See You Tomorrow at the Food Court

フードコートで、また明日。(See You Tomorrow At the Food Court) #1

by Shinichiro Nariie

To their classmates, Wada is a quiet rich girl while Yamamoto is an intimidating lone wolf…but what they don’t know is that Wada is a mobile game addict in a passionate love-hate relationship (with a 2D character) and Yamamoto has a penchant for urban legends with eyes only for her favorite YouTuber. And their biggest not-so-secret secret—these unlikely friends meet at the food court every day after school to rant, rave, and learn what makes each other tick!

Genres: Manga, Slice Of Life, Comics, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Friendship, Humor

162 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2021

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wada is a thin, gloomy girl who is quiet and aloof. Yamamoto is a scary looking gyaru, as vicious as they come. Or not. Because the two of them know exactly what the other is truly like, since they spend every afternoon at the food court being best friends.

The description of this story made me think it would be extremely my jam and I am here to say that it would need a glass jar and some pectin to be any moreso my jam, in fact. This is the sliciest of life stories, anchored by a lot of talking and two friends who really adore one another.

Serialized Seinfeld is the best way to think of this, as Wada and Yamamoto wax on about things that are important to them and not much else. Yamamoto is surprisingly sensitive and Wada is a motormouth when she’s relaxed and they go on about everything and nothing.

The gacha game character that Wada is (isn’t) obsessed with, horror versus urban legends, fellow students who look like gorillas, life in general, it’s all fair game when you’re touring the various restaurants and other services at the mall.

There is a loose continuity; we see a skirt flipper guy show up a few times, the aforementioned gorilla girl, but it’s lots and lots of chat. The girls have a fight at one point and then make up, the usual.

It feels very real - you can tell how alike the two of them are and how different as well. That fight is unbelievably dumb in the most relatable teenager fashion and both of them are wrong and they know it.

The art’s great and I love how the rotating restaurants keep things fresh and other such amusing visual flourishes like a poster above their usual table that typically changes to be especially relevant to any given chapter.

It’s dense, this is talky as hell, but not as overwhelming as I find, say, In/Spectre or Futaribeya in a given volume. They’re teenagers, they have a lot of opinions.

In case you were wondering, no, there’s no real yuri, minus one very specific instance that’s played for a well done gag and to save face, after a fashion. I honestly think it’s fine just like it is.

And there’s practically no fan service, minus one hysterical omake panel where the girls plan a trip that we don’t see but we do see what they wore. It’s the funniest Wada expression in the whole volume and proves Manga Law #1 once again - ‘if there can be bikinis, there will be bikinis’. Even hideous ones.

This is not a book for everybody - it is just two girls shooting the breeze every day and their conversations. But I found the conversations interesting and they’ve both got a lot of depth that made this a real blast.

5 stars - your mileage is likely to vary, but as far as I’m concerned this was a total win of a first volume and if that’s all we get then it’s enough, but I wouldn’t say no to more of these two and their time together.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple of high school girls meet every day after school at the food court in a shopping mall to talk about their days and whatever topics occur to them. Seems like it would be totally vacuous, but I enjoyed the portrait of friendship that gets painted through eavesdropping on their chitchat.

A nice and tidy, slice-of-life, done-in-one manga.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story of two outcasts ("snobby rich girl" and "delinquent") who got together because they could. It's a bit sad that it's a one-shot, but I also get that there's not much else to their story. I could read just "hey, let's hang out" stories all day!

(kind of annoyed at the "one girl grabs the other's boobs" trope, though, regardless of whether she's "just" illustrating something that happened)

(update)
There's an anime??

Okay, it's a bit weird—I don't remember the "effects" they used in the anime being in the manga, but it's *mostly* the same vibe? I'm mostly surprised because the other manga I've read* and discovered had been turned into anime had several volumes established first, while this one is just a single volume. Will it be like an OVA, with only like four episodes? Hmm.

