THE DELINQUENT HOUSEWIFE (Futsusuka na Yome desu ga!), by Nemu Yoko. First published in 2015 and first published in North America in 2018.
PLOT:
As far as Dai Komukai is concerned, his brother's fiancee Komugi seems fine enough. His sister may be suspicious and his grandfather may be kind of pervy about her, but she seems sweet enough. Then he discovers her big secret: Komugi is a former biker gang member with no job and no talent for being a housewife. Her fiancee is gone on an extended business trip, and Komugi is desperate to fit in with the family and keep her secret. Dai agrees to help, but how long can the both of them keep up appearances?
STORY:
The Delinquent Housewife at times feels like a manga divided unto itself. It can't quite make up its mind as to who the true protagonist is, and I have a bad feeling that Yoko is going to pick the safer and less interesting of the two.
The manga is at its best when it's focusing on our titular housewife Komugi. I imagine that even if you were never a bosozoku, a lot of grown women can relate to the dilemma of finding yourself plopped into adulthood without any idea of how to be an adult or having to put on a brave front in front of family. Komugi may be rough around the edges, but in her moments of sincere sweetness and longing for her fiancee she's irresistible. Even better are the scenes where she interacts with her old gang members, who have transitioned much more comfortably into adulthood without losing all of their punk ways. Moreso than Dai, they are the ones who push her to stop complaining and start learning to support herself, albeit in their own tough fashion. Never has learning to cook an egg properly been so amusing.
That's why I'm concerned that Dai's going to end up as the true protagonist. Yeah, he's a perfectly nice kid and having an everyman sort of protagonist is not unheard of, but that also means he's outshone by virtually every other character in the cast, including his family. His sister Yukari is a delightful little shit, a self-important teen schemer motivated by her jealous hero-worship of her older brother. Even Dai's grandpa outshines him, as what first appears to be just another stock pervy old man demonstrates that he might be more aware of Komugi's situation than he lets on. That's not even getting into what might be the first stages of an inappropriate crush. I want to hope that Yoko has her priorities straight, but at this point I can't be entirely sure.
ART:
Yoko's art has a simple elegance, but there's a wonderful sense of liveliness just under the surface. Those familiar with her work as character designer for Lu Over the Wall will understand perfectly what I mean. She's got a wonderful knack for faces, which goes a long way on selling the comedy. She doesn't bother much with backgrounds, which keeps the focus on the gags or on Komugi herself. It's not an ostentatious book, but it's absolutely a charming one.
PRESENTATION:
I have to make special note of David Musto's translation here. It's a good one, lending Yukari's dialogue a certain bite and deftly handles Komugi's shifts from gentle bride to rough-and-ready gang girl.
RATING:
The Delinquent Housewife is a great little domestic comedy that's mostly flying under everyone's radar. That's a shame because they're missing out on a great, relatable heroine and some quality comedy. So long as it is keeps the focus on her, I'm absolutely along for the ride.
This series is published by Vertical. It is complete in Japan with 4 volumes available. 2 volumes have been published and are currently in print.
Want a chance to win a $25 RightStuf gift certificate? Then check out our Holiday Review Giveaway to learn how to enter!
No comments:
Post a Comment