REVIEW: ‘See You Tomorrow at the Food Court’

See You Tomorrow at the Food Court is a one-shot slice-of-life manga that shows readers that there is more than appearances, especially when friendships are concerned. Written and illustrated by mangaka Shinichiro Nariie, See You Tomorrow At The Food Court is published and localized in English by Yen Press. This edition features a translation by Ko Ransom and lettering by Alexis Eckerman.

To their classmates, Wada is a quiet rich girl while Yamamoto is an intimidating lone wolf. Prim and proper Wada keeps people away from her with a picture-perfect representation of what a high schooler should be, but when she’s alone with her best friend, she’s a firey very online girl with a love-hate relationship for a 2D character that gets her into extensive social media fights. Then there is Yamamoto, Wada’s best friend. While everyone thinks she’s a delinquent gyaru, she’s not quiet because she’s mean, it’s just because she’s watching urban legend videos from her favorite YouTuber. And every day after school they meet at the food court and talk.

They talk about the things that make them happy, the ways that people make them feel bad, and go on mall adventures to feed Wada’s 2D character relationship. The only overarching narrative are the small things that pop up in again each chapter, callbacks to previous conversations and people. That said, there doesn’t need something large and expansive, it can just be intimate and humble. It can just be two girls meeting at a food court after school and gossiping and sharing their frustrations and happiness with the world.

Both Wada and Yamamoto have unique perspectives on the world and the two of them manage to meet through their differences. They understand each other on a fundamental level first and even how to read between the lines when the other isn’t saying exactly what they’re feeling. Wada and Yamatoto have a friendship that just works and is wholesome to read.

My only small issue with See You Tomorrow At The Food Court is that it sometimes ventures into light fanservice that feels awkward given the focus of the story pushing beyond appearances. Those moments frame Yamamoto specifically like everyone sees her and do nothing to help the narrative. That said, these moments are limited enough to ignore for the most part because Nariie’s writing gives both girls dynamic personalities.

See You Tomorrow At The Food Court is ultimately a fantastic read. It’s simple, and caring, and takes time to develop its characters even with its shonen fan service-lite moments. It’s cute and surprisingly deep enough to tackle that friendships know no arbitrary bounds set by societal views on beauty and the expectations our outward appearances pigeonhole us into.

See You Tomorrow At The Food Court is available now wherever books are sold both digitally and physically.