I’m so glad I randomly saw this at the bookstore this weekend! I actually got both volumes even though they were shrinkwrapped and I couldn’t see inside them, just on the strength of the covers. And what a nice treat! Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life is about a high school freshman who looks tough and scary, but he’s actually a huge softy who loves cooking and baking and helping to take care of his little sister. Suzuki is used to people being afraid of him and bullying him because of how he looks or because of his interests, and he’s prepared for high school to be a repeat of how middle school went for him socially. On the train to school the first day, a drunk adult thinks he’s trying to pick a fight and he’s getting physically threatened when another boy from his new school, Haruna, steps in and protects him. Haruna is small and strikingly beautiful, so he gets people stereotyping him as girly and weak when he’s actually a very physically strong judoka.
Haruna befriends Suzuki and is able to get the rest of the class to see beyond Suzuki’s exterior and into the kind, gentle heart that lies within. Suzuki learns that people won’t see his sewing and baking as creepy or weird and that he can express himself. All of the characters here are wonderful — Suzuki’s mom, who supports all of his interests, his little sister Tamako, who loves her big brother whole-heartedly, his classmates — all of them are very well fleshed out and it’s a delight getting to know all of them. This is slice of life at its best, with Suzuki having to face things like getting a crush for the first time, figuring out what club to join, the school festival, etc. But it all has a real depth to it that other slice of life manga are sometimes missing, a sense of realism that elevates it. It’s also very funny, with expressive cartooning that drives home all of the humorous moments (and there are a lot)! I think it’s a real skill to be earnest and human in today’s media culture, and these books are the reason why I am so die-hard about the importance of human connection and art as the best thing we do. I was quite moved by this and I’m really glad that it’s been translated here. I’ll continue to follow along!
Highly recommended.
