Monthly in the Garden With My Landlord, Volume 4 brings this series, finally, onto the path that it will continue down, until completion. Miyako is deeply, passionately concerned with picking out a good present for Asako…and it’s good for her to care that much about someone. We can see that she’s taking steps to maturing without loosing the qualities that make her her.

Asako notices this and it makes her…at last, feel like she’s not alone. She offers to take Miyako to visit her parents, something almost anyone understands is a big move. Miyako rises to the challenge. Asako’s father recognizes her and proceeds to conduct one of the most gentle, kind-hearted “what is my daughter to you?” interrogations, ever.

And then we turn once again to idol group Elm. I cannot help but smile and grimace at the weird-ass relationship building between new Elm leader Osamu and her #1 fan, Hato. It violates all the rules and makes Hato wildly uncomfortable at the outset, but when she buy a new guest chair for Osamu…you know she’s stopped struggling to keep distance between them.  It’s a nice, almost gentle contrast between them and the weird, uncomfortable and probably never-to-be-resolved-in-a-reasonable-manner relationship between Eripyo and Maina from If My Favorite Idol Made It To The Budokan I Would Die.

Yodokawa’s art and story remains chill and adult. It’s a breath of fresh air in the middle of all the high drama (even) in romance manga.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Character – 10
Service – 0
Yuri – 10

Overall – 10

Miyako is trying very hard to be less selfish, Asako is trying very hard to be a little more selfish and it’s working for both of them. Volume 5 will complete the story in September.