Plenty of manga exist that are more than what they say on the title (figuratively and literally). But oftentimes, you’ll want to be in the mood for a work that’s exactly what it says it is. Of course, volumes 3 and 4 of The Food Diary of Miss Maid continue Suzume’s tale of noting and remembering all the food she wants to eat or drink while unsuspecting people around her just wonder who this girl wearing a maid costume is. We do have some stories involving fellow maid Ricotta — who likes Suzume more than she wants to let on –, Suzume’s grandma, and, of course, Suzume continuing to interact with her fellow apartment neighbors, either voluntarily or due to a severe typhoon where she might be a little frightened by things clanking randomly.
But yep, food gets involved at some point though!
Once again, the manga continues to be quaint and cute, reveling in Suzume finding a way to enjoy a new flavor or experience or showing us how everyone reacts to seeing her. One example is what happens when a potato seller finds himself being unable to sell his potatoes until Suzume eats it like it’s the best thing in the world all adorably and a flock of new customers start buying some potatoes. (The potato seller then offers Suzume a job, much to her confusion). Another example involves a cat — that’s right, even a cat stumbles upon her eating habits and her attire. But no one’s put off by it, since they too eventually are charmed by this unusual maid.
This time while we do have a few returning characters, we do get to see some new ones, and of course when Suzume meets one character the weather happens to be very bad and circumstances dictate you should stay in your neighbor’s apartment. And learn all about what they do with only the candles lit! The chapters again vary between short ones and some a bit longer than usual, but one way or another, this girl simply enjoying her time in Japan while waiting to return continues to be quaint and a nice read.
From what seems to be out in Japan, Kodansha USA has caught up to the Japanese editions, so it’ll be a while before we can experience something new or learn what delicacy Suzume’s discovered or wants to eat. All the while causing people of all ages to have their hearts warmed by this maid eating cutely. Until then, we’ll just have to assume she’ll have another new friend to eat some food with, though maybe we’ll also see Ricotta finally admit to Suzume how much she likes her.