(c)2025 Tokyopop
You can’t live everything yourself, Vol. 1
Story and Art: Creation
Publisher: tokyopop (print & digital)
Translation: Katie Kimura
Retouching and Lettering: A Vibrant Publishing Studio
Publication date: July 8, 2025
Rating: teenagers, over 13 years old
Genre: Manga, Slice of Life
Can happiness be found even when life seems to pass you?
All four women with different goals, jobs and personalities live together in an apartment in Tokyo. They interact well with each other and share as much food and drink as possible, along with the latest issues and advice.
(c)2025 Tokyopop
The story begins with Shuuko, a 29-year-old office worker. Everyone around her appears to be married and she questions whether she makes being alone happy. Then there is Eika, a very hard-working career go-getter, not just for herself, but also to show the judges in her office that she is a very capable woman. Misaki, a musician with a romantic personality, is gross when she discovers her boyfriend of two years and discovers that she never thought they were dating at all. This complete misunderstanding of their relationship brings tears and then Misaki wins her “boyfriend” and makes him resolve to pledge to commit to a serious relationship. Finally, Shio works remotely in the apartment and shows her affection through the delicious food she cooks for home use. The only problem is that she is rarely paid and can’t track her spending.
While each woman gets time to shine in her own chapter in the comics, it is safe to call her the hero, as the story of shuuko is dominant and the most time is spent on her. Her story is not yet complete, but she also feels more complete as she sees attempts to change her life by going out to matchmaking events and dates. Her story is connective tissue.
Each roommate is at a turning point in life. There, you have to figure out whether they are happy or still pursuing happiness. They all have very different goals from each other, but they also enjoy living together and have a hard time imagining what life would look like without a roommate. They provide deep support and care for each other. Doesn’t it make them happy?
(c)2025 Tokyopop
This comic is a successful test of the frontier where people can get stuck when they are no longer children, teens, or even early adults. There is this checklist of life events that are unfair and expected to be met within a specific time frame that does not take into account the situation of everyone. Some people can’t learn to drive at age 16. Some people do not start college at age 18. Some people don’t find a career, own a home or have children, not to mention all of that by their 20s or 30s. Still, there is pressure to master things through certain points in life. The manga hits it hard as each character strives to achieve their goals, but I wonder if those goals will ensure happiness when they are met.
I sometimes felt like shuuko on this panel:
(c)2025 Tokyopop
And that’s why you can’t live everything so attractive on your own. You can empathize with the characters and their personal crisis. As mentioned before, many people are worried about not achieving certain goals at certain points in their lives, and experience the feeling of “stuck” or not sure if things will improve. I think readers of this manga know that for happiness they should accept what they have, or strive for change.
The art style is very simple. It’s not that the characters are not uniquely portrayed or expressive, but that there’s nothing unnecessary in the portrayal, and characters are not surprisingly beautiful, even if they’re overtly ugly. Art feels honest. Because we see for real people what these characters are. The fact that the lines are round, thick and smooth contributes to the art clarity. This is a very modern style cartoon for adults who are reminiscent of other cartoons such as Hira Yasumi.
I enjoyed reading this manga quite a bit, but if there was anything I wanted, it was a quest for Buddhism and her “boyfriend” relationship. I responded in the same way how other women in the cartoon did. Wouldn’t it be considered a date, kissing each other for two years? The whole premise seems ridiculous to me. But this is someone else’s reality. Those there have been this. So I can’t judge too harshly about the way she reacts. This can be a little difficult because everything that readers can have in their characters.
You can’t live everything yourself, a solid addition to the Life of Life genre for readers who can understand what it’s like to fight money, work-life balance, romance, and “life checklist.” Funny cartoons with sweet moments, and friendly cartoons will also wonder how happy you will be for you and whether you will be able to find it for yourself.
You can’t live everything with your own Volume 1, printed directly from Tokyopop and various online bookstores. The digital version is also widely available. I look forward to not being able to live everything with my second volume, due to be released on September 9th, 2025.
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