椿町ロンリープラネット 4 [Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet 4]

椿町ロンリープラネット [Tsubaki-chō Lonely Planet] #4

by Mika Yamamori, やまもり三香

暁に抱きしめられたふみ。暁への恋を諦めようとしていたのに──。心は乱れたまま夏休みに突入! 暁と悟郎について京都にいくことに。ところが悟郎が仕事で帰ってしまい京都で2人きり──!!

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

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2016

About the author

Mika Yamamori (やまもり三香) is a Japanese author of manga.

Reviews

[Keiko, the manga enthusiast ♒︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I SWEAR GOROU IS PUSHING SENSEI'S BUTTONS. I CAN'T HELP BUT LAUGH. I just like that everything so far doesn't make me cringe, instead it makes me hungry for more. And I swear, Yoh and Isshin's chemistry!!! I. LIKE. IT!!! I live for that ship to sail too!

[Milena Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo manga si fa sempre più carino! In particolare questo volume credo che, per il momento, sia il migliore. Finalmente le cose si fanno interessanti e io non vedo l'ora di leggere il seguito

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Fumi frets that summer sticks her at Akatsuki’s place non-stop, it turns out that Sensei is headed for Kyoto. Problem solved, until she’s invited along by Akatsuki’s editor. And it’s just like a vacation with your dads, if they were both struggling with their feelings for their teenage daughter.

Due to my prolific habit of reviewing, I am well aware of my turns of phrase I rely on, which makes a book like this, where I can basically copy and paste my feelings from last time, a bit of a challenge.

Even more annoyingly, this is objectively a pretty solid book and I love this phase of Mika Yamamori’s art so freaking much. It has all the right moves, but… subjectively… it’s like breakdancing in the middle of a hoedown for me.

Which means you may absolutely adore this. It’s not like I haven’t enjoyed any age gap romances, but I am very picky and they walk a fine line. My issue here is with Akatsuki being Fumi’s employer - I get they’re aiming for the family dynamic, but it just doesn’t sit right.

And even the contortions of ‘she’s mature for her age’, which is blatantly in contradiction to how she acts for pretty much this entire instalment, and ‘I’m okay waiting until she graduates’ do feel like band-aids on a cut artery in this scenario.

It’s not a bad story, if you divest it from those trappings. We are on the road for research to Kyoto, which lets Akatsuki nerd out for once and lets all sorts of chances for him to be incredibly nice beneath his cold exterior present themselves.

There’s some vintage shojo where Fumi confesses in her sleep and then tries to walk it back, sending Akatsuki into a tailspin that somehow manifests with his manager becoming a rival (I think only to spur Akatsuki on, but…) and just stealing a kiss because if there’s one thing this story’s not sweating it’s boundary issues.

Naturally, the best part of this volume is completely divested from the main story entirely and focuses on what Fumi’s best friend gets up to over the summer, pairing her effusive personality with the cranky tsundere boy from class.

This is some of the most fun I’ve had with this entire series and it shows just why Yamamori deserves so much respect as a mangaka. It’s a wonderful and unique take on the genre, as tsundere boy keeps walking to the convenience store for food recommendations and gets drawn in against his will.

It all ends up in a test of courage he doesn’t want to go on and she reveals a lot more of herself to him than she does anybody else and oh my lord the whole thing has jealousy and chemistry and I wanted this spun off into its own series. If the entire volume was this, it would be a five star review.

But, sadly, it’s not so much that. The Kyoto trip is fun, it’s nice to see the volume do something a little different from the usual summer shenanigans (Nobody runs a beach shack? What is Japan coming to?) amidst all the stuff that’s kinda iffy.

Divested from its age gap, the chemistry is pretty good and I like both the characters and they’re not bad together either. It has all the right ingredients for a recipe that I don’t want to make.

3.5 stars - if you like all of this, you’ll love it, but I don’t, but I do respect the craft it’s being made with. And, man, that whole section with Fumi’s friends is some of the best stuff I’ve read in a while. Worth it for that section alone.

