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I felt like this manga should get a higher score. I wonder why it is on the low 7 end. To sum it up quickly, it's like "The Devil Wears Prada". But that is only the beginning part of it.

The beauty of this manga is that it focuses on a very relatable topic: clothes/fashion. Since it is geared toward female readers, this is the perfect topic. To top it off, we have Amano-chan, our female protagonist, who is the embodiment of all the ambitious women. For every page that I read, all I could think of was I wish work could be this fun. ...

Although work is the big focus of this manga, we see the characters deals with problems in their love lives, too. That is why each and every character is so alive and lovable.

I had so much fun reading this manga, and it really infuse energy into me through the way Amano works. I would say this is an almost 9 for me since I have not been able to read the ending yet (manga still being translated).

Tsurebito is a beautiful story, and there's nothing quite like it. Its concept might not be original, but it was carried out superbly. I can't really think of any stories I've read that is similar to this one.

For such a short manga, it grips at my heart multiple times, and with the exciting story telling, I wish the manga never ends. However, it was best that it is only this short. Sure, there are questions unanswered, and the world in this manga can be expanded much more and used to create multiple stories. But I think it is because of this length that it was ... able to wrap up the story nicely and really seared its message into the reader's mind.

Besides the story, the mind-blowing composition and detailed background art are its selling point. You've got to read this manga, even if it's only for the art.

Shinya Shokudou is seriously hard to get into, mainly because of the "ugly" art style, but the story is one that you do not want to miss. If you absolutely cannot stand the art, I would direct you to the live action adaptation of Shinya Shokudou, where you will get the story without the bad art.

That being said, even the art is something that I get used to. It wasn't horrible art, it was just not the usual manga style that you are familiar with. However, the art still manage to tell the story visually: the characters are distinguishable, the food looks detailed, and the ... emotions are well conveyed.

Shinya Shokudou is what you would call a slice-of-life, I guess, with each chapter telling a story of a customer, relating the food they order. You can really enjoy the story as a simple midnight gossip, or you can read into it and extract the meaning from each stories. What I love about Shinya Shokudou is how the stories are very soothing, easy to follow, and very relatable at times. It really is not trying to force anything upon the reader, or try to be something big. Besides, I love food, so I love any chances to read a food manga.

Overall, I'm quite surprised that this manga gets so little love, and I hope more people would read it.

"In the shadow of Japan's opening and cultural change, there are many women and children who are suffering. How long must this continue?"

Japan is one of the first countries in Asia to do open trading with the West, and a lot of cultural influences had gone both way. This is the story from Japan's point of view. Two girls growing up together, one being a daughter of a rich family, the other is the maid who was took in to be the daughter's companion. Mariko, the young lady, and Uno, the maid, had different personalities, but held the same dream. They both wanted to spread ... their wings, travel to foreign lands, and stand equal with men. Throughout their journey, the readers can't help but rooting for both of them, even when their self-interest became conflicting.

What I love about Uno and Mariko was that they both yearned for knowledge, and were both ambitious women. If you are looking for a manga with strong female character, this is it.

The story carried on with a quick pace, going over the two girl's childhood and adolescence in about two volumes. This is a story that went beyond the domestic life of woman in the new Japan. In this story, we will see how brilliant women fend for themselves, and defense their place in the society.

ART

If you are like me, and love the classic shoujo style in Glass Mask, Versailles no Bara, Ouke no Monshou, etc., you would ADORE this manga. This is one of the classic style at its finest. I really enjoyed seeing kimono and Western dresses portrayed by Yamato Waki. The composition is clear, and character design very pleasing.



SPOILER
Mariko is brought up to be a refined lady, while Uno is through and through a strong-willed girl. They spent their childhood happily going to school together. Later, they felt in love with the same guy (Shintaro). It was difficult to guess who each girl will end up with, as well as which girl was in Shintaro's heart.

As the story unfold, Mariko, being burdened with her responsibility with the family, had to marry Baron Kai (Ryuusuke). Yet, I wasn't disappointed because Ryuusuke had a brief history with Mariko, and I believed they would eventually be happy. Besides, Mariko -Ryuusuke reminded me a lot of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. They were always fighting, and had misunderstandings. Mariko never really understood her feelings for Ryuusuke. However, I've only read half of the story, so I am hoping for the best.