Futaribeya
Futaribeya: A Room for Two

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This is probably the best true to form slice of life I have read, though it is more than just a slice. For 9 years, the manga follows the mundane lives Sakurako and Kasumi starting from the beginning of high school and ending after the second year in the work force. Either way, it is divisively boring but so entertaining in the same breath.

Sakurako is the perfect roommate that can do anything and everything they put their mind to. She is incredible in the home and the classroom, and she will help anyone and everyone in whatever way she can. Her attentiveness, love and care ... for Kasumi only grows throughout the series, and she becomes her own interesting character as time goes on. Kasumi is the lethargic and lovable beauty that does very little for herself, though Sakurako doesn't mind at all. As the series goes on, it reveals that Kasumi is more than just a sleepy beauty; she is attentive and caring while being true to herself. As the story is long, there are a lot of developments and regressions of relationships with the numerous characters that are met along the way. I usually wouldn't have mentioned the timeframe of the series, but I feel it is especially important here. There are a LOT of characters, and it is easy to forget someone when they aren't part of the story for years at a time or just go away entirely. Since there are so many, there will be at least one character that each reader will like as well as dislike.

The story is SUUUUUPER long. 9 years, and there are no time skips. There might be a few months between two chapters, but 108 months in about 116 chapters is a lot. It took me over 2 full days of reading to finish this, and there is a lot that happens... for a true slice of life. There is very little drama--and I use that term loosely still--so expect a very dry story. Get used to talk about food, cooking, cleaning, classes, and more. What makes the story move is time itself. Like reality, these characters have to grow from children, to young adults, into proper working adults. Watching them grow up is the story. The romance is deep but vague, and that is divisive amongst readers. The main couple's relationship is more than what words can express, and I loved it.

10/10 This series is something truly special, and I think it is a must read for those that deeply love dry slice of life. Even as I type this after finishing it, I am fighting temptation to go back and read from the beginning to see how different the characters were from the high school era compared to work life. It is incredible in the truest sense.

Futaribeya, or A Room For Two, does exactly what it sets out to do. The story is a simple, no-drama slice of life/romantic comedy that follows two girls, Kasumi Yamabuki and Sakurako Kawawa, whose lives are forever changed when they begin living with each other during their first years as high-schoolers. A stroke of fate brought them together but luck is not what’s keeping them together. No, what’s keeping together is the force of nature that is Sakurako. I’m half joking there because honestly Sakurako carries the bulk of the “romantic” portion of their dynamic but as one-sided as it may seem, Kasumi’s love for ... Sakurako is actually just as real as hers. That’s not to say that the argument that Sakurako’s love feels one-sided holds no water, a point I’ll address later on, but if you’re able to overlook that then it’s an all-you-can-enjoy fluff buffet. They might not call each other “girlfriend” but for all intents and purposes they are exactly that; which is odd because Yukiko doesn’t shy away from having the other characters’ relationships be explicitly gay yet won’t commit to it for Kasumi x Sakurako but I digress. Their relationship is one of the main draws of the story and labeling quirks aside, it’s a worthwhile draw if you’re all about that cute fluff.

Delving past that, I think one of the best aspects of the series is how it embraces the passage of time. Unlike most stories, Futaribeya isn’t afraid of moving past its initial setting of them being high schoolers. Getting to see Sakurako and Kasumi grow and mature into young adults is pretty refreshing and makes you more inclined to connect with them since you’ve seen them age. In short, the pacing of the series is top notch. On that note, part of the passage of time also includes different people entering and leaving your life. This is another thing that is handled well: characters come and go without rhyme or reason because that’s just how life goes. Take Natsuki Hyuuga, the landlady of their first residence, for example. While she is a peripheral character to start with, she still has a presence in the story. However, after the pair has moved out, there’s no real reason for her to appear in the story consistently anymore and Yukiko does it right by not forcing it and letting her gradually fade out of sight. This is even more apparent with Azusa and Suzu, who are their classmates in HS but aren’t with them in post-secondary. Writing them like this really drives home the point that they are their own individual people and that they don’t just exist to serve the story by revolving around Sakurako and Kasumi.

