Neighborhood Story Manga Review – Romance, Drama, Fashion, and More!

Image by Nicole. Yazawa. Volume 1 Cover Art, Neighborhood Story, Viz Media.

Neighborhood Story – Plot Summary

After how much I enjoyed talking about I’m No Angel in my last review, I decided it would be a good time to review another one of Ai Yazawa’s works: Neighborhood Story (known as Gokinjo Monogatari in Japanese).

This series has been sitting on my shelf patiently waiting for a review for some time now, but it sort of works better coming after my I’m No Angel review, as that is the order they were published in anyway.

If you haven’t read these series before, you might be wondering why that even matters. It’s just because Yazawa often references previous characters throughout many of her mangas! So, let me summarize the plot…

Neighborhood Story follows Mikako Koda, a first-year fashion design student at Yazawa Arts Academy (haha). Her dream is to create her own clothing brand.

She happens to live in an apartment right across from her childhood friend, Tsutomu Yamaguchi. They’ve always been inseparable, but lately Tsutomu has been getting more and more popular at school.

This is due to the fact that he looks a lot like Ken Nakagawa (a significant character from the I’m No Angel series), who is the lead vocalist of a popular band.

Mikako is bothered by this, but can’t seem to admit that she may have feelings for Tsutomu!

This shoujo manga is a pretty classic high school romance story with a spin that is very recognizably Yazawa-esque and a level of drama that keeps things really interesting. Let’s dive in a bit deeper below!

Why You Should Read Neighborhood Story

Plot:

While I appreciate the “real-ness” and bittersweet feelings found in many of Yazawa’s other works, I really enjoyed the more upbeat and cute romcom vibe we got from Neighborhood Story. 

This series offers a very playful feel from the characters, and Yazawa’s iconic art style really starts to become more unique and quirky here.

Don’t get me wrong; I adored the character designs and absolutely lovely fashion trends found in I’m No Angel, but it feels as though Yazawa decided to go all-in with Neighborhood Story, bringing out a fresh and unique approach to her character designs and integrating a variety of fashion elements that no reader could possibly ignore.

A fun sense of humor also shines throughout this manga—the characters are so full of energy and personality, and there’s even a lot of fourth-wall breaks and jokes aimed at Yazawa herself… it all makes Neighborhood Story such a fun read!

But the main aspect of this story is, very prominently, all the romance and drama. I thought this manga would give a bit more exploration to the student’s careers and fashion, but this aspect was more of a theme that just gave the overall story support and structure, as well as more interesting panels to look at.

Due to this, the flow of the story is a bit unique, as it kind of combines the day-to-day developments and experiences of these artistic students and their school projects with dramatic romantic events and character growth.

The flow and structure of Yazawa’s stories have always stuck out to me as being a bit different than what I’m used to, but I can’t really explain exactly how…

Anyway, the manga explores multiple characters, but puts a little extra focus on Mikako and Yamaguchi. I loved seeing their slow but steady relationship growth and the obstacles they overcame with each volume.

The romance didn’t feel super slow, nor did it feel too fast when it came to these two. They have a really fun dynamic that stems from their long history together as childhood friends, and I think Yazawa portrayed some really interesting struggles and obstacles for these two to overcome relating to that history.

Although they get a bit more focus than other characters, Mikako and Yamaguchi’s romantic development still feels pretty natural as they slowly discover their true desires and goals while maturing into adulthood.

Neighborhood Story is actually a great coming of age series in my opinion, as the story really focuses on a lot of struggles for younger individuals (and beyond, too); like exploring self-expression amongst judgement from others, learning how to deal with your feelings and understand the feelings of those around you, and even handling new obstacles or opportunities in life.

Yazawa. Volume 2 Cover Art, Neighborhood Story, Viz Media.

Although at first glance (particularly with the plot summary), Neighborhood Story sort of seems like it would read as your run-of-the-mill romance with your typical shoujo tropes and a female lead who doesn’t understand her own feelings, Yazawa always seems to put a perfect spin on her stories with incredibly well-written characters and more realistic takes on these common shoujo tropes. 

Mikako might seem a little ditsy at first when it comes to love, but rather than this story being solely focused on her confused feelings or discovering what love is, it sort of takes into account how Mikako learns to find herself, be honest with her feelings, and bloom into the kind of person she wants to be both romantically and creatively. It’s a very good read!

Characters:

I usually like to start my character review section with a focus on the main protagonist—which in this case, is Mikako.

She’s your typical shoujo lead who has some growing to do, as she is surrounded by others who, through her eyes, seem to be ahead of the game in terms of their looks, personal goals, or emotions.

However, Mikako still has her good points. She’s a hard worker who is often very motivated to do her best and improve. She doesn’t take long to realize her own flaws, and quickly works to improve on them. I liked seeing her efforts to be more honest and learn from her mistakes!

Mikako also highly values her freedom of self-expression and even gained an interest in fashion at a very young age. This not only lets us readers see some important backstory for her character, but also enjoy a variety of unique and fun outfits!

Next, we have Mikako’s love interest, Yamaguchi. I’ve noticed some readers call him boring, which was a bit confusing for me, as I really liked his goofy character. He’s a bit playful and silly in the background, and although he makes some questionable choices at the beginning, you can still tell he’s got a good heart.

