Fumi initially disliked her new employer, the author Kibikino. But working as his housekeeper has allowed her to discover his kinder, caring side. However, while Fumi tries to concentrate on paying off her father’s debts, Kibikino keeps appearing in her mind. Yes, her dislike is turning into like — like like, that is.
That development is exactly 0% shocking, and many of Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet‘s story beats are just as obvious. In volume 2’s opening chapter, Fumi learns her father has been laid up due to an injury, so their income has taken a dive. She jumps on the first job opportunity she finds: working at a club. Guess who ends up showing up on Fumi’s first (and only) day of work. Bonus points if you also guessed Aioi plays a role here, and we learn why he had a grudge against Fumi.
The rest of the volume features Fumi grappling with her newfound nervousness around Kibikino: jumping in fright when she spaces out thinking about him, getting a bit upset when he compares her hairdo to a samurai’s, and being unsure of how to learn more about his personal life. Fumi’s best friend, Yoh, notices Fumi is starting to change (i.e. be a bit less money focused) and encourages her to enjoy these feelings. I really like how the author hasn’t pushed Yoh into either the wise or meddlesome BFF tropes; Yoh wants to meet the man her friend likes, but she doesn’t push the issue or Fumi into confessing.
However, Yoh seems a bit jealous Aioi met Kibikino first. Not that there is much interaction between the two guys. For those hoping Aioi somehow manages to prevent an age gap romance here in this story, I don’t see that happening. Although I can sympathize with his fans, especially with the power and financial imbalance between Fumi and Kibikino. But props to the author for having him be the rare sort who doesn’t deny he loves his mother.
But as I said, while Yoh and Aioi may not be walking manga stereotypes, Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet itself is. A grocery shopping date-not-date, Fumi’s realization she likes Kibikino romantically, and ending with a female rival who seems sweet but then turns into a hissing snake when left alone with Fumi. The presentation with the soft, soothing art and layouts help cover up the generic plot points, and less awkward comedy makes volume 2 of Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet better than the first.
Still, even for those who just want to curl up with their favorite shoujo clichés are going to have pause at the age and status gaps between Fumi and Kibikino. Even if that’s not an issue, the story hasn’t found any unique or engaging angles to warrant more than a passing interest from me.