*that weren't to my knowledge also a light novel first to establish a fan base prior to the manga

[b · Rating 5 out of 5]

The mall is utopia and the food court is the clearest proof of this

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The epitome of slice of life. Great little read with a cup of tea :)

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this thinking it was a yuri manga but after reading it, I'm not sure that it is. Seems there's going to be more, so we'll see how it develops.

This manga is about two outcast middle schoolers who befriend one another. They're each other's only friend. They meet up every day after school at the food court at the mall. They never leave this location except in a couple flashback scenes showing them in class, and a couple scenes of them walking home together.

I liked the dynamic between the girls a lot. One is a rabid fangirl (her fandom of choice is a mobile game) and she is very vocal about her love/hate relationship with one of the collectible characters. I totally get the otaku thing and these scenes were my absolute favorite. I loved her ogling his action figure in a shop window near the food court, even after she let on that she was super disappointed she collected a super rare of him in her game. And I laughed out loud that she kept reading a self-insertion fanfic about him in several scenes. The other girl is more mature and quiet. She's not into social media and she's bad about returning texts. She likes that the other girl is so talkative, though, and she's glad she has a friend she can talk to about body image issues and things like that. And she has her own obsession with a YouTuber that was pretty entertaining.

The book is really just a lot of random scenes between the girls. They talk about everything from how spicy they like their food to their thoughts on various classmates. Some of it was a little boring but I kept reading and ended up really enjoying the manga, though in the beginning I admit I was finding the rapid topic-changes from panel to panel a little tedious and dull. A plot of sorts begins to emerge. The girls each seem jealous that the other might have a male love interest. There's no clear insinuation that they have crushes on each other, but it is at least established that they value their time together so much that if boys came onto the scene it might intrude upon their friendship, since after school at the food court is the only time they get to spend together.

Anyway, thanks largely due to the otaku scenes, I ended up really loving this manga and I hope more gets published in English.

[VividlyVIVI · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in highschool, some of the best times I ever had with my friends was sitting around, wasting time in the foodcourt. We'd sit and have faux-philosophical conversations for hours as we slowly sipped away at our McDonalds cokes. Peak "Youth." Thinking back, it was almost like a liminal space with how time seemed to stop existing until our cokes were empty.

See You Tomorrow at the Food Court is a lot like that.

Wada is a(n allegedly) quiet girl with a mobile gaccha addiction, and Yamamoto is an intimidating gyaru with an interest in urban legends and conspiracies.

They are somewhat unlikely friends, and they are cute.

With the incredibly simple premise of "two girls hanging out in a foodcourt," Nariie's artstyle avoids any risk of boredom by making the characters amazingly expressive. Wada in particular makes some absolutely FANTASTIC faces.

See You Tomorrow at the Food Court is short and simple but mixes comedy and an almost realistic teenage bickering, for cute snapshots of teenage friendship. Or is it more? "We were made for each other." "Exactly." HmmmMMMM?

★★★★☆ 4/5. A short/quick read, but cute, comedic, and a little nostalgic somehow. If you also bummed around food courts as a teenager with friends.

[Amihan · Rating 3 out of 5]

rating this as a middle-of-the-line 2.5, rounded up to 3!

literally just two gals being pals. it's not really anything special, just your average slice of life manga, but i think the relationship between wada and yamamoto is the kind of friendship high school me would've liked. so it was fun to read through that lens

you can also read their interactions as a precursor to a gay romance, but nothing overt actually happens in the manga, so it could go either way

[S.Q. Eries · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Summary

See You Tomorrow at the Food Court is as a slice of life as you can get. But even though I enjoy that genre, this series of interactions at a mall food court is neither charming nor interesting. The majority of conversations between these otherwise friendless high schoolers can be best described as rants. While those can be entertaining, Wada’s constant stream of mean-spirited complaints and lousy personality get old quick, and Yamamoto’s passive nature isn’t enough to save this manga.

