This is the 3rd work of Akiko Higashimura's that I have read. The first one was Kuragehime and the second was Kakukaku Shikajika. Both series are amazing and I highly recommend them. So now you can see my bias. I had high expectations for Tokyo Tarareba Musume.

If you have already read other works of Higashimura, you can notice a signature style with her work. It is present in Tarareba as well. For those who haven't, then you can expect lots of tsukkomi and absurd humor but then end with a hard-hitting, emotional scene. Just like with all of her manga, Tarareba features older women, although to say these protagonists are mature is a stretch. We focus more on Rinko but side stories of her friends Kaori and Koyuki are present as well. These three working women spent a majority of their life in Tokyo drinking and complaining until they realize, "Wait, we've grown old!" Cue the scramble.

The main conflict in this series is how Rinko, Kaori and Koyuki are still immature even in their 30s. What's great about this series is how it shows and doesn't tell. We see Rinko failing at her job even as a senior writer, the immature thoughts of Kaori that rivals a teenager, and Koyuki simply settling with what's available despite many saying she can do better. Though maybe there is too much showing happening here; we see too many of the same scenes (ehem, drinking at an izakaya) in quick repetition. I know it's there to show that the trio really do nothing but drink yet as pacing goes, it gets boring. But yes, these repetitive scenes show the reader how the attitudes of Rinko, Kaori and Koyuki led them to to their current situation. These scenes make you as a reader understand why the problem exists in the first place.

Another point of this manga that I am conflicted on is how the other characters act regarding our main cast. They act like on would expect people to act like in real life when it comes to unmarried women. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth but I do admit it does for some good story-telling and keeps the plot moving. What conflicts me even further is how the protagonists themselves deal with this struggle. It is a good thing there are three of them as it can showcase three different ways one can tackle similar problems.

Even with all my previous talk, I cannot say what others might feel about this series. It depends on the point of life the reader is on. As someone in my early 20s, reading Tarareba seems like a warning ("Don't copy these Tokyo girls, you'll end up struggling like them!"). To someone in their 30s, maybe it ended up as a reflection of their current life. I simply have no idea. Maybe I should reread this in 10 years just to see if I still think the same of this series. Nevertheless, Tarareba is a good example that coming-of-age stories aren't only for teenagers.

While not my personal favorite of Higashimura's works (Kuragehime is still the best, fight me), it is still good in its own right. Rinko, Kaori and Koyuki's friendship makes me jealous and I hope my own friend group lasts as long as theirs have. The signature comedy of Higashimura kept me laughing while her penchant for hard-hitting scenes just slammed straight right into me. This manga cemented in my mind that Akiko Higashimura is one of the best josei writers out there.