The Fall 2023 Manga Guide

That Time the Manga Editor Started a New Life in the Countryside

What's It About? 

Sick of his job and the city, Yohei “Kuma” sakuma. has a grand plan to start anew in the countryside and live off the land. The thing is, he hasn't told his wife yet, nor does he know the first thing about growing rice. Between crooked houses, swarms of bugs, and grueling work under the sun, the city slicker Kuma and his wife Miyu get a crash course in country life. But at the end of the day, with beer in hand as they take in the sights, they begin to understand that country life can be real hard, but real good.

That Time the Manga Editor Started a New Life in the Countryside manga has story by Kumagae and art by Hishiwo Miyazawa. The English translation is by David Evelyn, with lettering by Darren Smith. Published by Kodansha Comics (October 3, 2023).

Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

Burn-out is exactly zero fun. There are few truths more immutable than that, and that makes this manga feel incredibly relatable at times as Yohei sakuma. realizes that he doesn't have the energy or interest to continue being a manga editor and decides that maybe moving out to the countryside to farm rice is the way to go. Even if your burn-out isn't work-related, that desire to pick up and change your life is universal…and if you can't relate to that, the book goes a step further by framing Kuma's adventures as a sort of faux-isekai, a gimmick that works surprisingly well.

The base plot here is that Kuma and his professional cosplayer wife Miyu decide to leave Tokyo for the country, a process that turns out to be nothing like they anticipated. It has a light touch with the idea of expectations versus reality, deftly pointing out that sometimes a house is vacant (and therefore cheap) because it's a potential money pit and that not all landlords are created equal. The one house they think about renting that requires a fishing-fiend uncle to stay twice a month is an actual thing I've seen happen in summer communities where I live, and seeing it from the renters' side is pretty interesting. Then there's the realization that old houses are weird, neighbors can be strange even in rural areas, and, of course, the never-ending battle against weeds in the garden. It reminds me of a lighter version of the manhwa Uncomfortably Happily.

The references here are also spot-on. The whole isekai gag is particularly apt right now, and the fact that the manga is implied to have been published because Kuma was introduced to a publisher who has a serious fondness for the genre is a nice not-quite-tongue-in-cheek moment. But there's also a solid JoJo's Bizarre Adventure mention and a pitch-perfect Kindaichi joke when Miyu is trying to figure out what her husband isn't telling her, all of which help to spice up what would otherwise be a relatively rote slice-of-life story. (Remember, everyone, if you're contemplating a life-changing move, tell your partner!) This is a gentle, entertaining story about how sometimes you have to change things up, and if you liked Uncomfortably Happily or any other “city folk move to the sticks” story, this is a good read.