The Review

See You Tomorrow at the Food Court is a one-shot manga that reminds me of low-budget independent films. The cast is small–only two main characters with few appearances by side characters. The story takes place almost entirely in one location (the local train station mall food court), and it’s a slice-of-life, meaning no magic or superhuman powers. That means this title is heavily reliant on the two leads’ relationship and conversations to keep readers engaged.

While other works successfully pull off similar setups, See You Tomorrow at the Food Court falls flat. Part of this is probably due to personal preference, but I found the interactions of the two high school girls boring and annoying in turn.

The more irritating of the pair is Wada. At school, she gives off the aura of a quiet, prim honor student. In reality, she’s a mobile game addict with a vicious tongue who picks fights online. The other girl is Yamamoto. Because of her gyaru appearance (tanned skin, bleached hair), classmates find her scary, but she actually has a chill personality. It takes a lot to get her mad, and even though she’s always looking at her phone, she’s practically nonexistent on social media.

Generally, their conversations consist of Wada ranting about something, often getting irrationally het up, and Yamamoto returning levelheaded, logical responses (which cause Wada to rant even more). Their observations aren’t particularly clever or insightful, and Chapter 11 actually got me angry. In that conversation, Yamamoto shares with Wada how she got groped by a passing cyclist. That’s a terrible thing to happen to anyone, but rather than being upset about the actions of the groper, Yamamoto’s upset because her response to being groped wasn’t “feminine” enough. Wada makes it worse by saying, “The fact that he grabbed your chest in the first place means you’re attractive as a woman.” As a woman, I’d punch anyone who said that.

That chapter aside, Wada simply comes off as mean, the way she talks trash about others. She even insults Yamamoto in their conversations and doesn’t think anything of it. Yamamoto has a decent personality, but she’s so passive that I don’t find her particularly compelling.

As to the origins of this pair, the girls were middle school classmates who, due to social circumstances, wound up outcasts with only each other to talk to. However, they hit it off, so when they realized they were going to different high schools, they decided to meet up after school at the mall. And given that neither has friends at their new schools, they cling to their food court friendship.

I believe this backstory is intended to show how unique and valuable their relationship is. However, their bonds are proven fragile when Wada hypocritically ditches Yamamoto because she thinks she has a chance at a boyfriend. The girls do ultimately make up, but only after Wada realizes the boy she’s interested in already has a girlfriend. Honestly, it just makes me wonder why Yamamoto doesn’t get fed up and find better friends.

The manga’s one strong suit is the illustrations. Yamamoto has a pretty complicated hairstyle, but it’s drawn spot on every single time. The mangaka also does an excellent job with expressions, food items, and backgrounds. Behind the girls’ usual table is a movie poster, and it changes each chapter to match the conversation topic, which is kind of cute. Unfortunately, because the story is limited to two characters who spend all their time in a food court, the artwork doesn’t really get a chance to shine.

Extras include the first page in color, artwork on the inside covers, and translation notes.

[Ghostea · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 Would be a more fair rating on this. Had a hard time choosing where to land...

“See You Tomorrow at the Food Court” is a unique concept for a single-volume manga release, one which feels like it has untapped potential in creating intriguing narratives within the medium. There is not so much a traditional story to be found here, rather Shinchiro Nariie constructs an unlikely friendship between two girls through their discussions at a food court, a ritual the two agreed upon to ensure their relationship stays prevalent in their busy lives. Consequently, the story does not develop as much, as the reader is slowly introduced to the eccentricities and insecurities of the two through the candid conversations they have. Shinichiro Nariie, certainly, takes an interesting approach, but it is one that ultimately works? The answer is both yes and no as well as is dependent on the reader.

Where this approach succeeds is in its ability to offer a complex portrait of the two girls in a very short amount of time. This is somewhat due to the release being text-heavy, but there is not a moment within the manga that feels unnecessary or irrelevant to establishing who Wada and Yamamoto are both to themselves and how they see the other. In fact, one can argue that the duo is more deeply established in the stand-alone volume than many other characters in slice-of-life series are after several volumes. This form of exploration is, easily, the book’s most distinguished and admirable feature.

