Maitsuki Niwa-tsuki Ooya-tsuki
Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord

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Whoa, there is not a single review for this one. I am astonished. I guess it's my turn to be the first, once again.

So, here's the brief version for those of you who don't enjoy long reviews: it's a very nice yuri manga, but the ending is a bit crumpled. If you don't mind having the final chapter being a mildly inconclusive bunch of cuteness that resolves pretty much nothing and just want to enjoy the journey, I can recommend it to you. If you're in for a decent closure, approach this one with caution.

For those of you who like longer, more detailed reviews, here ... I go.

This one starts off pretty strong. A manga editor who has just been dumped by her girlfriend seeks a way to reinvent herself and decides that finding a new place to live is a great way to start this reinvention. Unbeknownst to her, this new place comes with a caveat, which is the fact that the landlady lives there, too. Said landlady is an extremely cute young girl who used to be an idol. And the leading author for the aforementioned editor is a hardcore fan of that idol. Yeah, they're all women. Lots of comedy and drama ensue.

In a nutshell, this is a very interesting story. There is a lot of character development, lots of yuri moments, and lots of moe. You even get a side story (which, I feel, is not properly developed though). When looked upon as a whole, this story is quite strong and entertaining, with random splashes of realism that give it depth. And this depth is quite inspiring.

The final chapter, however, spoils the fun a little. It's this "6 month later" sort of deal, where events that could and should have taken chapters are barely mentioned, and there is not much sense of resolution. It looks rushed and hastily put together, so the final impression this manga makes is a bit dampened. Otherwise, however, it's quite good.

Personally, I am disappointed to see this manga end this way. I won't say it's a deal breaker, though. It's still a great yuri story that has tons of intriguing moments, and if you value the process more than the result, I recommend it to you wholeheartedly. But if you are in for the result, it may be slightly confusing. It's far from being a disaster, but it could have been done much, much better.

The final kiss sent goosebumps down my spine, though, so it's all good.

the spoiler portion of this review has a warning before it, so you can read the rest of the review without worrying.

Maitsuki Niwa-tsuki Ooya-tsuki is one of the fluffiest manga I have ever read, executed to near perfection. While the story does have some drama, it never really gets angsty, and often resolves conflict in a very comfy way. Instead of focusing on some grandiose plot, the entire story is within the relationships of each of the characters. This pays off incredibly well, as each character is incredibly distinct in personality, and very interesting to watch. The mangaka has a bit of same-face syndrome with ... their art, however it never really becomes a problem with how different each character's personalities are. The main focus of this manga is obviously the relationship between the tenant and landlord, and it is one of the best fluffy romances I've read. Nothing really drags on, and there isn't much comedy filler, each chapter you see the two get closer and closer. One very cute thing this manga has is it shows off the layout of the two's home at each point in the manga. If you combine all of these together you can see a very cute display of the main couple getting closer and closer, even before dating. The story is also very grounded while staying lighthearted, It portrays its topics in a realistic, but optimistic way. One of the leads is an idol, and it deals with things like the paparazzi, stalking, etc. with the serious they deserve, but not so much to bring the mood down. When one of the leads of a romance is an idolized person I usually don't like it, as they are often held to some very strange level. An example of this is any high school romance that involves a "prince" or "princess" character. They are often obsessively hounded, without ever shedding any light to the issue of their popularity. Either that or their popularity is used as a way to hold the plot back. however this manga does none of this. Miyako's life as an idol is separate from her current life, and while she still faces issues from it, it is not her entire existence.

[End Spoilers]
One thing I have seen criticized of this manga is that the ending was inconclusive and rushed. While I can tell the author definitely did not have the time to cover everything they wanted, I believe they did everything they could with the time they had left. For example, there is a "side couple" in the manga that never gets together. It really seemed like the mangaka wanted to finish their plot together, but decided to leave it open and not rush it instead. The ending itself I don't have much issue with either. While It went by pretty fast, it was as grounded as the rest of the manga, didn't make up bullshit for the plot to move forward, and had an ending that was very in-character. I was personally satisfied with the ending.
[Spoilers Over]

I guess i should grade it's aspects:
plot - 8
characters - 9
world - 8 (focusing on it's depiction of the idol industry)
enjoyment - 9

Overall this manga was exactly what my heart needed after a very stressful month.
87-90/100

Maitsuki Niwatsuki Ooyatsuki, while not bad by any means, is difficult for me to wholeheartedly recommend. Yuri-- even yuri focused on adult relationships-- is no longer a sparse genre by any means, but is certainly not yet prolific enough that I feel great about scorning an entry whose worst offenses are poor prioritization of focus and a weak endgame.

There are things I could praise about it. The art, while not exceptional, perhaps, is still sleek and pretty. Character designs are distinctive yet realistic (at least in terms of the main couple; side characters do tend to blur together). There aren't any annoying jealousy arcs, misunderstandings ... or other sorts of pointless manufactured drama. It does have some genuinely cute moments, which is admittedly a low bar to clear, but still worth praising.

Miyako, one half of the main couple (and titular live-in landlord), is a cute character. I liked her quite a bit. Asako, the other half, ends up feeling a bit underdeveloped, with a flimsy background and personality outside of her work-- which itself doesn't come up more than once or twice. The manga really revolves around Miyako-- or rather, around her unwieldly cohort of former colleagues, superiors, friends and fans. More time is given to characters who are tertiary at best and entirely forgettable than the main romance, with disastrous results for the emotional development of the main couple in its latter half. Interactions between Miyako and Asako feel rushed, obligatory, perfunctory; even important, tender moments such as a first kiss. With no time to showcase their growing attraction properly around the incessant Miyako farewell concert side-plot, the main couple begin to feel more like actors half-heartedly following a script than genuine lovers. Eventually I started to feel like I was only turning pages out of obligation, too.

The progression of MNO's chronic side-character-itis only really takes effect around chapter 20 or so. I enjoyed the first half, more or less, or I wouldn't be recommending it at all. Even so, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with anything appealing in their backlog.