A Distant Neighborhood - Reviews

Pretty emotional read, very good considering this was a pretty early party on 2nd life. Ending felt satisfying. 

I can appreciate how out of it Hiroshi is throughout pretty much the entire story and how it actually takes fem multiple chapters to wrap feir head around some things which other isekai/time-jump manga only dedicate a few panels to the characters wondering about (e.g. whether fe's actually in the past or in a dream, whether fe should work to change events or not). Fe is inept at pretending to be a child and repeatedly lets slip feir futuristic perspective. And fe did adult activities like smoking, drinking, going to a restaurant with feir best girl, and riding a motorcycle without a second thought. Fe excels in school because fe's already gone through all this and fe enjoys athletics because of how youthful feir body is.

The story itself becomes a contemplation of mid-life crises and the way that husbands can abandon their families after feeling overwhelmed and trapped. In the original timeline, feir father had abandoned their family at the end of the summer. And if fe could change any one thing in the past, that's what it would be. The flashbacks occur with minimal indication or transition, which can be a bit frustrating. I find it interesting how they actually show both sides of the story and show empathy for the irresponsibility on the husband's part. And I appreciate some of the heartfelt conversations that occur. Though, I still never felt the story exceeded mediocrity and I'm not sure I can pinpoint why. Maybe it was too melancholic or maybe it was just a bit too bland. Or maybe the lack of beautiful artwork and the stiff way the faces were drawn dragged the rest of the experience down as well. I dunno. But it's still an okay story; I just wouldn't consider it great or impressive or a favorite that I'll end up rereading or anything like that.

So since college is still sucking the life out of me with assignments and exams to do, I managed to finish this gem! Honestly, this is a pretty decent read man, this is the type of proper Old skool Isekai people should definitely try to check out!