Well, here goes a nomination as well.
ヨコハマ買い出し紀行
Summary
Japanese
お祭りのようだった世の中がゆっくりと落ち着き、のちに“夕凪（ゆうなぎ）の時代”と呼ばれる近未来の日本。人型ロボット・アルファは、喫茶店『カフェ・アルファ』を営みながら、オーナーを待ち続ける――。アフタヌーン本誌で12年もの間、読者の支持を集め続けた異色のてろてろＳＦコミック。
English
(Spoilers edited out of the Wikipedia summary)
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō is set in a peaceful, post-cataclysmic world where mankind is in decline after an environmental disaster. Sea levels have risen significantly, inundating coastal cities such as Yokohama, Mount Fuji erupted in living memory, and climate change has occurred. With the seasons being less pronounced, the winters are milder and the summer isn’t scorching anymore. The reduced human population has reverted to a simpler life, and the reader is told this is the twilight of the human age.
Alpha Hatsuseno is an android (“robot person”) who runs an out-of-the-way coffee shop, Café Alpha, on the lonely coast of the Miura Peninsula of Japan. Most chapters of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō are self-contained slice-of-life episodes depicting Alpha in daily activities, either alone, with customers, or on occasional trips through the countryside or into Yokohama for supplies (whence the “shopping log” of the title came).
Availability
Amazon Note: link to the 新装版 edition; the original is out of print.
Bookwalker cmoa (I do not know about that website, but the first three volumes are currently free there)
Personal Opinion
I know that this manga was mentioned a few times on the forum, but I don’t think it was properly nominated in any club. I read the first chapter and it had a very ARIA-like vibe, which I found charming. It’s an easier read in terms of contents and could probably fit in the beginner book club, but that’s also the occasion to just read something quickly with this club and move on to a different book immediately after. If this manga is picked, I guess we could read it in 4 weeks (two chapters per week) and just move on to the book that was in second place.
Pros and Cons for the Book Club
Pros
- Nice atmosphere
- Relaxing read.
Cons
- Short
- Easy
Pictures
Additional Pages
Feel free to check the only preview for more.
Example of “alone in the world” vibe:
Example of naration:
Difficulty Poll
How much effort would you need to read this book?
- No effort at all
- Minimal effort
- Moderate effort
- Significant effort
- So much effort my head might explode
- I don’t know
0 voters