Café Kichijouji de Volume 2

Writer/Artist: Kyoko Negishi

Based upon a concept by: Yuri Miyamoto

Genre: Comedy

Rating: Teen 13+

        I liked this manga about as much as I liked trying to pronounce its name, which coincidentally is exactly how much I liked getting caught sitting in my office chair, listening to the new Gorgoroth album and reading a comic clearly intended for 12 year old girls to flip through on their way to a pajama party. I’m not saying I have a reputation to maintain, since I’m about as secure in my masculinity as anyone with a Deep Space 9 box set can possibly be, but I really would prefer if people not picture me playing truth or dare and braiding triple plaits while waiting for The Sister of the Traveling Pants DVD to load up.

        Café Kichijouji de 2 is based on a hit radio drama, which indicated to me that it would be about as visually interesting as the scroll at the bottom of the screen on CSPAN. Thankfully, this turned out not to be the case, as the art is the most noteworthy part of Café Kichijouji de. Surprisingly dynamic, artist/writer Kyoko Negishi makes good use of perspective and angle to create tight and exciting compositions that almost make up for the fact that nothing happens in the whole book that wouldn’t bore the leggings of a Sweet Valley High reader. I think the highlight of the story comes when a ‘cute’ girl with eyes as big as a squid’s chases a cat around the café for ten pages. The comic is broken up into short, anecdotal and unconnected stories centering around a restaurant staffed by a series of wacky characters who seemed to have picked their personalities out of The Breakfast Club, only I think some of them have magic powers. Either that, or they have way too many Anne Rice novels.

        The story-telling is simplistic, and seems to be structured around the key words ‘cute’ or ‘heartwarming’, with alternating stories told in either the dynamic, visually arresting style praised above, or the kind of annoying, childish, Teletubbies meets anime style that makes me want to go out and eat a live lamb just to take something cute thing out of the world and make it die. I suppose the intent was to make a light-heated and fluffy manga to pass the time while the nail polish dries, but those two adjectives don’t necessarily imply mindlessness, which is exactly what Café Kichijouji de conveys. I suppose there’s a place for the Café Kichijouji de’s of the world, but it’s certainly not in my office, while my Gorgoroth plays, and my toe nails dry.

Rating: 4

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