However, the approach of “See You Tomorrow at the Food Court” comes with inherent limitations as well. Notably, the manga is heavily reliant on the audience’s ability to connect with the Wada and Yamamoto as personas worthy of such focused attention. If this is not met, the humor, dramatic shifts, and emotional reactions are bound to evoke a stern disinterest in the material. This makes the book difficult to recommend to others, as a manga constructed in such fashion will be heavily reliant on the readers’ ability to connect with the personas on some level–without that connection, there is little on offer for fans.

The art also suffers, slightly, under the conversation-heavy approach. While the talent of Shinichiro Nariie as an artist has moments to showcase itself, and the book does not give an impression that there is a lack of skill, there is little to attach to visually. This makes sense given the structure of “See You Tomorrow at the Food Court” but it does further make enjoyment of the work reliant on resonating with Wada and/or Yamamoto, as one can’t lean into a pronounced aesthetic as an alternative reason to find appreciation for the book. Still, Shinichiro Nariie shows they can capture both humor and personality with clarity; the book is just not given breathing room to highlight the art further than necessary.

Ultimately, “See You Tomorrow at the Food Court” presents two diverse personas and slowly brings them together under strange commonalities that make their differences moot to the friendships they seek. If readers let the book sit with them and approach it with patience, it can be extremely rewarding. However, the potential to disconnect entirely will leave some readers feeling isolated or, worst-case scenario, bored is as much of a possibility as finding value in the manga. Regardless, for a single-volume release, “See You Tomorrow at the Food Court” is certainly worth checking out for both fans of slice-of-life and unique storytelling.

*Oiringally Published on Asian Movie Pulse

[encore_un_manga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je n’avais pas vu l’anime avant de me lancer dans cette lecture… et maintenant, j’ai clairement envie de le découvrir.

À première vue, tout oppose Wada et Yamamoto.
Wada, c’est la première de la classe, sage, impassible en apparence.
Yamamoto, avec ses cheveux blonds et sa peau bronzée, renvoie une image plus superficielle, presque intimidante. Et pourtant… les apparences sont (très) trompeuses.

Elles ne sont même pas dans le même lycée. Elles passent la plupart de leur temps seules.

Mais chaque jour, elles se retrouvent dans leur endroit à elles : le food court du centre commercial. Un lieu banal qui devient leur refuge, leur espace de liberté, celui où elles peuvent enfin être elles-mêmes.

Ce premier tome nous plonge dans leur quotidien à travers des tranches de vie simples mais terriblement efficaces. J’ai adoré ces discussions qui partent dans tous les sens, ces échanges à la fois absurdes, drôles et parfois étonnamment profonds.

L’auteur joue brillamment avec les stéréotypes. Wada, derrière son image sérieuse, est en réalité complètement déjantée et un brin superficielle.
Yamamoto, qu’on pourrait cataloguer trop vite, est cultivée, réfléchie, pleine de rêves et d’une maturité qui contraste avec son apparence.

Leurs dialogues sont punchy, l’humour est décapant, et derrière les rires se cachent de jolies réflexions sur la solitude, les rêves et la place qu’on essaie de trouver dans le monde.

Et il faut absolument parler du coup de crayon : il est magnifique et d’une expressivité folle. Les regards, les mimiques, les petits silences… tout passe par le dessin. Il met en lumière toute la personnalité de Wada et Yamamoto et les rend encore plus attachantes. On s’attache à elles presque malgré nous.

Une tranche de vie fraîche, intelligente et pleine de charme, portée par deux héroïnes qu’on a envie de retrouver encore et encore.

[Hanii Aburame · Rating 4 out of 5]

True friends are forever, as are food courts.

