The manga <> is a unique work that, despite its lighthearted and entertaining tone, explores a multitude of sad storylines. For example, the main protagonist, Yoshiyuki Jo, lives in a single-parent household with his mother, Yoshiko Jo, and his younger sister, Erika Jo, due to a family curse that limits their monthly living expenses to ¥40,000 (approximately $350 USD). This amount excludes medical, educational, and heating expenses.

Calculations have been made on the family's rice consumption, with Yoshiyuki Jo's household consuming approximately 20 kg of rice per month, with the cheapest option on Amazon being around ¥7,000 (approximately $60 USD) per bag. In addition to rice, the family also needs to buy chicken and various vegetables, making the estimated ¥20,000 (approximately $170 USD) monthly food budget a reasonable one. However, the average monthly utility bills for households with owners under the age of 40 in Japan is around ¥17,847 (approximately $150 USD), making it challenging for the family to save money.

Japan does not have a fixed poverty line, and instead, it calculates relative poverty, with individuals having an annual income below 50% of the national average being considered impoverished. In 2012, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare established a poverty line of ¥1.22 million (approximately $10,500 USD) in disposable income.

Given this, Yoshiyuki Jo's household is considered to be relatively impoverished. The manga further highlights the intricacies of poverty, which is rare in Japanese junior high stories given the high poverty rate in the genre. (Note: For more information, please refer to the next article)