Bing! Bing! Bing! We have a winner of the first annual “Adults Having An Important Conversation Like Adults” Award here at Okazu.

Asako is living with her landlord, Miyako. Miyako, a retired extremely famous singer, is a bit of a layabout, but Asako, a manga editor, happily cooks and cleans, and their days pass pleasantly.

Until, in Maitsuki Niwatsuki Ooyatsuki – Monthly With Ooya, Volume 3 (毎月庭つき大家つき), Miyako comes to the conclusion that she has fallen in love with Asako. She tries, in horribly awkward and non-intuitive ways to get her interest across, but it doesn’t land. She imagines her birthday will give them an opportunity to get closer, but Asako seems lukewarm about it. Stressed, Miyako calls on her idol friend Ruri and Asako’s friend Hato-san. Sensibly they suggest, y’know, telling Asako how she feels. Hato also tells her that Asako is carrying trauma about birthdays, as it is.

So…Miyako tells Asako how she feels! It was the best adult having a conversation with another adult I have seen in years.

Then they celebrate the hell out of Miyako’s birthday. Now Asako has to figure out how she feels, so she talks to her sister-in-law Kodachi about it, who also offers perfectly sensible advice that helps Asako figure it out. Then she talks to Miyako about it.

This volume was so refreshing in every way. As silly as the initial premise is, we are rooting for Miyako and Asako to find happiness. And also for Ruri and Hato to start dating, because Hato is where all the overblown reactions live in the manga. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8 Yodokawa’s faces are on point
Story – 8
Character – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 5 Yuri has arrived!

Overall – 8

I have said before that this kind of real-world slow life is my jam.  I don’t need high school drama right now (or maybe ever again,) I do need adults building relationships. Please just inject this into my veins

I’m glad you’ll be able to read this series, as Monthly in the Garden With My Landlord from Yen press in October. It’s a charming little story, with a slow-building relationship and people you wouldn’t mind knowing. ^_^