Neighborhood Story, Vol. 2

ご近所物語 [Gokinjō Monogatari] #2

by Ai Yazawa

Mikako aims to take the world of fashion by storm but stumbles when love comes into season in this coming-of-age tale from the creator of Nana !

Welcome to Happy Berry! No, this isn’t a fruit stand, but the label dreamed up by aspiring fashion designer Mikako Koda. In her quest to make a name for herself in the fashion world, Mikako enters Yazawa Arts Academy, a prestigious art school, alongside her strictly platonic childhood friend Tsutomu. But there’s one problem—Tsutomu’s uncanny resemblance to a rock star skyrockets him to popularity and leads him to date the prettiest girl in school. Now Mikako can’t help but wonder if what she feels is jealousy.

As Mikako and her friends work hard to get their club up and running, Mikako notices Tsutomu has gotten close to their new member, Ayumi, and begins to grow jealous. Still unsure of what to do about her feelings, Mikako decides to track down her estranged father. Will this long-overdue reunion lead to a breakthrough for Mikako, or is nothing she can do extreme enough to force her to unbottle her emotions?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Shojo, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Young Adult

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2005

About the author

Ai Yazawa (Japanese: 矢沢あい, Yazawa Ai) is a Japanese manga author and illustrator. Her pen name comes from singer Eikichi Yazawa, of whom she is a fan.
Yazawa started her comics career in 1985. She specialises in shojo manga (girls' comics). Most of her works have been serialised in the magazines 'Ribon', 'Cookie' and 'Zipper'.
Yazawa's stories focus on young, often rebellious women and their relationships. The characters are always very stylish, and Yazawa herself is known for her sense of fashion. (She even attended a fashion school for some time after high school.)
Among her most famous manga are Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai (I'm No Angel, 1992–1995), Neighborhood Story (1995-1998), Paradise Kiss (1999-2004), and Nana (2000-2009), the latter awarded a Shogakukan Manga Award in 2003. Some of these works have been adapted into anime and live action movies.

Reviews

[jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

i LOVE this series. i wish it had endless volumes, I'm so hooked.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I said with volume one, Ai Yazawa brings a distinctive vibe to her story and art that makes a fairly ordinary plot about high school romance with the girl next door seem special with all its quirkiness and charm.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapter 9. The Thing About Love -- Chapter 10. The Thing About Destiny -- Chapter 11. The Thing About Sincerity -- Chapter 12. Akindo's Opening -- Chapter 13. Joint Birthdays -- Chapter 14. Dad -- Chapter 15. Reunion -- Chapter 16. Real Love -- Chapter 17. Real Love, Part 2 -- Neighborhood Illustration Gallery

[marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vol. 1 ★★★☆☆

Even better than Vol. 1! This volume definitely makes Mikako and Tsutomu more convincing as a couple. That said, I was way more taken by what Mariko and Yusuke have going on. Their will-they-won't-they had me on the edge of my seat. They have lots of chemistry together but also so many issues to work out. Can't get enough of them.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one writes interpersonal relationships like Ai Yazawa.

[a · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much 😭

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so much better than Nana. The characters make mistakes but ACTUALLY try to fix them…

[tifani ♡]

the artwork, the characters, the storyline, THE FASHION??? everything a 10/10 i fear

[Yukino · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sento che tra le braccia di Tsutomu è giunto finalmente il momento della mia rinascita" *___* ma quanto mi piace questo manga???

"Fin da quando ero piccola...ho sempre avuto la netta sensazione...che presto o tardi per me è Tsutomu sarebbe arrivato questo giorno...l'hanno deciso gli dei...io e Tsutomu siamo nati con questo destino" *___* love love love *___*

"Senti Yusuke...ti è mai capitato...di pensare di fronte ad una ragazza < io la amo?> . Per quanto mi riguarda...considero Mikako una persona davvero speciale. Piuttosto che vera e propria passione per lei provo un forte affetto! O almeno questo è ciò che pensavo all'inizio. Ma ora sento di volerla proteggere, di voler diventare il suo sostegno...e questo pensiero mi rende ancora più conscio della mia debolezza. Prima che io le possa dire ...passeranno almeno un milione di anni" *___*

Come al solita la Yazawa arriva diretta al mio cuore e me lo frantuma..

[mangacaptor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series has my entire heart!!! 😭😭😭😭😭

[Paige Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

As boring as vol 1? Maybe a little less. Cute animals and the fights make more sense w/ the jealousy. The guy is always stomping away like a middle school girl too though. The action of building signs is unique vs regular school or sewing stuff in manga. Sometimes hands and feet are drawn too big and in the wrong position in a way not as stylistically sound as it was in any of AI’s other books (read Nana, Last Quarter, and Paradise Kiss).

