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Talk to My Back (or Shin Kirari in Japanese) was published from 1981 to 1984 in the alternative manga magazine Garo. Although Garo was known for publishing many experimental, dark, or explicit manga that could not be published in more mainstream magazines, Talk to My Back is none of those things. Instead, what sets it apart from the vast majority of manga from that time is that it follows the day to day life of a housewife, something that was very uncommon in an era where manga aimed specifically at adult women were not yet published.

The main character, Chiharu Yamakawa spends her days doing housework ... and looking after her two daughters. Her husband is mostly absent. Like most Japanese salarymen he usually arrives home late in the evening due to long work hours and frequent work socials that he is expected to attend. When he is home he doesn’t tend to treat Chiharu with much respect, often ordering her around while lazing about. The manga manages to portray the couple’s thorny relationship without pulling any punches but without ever resorting to melodrama either.

Chiharu is frustrated by her husband taking her for granted, and there are times when she finds her life as a housewife too restrictive for her free spirit. Despite this there are still moments of joy in her life, especially in her interactions with her daughters. The interactions between mother and child are very believable, and watching the children grow is one of the highlights of the series. Like most things in the manga parenthood isn’t sugar-coated. Chiharu does have to handle some difficult situations as a parent and sometimes makes mistakes she regrets later. Chiharu's reflections on her role as mother and housewife are captured using inner monologues that on the whole are sharp and well observed. The colloquial and sometimes humorous tone of the monologues also make a good showcase for the playful side of her personality.

Another key aspect of the manga is Chiharu’s search for self-determination. The fact she has to balance her commitments as a housewife and mother with her personal aspirations to try to achieve this helps makes this element of the story more realistic and compelling.

The art of Talk to My Back is solid but unspectacular, with a style that is sketchy and relatively simple but captures the expressions and body language of the characters well.

All in all Talk to My Back is a thoughtful and well observed look at parenthood and the Japanese nuclear family. Although there have been many social changes in Japan since it was first published back in the 80s it has aged very well, because there is so much in the family interactions and psychology of the characters that is universal across cultures and still as relevant today.

Kotonoba Drive is the latest series from Hitoshi Ashinano, writer of the highly acclaimed Slice of life manga Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. Despite that, it surprisingly doesn’t have any reviews yet. Time to put that right!

In Kotonoba, we follow the laid-back everyday life of Suu, a young woman with a part time job at a spaghetti restaurant and an ability to see mysterious sights such as landscapes of the past and humanoid forms of birds and insects, but only 5 minutes at a time. Each chapter tends to focus on one of her supernatural encounters, ranging from heart-warming to melancholic to mildly creepy, but always mysterious ... and relaxing.

Suu herself is a likeable character, who fits the tone of the series well, with the innocent charm and happy go lucky attitude of your average slice of life lead, but occasionally giving off the indecisive and melancholic air of someone stuck between adolescence and adulthood, still unsure of their place in the world. There are also several recurring side characters, such as the owner of the spaghetti restaurant and Suu’s childhood friend, who don’t feel out of place but at the same time don’t get enough development to be more than one-dimensional.

The strongest part of Kotonoba is probably the art and panelling. Ashinano has really honed his sketchy, screen tone-less art style over the years, and his drawings manage to feel minimalistic while still managing to bring to life more complex things such as strong winds and the interior of a forest just with his beautiful linework and some nice use of silhouettes. The panels flow easily from one to the next, and that combined with the mostly visual storytelling and dreamy and atmospheric art makes Kotonoba an immersive and effortless read.

The only thing holding the series back is the fact that the whole manga doesn’t manage to add up to more than the sum of its individual chapters. The supernatural occurrence of the week format is immediately gratifying, but fails to flesh out any of the characters besides Suu as mentioned before, and the chapters don’t really build on themes or show any progression for Suu, leaving Kotonoba with less depth than its more famous predecessor.

Overall Kotonoba Drive is a beautifully drawn slice of life manga with a charming main character and cathartic supernatural elements, perfect for a late evening or lazy Sunday afternoon read, that I would recommend to any fan of the genre.