Yotsuba&!

AUTHOR: Azuma, Kiyohiko

ARTIST: Kiyohiko Azuma (illustrator); Terri Delgado (letterer)

PUBLISHER: Media Works (Japanese); ADV (English); Yen Press (English)

FIRST SERIAL PUBLICATION:Yotsubato!, 2003-

FIRST BOOK PUBLICATION: 2003- (partial English translation, 2005-2007)

Publication History

KiyohikoAzuma’s Yotsuba&! was first serialized in the monthly seinen magazine Dengeki Daioh, published by Media Works, in 2003. The first bound collection of Yotsuba&! was published in Japan that same year.

In 2005, ADV published the first U.S. version of Yotsuba&!, translated into English by Javier Lopez. Even though the comics in Dengeki Daioh are written for men, specifically those who are interested in stories about young girls, ADV gave Yotsuba&! an all-ages rating, and the series was accepted as a children’s manga. ADV published five volumes at an erratic rate, and the promised Volume 6 was never printed.

In February of 2009, manga publisher Yen Press licensed Volume 6, releasing it in September of that year. Yen also rereleased Volumes 1-5, with new translations by Amy Forsyth and Stephen Paul, and went on to publish additional English-language volumes of the manga.

Plot

Yotsuba&!’s has a slice-of-life storytelling style. Each chapter focuses on five-year-old Yotsuba interacting with or learning about some aspect of her world. Though the series mostly consists of stand-alone chapters, the chapters build on one another, and some stories even bleed into two or more chapters.

The story begins with Yotsuba and her adoptive father, Koiwai, moving to the town of Emaimachi. They are met at their new home by Koiwai’s friend Jumbo. When Yotsuba wanders off while Koiwai and Jumbo are unpacking, she is found by two of the Ayase sisters, her new next-door neighbors. Yotsuba and Koiwai soon become friends with Fuuya, her sisters Asagi and Ena, and their mother. As Koiwai and Yotsuba settle into their new home and the Ayase sisters enjoy their summer break, Yotsuba learns about global warming, goes shopping, catches cicadas, and plays in the rain.

In Volume 2, Yotsuba meets Ena’s friend Miura, whose tomboy looks hide a strong fear of frogs and bugs. More summer fun is had when Koiwai, Jumbo, and Fuuya take Yotsuba and Ena swimming. The Ayase family wonders about Yotsuba, trying to determine who her parents are and where she is from. She does not have a mother; Koiwai says he just started taking care of her one day. Yotsuba knows only that she came “from the left.”

The summer theme continues in Volume 3 as Yotsuba learns about the practice of giving souvenirs after a trip, visits the zoo, celebrates Obon (the Japanese summer festival honoring ancestors) by giving away flowers, and goes to see a fireworks show. Jumbo has a crush on Asagi, so he is willing to treat Yotsuba, Ena, and Miura to goodies at the festival, partially so they will report to Asagi on his generosity and soft-heartedness.

In Volume 4, Jumbo takes Koiwai and the girls on a fun fishing trip. Fuuya’s luck at love is as hopeless as Jumbo’s, and Yotsuba tries to comfort her when Fuuya sees the boy she likes with a new girlfriend; instead, Yotsuba ends up blabbing Fuuya’s troubles to the entire Ayase family when she writes her own newspaper. By this time, summer is ending, and Yotsuba dreams of being the tsukutsuku boshi, which she thinks is a summer fairy. She is surprised to find that it is just a type of cicada.

A nemesis is introduced when Yotsuba meets Yanda, Koiwai’s junior at work. The two hate each other on sight and behave increasingly childishly around each other, even when Jumbo takes the gang stargazing. The volume ends on a high note when Koiwai agrees to take Yotsuba, Ena, and Fuuya to the beach.

As school starts, Yotsuba learns that Ena and Miura have to do homework. Yotsuba is still too young for school, but she creates a recycling project of her own and tries to “work” while Koiwai does. Koiwai decides that Yotsuba is old enough for her first bicycle, but she gets in trouble when she goes by herself to deliver milk to Fuuya at school.

In Volume 5, Yotsuba gets a fever and has to stay in bed all day. Later, she gets to play with a cup-and-string telephone with Ena, talk to her grandmother over a real phone, and help Fuuya bake a cake. Best of all, she, Koiwai, and Jumbo go to a ranch to see cows.

Yotsuba has a few more “grown-up” experiences in Volume 8. She goes to Fuuya’s cultural festival, and she and Ena help pull the dashi float during a festival. Also, she looks for acorns and plays in the rain during a typhoon. In Volume 9, Koiwai and Yotsuba go shopping. He gets a new coffee grinder, and she gets a teddy bear that she names Juralumin. Koiwai, Asagi, Asagi’s friend Torako, Ena, and Yotsuba later go to see a hot-air balloon festival. They watch the balloons take off, get to ride in one, and enjoy spending the day outside together.

