So, conceptually, I like a lot about this collection.
I appreciate how it explores the female experience through a couple different lenses. It’s one of the rare manga that actually features female characters who feel like real, legible people. They’re mean, gross, sexual, vain, naive, introspective, and bananas. They’re not just objects for readers to consume. I really like that.
But, I’ll be honest with you, the only story I genuinely liked in this collection is the first one—“Everyday”.
To me, the other stories in this collection are more focused on making a point than on being good stories.
As a reader, it feels like “Everyday” is the most recent short story this author wrote while the others are from further back—mainly because the craft and storytelling gets progressively more tenuous.
Anyway.
Those are my two cents. If you like “Kowloon Generic Romance”, this collection may feel familiar in some ways?
But, it’s also very different.
This author’s interest in telling subversive stories that feature characters and experiences often excluded from mainstream manga narratives is present throughout—but, the quality varies greatly from one tale to the next. Beware~