幸せのマチ
Author: 岩岡ヒサエ
Page count: 219
Natively: 幸せのマチ | L26?? (I have zero-familiarity with the Natively ratings, so unfortunately I can’t verify whether it’s a Level 26 or not.)
Summary
Japanese
喫茶店店主の三雲さんと雑貨店店主の矢野くんは１階と２階にお店を構える間柄。くっつきそうでくっつかない、もどかしすぎるふたりの恋をそっと見守る間抜けで不思議な存在。読めばきっとやさしい気持ちになるスロー・ラブ・ストーリー！
English
(From mangaupdates.com) Mikumo’s cafe and Yano’s gift shop are located next to each other. She likes him, but is too shy to say anything. Thankfully, the spirit of Yano’s mother remained behind to watch over him, and mom’s going to do her best to see him happy. The lives of two shopkeepers whose romance is non-existent, watched over by the meddling spirits of their departed loved ones.
Availability
Physical:
amazon.co.jp
Manga Republic
Ebook:
BookWalker (Included in current coin back event)
Honto
Personal Opinion
I read and enjoyed this mangaka’s other work 土星マンション/Saturn Apartments in English, so I’ve been meaning to check out her other untranslated manga as well, such as this one. I find that Hisae Iwaoka is really good at setting the scene with her elaborate backgrounds and general attention to detail. In 土星マンション I was also impressed with the nuanced way she handled the characters, who were both complex and endearing. So I’m hoping for more of the same with this one! Also, slice-of-life/supernatural has got be one of my favourite genres, which is exactly what 幸せのマチ is~
Pros and Cons
Pros
- It’s a stand-a-lone book, so if chosen, we could read an entire story from start to finish
- A josei manga, which doesn’t seem to get picked very often in book clubs
- Romance featuring adults, but still PG
- No furigana + some handwritten asides, so unlikely to ever be picked in the ABBC or BBC
Cons
- No furigana + some handwritten asides
- Possibly some specialized vocabulary concerning cafes/baking and sewing, since that’s what the professions of the main characters involve