[Bine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich liebe das mit Kyoto <3 Und ich hoffe, dass Fumi und Akatsuki endlich mal ordentlich kommunizieren. Wenn das nämlich noch weiter so geht, könnte das doch noch nervig werden. Und die Sache mit dem Redakteur... ich hoffe, es ist ein Bluff. Wenn nicht... och nö, dann geht das nicht in eine Richtung, die mir gefällt.

[Lorellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I see, acknowledging my own feelings can put me this much at ease".

Ain't that the truth and yet it's never quite that simple? I really dig some Japanese culture, so the Kyoto trip is a fun read.

[Melanie Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wieder einmal ein sehr süßer Band! Die Reise nach Kyoto war zwar extrem kurz, aber es gab ein paar Fortschritte. Ich hätte aber gern mehr vom Inari-Schrein gesehen ;)

[Sarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was ist das bitte für ein Ende? Ich brauche sofort den nächsten Band!

[Moni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man does it feel awkward to read a manga where the 15-16 year old lead's love interest is a man your own age.
(Correction he's 28)

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24

[Archer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know if anyone has notice but there seems to be a pattern with this author. Underage girls (16 mostly) developing romantic feelings for older men. This is the second series I’m reading from the author and it’s the same pattern as the previous one.

Before you pilgrims come at me, yes I do know the age of consent is different in Japan. But #cultureshock

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume we really got to see the relationship between Gorou and Akatsuki and I was constantly laughing out loud with every interaction they have. I love their dynamic and their friendship, and it was wonderful to see it in this volume.

Still fighting the story really cute and adorable and it doesn’t feel like it’s going too fast. Immediately picking up the next volume.

[Once upon a Dream · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo manga diventa sempre più bello 😍

[Isel · Rating 4 out of 5]

He's poking the bear 🤣

[Rebecca Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Kaitlynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really just like Akatsuki's face... And his hair... They better not chop it all off.

Also, I really need him to stop calling Fumi "Girl" I get that he does it to draw a line or whatever, but it's really annoying and I don't like it at all.

[eesee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorou is the saving grace of this story, he cracks me up.


Consists of chapters 19 - 24

[**Sognatrice di libri** · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuo questa tenerissima serie iniziata tanto per e invece mi ricredo visto che mi sta piacendo molto.

[☽｡⋆ Naidah ₊˚ෆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is getting interesting. I love the publishing manager guy he’s funny as heck and I’m glad he’s trying to make akatsuki jealous or realise his feelings in some sorts.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art keeps getting prettier, reminding me why I liked Yamamori to begin with. And the story itself hits some nicely pang-worthy notes in this volume.

Fumi has firmly told herself to give up on Kibikino; it was never realistic to think of him as a romantic possibility to begin with, and he's told her that while he does consider her special, he means it in a family way. Like a dear niece. So all she has to do is keep some distance, get her feelings under control, and enjoy their interactions for what they are.

Except then summer vacation starts, leaving her at home with him all the time, and Kibikino's editor Gorou ropes her into a research trip to Kyoto with the three of them, then leaves them alone while dashing back to Tokyo to hound another author about their deadline.

It gets a little shoujo-tropey, but I'm enjoying it. Fumi's a good mix of very stable, responsible, and mature, but emotionally volatile under the surface, and it's really easy to like her. She's an interesting contrast to Katsura, who should've been a great fit for Kibikino on a number of levels: age, career path, and general interests. But while Kibikino is happy to launch into a big historical lecture at a moment's notice, bewildering Fumi and exhausting Gorou, he doesn't seem all that interested in having someone to sit around and debate things with.

Fumi is gentle and thoughtful and and genuinely interested in a lot of things, with a deep well of loneliness in her that Kibikino instinctively responds to. Not just because there's a part of him that likes helping out when he's needed, but because there's a part of him that's very love-started, too.

