one option just wasn't going to work the ultimate conclusion would have felt more satisfying. It's less real, but it would read better. As it is, we got an unsatisfactory ending, that sparked a lot of great discussion at my book club.
I also suspect that something is lost in translation. There's a conversation Rinko has with Tetsuro that feels like the main thematic statement of the work, and it all revolves around a change in outlook defined by which words you use the most when discussing your life, and it's really clunky and unsatisfying in English. I had to read it three times before recognizing that I agreed. I don't speak Japanese, so it's totally possible it's just as awkward in the original language, but I can't help feeling a little cheated. That's always a challenge with translated work though, so I suppose we just have to accept it.
The theme of this work has always been that when it comes to romance you have to fish or cut bait. Spending every night hanging out, drinking, and complaining with your friends about your love life is a form of procrastination. At some point the characters each have to decide that either A. they want a traditional marriage with kids, and achieving that will require work and sacrifice or B. they want something else, and they need to decide what that is and do the hard work of forging their own path.
There are always going to be people who disagree with the choice the main character makes, and that ruins the work for them. I don't care about that perspective. The problem I have with this work is that they didn't pull off the ending they chose. I think that's partially because they wanted it to feel like a surprise. If they had made it more obvious that one option just wasn't going to work the ultimate conclusion would have felt more satisfying. It's less real, but it would read better. As it is, we got an unsatisfactory ending, that sparked a lot of great discussion at my book club.
I also suspect that something is lost in translation. There's a conversation Rinko has with Tetsuro that feels like the main thematic statement of the work, and it all revolves around a change in outlook defined by which words you use the most when discussing your life, and it's really clunky and unsatisfying in English. I had to read it three times before recognizing that I agreed. I don't speak Japanese, so it's totally possible it's just as awkward in the original language, but I can't help feeling a little cheated. That's always a challenge with translated work though, so I suppose we just have to accept it.
March 26, 2021
I really, really wanted to love this series.
There are some great traits here. The characters are (mostly) lovable and believable. It has a very Sex in the City vibe, which I loved, basically best friends struggling to find love and acceptance. The trio of main characters, and even a lot of the side characters I found myself utterly invested in.
The artwork is gorgeous and reflects the mental angst the characters are going through perfectly.
The drama is well paced with me reading the last 4 volumes in one sitting.
But at the end of the series I still found myself unsatisfied.
The main love interest through out the story is a utter jerk. He constantly is putting down our main character, offering a little help, then putting her down again. Our poor protagonist gets jerked around by Key and other men so frequently that I truly empathized with her break down moments.
I didn't like the overtones of going out with friends blocks you from finding romantic partners. Maybe this is it showing I am not the target demographic but I just didn't love that. Sex in the City at its best is a celebration of independent female friends, but this story felt often like a cautionary tale against it... which is ridiculous.
************ Spoilers******************
The story ends; however, and our character decides she is trying to be less worried about her own happiness and more worried about Key, the dude who has been a dick to her the whole book?! It's written off as him reflecting on his own sadness, but that isn't an excuse. I also hate the lesson of, in order to find a husband, women need to put their own needs on hold, and be more concerned about the man.... uh what?!
I absolutely adored Princess Jellyfish, and I loved parts of this series, but it is no where near as good, or concise a story as Jellyfish. If you are debating between the two do yourself a favor and just read Princess Jellyfish.
There are some great traits here. The characters are (mostly) lovable and believable. It has a very Sex in the City vibe, which I loved, basically best friends struggling to find love and acceptance. The trio of main characters, and even a lot of the side characters I found myself utterly invested in.
The artwork is gorgeous and reflects the mental angst the characters are going through perfectly.
The drama is well paced with me reading the last 4 volumes in one sitting.
But at the end of the series I still found myself unsatisfied.
The main love interest through out the story is a utter jerk. He constantly is putting down our main character, offering a little help, then putting her down again. Our poor protagonist gets jerked around by Key and other men so frequently that I truly empathized with her break down moments.
