“Fumi Oono, second-year high-school student. Stuck with the debts of her father, she needs a job—fast. While she did indeed manage to find one as a housekeeper for THE Akatsuki Kibikino, it leaves much to be desired. After all, the novelist has a mean glare and an even worse attitude…And on top of that, she has to live with him?!” (Yen Press)
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Among the multitude of tales of teenage romance within manga, it is always refreshing to get titles aimed at a mature audience. “Tsubaki-Chou Lonely Planet” avoids the regular adolescent musings despite its protagonist being a 16-year-old student. Essentially, the sophisticated romance is born from Fumi having been forced to grow up fast in taking on the role of a matriarch with an absent mother and a neglectful father. In fact, when we meet Fumi, we learn that her father had just gambled away all their money and the family is being evicted. True to the strength of character of the young woman, instead of going into despair, she searches for a job and finds herself a maid for a famous author.
While the situation of an impoverished individual forced into servitude can make for an unsavory play on power dynamics, Mika Yamamori spins a sincere story of the growing love between two troubled characters. The way that the duo slowly breaks through the defenses of the other is masterfully approached in the inaugural volume. Essentially, at the core of “Tsubaki-Chou Lonely Planet” is a ‘traditional' romance story that understands the fundamentals of the shoujo genre. Does it feel slightly formulaic? Yes, but that is not a determent when the delivery is impeccable and tailored to draw readers into the budding romance of Fumi and Akatsuki.
Visually, the story has a sincere relaxed flow to it and, at certain points, can be pretty. In addition, Mika Yamamori has a knack for capturing the emotions behind those key moments that push the two closer together. The cover of the book is a perfect summarization of the visual approach and flow of the manga, quaint but with flourishes of elegance, and utterly charming. There is still room for improvement, however, and the coming volumes welcome the opportunity for Yamamori to further define her visual style as Fumi & Akatsuki become deeper entwined.
“Tsubaki-Chou Lonely Planet” may feel slightly ‘by the numbers' but Mika Yanamori proves to fully understand the genre and presents an expertly constructed shoujo title. It will be interesting to see how the series moves going forward but short of a complete derailing or questionable deviation, the groundwork is set for an unforgettable romance.