Volumes

• Yotsuba&!, Volume 1 (2009). Collects chapters 1-7. Yotsuba and Koiwai are introduced, as is the standard chapter format.

• Yotsuba&!, Volume 2 (2009). Collects chapters 8-14. Ena’s friend Miura is added to the cast of characters.

• Yotsuba&!, Volume 3 (2009). Collects chapters 15-21. Asagi’s friend Torako is introduced.

• Yotsuba&!, Volume 4 (2009). Collects chapters 22-27. In between chapters 24 and 25 is a collection of four-panel comic strips reminiscent of Azuma’s previous series, Azumanga Daioh (2000-2004).

• Yotsuba&!, Volume 5 (2009). Collects chapters 28-34. The summer arc ends. Yanda, Koiwai’s younger coworker, is finally seen.

• Yotsuba&!, Volume 6 (2009). Collects chapters 35-41. Yotsuba receives a bike.

• Yotsuba&!, Volume 7 (2009). Collects chapters 42-48. Yotsuba visits a farm.

• Yotsuba&!, Volume 8 (2010). Collects chapters 49-55. Yotsuba attends a cultural festival.

• Yotsuba&!, Volume 9 (2010). Collects chapters 55-62. Yotsuba goes to a hot-air balloon festival.

• Yotsuba&!, Volume 10 (2011). Collects chapters 63-69. Yotsuba learns to make pancakes.

Characters

• Yotsuba Koiwai, the protagonist, is a five-year-old girl whose name (meaning “four-leaf,” as in clover) reflects her ponytailed green hair. Her irrepressible nature and avid curiosity get her into scrapes, but her infectious cheerfulness makes her friends and family smile. She often misunderstands things, which provides much of the humor for the series.

• Koiwai is Yotsuba’s adoptive father. He has long, shaggy hair and is something of a slacker, preferring to lounge around the house in a T-shirt and boxers, though his competitive nature shows through at times. He tries to teach Yotsuba proper behavior and takes her on many outings, but he also allows her to wander freely throughout their town. He works from home as a translator.

• Jumbo, a.k.a. Takashi Takeda, is Koiwai’s friend. His nickname is a reference to his extreme height. He has short, spiky hair, wears glasses, and sports a goatee. His fun-loving personality meshes well with Koiwai’s laid-back tendencies. Jumbo works in his father’s floral shop and has a crush on Asagi Ayase.

• Fuuya Ayase is the middle daughter of the Ayase family. She is in her second year of high school, where she is vice president of her class. She is sensible, levelheaded, dependable, and has excellent manners. She runs errands for her mother and helps Koiwai with Yotsuba. She has short dark hair and likes to wear T-shirts with cute pictures on them.

• Ena Ayase is the youngest daughter of the Ayase family. She has long dark hair and is in elementary school. She is smart and hardworking and tries to help keep an eye on Yotsuba, with whom she sometimes plays.

• Asagi Ayase is the oldest daughter of the Ayase family. She is pretty and has long hair and a teasing personality.

• “Mommy” Ayase is the mother of the Ayase family. Having three daughters of her own, she is charmed rather than bothered by Yotsuba’s quirks. She is often annoyed by Asagi but is proud of how responsible Fuuya is.

• Miura Hayasaka is Ena’s friend. She has short hair and often dresses like a tomboy. She is afraid of bugs and frogs. She is intelligent, has a sarcastic streak, and is easily annoyed by Yotsuba’s cluelessness and Jumbo’s showmanship.

• Torako is Asagi’s friend. She is quieter and more cynical than Asagi and likes to take photographs. Though Yotsuba’s oddities can overwhelm her, she cannot help but be charmed by them.

• Yanda Yasuda is Koiwai’s junior at work. He and Yotsuba do not get along, and when she acts childish, he quickly stoops to her level.

Artistic Style

One of the more obvious Artistic choices in Yotsuba&! is the contrast between realistic backgrounds and cartoonish characters. The sharp geometrical lines of the settings highlight the softer curves of the characters, allowing them to take center stage. Though some reviewers have criticized Azuma’s backgrounds, feeling that he relies too much on photo references, others have found that the settings bring a sense of grounded reality to Yotsuba’s imaginative life. The use of real backdrops allows characters to indulge in over-the-top expressions without kicking readers out of the story or reminding them that they are reading a manga rather than living the tale.

Yotsuba is the most unrealistically portrayed of all of the characters, with her odd ponytails, overly large head, and cartoonish face. The other young children (Ena and Miura) are also cartoonlike, though slightly more realistic than Yotsuba. As the characters get older, they become more true to life. Azuma has been praised for making each character distinct. Each has his or her own quirks, opinions, and desires, and his depictions of each reflect that.