Now to circle back, and you can’t talk Futaribeya without discussing this: Is Sakurako's love for Kasumi too one-sided? Objectively speaking, yes it is. And if it’s too much to bear then this series isn’t likely to be for you because there’s no indication that this will change anytime soon. That said, there’s all sorts of relationships out there and I think this is just one such representation. Some people like to dote on others and it’s clear Sakurako’s one of those people. Kasumi’s frighteningly relatable for me and her laziness is probably more endearing in fiction than in reality but I do think a part of her expressing her affection includes allowing Sakurako to dote on her. Sakurako isn’t a pushover by any means (see: her treatment of Hinako) and while she’s kind to everyone, it’s not like she’d treat others the same way she’s treated Kasumi. Similarly, Kasumi is revered by everyone as an extremely attractive woman and is clearly popular with others but yet she’s more than happy to stick with Sakurako and go along with her whims regularly despite being as lazy as it gets. Kasumi’s love is more subtle but it’s without a doubt real; it just takes on a different form compared to the overflowing way Sakurako expresses her affection. And to Sakurako’s credit, she’s well aware of it and doesn’t selfishly demand that Kasumi change. They both know what they give and take and are clearly happy with that dynamic given how they continue to stay together.

By and large, the story is quite endearing and while the main pair gets the bulk of the spotlight, the side characters’ aren’t too bad themselves. Yukari is a cutie living her own life and trying to take inspiration from how the pair conduct themselves so that she can continue to grow. Seri and Shouko offer a pretty fun dynamic, the same of which goes for Koruri and Moka - to a lesser extent for me, personally. Hinako and Fujiho as a pair haven’t gotten that much screen time but there’s definitely potential there. At the end of the day, it’s nothing earth shattering but I think they provide enough to be enjoyable as well.

I don’t like to rank ongoing series too often but if I had to put a number on it, I’m comfortable calling Futaribeya an 8/10. Objectively, I’d probably call it a 7/10 but my love for Sakurako x Kasumi and my enjoyment of it consistently (3 re-reads) kicks it up a notch.

Futaribeya is basically a Cute Girls Doing Cute Things manga. The characters are very cute, the art is pretty, and they don't have many real problems. The story follows Sakurako and Kasumi from their first day of high school all the way through college, as they mostly just kinda hang out. Kasumi's extremely susceptible to both heat, cold, and hunger, so most of the time she doesn't have the energy to do much, and Sakurako's extremely accommodating, so she's usually fine with just staying in their room and making dinner.

The romance is... around. Well ok, so Sakurako and Kasumi are clearly in love with ... each other, with Sakurako being far more open and obvious with her affection whereas Kasumi's a lot more subdued. It would be ridiculous to try and argue that they're not a couple, but for some reason this is still left up to the reader. Both girls explicitly refuse to define their relationship, even when asked, and just brush the question off with a "no labels really fit" type response. This is despite most of the other characters starting and maintaining romantic relationships. There's nothing wrong, in theory, with a refusal to define your relationship to other people, but in a genre that often has trouble with this, it feels vaguely cowardly. Nothing about Sakurako and Kasumi's relationship would meaningfully change if they referred to each other as their girlfriend, and there are other couples that do so, but for some reason the main couple just... doesn't want to. There's no way to complain about this without seeming whiny and entitled, but like, come on, just... just have them say it. It almost seems like the author wasn't allowed to make the main characters an official couple, and that's why the other characters get together. Like, as a compromise.

Kasumi's also just not especially likable as a character. Sakurako's open and friendly, she likes cooking, and has a perfect memory. Kasumi's pretty, and that's kind of her only positive trait. She eats a ton, is always out of energy, doesn't have any interests, and is usually the one to reject Sakurako's advances. It's entirely possible that Kasumi's just comfortable with a different level of affection than Sakurako, but her rejections feel kind of mean. I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, but Kasumi sort of acts like she thinks Sakurako's joking around? She also just doesn't really have anything going on. Sakurako has stories of the things her families did for different holidays and festivals, and for almost all of them, Kasumi goes "oh I didn't really do anything" or "I just stayed home on those days."

Sakurako, on the other hand, is really fun and likable. She honestly carries the series, and it almost feels like the author cranked up her infatuation with Kasumi early on in order to justify the relationship. She's usually the one to suggest activities, or to agree to go do something for a friend or teacher, which gets Kasumi off the couch. She's got a few good gags (when tutoring people she tends to tell them "to start with, memorize the textbook" and it's pretty silly).

Other than the main couple and their shenanigans, the appeal of the story comes from watching these characters grow up and continue on in their lives. It's somewhat rare that a story like this goes past high school and actually has the characters be in college. Sakurako and Kasumi age, they start drinking, they look for jobs, and move apartments several times. You get to watch these kids grow up, and I think I might cry when the series does end (and it looks like it's almost there).

I've gone on long enough at this point. Futaribeya is a cute manga, and it's best enjoyed if you don't expect the main couple to explicitly define their relationship, and if Kasumi's behavior doesn't get to you. Also the characters are sometimes drawn with part of their face sticking out and I think that's just how the mangaka draws chibis.