Loneliness is, I think, the big theme of this series. Aioi and Fumi's friend Tobiume seem to be shaping up as a second couple, and I'm surprised by how immediately I loved them. Aioi cares about his mom, and she is a good mom, but she's also working a lot and isn't able to be around as much for all the typical household stuff as she was before the divorce. This leaves Aioi forced to trek to the convenience store to buy premade meals for himself and snacks for his hungover mother...a journey that he minds less once he starts talking to Tobiume, who works there.

Loved the angsty pangs when Aioi realized that Tobiume was recommending the same foods to other people, and that he wasn't special. Loved that Tobiume does actually see something special about him, and singled him out in their "bravery challenge" group as the guy she trusted to cling through and reveal her insecurities to.

It's funny to have their story so disconnected from Fumi's, but maybe we'll see the three of them hanging out more after summer vacation.

For now, Fumi has to deal with a tropey "accidentally said I love you sensei in her sleep" incident, which is deeply embarrassing but was actually handled pretty well. Kibikino did bluntly ask her about it much sooner than I expected, and she managed to turn it around into a lame excuse that of course Gorou saw right through.

Kibikino is now convinced that Fumi is in love with some other older man, while Gorou is delighting in having instantly figured out Fumi's terrible lie, and having a chance to push Kibikino's buttons by claiming he might be interested in Fumi.

There's another little glimpse of Kibikino's childhood, which I guess will only come in bits and pieces as we slowly learn more about him. He's very much a slow burn, and you get a lot of his thoughts and emotions from panels where he isn't even speaking. That's what I like about Yamamori's art: you really can read a lot just from the eyes and posture. I love when it's truly the combination of text and art that conveys the whole story.

[Mariana Polito Cuellar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuarto volumen y ya se están poniendo interesantes las cosas...

Bueno, bueno, empecemos por lo más importante: la confesión indirecta (?) de Fumi hacia Akatsuki.

Definitivamente esto no lo recordaba y al igual que a Akatsuki, me tomo por sorpresa, pero ademas de eso en este volumen podemos ver como es que por ese hecho los pensamientos de él empiezan a volar y empieza a sentirse diferente, vemos que percibe de diferente forma a Fumi, y más cuando, al contarle lo que escucho, ella le da una excusa y le dice que le gusta otro sensei.
Bueno para no dar mucho spoilers (lo siento), puedo
decir que antes que esto pasara esta confesión, vemos como los sentimientos de Fumi son
cada vez mas intensos y que básicamente sus actitudes no pasan desapercibidas, además
podemos ver como Akatsuki demuestra ese interés por Fumi y yo con esto, soy mas feliz. Su relación va avanzando poco a poco de una manera muy linda y tierna, vemos como uno se preocupa por el otro y el hecho de que Akatsuki le diga "pequeña" a Fumi... I was dead!! es que esas partes fueron muy bonitas :3

Para no extenderme mas de la cuenta quisiera hablar de los otros tres personajes implicados en el trama.

Primero a Kaneishi quien se ha dado cuenta de que a Fumi le pasa algo y tal parece que percibe lo que hay entre Akatsuki y Fumi por lo que empieza a implicarse para poder ayudar un poco en su relación, aunqueee tal parece que puede haber implicaciones sentimentales si él sigue por ese camino. Creo que esta interesante lo que Kaneishi esta haciendo ya que él al conocer a Akatsuki de tantos años, puede ver como este empieza a tener un cambio lo cual a Kaneishi le gusta. Él como personaje me agrada, espero un buen desarrollo para este personaje.

Y por ultimo hablaré de Aioi y la amiga de Fumi, Yoh. Definitivamente esta parejita también esta dando sus inicios de una manera algo inesperada pero de manera agradable, al ser muy opuestos podemos esperar una gran y hasta divertida relación pero de momento ellos
están empezando a conocerse y a sentir esa ligera atracción así que hay que esperar a como se desarrolla la historia.

De momento esta es mi opinión sobre este volumen que de los anteriores leído, es el que
más me ha gustado, de momento.