The thoughtful scenes with just a few words are much better than the prattle of too-big friend groups. There is better drama here than the last book with the other friend coming to visit, but repetitive and I’m just never going to be invested in the MMC it seems. He’s not cute, stable, funny, or helpful/clear. I wish the characters actually looked and acted as grown up and sophisticated/hip as on the covers. Too much crying over nothing.

When we switch gears to parental anguish, it feels too little too late to grab my attention—their story almost seems like it should’ve been the manga premise. The hope they’ll get back together? So dumb.

[Deb]

yazawa tu es tellement la reine que tu penses être

[Chaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yusuke, I love you

Also I wasn't expecting for this to make me tear up?? What the heck, Ai Yazawa?

[Ona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buaaa que locura de tomo. Está super bien estructurado en 2 partes, en la primera se resuelve la incógnita del tomo anterior y hacen su paradita de mercadillo y en la segunda se abren demasiados frentes, hay bastantes choques emocionales y alguna que otra pincelada de confort. No quiero decir mucho por no hacer Spoiler. Tengo muchas expectativas para el siguiente tomo. Amo el estilo de dibujo de Ai Yazawa, es tan desenfadado pero a la vez tan detallado y hermoso… y la ropa es toda hermosa, cada personaje tiene su propio estilo y se cambian mucho de ropa, por lo que puedes ver muchos conjuntos distintos :) Es que encima la edición es hermosa porque viene con ilustraciones y páginas a color, me va a dar una pena enorme devolver estos tomos a la biblioteca. Cuando tenga espacio y dinero no faltarán en mi estantería

[Aurakinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is pretty 'meh'. I don't like how it's written. I don't find the comedy funny, the drama feels shallow, and the characters I don't really connect to. I think I'm mostly reading it because it's AI Yazawa and I don't have much else pulling on my attention right now.

The art is fine. And I do like the complexity between Mikako and her parents.

[Tar Buendía · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este me ha gustado muchísimo más que el primero, en parte porque el chico protagonista tiene otro tipo de peso. Si no le doy las cinco estrellas es porque prefiero cuando Yazawa hace tramas de amigas antes que de enemigas.

Adoro leerla hablar de arte.

[martarta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mucho mejor que el anterior. Por ahora me gusta más la historia de los personajes secundarios que la de la propia protagonista. Sin embargo, he de decir que en este tomo la trama de Mikako se vuelve más interesante.

[Miss Jools · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yazawa really knows how to get me all emotional 😭😭

[Dieudonné Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

AI YAZAWA, la reine du monde à encore frapper. Faut pas écrire des choses aussi mignonne et qui me réchauffe le cœur enft. j'ai était étonner de la dernière thématique aborder dans le tome, je ne m'attendais pas du tout à ça.
Sinon tout était excellent, que se soit les personnage, les petits événements ou encore la dynamique de groupe.
c'est un câlin pour mon cœur <3
J'AIME ABSOLUMENT TOUS LES PERSONNAGES.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

this manga series is exactly what i need right now… also first 5/5 manga ive ever read wow

[Sungyena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the group friendship dynamic and how they get into all their insecurities and learn to grow from each other. Love that Mikako is self-aware of her hardness. Yuusuke’s painting shows his true inner heart juxtaposed against his hard cynical exterior! Kuro the cat and Masshu the dog!

[The Book Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mikako and Tsutomu hit a rough patch when he brings a pretty new girl Ayumi into the group... but Mikako's jealousy is more like a firecracker than a smolder, so her true feelings come out pretty quick and now they're a couple.

So now we'll swap relationship drama over to Yusuke and Mariko because maybe she's still hung up on Shu, but Ayumi also likes Yusuke so Mariko is getting territorial, but he says she's just using him and... STOP!! JUST BE HONEST WITH EACH OTHER!

And if that's not enough drama, here's a fun question: Where is Mikako's dad?

But the flea market part was really fun. I kinda wanna try doing that myself.

This omnibus contains volumes 3-4.
This series has 7 volumes.

[nessa ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVEDDDD this volume ugh i wish they would come out more often i have to wait till august for vol 3?? KILL MEEEE cause i don't wanna read it online BUT FINALLY MIKAKO AND TSUTOMU KISSED AND ARE TOGETHER 🫂 all i want is someone like tsutomu fr

also ayumi is so sweet i love her, tashiro and mariko r so cute but ugh so toxic idk how to feel about them especially since ayumi has been introduced IDKKK BUT EITHER WAY i just love everyone and i love this manga i think it's probably one of my top fav ones.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ai Yazawa has a knack for creating characters that have barely anything in common with you and yet somehow you end up rooting for them. Mikako gets some lovely character development in volume 2. I look forward to how things continue in volume 3. (I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.)

[Mark Schlatter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story doesn't grab me like Nana, but there's a sweetness and focus on artistic creativity that's quite appealing. I'm a little concerned that one romantic breakup has been done solely for plot purposes, but that story isn't complete yet, so I can wait to see if more depth is provided in the next volume.