Classmates Wada and Yamamoto are polar opposites, not only of each other but how the world perceives them. Yamamoto looks like an intimidating lone Wolf, but really she is a quiet girl with a penchant for urban legends and has eyes for her favorite YouTuber. In contrast, Wada comes off like a quiet girl, but is actually a loud, passionate mobile game addict who is in a love-hate relationship with a 2D character. They seem like they have nothing in common, which they don't, except coming to the food court every day to see their best friend; each other.

Not a love story here folks, just genuine friendship! I absolutely adore that these girls are oddballs, and how they work so well together. They're friends despite not having much in common, And truly care for one another without the fleeting feelings of romance. Their personalities also really complement each other.

The chapters are very short and episodic, but do a great job of showing how each girl thinks and feels about the other and their world. Most chapters are comical, while others can be a bit on the heavier side, but you can still walk away with a light mood after a more serious chapter. The art was very cute, at times basic but it fit the overall tone of a story, and sometimes it was hard to tell which character was talking but given the girl's attitude towards the certain discussion, that helped a bit to tell.

I definitely recommend this as a light and fluffy read. Very quick chapters, and the girls' faces were really cute as they look a bit like kids despite being teenagers, so it gives a nice dopamine boost too!


Check out my bookstagram! @Witchy.Otaku

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wada and Yamamoto are a pair of high school girls who meet at a local food court after school. This book is nearly entirely about them sitting at "their" table and chatting about their interests, about having a sibling vs. being an only child, one taking the other for granted, apologizing for it and making up, and so on.

There's some mild fanservice of the "of course one of the girls in an 'odd couple' pairing has to have enormous breasts" variety, but the dialogue's definitely good enough to overcome that. I was surprised at how affecting some of it was. Not enough to bring on tears or anything, but definitely enough for some smiles, wistfulness or winces of sympathy.

One thing that struck me is that this food court seems to be nearly empty most of the time. Malls seem to be on their way out, relics of the '90s and earlier. This near-abandoned seating area is a fun and unique setting for the girls' interactions to play out, as they eat various treats, or mix things up by playing the crane game in the arcade.

Just a nice book with a nice vibe. A pleasant way to spend a tankoubon's worth of time. There's no volume number on this book, so I'm assuming that this is all there is to it, which is just fine. I rather like the idea of a standalone manga volume that isn't a collection of unconnected short stories.

[Sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agghh, this was SUCH a refreshing read. Above all, I feel like these two really act like real girls. They talk about a wide variety of topics, and show off a wide range of emotion and opinions. They're the opposite of tropey, they're so realistic. I can tell this manga was well-written 'cuz it got me feeling all nostalgic about all the times I spent with my best friend just talking growing up, about everything and anything. It totally touched my heart!

Also, I related to Wada in a variety of ways that made me laugh, since I also read self-insert fic, struggle with pulling my fav on gacha, have a fav oshi that I say I hate all the time when he doesn't come home, and even had to watch a mobile game I played religiously shut down. I was like, me too girl, me too. XD

Overall, really refreshing, comforting read with great characters. They totally seem like platonic soulmates to me. I loved it!

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daily vignettes of two friends with contrasting personalities that work like complimentary colors. Their daily meetups at the food court to talk openly, as they only can here, unfold with an ambling prickliness and a crudely rough-around-the-edges charm that gives spaces for two odd girls to exist across the clumsy, messy, and generous range of adolescent experience. It captures the paradoxical nature of daily life, where very little and quite a lot happens, at the same time about the same things. Small things are big things, and vice versa. Small hurts exist as part of larger pains and fears; pleasures and generosities are trivial and essential. Friendship is pretty simple. Friendship is complicated.

I would listen to Wada and Yamamoto amble through more volumes. But I’d also be completely content with only this volume. I don’t need to be there. I know they’re still meeting at the food court, and that’s its own beautiful reward.

