Super no Ura de Yani Suu Futari
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You

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The Japanese supermarket, as portrayed in various forms of media, often presents itself as a middle ground between many different groups of people. From elementary schoolchildren looking to buy an afterschool snack with their allowance to balding middle-aged managers whose wives await them with another lecture about leaving the toilet seat up, there are nearly limitless interactions that can happen between the most diverse of people.

A Story About Smoking at the Back of the Supermarket is exactly what its title suggests. It follows the budding relationship between Sasaki, an overworked middle-aged salaryman, and Yamada, a cashier at the supermarket he frequents. Sasaki's defining trait is ... his unchanging nature. Every day, he works himself to death at his office job. Every day, he comes to the same supermarket to buy a pack of cigarettes. And every day, he lines up to get checked out by the same cashier: a gorgeous young woman named Yamada, who seems to be the only person in his life who ever shows him a genuine smile. Sasaki's fervent adherence to this routine leads him to develop a near-parasocial relationship with this random cashier, to the point where seeing her smile is just as important as smoking his cigarettes.

Unbeknownst to him, Sasaki's obsession has not gone unnoticed. Yamada, who spots him leaving the store, takes this opportunity to invite him to smoke with her, though not before donning a disguise. Yamada's character is predominantly defined by her two faces: at work, she is the cool and collected cashier at the supermarket, never abandoning her perfect smile and treating everyone with the same, calm professionalism. But on her breaks, she transforms into Tayama: the mischevous young woman who ties her hair up, speaks brashly, frequents the back of the store to smoke, and starts teasing the much older salaryman that she meets there. "Yamada" is the perfect girl that receives endless praise and admiration from strangers, and "Tayama" is a disguise that she uses to be her true self, if just for a moment.

"Tayama" initially confronts Sasaki with hostility, asking him about his intentions with the cashier that he idolizes so. But as they share a smoke, the two come to a mutual understanding and begin a tentative friendship. Tayama teases him endlessly, and Sasaki goes along with her antics, even when they cause him grief (both mentally and physically). This manga puts its main focus on the little things, the day-to-day conflicts that these two people share with one another, airing out their gripes and inner feelings as they light up a cigarette together. It's in these little conversations that their relationship begins to gradually bloom. This isn't a slow burn, but rather, a seed in a pot on the windowsill, waiting for spring to come.

I'm a huge fan of how this manga has turned out so far. The artstyle is nuanced and lively, the side characters are utilized well, and the premise is executed to perfection. Looking forward to reading the rest.

Written 09.06.2022 | Edited 06.10.2024

A cigarette burns for six minutes at a time. Yet that time is all it takes for an unlikely pair to form a unique
bond.

Mainstream media has long since explored the idea of human connection through a multitude of ways usually through that of direct contact. Yet, what A Story About Smoking at the Back of the Supermarket suggests is that enduring relationships can be forged through the simple sharing of space.

The titular supermarket is a prominent setting within the story as it is not only where our characters meet to smoke as the title suggests, but also as a point of contact between people ... from all walks of life. While this might suggest I'm framing this from a classist perspective, I'm moreso emphasizing that a large part of what makes this series unique is how it explores its age gap not as a way to alienate but to draw empathy from experience.

Sasaki, our main perspective within the story, is an exhausted yet hardworking salaryman that frequents this supermarket as his only joy likened to a "cooling compress" is seeing a smile from Yamada, a friendly cashier, the bright light at the end of the tunnel for his weary lifestyle as he then takes pleasure from smoking near the back of the supermarket. It is there we're introduced to the far more blunt, Tayama who invites Sasaki to smoke in the back with her.

Tayama dresses differently from the polite Yamada and contrasts her in a way that makes Sasaki approach her differently as he would with the former, and speaks much more freely as a result. Unbeknownst to Sasaki, Tayama is an alias Yamada has used to suss out Sasaki's intentions which she finds uncharacteristically pure compared to her past experiences with customers who had taken a liking to her. It is also through her ongoing interactions with Sasaki that she finds herself feeling guilty about her initial deception.

