Manga Review: Yotsuba&!, Volume 1, by Kiyohiko Azuma

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press (Previously ADV)

Release Date: 2009

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 2. 12.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Hello! This is Koiwai Yotsuba, Yotsuba Koiwai...um, YOTSUBA! Yotsuba moved with Daddy to a new house from our old house waaaaaaay over there! And moving's fun 'cos people wave! (Ohhhh!!) And Yotsuba met these nice people next door and made friends to play with (one of 'em acted like one of those bad strangers Daddy told Yotsuba not to go with, but it was okay in the end). I hope we get to play a lot. And eat ice cream! And-and-and...oh yeah! You should come play with Yotsuba too!

Review:

Years and years ago, I borrowed several volumes of this series from a friend. I vaguely remembered liking it, but most of it was blurry. And after finishing Azumanga Daioh and realizing it was the same author, I quickly added this to my list. Reading Barakamon just made me want to start this series sooner.

This series stars Yotsuba. She lives alone with her dad, and she’s a relatively naïve little girl. The two move to a new town, and she quickly makes friends with her neighbors--three sisters and their mother. Plus her father’s friend, Jumbo, comes around a lot.

Already, I’m finding this funny. Yotsuba is a little crazy and exaggerated, learning almost everything for the first time, like air conditioners and global warming. She’s naïve with people and what they tell her, and freaks out when she remembers stranger danger. She tries catching cicadas, then lets them all loose in the house. This is full of hilarity, awkward moments, Yotsuba being her crazy self and her father letting her.

I am so glad that I’ve finally started to pick this series up, and will be slowly continuing this series. It’s already at the top of my list, and I can’t wait to catch up.