Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet Volume 9 Review

Our main duo, Fumi and Akatsuki, took a backseat in Volume 8 of Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, as the side cast took the stage to explore their own stories. But now with #9 in hand, it’s back to Fumi and the difficulties she’s facing with her relationship!

This book opens with the introduction of Sayoko Uneda, an editor filling in for Kaneishi who is recovering from an arm injury. At first, Fumi and Uneda get along great as they bond over the different family struggles they’ve faced and their shared exasperation with Akatsuki’s antics.

However, the more Fumi watches Uneda and Akatsuki interact, the more she begins to worry that the two seem very compatible with one another. That leads to a spiral of Fumi worrying that she doesn’t belong and that Akatsuki will break off their relationship since they’re obviously not a good match. Given the age gap and difficulties the two face because of it, Fumi feels that Uneda, who works in the same industry and is a successful adult, would be much better beside him.

And things go from bad to worse when Fumi overhears Uneda and Akatsuki discussing a research trip to Kyoto, where Akatsuki will be visiting the set for a drama adaptation of one of his works. Fumi wants to go with them like she did previously with Kaneishi (she’ll be on a break from school at the time anyway), but since Uneda doesn’t know that she and Akatsuki are dating, she ends up being told to stay home.

In the meantime, with Akatsuki gone for a few days, Kaneishi invites Fumi over to his place to help sort some books and then takes her for a meal. He’s vaguely aware that she’s feeling down about the situation with Uneda and wants to make her feel better, but could there also be some ulterior motives at play…?

The biggest hurdle in Akatsuki and Fumi’s relationship is the fact that they struggle to communicate. They’re in very different places in their lives when it comes to maturity (a fact Fumi acknowledges), which doesn’t help, as Fumi can act rashly and make things worse for herself. Akatsuki, meanwhile, has been sternly warned by Kaneishi not to blab about his relationship to anyone and doesn’t feel it’s right to share with Uneda. Of course, he hasn’t told Fumi about any of this, so she’s left with the wrong impression.

Unfortunately, the fact that Akatsuki has left Uneda in the dark ends up giving her the impression that he currently isn’t dating anyone and that she might be in with a chance herself. And we readers are left wondering if these two getting together wouldn’t actually be better for everyone. Right now, Fumi isn’t getting the support and reassurance she needs, and Akatsuki doesn’t seem to be in the right place to offer her that. And then there’s Kaneishi, who does seem like he could give Fumi what she needs and has no patience for seeing her be hurt by Akatsuki while he’s in love with her himself.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Mika Yamamori has swapped relationships around toward the end of a series (this one concludes with Volume 14, so we still have a ways to go!), and in many ways, I appreciate that more realistic approach to love. Just because Fumi and Akatsuki love each other doesn’t mean they’ll work out. Another thing I increasingly respect Yamamori for is that the age gap part of the series has been getting explored and wasn’t just a barrier to getting them together, but is proving to be a problem in many other ways. I don’t mind an age gap romance series as much when the issues surrounding the subject are actively depicted and not just swept aside.

Also, it has to be said that I do like Uneda quite a bit as far as new characters go. Since she’s been introduced as Akatsuki’s substitute editor, it feels like there’s a valid reason for her to be a major part of the story, and she hasn’t been brought in just to be a new romantic rival. Much like when Fumi’s new friend Eito was introduced recently, she’s very much her own character with her own tale to tell.

Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet continues to be brought to us by Yen Press with translation by Taylor Engel and lettering by Lys Blakeslee. No colour pages, sadly, but there are two pages of translation notes included at the end that prove very insightful reading.

Volumes 10 and 11 have been released in English already (#11 came out in the US last month but has a UK date in mid-December). There’s nothing further in the schedule right now, so it looks like we’re likely taking a long break.

Overall, Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet Volume 9 proves to be a pivotal point for the series. There are a number of directions the story could go from here, and I’m eager to see where Yamamori takes it. This is not only an entertaining shojo series, but a thoughtful one too.

Our review copy was supplied by the publisher Yen Press.