Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san

This manga had an anime adaptation and a live series, but it never seemed to garner enough buzz to be considered to be translated into an English edition. "Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san" or translated as "The Caterer at the Maiko Manor" is the title of this manga. A delightful series about two friends, one is a cook of a maiko house, and the other is a maiko or geiko apprentice. The two main characters of this manga, Kiyo and Sumire, are childhood friends from Aomori who move to Kyoto to become geiko (or geisha, as they are known in Kyoto) apprentices or maiko. However, this was notto be as Kiyo was not gifted with the physical coordination to be one of the graceful "women of art" of the flower district. Rather than be separated from Sumire, who continues on her own path as a maiko, Kiyo supports her friend as the house cook. Kiyo and Sumire's friendship is the heart of this series. Kiyo knows she doesn't have what it takes to be maiko, but she knows that Sumire has to the potential to be one of the best. When she was dismissed from her apprenticeship, she did not go home. Instead, she took on the role of the being the house cook. She does this because she genuinely wanted to support her friend Sumire. Sumire too, knows that having Kiyo by her side, she's able to bear the loneliness of being away from her family and be with her childhood friend. This gives her the strength to take on her dream of being a geiko. Why read this manga? 1. A glimpse into the lives of the maiko of Kyoto's flower district. Anybody interested to learn about geisha or geiko should read this series. This series taught me that in Kyoto, a geisha is actually geiko. It reveals what it takes to start as a geiko apprentice or maiko, and the training they undergo to be part of Kyoto's geiko industry. 2. The friendship bonds of Kiyo, Sumire, and Kenta The friendship of the three is the emotional heart of the book. It actually started with two friends, in Kiyo and Sumire, but eventually, their other friend, Kenta joins them in Kyoto. However, theirs is not sole relationship that supports this series. You have Kiyo and her grandmother, Sumire and her mentor Momoko, Kenta and his senpai. There's also another important friendship living in the maiko house, Glasses big sister (Tsurukoma) and her kouhai little sister (Koma Emi). 3. The food. As much as it is a slice of life set in the heart of geisha district in Kyoto, it's a memoir of comfort food for the author relating each recipe to a personal memory. That is how food is viewed in this series, as comfort. 4. Delightful covers The tankobon has delightful covers. Nuff said. This is a series that is wonderfully crafter in story and art. It is one of those comforting and relaxing reads that do without needless drama.