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was received as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think I'm in love with this series, Mikako is a fantastic protagonist and I'm so enraptured by the different pieces that are coming together with the relationships and character arcs. Her mom in particular is so interesting to me, and there's a ton to love. Here's to the next flea market!

[Ande · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sitting here in Tsutomu’s arms, I feel like today is the beginning of a new me.”

4.75 / 5.00 stars

Neighborhood Story is peak shojo friends-to-lovers goodness. Mikako is looking to make a name for herself in the world of fashion – she just needs to survive high school first! Balancing friendships, first love, and school lessons, Mikako finds she still has a lot to learn. This is the second of four volumes, containing chapters 9-17 of the overall story.

As much as I loved the first volume in this series, I loved the second even more! There’s so much character development for Mikako and Mirako (and I LOVE that Yazawa is using the nickname “Body-ko” less and less). Mikako’s mom Ruriko gets to step into the spotlight a few times during this volume as well. Yazawa is unmatched in her storytelling, especially when it comes to building complex characters and interpersonal relationships.

The only thing bringing the score down for me on this one is the introduction of new character Ayumi. I feel like beyond providing a new collaboration space for the Akindo club, she didn’t bring much to the plot. I also feel like making her a potential rival for Mirako was a strange choice since Yazawa didn’t really leverage it at all. I think I was looking for more of a Sachiko situation (Nana), so it will be interesting to see what happens here.

I think this story pairs so beautifully with “Yokogao Shika Shiranai” by Humbert Humbert. I won’t lie, I have no idea what this song translates to, but it’s just got that soft-folk feel that makes you think of beautiful art and happy days of friendship, both key themes in Neighborhood Story. I think it’s one of those songs that any one of the main group of friends could get lost in while working on their projects for the flea market, but especially Mikako.

Ai Yazawa is my favorite manga-ka, so you can bet I’ll be reading the last 2 volumes soon. I recommend this to everyone who enjoys stories with complex friendships, those who love artwork as much as story, and to everyone still dreaming about the sparkle of your first love.

Connect with me on Instagram (@bookmarks_and_backbeats) for more reviews, musical pairings, and all around good times!

[♡ zuly ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume 2 of Neighborhood Story did not disappoint, and this is quickly becoming one of my favorite Slice of Life manga I've ever read. I love that each of the characters are so well fleshed-out, and how realistic their struggles and emotions feel for their age. Even when I get frustrated with a character's behavior, I'm able to see them themselves get frustrated with it and think to myself "ah...yeah that's definitely what it was like being a teenager". This volume introduced a lot of new characters, and I'm interested to see where the overall story will take them.
This is a must read for Ai Yazawa fans who love her style and storytelling, but I find it to be a lot more refreshing and upbeat than her other titles, which honestly is a breath of fresh air. While there is conflict and drama, I adore that the characters really do self-reflect most times and usually verbalize their feelings. The solutions to their conflicts always feel satisfying and help the characters grow up in a realistic way, which I really love for this genre.



Thank you to Net Galley and Viz Media for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Heather’s Reading Bubble · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 was an improvement on volume one. I was way more engaged with the story. There were also small beats that really hit me. Like when it was commented on how Happy Berry should make clothes for people of all sizes. Or the whole part at the end of Mikakos hurt over missing her father. For teenage girls the absence of their father in their life does make a difference. I really like Mikako and Tsutomu as characters and as a couple. In this volume they were finally honest about their feelings. However this is a product of its time and that can be seen with the slut shaming digs that are constantly directed towards Mariko, I’m really over the K Body thing too. Even if it’s meant as a compliment it’s said so frequently that it’s tiresome now. Other than that gripe I’m loving this series now. Also Ai Yazawas art is top tier as always.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute to see everyone get together to vend at the market!! They all pitch in (and Mariko is gorgeous) and have their little squabbles but the emotional maturity that these kiddos have is very impressive! Sure they have their outbursts but then they quickly realize that they were out of line and try to make up the best way they can (Yusuke and Mariko just make out but… if that’s what works for them lol).

I was so scared when Mikako finds her mom unconscious that we were gonna have another heartbreaking moment like Yazawa’s more popular works, i was DREADINGGGGG reading on, but thankfully it was nothing too serious and there’s a comedic break to loosen things up. Mikako also getting to meet her dad after 4 years was such a sweet moment, definitely had me teary eyed :’)

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This digital ARC was obtainable via NetGalley for an honest review!

"Neighborhood Story" volume two was even better than the first. In this volume we watch Mikako & Tsutomu relationship blossom into a state closer to maturity. We also see another love triangle pop up when a new girl comes into the picture. Towards the middle of this volume, a serious topic becomes the main focus. During Mikako & Tsutomu shared birthday party, Mikako is visibly upset even though she has everything a girl could want. I did not expect to be moved by Mikako's unspoken birthday wish. I definitely enjoyed "Neighborhood Story" volume two as it made me feel emotional. The ending was quite nice!