Karakida-ke no Koshogurashi

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I have just discovered this nice family story set around a used books shop set in the Tokyo neighborhood of Jimbocho. It is a witty observation of the ups and downs of the trade added with the slices of life of the three Karakida sisters who have moved there from Yokohama after inheriting the store and its attached apartment from their grandfather. Tsugumi, the middle sister, has left her job to become the store manager. Her older sister Ichika, who works for an architecture magazine, provides the stable salary to support the loss-making book store. Their younger sister Minoru is finishing high-school and is a ... "free spirit" with an eye for photography.
The sisters have been used to living on their own since their mother passed away and their father has been working abroad. They all share cherished childhood memories of visiting the bookstore and their moving there represents a new start.
For Tsugumi, the challenge is greater: will she manage to learn the ropes of the trade and turn around the store's fortune, under pressure by the old-time customers to keep the business as her grandfather ran it, and those of her sisters and friends who suggest she should put her own stamp and preferences on the place?
Ichika, the eldest, struggles with broken relationships and tends to drink too much: will she overcome these?
Minoru, the youngest, must cope with the travails of growing up. Will her feelings for her friend Mana blossom into something more?
There is also an element of mystery with the neighbor, Asusawa, who also runs a book shop: is he a rival competitor to Tsugumi, or just a fellow booklover; and why is he so interested in the books stored in the basement by Tsunami's grandfather?
This first volume introduces the characters and their distinct preoccupations as well as a good deal of suspense. I definitely recommend this series for book lovers and amateurs of family-based drama.

Toumei Kei's works really are one of a kind. Her illustration style and character designs are easily recognisable, but perhaps what makes her works stand out among the sea is her slower-paced storytelling and attention to naturalism without pitching herself too close into the corner of 'slice-of-life' cliches. She captures the heartwarming feel and slight awkwardness of simple conversations and mundane situations, and her strong character writing believably renders characters and their day-to-day struggle on the page - female characters especially. And she does this all while focusing on and progressing a central mystery and drama!

What makes her work more appealing is her central ... focus on arts and the people that move around the industry - musicians, aspiring artists, and in this manga, a used book store. Her manga series Static Princess especially showcases her skill with storytelling (definitely more so than Sing "Yesterday" for Me which delved too much into melodrama for me).

I am happy to say that Karakida-ke no Koshogurashi continues on this push toward nuanced storytelling that I felt as I read Static Princess. Believably capturing the seemingly slight, but significant day-to-day struggles of people. In this case, it's keeping up a used bookstore, the feelings of uncertainty transitioning to a new industry, the expectations of taking over a new generation, as well as the complexities of romantic relationships. Though this story moves at a languid pace and may lack the excitement and big overpowering conflict that most mangas usually introduce in the beginning, we need stories that reflect our own experiences from time to time.

While this is still early, the everyday complexity of the characters and atmosphere developed in these 6 chapters have lured me in. Looking forward to reading more of this.