Though Azuma’s previous work, Azumanga Daioh, was drawn in a four-panel comic strip style, which necessarily limited storytelling potential, Yotsuba&! has a more traditional layout. Azuma mostly uses rectangular panels, often five or six per page, but having more panels available on a page and in a chapter allows him to take his time setting up a scene or a joke. This technique gives Yotsuba&! a somewhat luxurious pace that is broken up by comedic action. The pace also allows Azuma to turn small events into adventures, which fits with the theme of finding joy in everyday life. Within each panel, Azuma varies how his scenes are laid out, what the perspective is, and whether or not the backgrounds are fully fleshed out. By changing elements as needed, he keeps the comedy fresh and keeps readers engaged in what could otherwise be a collection of nonevents.

Themes

The main theme of Yotsuba&! is stated on the last page of each volume: “Enjoy Everything.” Each chapter in the series gives Yotsuba a chance to explore something new and gives the other characters the chance to enjoy the exploration along with her. At the end of Volume 1, Koiwai comments about Yotsuba, “That kid always finds enjoyment in everything. Nothing can ever get Yotsuba down.” This zest for life is what makes Yotsuba a delight even when she is breaking the rules. Her curiosity and joy allow her to find wonder in the most mundane tasks.

Humor is also a major element in Yotsuba&!. Azuma plays up the odd behavior, vivid imagination, and over-the-top responses and emotions of a young child. By making the older characters just as likely to act silly, Azuma keeps the series from being just about Yotsuba’s strangeness. He shows readers the humor in everyone’s actions, whether intended or unintended. Also, he explores the many varieties of humor, from situational to physical and teasing.

Yotsuba&! gives readers a look at life in modern suburban Japan, and there are many aspects of the series that are distinctly Japanese. The realistic and highly detailed settings and the use of puns and dry humor bring to life the cultural details added to the story. From the tatami mats and futons in Koiwai and Yotsuba’s bedroom to the sights of a cultural festival, Japan is practically a character in the story.

Tied in with the theme of Japanese culture is the idea of nostalgia. Yotsuba&! is an idealized look at the joys of childhood. The Japanese idea of natsukashii, or nostalgia for a nonexistent time, is reflected in Azuma’s focus mostly on the joys of childhood, rather than on the sadness, frustration, or annoyance. Yotsuba is only rarely shown throwing a tantrum, and even that is portrayed with humor, not irritation. She is allowed to wander unchaperoned without fear that anything will happen to her, an example of how only the good elements of the past are recalled.

Impact

Azuma’s series received critical acclaim when it debuted in Japan. Yotsuba&! was awarded an Excellence Prize in the Manga Division at the 2006 Japan Media Arts Festival. In 2008, it was nominated for the first ever Manga Taisho award and was a nominee for the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. Yotsuba&! has had strong sales both in Japan and in the United States. Librarians in the United States were pleased to have an all-ages manga title that they could add to their children’s collections. Reviewers in library journals praised its genuinely sweet cuteness and loved both its cross-gender and cross-age appeal and genuine humor. Volume 1 was included in Library Journal’s Best Graphic Novels of 2005 list and was also on the Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA’s) 2007 Popular Paperbacks “What’s So Funny?” list. Volume 4 was on YALSA’s 2008 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list. The series as a whole was featured in several other lists of recommended graphic novels for libraries.

However, many online fans and bloggers who knew of the series’ origin in Dengeki Daioh wondered how a manga written for an adult male audience in Japan could be considered family friendly in the United States. Some bloggers were not able to get past the “moe” and “lolicon” (sexualization of underage girls) qualities of other Dengeki Daoih titles, while other fans doubted that Yotsuba&! would appeal to children since its focus seemed to be on adult nostalgia for childhood’s joys.

Yen Press’s retranslation of the series caused some controversy. Some fans and reviewers did not like the company’s decision to put cultural notes in the margins and to retain both the original sound effects with added pronunciations and translations and the use of honorifics, feeling the choices cut into the humor of the series. However, even when reviewers acknowledge Azuma’s occasional tendency to draw out a joke for too long or the series’ avoidance of any weighty issues, fans appreciate the series for its feel-good nature.

Further Reading

Konami, Kanata. Chi’s Sweet Home (2004- ).

Ragawa, Marimo. Baby and Me (2006- ).

Thompson, Richard. Cul de Sac (2004- ).

Bibliography

Alverson, Brigid. “Review: Yotsuba&!, Vol. 6.” Review of Yotsuba&!, by KiyohikoAzuma. Manga-Blog, September 12, 2009. http://www.mangablog.net/?p=5474.

Brenner, Robin. “Manga Movable Feast: Yotsuba&! and the Question of Appeal.” School Library Journal. September 3, 2010. http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/goodcomicsforkids/2010/09/03/manga-movable-feast-yotsuba-and-the-question-of-appeal.

Kimlinger, Carl. “Review: Yotsuba&! GN 8.” Review of Yotsuba&!, by KiyohikoAzuma. Anime News Network, July 28, 2010. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/yotsuba&/gn-8.

Leavitt, Alex. “Yotsuba&!—The Adult Comic Comic.” Department of Alchemy, September 1, 2010. http://doalchemy.org/2010/09/yotsuba-the-adult-comic-comic.