[Eves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming and funny. Reminded me of my friends in high school the way they talk about the internet and life. How friends will remain friends despite different tastes, interests, and personalities. This was on the romance table in my local book store. I'm going to say that there wasn't really any OBVIOUS in your face romance between the girls BUT definitely implied with a weird tension. And for that reason it's not five stars. 💔

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

great slice-of-life story that is essentially just these two polar opposites meeting up after school, bonding over their different likes (and sometimes obsessions), and occasionally getting each other cute gifts. I had so much fun reading this...very low stakes, but they do fight at one point, and make up in a healthy way. I hope there will be more of this published in english!!

[Larakaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slice of life in the purest sense and I'm here for it. It's just two teens chatting everyday, mostly about their current life or their past and possible future selves. Sometimes it get a bit more serious, sometimes it's just jokes and fun. It's not super perfect but very close and the fact that I'm way past being a teenager and still enjoyed reading it shows how good it is.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could not be much more slice of life. It really is just two outwardly very different girls chatting in a food court. It's pretty funny and relatable, and the conversations vary enough that it's not the exact same thing over and over. But for me, I feel like this is something I would have enjoyed more reading a chapter a week, instead of collected all at once.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think many people might have picked this up thinking it’s a yuri/gl, but that’s not what this is. it could absolutely be interpreted that way but it’s mostly a comedic slice of life about the female friendship. the two girls have very different interests and opinions, but they manage to compliment each other’s personalities so well.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pacing was a bit slower than I anticipated upon pickup, but I had an overall good time getting to know these two girls and their relationship dynamic. I will say I had thought it was a yuri book, and was sad that it wasn't, so I am STILL on the hunt for a yuri gyaru manga that isn't fanservice heavy!

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars: The idea is cute, but the story felt a little flat. If more volumes are published I'll pick them up in the hopes of getting a deeper story and more character development. I usually enjoy slice of life manga because they celebrate and romanticize mundanity, which I sometimes need so I feel like my mundane life is "enough." But I felt that was missing from this story.

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’adore le slice of life et les amitiés féminines donc tout est réuni pour que j’aime. Il y a aussi de l’humour, et certains passages sont touchants. J’ai retiré une étoile parce qu’on voit clairement que c’est dessiné par un homme. Je pensais aussi que ce serait un yuri mais pas du tout malheureusement.

[1ProfDoc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tranche de vie intéressante dans laquelle deux "outcasts" se retrouvent. Elles sont complètement différentes : Wada est une pipelette, une hâter sur internet et Yamamoto sous ses airs de gyaru intimidante et peu bavarde, est super ouverte d'esprit. Chaque chapitre est une discussion, un moment où elles se retrouvent au food court.

Bonne lecture !

[Cole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Complete and utter dribble. A tortuous page turner that I ended up dropping. There is absolutely nothing of substance that has happened so far and with flipping through the manga it seems that way throughout the rest of the story.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable, and I’m happy the series is continuing in Japan so I’ll hopefully get to read more of them some day! I found their banter really fun. Their dynamic of “this technically isn’t yuri but damn do I ship them” is strong. 😆

[Ella · Rating 2 out of 5]

So here's the thing. There isn't much of a story here. Just 2 friends who meet at the Food Court and talk about their day. I did enjoy it, the style, some of their drama but it wasn't great. So 2 stars is all I can give.

[Ray Rappisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story about teenage female friendship. It has hilarious dialogue and great facial expressions making what could be a stiff and boring story full of life and believable. It’s supposedly a one shot, but I’d love to see a sequel with these two realistic and lovable girls.

[Savannah Garcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not really a slice-of-life person in general, but wow this was incredibly boring to me. I see that it might have some audience, but it felt like reading a transcript of an average conversation between two random people you don't care about. :/

[Zen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute slice-of-life episodic manga about two unlikely friends meeting at the food court after school.

The art style was nice, and the jokes were funny. Wrapped up in one volume too, which is always a bonus. If you're looking for substance though, this one ain't it haha.