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nach dem ich schon so begeistert von „Daytime Shooting Star“ war, war für mich ganz klar, dass ich diese Reihe auch lesen muss. Ja, ich konnte einfach nicht anders. Mika Yamamori hat mein Herz erobert mit ihren Shojo-Geschichten und ich liebe sie.
„This Lonely Planet“ hat mich keinenfalls enttäuscht. Mit Band 4 kann ich sagen, dass ich Fumi immer mehr kennenlerne und auch lieben lerne. Ich mag ihren Charakter unglaublich gern. Sie ist so sensibel, macht sich viele Gedanken und bemüht sich unglaublich. Es ist so süß zu sehen, wie sehr sie den Haushalt liebt. Sie macht sich Pläne, wie sie sparen kann und führt ein Ausgabenbuch. Diese Details machen den Charakter für mich sehr greifbar. Das Gleiche gilt für Akatsuki Kibikino. Als Schriftsteller arbeitet er ununterbrochen. Er ist Feuer und Flamme für seine Geschichten, aber mit Menschen kann er nicht so gut. Es fällt ihm schwer. Erst mit Fumi scheint er zu lernen: Herr Kibikino ist sehr fürsorglich mit ihr. Man merkt, wie sehr er sich bemüht. Das ist so süß.

Dieser Shojo hat definitiv mein Herz erobert und es wird mit jedem Band besser. Das weiß ich, denn ich musste sofort starten mit Band 5. Einfach großartig. Mika Yamamori ist so toll. Kleiner Fangirl Moment

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡Y cada vez esta historia se coloca más cautivadora! Fumi ha alcanzado otro nivel de madurez al aceptar sus sentimientos en vez de rechazarlos, pero Hibikino no es para nada justo con sus acciones inconscientes: la sombrilla, el irla a buscar al super, el halago a sus habilidades culinarias, jajaja, pobre Fumi. Y la invitación a Kyoto, y que le arreglara la geta strap *suspira* Hibikino, eres todo un lady killer sin querer serlo, y eres la mar de tierno cuando te emocionas por algo y comienzas a hablar muy rápido. Me dio mucha risa que Fumi se confesara dormida y luego le negara a Hibikino la confesión con esa absurda excusa (ahora eres tu el lamentable Hibikino). Espero que Fumi recapacite y no niegue verbalmente sus sentimientos ya que Hibikino está pasando por una terapia de realidad intensiva a manos de Kaneishi (el amo del bullying) para que él se de cuenta de lo que realmente siente por Fumi. ¡Aww! Cada vez más emocionante la verdad. Y el posible romance entre los dos amigos de Fumi, Yoh e Isshi, solo hacen más tierno el plot n.n

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Perhaps it's all right to be more honest with myself. I see. Acknowledging my own feelings can put me this much at ease."

I feel I'm having a love-hate relationship with this series, but can say that the quote above made reading what I have worth it. Even if I'm not fully on this hype train, Fumi is a strong heroine and I think she is VERY relatable for a teenage girl. Her story seems to jump off the page and come to life.

Still not sure how I'm feeling about the age gap. I'm not sure why it's still slightly bothering me when I've read series like Takane & Hana and really liked it, but this one just isn't the same. It feels a little odd to me that two grown men are now "fighting" for Fumi's affections.

On the flip side though, I LOVED seeing Sensei's passion for history and the stories he writes! That was fun, especially the scene with the flip-flop!

I have the next volume on hand so I'm going to give this series another volume (or two), but even though I'm not super enjoying it, Yamamori truly is an amazing writer! I definitely appreciate her skills in that regard!