It's because of Sasaki's willingness to listen that Yamada is able to fully express herself freely without the scrutiny of the politeness associated with her image. There are more than two sides to a person and the way these two characters find ways to comfort each other through their shared solace makes for an emotionally cathartic experience with the way these two characters open up to one another.

Part of why this series works so much for me is largely because of how well the slice of life aspects feed into the character drama. While some might find the development of the relationship between the two rather slow burn, I feel much like in real life, things take time to develop and it becomes apparent over the course of multiple chapters, both Yamada and Sasaki have affected each other in more ways than one. As a result of this relaxed pace, there's a multitude of scenarios that can be explored which makes a lot of these vignettes feel like they're part of a much larger picture of these character's lives.

At its core, A Story About Smoking at the Back of the Supermarket, is about our eponymous pair, overworked salaryman Sasaki and supermarket clerk Yamada sharing a brief moment of respite in between the turbulence and tedium of their daily lives. Yet what makes this particular series so endearing is largely its emphasis on the quieter moments paired with its charming humor. Jinushi deftly balances lightheartedness and moments of introspection with each chapter often being largely heartwarming in moving the story forward while stressing the importance of the main pair's connection to one another.

At a personal level as a former smoker, part of what makes this series so special to me is its depiction of smoking as a form of communion. A way for two strangers to create intimacy through shared relief. As it's been explored multiple times in media, addiction isn't something easily overcome but this manga helped me in a way to stave off that desire. So for me, it felt like this came out at the perfect time in my life to really latch onto.

But I digress, as far as adult romance series go, this is my favorite because of the way it remains so effortlessly pleasing with each chapter even at a minimal level. Little by little, my investment in these characters and their lives has deepened as each shared conversation between the two has wormed its way into my heart. This is a story essentially about creating a dialogue with one another, that through shared intimacy even the most unlikeliest of strangers, a beautiful relationship can be born, a prospect so life-affirming I can't help but love it for its honesty behind that sentiment.

To anyone reading this as a way to figure out whether this is worth your time, I highly suggest at least checking out the first couple of chapters considering they're not long to begin with and I cannot suggest this series enough on my score alone. To anyone who's already reading this series, I hope you feel the same way I do! It's a series that I find deserving of the hype and
praise it's gotten and perhaps even more. : )

The best slow burn slice of life and romance series excel with engaging characters, relatable moments, and interesting dialogue, often accompanied with solid comedy. But in Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, none of that exists. The personalities in here are incredibly flat, the conversations are dull, and the chemistry between the characters is one-note.

A big reason why is because Sasaki doesn’t realize that Yamada and Tayama are the same person (does he have working eyes?), which leads to repetitive jokes centered around Yamada teasing Sasaki and him getting embarrassed. Sometimes, these gags can get you to crack a smile, but generally they fall ... flat. The age gap between the two leads is probably the most interesting selling point here though.

However, even though this manga has adult characters regularly talking about work over a smoke, many of the interactions feel recycled from teenage school year, slice of life manga. Whether it’s the 45 year old man getting teased by the 24 year old “cheeky kouhai” or reacting to a change in Yamada’s appearance, he acts like an inexperienced grade schooler, immediately blushing and stammering his words, rather than behaving as the far more experienced adult that he is. Workplace stress and troubles do play a big part in the story as well, so them being adults is still relevant, but that only makes the embarrassed reactions feel more like they don't belong. Based on how he reacts, you'd think he's renting a girlfriend rather than taking a smoke break.

The character designs look great. Sasaki’s worn out, wrinkled appearance contrasts heavily with Yamada’s youthful face, though they both share sharp facial features. The difference between her neat and tidy workplace appearance and her punkier casual attire helps highlight the different sides of her personality pretty clearly, to everyone besides Sasaki that is. Beyond the characters, the art is fine but nothing exciting. Backgrounds are kept fairly clean with standard screentones and the paneling is functional.

There’s nothing in here that’s egregiously bad. The age gap, where Sasaki is nearly double the age of Yamada, is handled tastefully, and occasionally cute and funny moments pop up here and there. But this manga doesn't do enough to distinguish itself and is ultimately forgettable.