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.

Manga Review: Azumanga Daioh, Omnibus, by Kiyohiko Azuma

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press (Previously ADV Manga)

Release Date: 2009

Volumes: 4

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

The best high school stories are simultaneously funny, warm, and endearing - but most importantly, the characters come alive on the page. Get to know the girls who set a new standard for the high school experience! Sakaki - strong and silent with a soft and fuzzy center
Chiyo - a towering intellect wrapped in a ten-year-old package
Tomo - The Mouth
Yomi - should stop eating if she wants to lose weight
Osaka - well, she's...different The original phenomenon from Kiyohiko Azuma, beloved creator of YOTSUBA&!, is collected in this deluxe edition and is an absolute necessity for any manga enthusiast's library!

Review:

I’d read some of this series, and seen some of the anime, and really enjoyed it but never got around to finishing the series. My local bookstore had the omnibus in, though, so I went ahead and got it. And I’m glad that I did, both so I got to finish the series, and because now I have a nice big, complete edition on my shelf.

This is a really cute series. It’s funny, really hilarious in some parts. This is mostly straight-up comedy, really. There’s a very nice, sweet ending. The story focuses on really good, rounded characters that are easy to enjoy and get to know. The series consists of half-page comic strips, so it moves along really well, and they’re all very short bursts of hilarity. There’s no big plot or action or plot twists; it’s all just joke after joke, but it flows really well, and sometimes all you need is something funny.

It’s a nice little reprieve, I’m glad I finished it, and I would recommend it.

Also, I didn’t know that this is the author of Yotsuba&! , which I have also read a couple volumes of and enjoyed, so now I might have to go pick up a few volumes of that when I get the chance.