Yotsuba&!
Author |
AZUMA Kiyohiko |
Artist |
AZUMA Kiyohiko |
Primary Genre |
|
Sub Genres |
Shounen |
Volumes |
9 |
Licensed |
Yes |
| Publication History | |
Japanese Publisher |
|
Serialized in |
|
Serialization Start |
0000 |
Serialization End |
0000 |
US Publisher |
Yen Press, |
| Series Summary |
Title: Yotsuba&! Volume: One Mangaka: Kiyohiko Azuma Originally serialized in: Dengeki Daioh (ASCII Media Works) Licensed by: Yen Press Genre: Shounen, Slice-of-Life Bright. Sunny. Vivacious. Energetic. Cheerful. The words that can be used to describe Yotsuba, the titular character of Yotsuba&! are about as boundless as her energy. When she and her dad, Koiwai, pick up and move (an event that escapes her notice until after the fact), Yotsuba finds herself enjoying her new life with her new neighbors, the Ayase family. As her life settles into a new routine, Yotsuba enjoys each moment to its fullest, as only a cute, energetic, cheerful little weirdo can! Yotsuba is the product of one Kiyohiko Azuma, the manga-ka best known for his similar “cute girls are being entertaining in their daily life” yonkoma Azumanga Diaoh. Like Azumanga, Yotsuba&! keeps with the general idea that even the simple events of day-to-day life can be thoroughly amusing when presented with a deft touch. Here though Azuma trades in his yonkoma format for a longer style, with each chapter sort of building on one another while being separate in of itself. The comedy comes from observing Yotsuba’s interaction with the world around her. She is the type of girl who you watch and think “what a weirdo!” This works out great for the reader since whatever you think is likely to be her reaction to a given setup is probably not going to be exactly what happens. While the other characters in the series do have their moments--especially Koiwai’s best friend, a huge beast of a fellow named Jumbo who startles other characters with his huge size and jokes of being descended from giraffes--so far they mostly play straight man to Yotsuba’s weird humor. This is not at all a bad thing, since they give the series a sense of grounding that it would otherwise lack. Kiyohiko Azuma gets to stretch his artistic legs more here in Yotsuba&! then he ever did in Azumanga. He takes advantage of this new found freedom and puts it to good use, giving us well drawn and detailed backgrounds that are fronted by characters who at once seem ordinary while being thoroughly cute. Characters are well drawn and distinctive, with a prevailing sense of normality running throughout. Some of the humor in the series is very visual in nature, such as Yotsuba flying off of a playground swing set to nail a perfect landing, and it is really in moments like these that Azuma’s artwork shines the most. Yotsuba&! was originally licensed and released by ADV Manga, becoming sort of a cornerstone of their attempt to enter the manga field along with Azumanga itself and the manga version of the hit anime Full Metal Panic. With ADV Manga having more or less gone the way of the dodo, it was nice to see Yen Press pick up Yotsuba&!. Setting aside any differences between the two releases, their acquisition can only be considered a very good thing. Yen does their typically top notch job on the release, with little to be seen in the way of mistakes and all sound effects appropriately translated on the side. Yotsuba&! is one of the few series I can recall that really is prefect for all ages. Young viewers will be entertained by Yotsuba’s various antics. Older viewers, who are the actual target audience for the series, will still be entertained by Yotsuba’s various antics. Yotsuba&! is the kind of series that even a caveman could enjoy.
Reviewed By: Jason Punda
Discuses this review on our forum! Information last updated on Dec 7, 2009 |
