Rudy Recommends: The Caterer at the Maiko Manor (Patreon)

I've been very very slowly reading through this manga called The Caterer at the Maiko Manor by Koyama Aiko that as I slowly inch through it, I really love it more and more. This story is about a girl named Kiyo who had dreams of becoming a Maiko but quickly finding out that she didn't have what it takes to keep up. Through a series of events, she ends up as the chef for the Maiko house she was expelled from, making meals for the girls she was training under, including her best friend from school named Sumire.

Early on you get a vibe that this story is about readjusting to life when your dreams don't play out and moving forward on a new path. There's a strong contrast between the experiences of Kiyo and Sumire. Kiyo had a terrible time retaining the minutia of the performances and upkeep as a Maiko and quickly ended up in a new situation, but Sumire is excelling by working diligently to be the best Maiko in the region. We see early that Sumire is weighed down by the burden of learning this new trade and constantly looking to Kiyo for support.

The story itself is less direct in its momentum, unfolding through disconnected days. I really love the slow pace for something like this. Just getting snippets of people's internal struggles at the few moments they get to interact is very easy for me to get sucked into. The story is sprinkled with lots of the fine details of the differences for life of Maiko that play off really well with the universal struggles of wondering if the path you chose is right for you.

The pages themselves are beautiful! The food is drawn so intricately; it feels similar to the idea of simple characters in contrast to detailed backgrounds, but the detailed food also contrasting with the simple characters as they eat it. The really cute style sets the mood for the casualness of life at home for these working ladies, and contrasts well with the emotions at play for the main characters. I'm a sucker for that disarming cuteness and I think my art leans more towards that direction. The layouts are pretty simple but there's plenty of variety in shape that feels very studied and keeps pages from being plain or monotonous. The pages are so well constructed and don't demand attention that they just disappear and tell the story without distraction. I think this is a great manga to study for layout ideas and composition within a frame, maybe I will try to do an analysis with a chapter in the future.

This manga has won an award so I know it's getting its dues, but to me it still feels very slept on! It's at about 14 volumes now so there's a lot of good story to read and I recommend people check this one out!