I didn't like the overtones of going out with friends blocks you from finding romantic partners. Maybe this is it showing I am not the target demographic but I just didn't love that. Sex in the City at its best is a celebration of independent female friends, but this story felt often like a cautionary tale against it... which is ridiculous.
************ Spoilers******************
The story ends; however, and our character decides she is trying to be less worried about her own happiness and more worried about Key, the dude who has been a dick to her the whole book?! It's written off as him reflecting on his own sadness, but that isn't an excuse. I also hate the lesson of, in order to find a husband, women need to put their own needs on hold, and be more concerned about the man.... uh what?!
I absolutely adored Princess Jellyfish, and I loved parts of this series, but it is no where near as good, or concise a story as Jellyfish. If you are debating between the two do yourself a favor and just read Princess Jellyfish.
January 7, 2024
Three stars because the series was engaging, and the characters were interesting. I am with most of the people who are dissatisfied with the ending and even how some things played out. I am not sure how the events that led up the end gave Rinko and the other girls the revelation to stop be tarareba girls all the time. At one point I was for Key/Rinko, but Key really crossed some lines that I could not understand how he could be redeemed to be a love interest. Mr. Hayasaka, similarly, was not really a match I could root for, for Rinko. He also seemed to be a convenient person in Rinko's life - like a person she could settle for but not really have a strong connection with.
It can be a difficult read for people who are in the shoes of Tarareba Girls, since the issues the girls face are universal. This is because the author/Key can be harsh towards those girls who yearn for a fulfilling romantic relationship but feel stuck. So, it would have been nicer if they had been more action to show that these girls expand their world view and can focus on being content as they are. That they learn to decenter romance so they can see life can be lived many ways for a woman. And you are no less worthy of a person whether you are not married ( not in a relationship) or even are married.
It can be a difficult read for people who are in the shoes of Tarareba Girls, since the issues the girls face are universal. This is because the author/Key can be harsh towards those girls who yearn for a fulfilling romantic relationship but feel stuck. So, it would have been nicer if they had been more action to show that these girls expand their world view and can focus on being content as they are. That they learn to decenter romance so they can see life can be lived many ways for a woman. And you are no less worthy of a person whether you are not married ( not in a relationship) or even are married.
October 30, 2019
The roller-coaster of emotions with the Tarareba girls is over!
Overall, the series was a good one, but there are still a few things that irked me. These women...make bad decisions. I mean, as humans do. We're terrible. And I guess that added depth? In a way.
Mostly though, I found the Tara and Reba (Milt and Liver) "characters" distracting. Throughout the WHOLE series. I get that they were a play on words. But my god, how annoying. I also hate that the "bonus content" area of each volume was wasted on them and their poor advice. I honestly couldn't even read them. I enjoyed the questions and mulling over what MY advice to the person would be (because...that's a thing I do, apparently), but I couldn't read the rest. Something about the way the segments with them are drawn is just...visually overwhelming and I couldn't focus on them. Even within the main comic, I often drifted over the pages with them involved.
Also, way to make your characters seem delusional, Higashimura Sensei!
But, I'm glad I read it. It's a different, and yet similar, feel to Princess Jellyfish. I hope more fans of that will give this one a shot.
Overall, the series was a good one, but there are still a few things that irked me. These women...make bad decisions. I mean, as humans do. We're terrible. And I guess that added depth? In a way.
Mostly though, I found the Tara and Reba (Milt and Liver) "characters" distracting. Throughout the WHOLE series. I get that they were a play on words. But my god, how annoying. I also hate that the "bonus content" area of each volume was wasted on them and their poor advice. I honestly couldn't even read them. I enjoyed the questions and mulling over what MY advice to the person would be (because...that's a thing I do, apparently), but I couldn't read the rest. Something about the way the segments with them are drawn is just...visually overwhelming and I couldn't focus on them. Even within the main comic, I often drifted over the pages with them involved.
Also, way to make your characters seem delusional, Higashimura Sensei!
But, I'm glad I read it. It's a different, and yet similar, feel to Princess Jellyfish. I hope more fans of that will give this one a shot.
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