Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san Edit What would you like to edit? SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links   6w2i32

This manga had an anime adaptation and a live series, but it never seemed to garner enough buzz to be considered to be translated into an English edition.

"Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san" or translated as "The Caterer at the Maiko Manor" is the title of this manga. A delightful series about two friends, one is a cook of a maiko house, and the other is a maiko or geiko apprentice.

The two main characters of this manga, Kiyo and Sumire, are childhood friends from Aomori who move to Kyoto to become geiko (or geisha, as they are known in Kyoto) apprentices or maiko. However, this was not ... to be as Kiyo was not gifted with the physical coordination to be one of the graceful "women of art" of the flower district. Rather than be separated from Sumire, who continues on her own path as a maiko, Kiyo s her friend as the house cook.

Kiyo and Sumire's friendship is the heart of this series. Kiyo knows she doesn't have what it takes to be maiko, but she knows that Sumire has to the potential to be one of the best. When she was dismissed from her apprenticeship, she did not go home. Instead, she took on the role of the being the house cook. She does this because she genuinely wanted to her friend Sumire. Sumire too, knows that having Kiyo by her side, she's able to bear the loneliness of being away from her family and be with her childhood friend. This gives her the strength to take on her dream of being a geiko.

Why read this manga?
1. A glimpse into the lives of the maiko of Kyoto's flower district.
Anybody interested to learn about geisha or geiko should read this series. This series taught me that in Kyoto, a geisha is actually geiko. It reveals what it takes to start as a geiko apprentice or maiko, and the training they undergo to be part of Kyoto's geiko industry.

2. The friendship bonds of Kiyo, Sumire, and Kenta
The friendship of the three is the emotional heart of the book. It actually started with two friends, in Kiyo and Sumire, but eventually, their other friend, Kenta s them in Kyoto. However, theirs is not sole relationship that s this series. You have Kiyo and her grandmother, Sumire and her mentor Momoko, Kenta and his senpai. There's also another important friendship living in the maiko house, Glasses big sister (Tsurukoma) and her kouhai little sister (Koma Emi).

3. The food.
As much as it is a slice of life set in the heart of geisha district in Kyoto, it's a memoir of comfort food for the author relating each recipe to a personal memory. That is how food is viewed in this series, as comfort.

4. Delightful covers
The tankobon has delightful covers. Nuff said.

This is a series that is wonderfully crafter in story and art. It is one of those comforting and relaxing reads that do without needless drama.

It's one of the best slice of life you'll read and one of the best manga at giving a home vibe, story took place in a maiko house where our protagonist is the head chef in there despite being young. Though it in a sense took a very nice approach on realistic household chef where your cook needs to be consistently ok and not grand.

The true charm of this manga come from the character interaction with the MC, where although she is an airhead you can see she actually love her job and the people she work for. Though what sells me to gave ... the high rating is the overall messeage where you can see our MC work super hard on her job but all of the character in the manga also work their best, it's a nice atmosphere to have where all the character work their best constantly, It really shows the author mastery in writting where common plot tends to sell only a handful of hardworking character or hardworking in a short amount of time (i.e. an event arc).

the biggest flaw for my taste is the love triangle drama the author makes on this manga though it is a nice plot progression, it felt out of touch with the chill vibe the manga gives.

i highly reccomend if you are into a manga about slice of life with an amazing but simple art

Geishas’ Slice of life/ Food/ Love, Friendship & Family

If you are looking for a subtly heartwarming manga that makes you crave for homemade food. Go read this manga right now! x)

*Slight Spoiler*
Story: 10

Without a doubt, the strongest suit of this manga is definitely Mangaka’s storytelling. While having this skill set, the Mangaka definite did a great amount of research regarding the life of Geisha.

As two childhood friends came to Kyoto to achieve the dream of becoming Maikos and eventually Geikos, their paths diverge as Kiyo failed to become a Maiko, while Suu became one of the most promising Maiko. Do not be worried! Kiyo, ... with her optimism and hard-working attitude, immediately found her strongest suit, cooking, to help out the Geisha household/community in a different way.

And there we go, the Mangaka is able to incorporate a dish per chapter, mostly cooked by Kiyo, as the main method of storytelling to show us the daily life of Maikos, the etiquettes of Maikos, and the beauty of this particular traditional art.


Art: 10
The illustrations of the characters might not be the most complicated drawings; however, we can definitely feel the effort while reading through boxes and boxes of her masterpiece. Just because this Mangaka can draw out the beauty of Geisha, produce scenes that touches the readers heart and cause the readers to drool at the food from chapters to chapters, this category definitely deserves HUGE 10!.


Characters: 10
Great character setups? [Check]
Unnecessary characters? [ ]
Motivation and purpose behind each characters? [Check]
Growth shown from characters after several chapters? [Check]
Easy 10!


Enjoyment: 10
I LOVE this manga; yet, the way I enjoy this manga is 5 chapters per day. The reason I read this particular manga in such a slow pace is because this beautiful manga is so sweet to point that I will have mental diabetes if I read too fast...


Overall: 10
In a way this manga can be a healing manga or a self-harming manga. It is healing because each chapter cures your heart and realize that life can be beautiful with so many subtle or small things. YET! It can be a self-harming manga because:
1. You are kinda screwed if you are on a diet. Yikes to me~~ x(
2. Homesick can be real after you read this manga. LMAO
Regardless, easily a big 10 because this is definitely a jewel. I learn so much about japanese food and culture just in one book.

If I return to Kyoto and encounter any Geisha, I will definitely look at them with a deeper sense of respect toward their job.