Ikoku Nikki

[Babbelfish]

Since Mizukami's Spirit Circle no manga has so often brought me to tears. The sharpness of the grief the main characters feel contrasted with the warmth of the theme of being deserving of unconditional compassion.
I see a lot of myself in Makio, her eternal struggle with focus, frustration with the niceties of society, her desire to be as honest as possible, and I thank the mangaka for that.

Also all the plumes for the translator(s)! This feels high quality to me.

I will certainly follow this one.

 

[Schnekk]

Love each chapter that comes out! Thank you for your dedication in bringing readers this fantastic story, scanslators！

 

[maisai]

Wonderful to see a main character who is very much not neurotypical, and her struggles with fitting into a neurotypical world. As someone who is diagnosed with adult ADHD and social anxiety, I often find myself relating to her often.

 

[goronyanpai]

I can't repeat the praise that has been said. Ikoku Nikki is very realistic and it's hitting hard for some. I'm the one who's awkward in expressing things so that relatable feelings make me itchy. That jealousy comes from an understanding environment. Reality doesn't make it easy.

 

[Obloquy]

Great art. For some reason I’m not feeling the story though. It seemed to drag on so I only go through the first two chapters. Will prolly come back to it.

 

[Tamahomenuriko]

@maisai who is not neurotypical?

 

[Babbelfish]

@Tamahomenuriko Not maisai, but they are probably talking about Makio. I agree with that assessment if that is the case.

 

[Bighomer]

This is oh so good

 

[nicklablue]

This is a fantastic one. The relationships and dialogue feel very authentic, and the story goes through the whole gamut of emotions.

 

[rakim]

Does anyone remember the chapter no. with the 3 Idiots reference or is it some other manga?

 

[hotdogislife]

This story is not even supposed to be a sad story and I’ve already cried twice. It hit close to home. Too close, really.

 

[OG_Calculus]

@rakim Chapter 34 Page 9

 

[ki4x]

this manga is sooo good and underrated

 

[maisonaustyn]

It's a pure drama. The fact that it doesnt do anything special is what is so unique about it. It's not generic by any means but doesn't try to be anything it isn't.

A simpler way to describe it is that it's very real. Almost like reading someones recollection of a time in their life that was the most impactful on them

 

[Submarina]

Incredible ending. Just perfect.

 

[Trickydong]

Man, I wanted to know more about Asa's parents and Makio's family dynamics. I only remember that Asa's mother quite often being sick thus that might be the reason how Makio developed the habit of being alone and force feeding herself into reading book. Thought, at the end of their story, I could sensed of how Makio and her sister regret of how they treated each other.

 

[AreNav]

9/10
One of the best coming-of-age manga I've read. The relationship between aunt and niece, their struggles, their love, their diffences are portraitet beautifully and the story finds a great balance between uplifting and sad themes, all while omiting unecessary drama. Some philosophical dialogues can easily resonate in the reader - kudos for the translation.

If I had to nitpick,it would be that the plot always played out in a apartment, a cafe/restaurant or the school. It's refreshing to not see the trip to Kyoto or to the beach but I think it felt at times a bit cramped (?) and a change in the setting would've been nice. maybe this was intentionally.

Also: sometimes the whole dialouge and character behaviour felt too clean. like they argued but not really irrational, from their perspective they always made no real mistakes and in the end they talk it out... hmm.