He supports Mikako over and over again, and wholeheartedly cares for her wellbeing. But I can understand where the frustration stems around his character, as he makes some mildly annoying yet realistic choices throughout the series…

He’s simply a young boy learning to be mature and understand what actually matters in his life and relationships.

At first he seems to care about popularity, fitting in with his friends, and missing out on other opportunities, but eventually learns to follow his heart and do what’s right.

While his nickname from Mikako, “monkey,” sort of fits his goofy and immature personality at the start, I think he grows to be more dedicated and sincere over the course of the Neighborhood Story manga series.

As both a character and love interest for Mikako, Yamaguchi slowly becomes more and more lovable!

Outside of these main two characters, there are actually a ton of supporting characters. Some of them are entirely side characters, and others get a stronger focus; one of which I wanted to talk more about: Mariko Nakasu.

At first, I really liked Mariko’s character, as she realizes what matters most to her and decides to pursue it very quickly (with the help of Yamaguchi).

I liked that she wasn’t just an annoying side character used solely for a jealousy arc, and instead serves as an important supporting character that helps Mikako realize the value of honesty and vulnerability.

Unfortunately, my admiration for her character is quickly demolished as she begins to spiral into a disappointing trope of a character; a spoiled, self-centered rich girl who dates sporadically because she can’t figure out what she really wants.

Her character quickly becomes insufferable, which was honestly a letdown—but not entirely unexpected, as Yazawa often likes to depict realistically imperfect characters.

I had high hopes that the story would let her prove herself as not being shallow at all, and instead had simply turned to sporadic dating for attention. I thought that her “body-ko” reputation would be snuffed out despite her dressing like a gyaru, which would have been a great message about breaking down stereotypes in this fashion-centric romance.

Yet, she is left to fall into her stereotype, being a girl who can’t commit herself to one relationship, doomed to carry feelings for multiple people and flop between them (although she does get married in the extra chapter).

I didn’t dislike her character. I just had hoped for a different ending for her side-story; but I should know better than to expect a perfect happy ending for every character in a manga written by Ai Yazawa. It’s one of the elements of her writing style that makes her stories more impactful, relatable, and realistic, so I can’t really complain!

Art:

As usual, I love Yazawa’s art style. It’s so unique and interesting to look at. Neighborhood Story has so much character, and the style just feels so charming and lively. 

I know not everyone is a fan of the extra-tall lanky look that the characters often have; but my early manga reading days have me very desensitized to this stylistic choice. I actually really like it.

I also love the thin eyebrows and heavier make-up looks (or perhaps just darker lips and detailed eyes) that we often see in this manga.

Yazawa. Inner panels of Volume 1, Neighborhood Story, Viz Media.

Like I mentioned before, Neighborhood Story features so many fun outfits and hairstyles. I really love the super fun and creative character designs that Yazawa dreams up, especially when it comes to curly hair—so many characters in this series have such fun, bouncy, expressive curls!

Even if they don’t really make sense realistically, I think they are drawn so creatively. 

Am I biased as a Yazawa fan? Maybe. But I feel that if you’ve limited yourself to modern shoujo manga thus far, you should really try opening your world to older works and other unconventional art styles that shoujo has to offer, such as with Neighborhood Story.

If you ask me, the quirky art and character design really fits the theme of self-expression!

Any Cons?

There’s a few aspects of this manga that haven’t really aged well (such as the nickname used for Mariko… I’m not a fan of it) but overall I think it holds up even now for the most part.

This is especially so if you are already sort of familiar with the era of manga that Neighborhood Story was released, or with Yazawa’s other works. It’s a bit harder to ignore these kinds of things with a very modern perspective.

Next, there’s a recurring theme of the girls in this manga being insanely desperate for love or a relationship.

However, the manga does at least make some good points about considering important decisions through your own eyes, valuing life goals or careers, and finding happiness in a way that suits you best.

Each girl in this series sort of takes their own approach for happiness and love—but they are all pretty boy-crazy, so if that is an annoying trait to you, I’d honestly skip this series.

Lastly, I’ll mention that for a group of high school students, they do seem to be put through some rather mature settings, experiences, and individual mindsets.

I personally think maturity in terms of age can range widely from person to person, but I know some readers may be put off from this story’s topics and the age group of the main cast, so here is your warning.

I think this personally only bothered me for certain side characters like Risa and Mariko, but I don’t really feel the need to explore them any deeper here.

Although there are mature topics in the story, much of the drama, reactions, and character personalities in this series can actually be rather immature or childish. They’re high schoolers, after all.

So if you aren’t a fan of miscommunication, melodrama, or very romance-focused plots, this probably isn’t the read for you.

Final Thoughts

Neighborhood Story is one of Yazawa’s more lighthearted works that features a cute, dramatic, and classic shoujo romance. As always, the art style is unique, the characters are incredibly interesting, and the story is captivating!

If you’re interested in this series or other titles by Yazawa, I’d recommend you read her works in order, since many of the characters she created are referenced and part of the same manga universe.

I think doing so will give you a slightly more connected feel, although it isn’t necessary at all (you can enjoy them in any order).

And if you’d like, feel free to check out my reviews for her other works: I’m No Angel and Last Quarter.

Disclaimer: Any volume covers or official promotional images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.

Images Credit: Yazawa, Ai. Neighborhood Story, Viz Media, 2023.

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