Written by Mochiru Hoshisato Demographic Seinen Volumes 10 Publisher Shogakukan | Published by Shogakukan Magazine Big Comic Spirits Genre Romantic comedy | |
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Original run October 1990 – April 1993 Similar Bitter Virgin, Dance till Tomorrow, Blood Alone, Angel Densetsu, Tokyo Crazy Paradise |
Living Game (りびんぐゲーム) is a seinen manga by Mochiru Hoshisato, originally published in Big Comic Spirits between October 1990 and April 1993. It is a romantic comedy that also examines some of the absurd effects of the rampant real estate speculation brought about in Japan in the late 1980s and the subsequent recession in the early 90's.
Contents

Story

Raizo Fuwa is a 25-year-old salaryman living in a cramped home and working in a crowded office in Tokyo. His hopes for improved conditions are dashed when the new office building his company is supposed to move into is condemned as unsafe because the construction company has been cutting corners. Since the old building is already being demolished, they have no choice but to "temporarily" move the office into Fuwa's new flat. The final complication arrives in the form of the new employee Izumi Hiyama, a high school dropout the boss has promised to take care of as a favour to her family. No landlords are willing to rent to a 15-year-old girl, so she too has to move into Fuwa's home/office. Fuwa is instructed to be Izumi's 'Senpai' or senior both in terms of work experience and age. Fuwa begins to develop a close relationship with Izumi, and very early on in the series, Izumi admits that she has fallen in love with him. However, he does not respond initially, feeling that he should be more responsible and should first achieve his dream of buying (or, as suggested mid-way through the series, designing and constructing a house manually), a spacious home to call his own. Both Izumi and Fuwa struggle with their own maturity and very small network of relationships, and the 10-year difference in their age is dismissed as an unimportant factor in their romantic relationship.
Main characters


