How can I not talk about Tokyo Tarareba Girls when I already talked about Princess Jellyfish on my blog not too long ago?

Since I enjoy reading Princess Jellyfish, then I may as well talk about Tokyo Tarareba Girls on this blog as well. After all, the manga itself is by the same person behind Princess Jellyfish.

That seems like a natural thing to do, don’t you think?

What Tokyo Tarareba Girls is all about

Here’s the book description that I got from Bookwalker:

“”I spent all my time wondering ‘what if，’ then one day I woke up and I was 33.”” She’s not that bad-looking，but before she knew it，Rinko was thirty-something and single. She wants to be married by the time the Tokyo Olympics roll around in six years，but…that might be easier said than done! The new series by Akiko Higashimura erupts with sharp opinions on girls and tons of laughs!!

What got me to read this manga

Well, I admit that the reason that got me to read this manga is because it’s by the same mangaka who created Princess Jellyfish.

But in all honesty, I do find that the premise of the manga to be interesting since the manga is about a 30-something woman who wants to settle down before the Olympics begins.

And the fact that the manga was on sale at that time makes me want to give this manga a try too.

Yes, I won’t deny that manga with a discounted price motivates me to give a new series a try. But hey, I’m sure that I’m not the only one who does this, right?

What makes Tokyo Tarareba Girls worth reading

For many of you, the story of a 30-something woman who wants to settle down before the Olympics may not excite you unless you’re in that age and you’re in the same situation as Rinko and her friends.

But what makes the story fascinating is the idea of what if situation. I’m sure that you also experience a similar situation before where you reminiscence how your situation will be much different if you take that other route.

Rather than seeing things in a positive light, you’re reflecting that same scenario in regret instead.

That seems to be the theme of this manga for the most part. But just like in Princess Jellyfish, the manga still imparts us with a strong message which is to forget about the past and focus on the present instead.

Apart from this strong message, the manga is also putting a spotlight on the true nature of the entertainment industry where the only way for women to get ahead is to sleep with one of the bigwigs.

In Rinko’s case, that will have to be sleeping with the producer just to get ahead.

To be honest, I’m not sure how true it is when it comes to this sort of thing. But I also see something similar in other manga where the woman is sleeping or at least in a romantic relationship with the decision-maker to get what she wants.

So, perhaps this kind of stuff does happen for real, I suppose.

In a nutshell, you’ll get to see all sorts of adult problems in Tokyo Tarareba Girls but in a unique and entertaining way.

What I didn’t expect when I read this manga

If you already read Princess Jellyfish, you probably expect that Tokyo Tarareba Girls to be just as funny as Princess Jellyfish despite both series have a strong message.

Not going to lie that I do find some scenes to be rather funny. But for the most part, the story tends to be more on the serious side rather than on the comedy side.

Well, I’m not expecting the manga to be similar to the comedy level of a gag manga. So, I’m fine with the manga being on the serious side.

And strangely enough, I do enjoy reading this manga despite the manga having a serious tone for the most part.

Who should read this manga

If you’re looking for a manga that tends to be more on the realistic side of life especially on women’s problems, then you may find the manga a fascinating read.

Just don’t expect the manga to be as funny as Princess Jellyfish, though.

If comedy is what you’re seeking for, then you’re better off reading Princess jellyfish since I find the manga more hilarious than Tokyo Tarareba Girls.

Where to buy Tokyo Tarareba Girls manga

As always, you can buy Tokyo Tarareba Girls in digital or in print on Amazon. That’s where I got mine. If you’d like to buy the manga, you can get it right here:

Buy Tokyo Tarareba Girls manga on Amazon

Can’t buy the manga on Amazon? You can also buy the digital version of the manga on Bookwalker. You can buy the manga right here:

Buy Tokyo Tarareba Girls manga on Bookwalker

You can also buy the manga in a bundle on Bookwalker too, in case you’re wondering.

Buy Tokyo Tarareba Girls manga bundle on Bookwalker

Just to let you know that you can also get the manga in print on Wordery. I highly recommend you to buy books on Wordery because they offer free shipping worldwide.

You can get the manga right here:

Buy Tokyo Tarareba Girls on Wordery

Prefer to read the manga in Japanese? You can also buy the manga at CDJapan:

Buy Tokyo Tarareba Girls on CDJapan

Over to you

What do you think about Tokyo Tarareba Girls? Are you interested in reading the manga after you read about it on my blog? Let me know in the comment below.

P.S Enjoy reading psychological suspense light novel with a little bit of romance in between? Then you may enjoy reading my light novel, The Diary of Modern Cinderella.

You can take a look at the light novel right here:

Buy The Diary of Modern Cinderella light novel