[Luana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

Sono arrivate le vacanza estive, ma Fumi non sembra essere molto entusiasta della cosa: ancora confusa riguardo a certi comportamenti del maestro, la ragazza vorrebbe tanto rinunciare ai sentimenti che prova per lui. Akatsuki ci mette del suo, mettendo in costante agitazione la poverina, sempre in bilico tra commenti scontrosi e momenti di sorprendente gentilezza. È evidente che nemmeno lui sa bene cosa pensare dei sentimenti che prova nei confronti di Fumi, incertezza che non fa che crescere anche nel corso del viaggio a Kyoto, dove il maestro è andato per fare delle ricerche per un libro. L'unico che sembra aver capito bene l'andazzo della faccenda è Goro, amico e redattore di Akatsuki - vedremo se il suo piano avrà successo.
Viene dedicato spazio anche a un'altra coppia, Isshin e Tobiume, la migliore amica di Fumi, rimasti a Tokyo per le vacanze. Direi che c'è un'altra ship da seguire.

[Andrea De Gouveia Dias · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Hablemos un poco de la madurez de Fumi, desde un principio se nos plantea que fue forzada, desde muy pequeña, a ser independiente, pero, jamas se nos a dicho que sea inteligente cuando se trata de sus sentimientos, pues esta es la primera vez que se enamora en serio. Me esperaba un arranque desproporcionado, y la típica frase de "No me rendiré" o "Debo decirle lo que sient"o Fumi hizo algo bastante sensato a mi parecer, ella conoce sus limites, y conoce la inconveniencia de sus sentimientos, entonces, decide continuar sin decir nada, porque en la vida real, a veces, debemos guardarnos lo que sentimos para el momento adecuado. Me gusto, a pesar que sé que al final se confesara, me gusto mucho que no lo hiciera por un impulso hormonal.

[Mindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, here's the thing. I ended up binging volumes 4, 5, and 6 one after another because this story really picks up and I had to know. Now I wait for volume 7 to be released.

In this volume Fumi accompanies Akatsuki and Gorou to Kyoto for a research trip. Gorou knows that Fumi has fallen hard for his boss, and he does everything he can to put them in situations together. He even ends up going back to Tokyo suddenly and leaving the two of them alone with each other in Kyoto.

Fumi falls asleep and when Akatsuki tries to wake her she mumbles something very surprising. It weighs on Akatsuki's mind so much that he ends up telling her what she said in her sleep, but she freaks out and lies about its meaning. Things end up super complicated because of it.

[Marianna Rainolter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iniziano le vacanze estive e la nostra Fumi si reca a Kyoto con il maestro Akatsukii, un'occasione per vedere se i suoi sentimenti nei confronti dell'uomo possono smorzarsi, ma ciò non accade. Inoltre intravediamo anche i sentimenti molto confusi dell'uomo che ha forse molti più dubbi della ragazza... Inoltre il caro Goro (che ha capito tutto!) decide di intromettersi e, secondo la mia modesta opinione, lo fa per far capire ai due che si piacciono e che devono farsi avanti. Ma non ci è dato sapere se sia davvero così o no e dobbiamo aspettare il nuovo volume per scoprirlo e io sono davvero curiosa, questa serie mi sta molto piacendo per la sua dolcezza e semplicità.

[D E N Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

THINGS ARE REAAAAALLY STARTING TO HEAT UP. AND I AM HERE FOR IT, BAYBAAAAAAY!!!!!

We finally get to see some sort of development between Katsuki and Fumi which I love!

Also, I feel like Gorou is just messing with Katsuki to get him to admit his real feelings toward Fumi? WELL NOW I'm excited to see where this story will go.

Side note: Is it wrong how much I ship Isshin and Yoi? I'm kinda honestly more curious to see their relationship more than the leads...... LMAO. Maybe Yamamori-sensei can give us a spin-off manga between these two? HAHAHAHA jk

Regardless, I'm excited to see where this manga will go from here :)

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuo ad apprezzare sempre di più il personaggio del maestro oltre che per il suo stile anche per il fatto di essere molto diretto e pur non sapendo come gestire determinate situazioni sentimentali. Carinissima la storia che si sta creando tra i compagni liceali di Fumi. Penso che il bacio di Goro a fine volume sia più uno sprono per il maestro ad aprire gli occhi più che un vero terzo incomodo. Staremo a vedere!