Futari Escape

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READ! FUTARI ESCAPE!!
This is a slice-of-life comedy manga about a mangaka and her lazy freeloader girlfriend, and the various ways they attempt to escape reality and work.

I didn't have huge expectations going into it, but it is FUNNY. It has a surreal, Japanese sense of humor that still translates well into English. It's refreshing in that they're adults, dealing with adult problems, but the tone is never serious unless it counts (and when it does, it's actually very sweet). It's not boring, and it isn't typical either-the two main characters, until later volumes, are really the only ones throughout the entire manga, and so ... you get a real sense of their relationship and past just from their interactions. It sometimes feels like they're the only ones in their world, and it's strangely comforting.

The yuri subtext is really great too. The plot doesn't revolve around it, but it's very clear that they're more than friends, and especially in the last volume, it's a super rewarding type of romance that's established but, again, not boring. It's perfect for someone who likes slice-of-life and yuri together, in just a way that it's nice that it's there.

The best part about this manga is that it doesn't drag or stretch: its the perfect length of rereadable content and it has an amazing, satisfying and sweet conclusion that ties the entire manga into a comprehensible story. I really do recommend this manga.

History: The manga does not have a complex story, because this is not the proposal of the manga. It's something to read with your brain turned off, just felling and having fun.

Art: Art is very beautiful, it is not like "berserk" or "vagabond", but there is nothing to complain about. The characters' design are cute.

Characters: The two main characters are very charismatic and unique. You sympathize with them very quickly, and you will lough a lot whith them.


Fun: For some reason when you read this manga you feel relaxed, happy, satisfied. For me, this manga was an incredible experience and unique enough to make me ... have a feeling of love for it.

Futari Escape has a very simple premise - it pursues all those thoughts of "What if I could take everything slow and just escape from the responsibilities of everyday life?".

However, despite this very grounded premise, it doesn't take itself too seriously and light hearted in all sorts of ways. Furthermore, It isn't really about truly appreciating the mundane, rather the idealized version of it, from a position of someone with seemingly infinite money. I don't think it needed to be overly serious and grounded, as it wasn't really it's goal, it does feel like the characters already lead a serene life. Other than being told ... that "things are hectic", it never really feels like it. Because of that, it's really somewhat difficult to really see one's self in the shoes of the characters.

The characters themselves are also very shallow and since they aren't really too grounded in reality, they are also hyperbolized versions of a workaholic and the "unemployed friend". They're chemistry is unfortuntetly a bit lacking and I had a hard time to really see much value in the advice offered by the characters, since it was only applied to the situation of the main character being unable to think about anything else other than work at all times, but also having the money to do whatever they want whenever they want. It's fundementally thought provoking, but it feels like it never really goes to far, due to the nature of the manga being so light hearted at its core, that it doesn't really want to dwell on its own thought pieces too long.

I personally think that a series about appreciating the mundane and simpler lifestyle is only as compelling as the lens character and what they do. (Hence the Ghibli movies are so effective at it). I don't really dislike them, but there's not much I can like about them either. I think in other contexts they would've worked better, but I feel like a series like this needed a stronger cast to really elevate its message. Mostly in the second half, there are some chapters that got extremely close to being perfect, where the characters take a step back and the reader gets to see more ways in which they compliment each other, as a couple. I just wish every chapter was like that. The humor is also a bit lacking, as most of it just consists of the characters just drinking lots of alcohol (and some chapters focus on weight on body image for some cheap comedic effect).

One thing I can say I really appreciated were the little travelouges at the end of each chapter! It really added a degree ot appreciation of the things which were the subject matter of any given chapter. I wish the series itself took more time to really take in the sights and details of it, as it seems like the pace didn't allow this manga about taking things slow, to take things slow itself. It offers a lot of great ideas for your own little ways to escape from the everyday monotony.