Title: Tokyo These Days Vol. 3
Author: Taiyo Matsumoto
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 240
Genre: Slice-of-Life
Publication Date: September 17, 2024
Final Thoughts
Here we are at the third and final volume of Tokyo These Days! While it was short from a series perspective, it was still a deep and impactful story!
The overall story of the manga saw a manga editor by the name of Shiozaki quit his job after the manga magazine that he pitched failed. He was a bit self-centered in the fact that he wanted to create a magazine filled with the manga he personally enjoyed. One of the biggest issues with this plan was that he was a manga enthusiast and not a businessman so he had no real concept of what sells, profits, return on investment, or any other basic principle of business. While the manga was satisfactory to him and received good reviews, it sold poorly, therefore, it was canceled and he couldn’t handle the situation.
This sets him out on a path to prove that he was correct all along. He wanted to create an independent manga magazine and traveled all around Japan to find the artists that he had admired throughout his life, some of which he worked with, and others he just knew and had a connection with. Not everyone was on board; however, those that were believed in Shiozaki’s vision were not.
Tokyo These Days is the story of bringing that vision to life. The struggles of getting an independent manga magazine off the ground, and all of the characters that were involved in its launch (and some that weren’t.) If I were to hand out a percentage of story versus character focus for this series, it would be about 20% for the story and 80% for the characters. The characters truly made this series as you got to know each one and learn about their pasts, their beliefs, what manga meant or still means to them, and why they could or could not get behind Shiozaki’s vision. It wasn’t just about them, though. There were characters that Shiozaki left behind when he quit that were explored as well, namely Aoki who was very difficult to work with when it came to making manga, keeping deadlines, etc.
The character work in Tokyo These Days was so strong that I felt that any number of them could have had an entire manga series dedicated just to telling their stories. When I reflect on that thought, it makes perfect sense to have this be a character-driven series because the end goal is a magazine with all its works. Without even reading a single page of their manga, you can tell what kind of stories they would be just from the characters themselves.
One of the driving points of the series is about how manga is made. When I say that, I don’t mind the technical details about paper size, what type of tones to use, how to draw characters or backgrounds but the actual soul of the manga and how the stories reflect the hearts and souls of their creators. Through each character’s beliefs and interests, you can see the type of manga that they prefer to make. Through Chosaku; however, you also learn that sometimes a mangaka won’t be able to make the kind of manga they prefer. He felt as if the soul had gone missing from his works for quite some time and he ended up making the tough decision to prematurely end his current series, Number 15, in order to find the same passion for manga that he had started off with. So while Tokyo These Days also touches upon the heart and soul of a story, it also serves as a grim reminder that sometimes the business will take away that heart and soul for profit.
When you realize this, you begin to understand Shiozaki’s passion for manga and one of the reasons why he wanted to make this magazine. He wanted to give those who had that heart and soul snuffed out a chance to do something great. He always talked about making the ultimate manga but what does that truly mean? Can there truly be a single manga that is perfect in every way, shape, and form? Of course, not. Such a thing is impossible because what might be perceived as perfect to one person might be seen as an atrocity to someone else. What Shiozaki was referring to was finding the ultimate manga for the creator. What story would truly reflect their passion… the sole reason for them wanting to get into manga.
So, when he goes around and pitches that, he’s using a thin veil to tempt them into making the manga of their dreams and this magazine will be the culmination of everyone’s idea of an “ultimate” manga.
Restoring hope for those who lost it, proving that your theory was correct no matter how stubborn it made you look, and believing in manga and yourself were the biggest themes of Tokyo These Days. Every page was impactful, the characters made you feel something and they didn’t have to do anything over the top to get you there. The overall journey of an editor who didn’t want to change the world but to preserve a certain part of it while proving that it had a place within the world makes this series one of the best I’ve read in 2024.
Tokyo These Days proves that you can do a lot with so little. With it only being 3 volumes and 24 chapters long, you would think it wouldn’t have the time to truly develop into something special and that’s where you would be wrong. I don’t think it needed any more than it had given us. It was able to tell a complete and impactful story within those 24 chapters and if you want a great slice-of-life story about the journey of a former manga editor out to prove the world wrong, this is the story to pick up and read!
Overall Score: 4/5
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This item was provided for review by Viz Media
