Conversations at a mall food court between two unlikely looking friends.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Shinichiro Nariie
Translation/Adaptation: Ko Ransom
What They Say
Wada is an honor student who keeps to herself and has an air of mystery around her. Yamamoto is an intimidating fashionista with dyed blond hair and shortened skirt. Though this unlikely duo seems to have nothing in common, it’s only during their daily meetings at the food court that they can be themselves!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
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.
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.
Content Grade: C
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: August 23rd, 2022
MSRP: $12.99