Week 3 - Cigarette Girl

Cigarette Girl felt like a bittersweet slice of life that I found much enjoyment in reading, despite many feeling like it was ultimately depressing. I noticed the main premise of this series of stories revolved around the day to day lives of those living with loneliness in the lower end residential areas of Japan. Many of these cutely drawn characters face such relatable struggles in finding someone to love and connect with. I enjoyed the Happy-chan episodes a lot, because the time Toki spent with the strangers in town felt unusually endearing. It's interesting how she takes on the job of a condom seller, so she targets troubled couples and lonely people, since those seem to be the target demographic for the products she sells. The fact that Toki takes time out of her job to hear each client's situation and even sometimes helps them out shines some light on her personality, because she seems easily distracted but has a good heart.

A little interesting fun fact about Toki though...her name in Japanese means time, opportunity, or hope. I have a hunch that if this intentional, it works significantly well with her character!