リビングの松永さん

LIVING NO MATSUNAGA-SAN

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
11
RELEASE
June 24, 2021
CHAPTERS
48

DESCRIPTION

After her parents leave to care for her ailing grandmother, high schooler Miko “Meeko” Sonoda moves into her uncle’s boarding house. There, she meets its rather unusual residents, including the oldest of the bunch: the grumpy mother hen, Matsunaga-san. With the help of her housemates, Meeko begins to adjust to her new life away from her parents, but she soon learns that no matter how far away from home she is, she’s still a young girl at heart—especially when she finds herself falling for Matsunaga-san…

(Source: Kodansha USA)

CAST

Jun Matsunaga
Miko Sonoda
Ryou Houjou
Kentarou Suzuki
Asako Onuki
Akane Hattori
Natsumi Kobayashi
Ricchan
Maho

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

Lairy
60/100
If you want a manga with a better-written SML than the ML (and suffer because of it) this is the one ! (SML syndrome)
◇◇◇◇◇ (little spoil)
When I first started the manga, I really enjoyed the “flirting” between the ML and the MC. It was cute, light, and easy to read. But the further I went, the more their relationship started to feel… let’s say weird. The kind of weird that makes you raise an eyebrow. Then another one.

At what point, when you’re 17, do you fall in love with a 29-year-old man without it raising any issues? And more importantly, without it feeling suspicious from the ML’s point of view? Even if he tries to hold back (and I really mean tries), it’s still deeply unsettling to be attracted to a minor when you’re old enough to have kids. The manga brushes this off far too easily, which makes the whole thing uncomfortable.

AND LET’S TALK ABOUT THE SML.
Because honestly, he deserves his own paragraph.

He never should have been pushed into that role. His very existence makes the relationship between the MC and the ML even more uncomfortable. The second male lead is simply better than Matsunaga-san. Sure, he fits the “classic handsome guy” mold (messy hair, closer in age, less “original” looks), but his interactions with the heroine feel natural, sincere, and believable, everything the main male lead painfully lacks, especially in the latter part of the manga. (Full SML syndrome, fully embraced.)
And the ending? Awful. A massive lack of communication between the two leads, absurd decisions, and of course, everything gets magically resolved in three panels. Thanks, bye.

As for the MC, her personality is unfortunately very poorly written. She clings to the ML even though the SML clearly has much better chemistry with her. When you’re in high school, you normally question your future: “Can this relationship really work?”, “What will people think?”. Here? Not really. The manga never emphasizes enough that she’s a high school student, and that she should have doubted, hesitated, and questioned this relationship.

The story also tries ( very late) to tell us that she’s “not like other girls”… but by then, it’s far too late to be convincing. And how is she supposed to be both fragile and incredibly strong when her parents are basically nonexistent (we barely ever see them)? Not to mention the fact that the ML sometimes treats her like an elementary school kid, despite having feelings for her… which really doesn’t help.

And the parents, by the way?
They say nothing. Absolutely nothing. WTF.

Overall, the story is cute and sometimes fun, but if you’re looking for something serious, coherent, and at least a little thoughtful, I wouldn’t recommend it.
(Except for the SML :D)

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