Yotsuba&!, Vol. 1 (YOTSUBA & ! GN)

A lovely and simple manga and a nice introduction to the genre from the ages of around 5 and up. My kids are really enjoying these simple adventures of a child learning about the world, having some clumsy social interactions but also learning from her mistakes. The pictures can be laugh-out-loud funny at times and they're good fun for adults to read aloud at bedtime. It isn't just a book about children. Yotsuba's father is a fully fleshed out character, and there are some really nice moments of everyday affection - in-jokes, monster-impressions, laundry-day dances, his competitive and childlike streak - between them, as well as with the adults next door and his best friend, Jumbo (and the amusingly absent third friend, who is never available and deemed useless.) It's a very faithful manga, as well. Jokes that only work in Japanese are left intact, with explanations written alongside them, and where a Japanese word cannot be translated it is also left alone and explained instead - certainly an improvement from the 90s where you'd be lucky if the character names remained. These add a nice little educational touch to the books. The art style is also very impressive. There are silent panels setting the scene - the suburban architecture, the chirp of crickets, the little giveaways as to the seasons (the books begin in the middle of a hot summer). There is no large story arc, no grand event. These are small slice-of-life tales, as simple as going to Ikea or letting off fireworks for the first time - but that's part of their charm.

Yotsuba&! is actually a manga I found out about through figure pictures. I know, an odd way to find out about new (to yourself that is) manga, but I just kept seeing the figure of this cute little green-haired girl and wondered where it came from. (With any luck, I'll track down my own little figure at a good price) The first volume of the manga introduces us to our titular character, her Daddy, Daddy's friend Jumbo, and the next door neighbours. And quite frankly I can't think of another way to describe the feeling of reading this first volume other than it's like being smothered with adorableness. As a character Yotsuba reminds me a little of the character Lilo in that she'd very endearingly weird. Like a little kid should be. She's so enthusiastic about everything and seems to love just learning about the world around her. And while she might not always get it right, she keeps trying and it's so hard to see her efforts and not stop and grin to yourself. If there isn't a mascot that represents that irresistible urge to grin? Yotsuba should become it; because that's exactly the feeling you get during this first volume. I really can't wait to check out the rest of the volumes that are available, and see how Yotsuba takes to life in her new home, and how she brings in her neighbours and probably everyone else around her, into these daily adventures. (Because it might just be everyday life, but every day is an adventure to Yotsuba.) I would recommend this manga to everyone. A kid looking for their first manga, an old pro who has read nearly everything out there, and even just the casual fan. This really is the type of story that can be for everyone.

Thos nook is awsome the story was great and the big revival at the end that yotsuba was an orhan was shocking,I would really recommend this for people who love funny comics.

Lovely gift for my neice

I've started reading Yotsuba by chance (very easy Japanese and great for beginners) and I got hooks. Yotsuba is a little girl, and we get to see the world thru her naive and sometimes quirky eyes. You laugh, and think, and laugh, and reminisce about your childhood, and laugh and maybe cry. This first volume it's not the very best of the 12 (as for today) around... but you'll get a taste.

This is a great, funny and heart-warming manga that is beautifully illustrated as well. The attention to detail in the drawing is astonishing, even for a manga. However I feel it is somewhat let down by a somehow lacklustre and sometimes irritating (to me) translation. For example, the sound effects are left untranslated, with Romanji and translated versions below. In addition the translated SFX often seem wrong. To me it all just seems clumsy, putting the translations of sound effects in a footnote would be more elegant. In the translators defense, I think that they have captured Yotsuba's malapropisms better that the scanlators do. Fortunately the stories are very visual, so the translation is not as much of an issue as it might be. The book could also benefit from an appendix or footnotes, explaining some the little details of Japanese life that that seem so central to the stories, as not all of us are such rabid Japanophiles that we know them. For example, what's the deal with the salt? Despite these minor irritations, I would still heartily recommend Yotsuba&! to anyone who wants a funny and non-violent manga.

When our 10yr old daughter fell in love with Japanese anime films and wanted to read some manga, a friend recommended Yotsuba as being ideal and it was the perfect suggestion. She adores this book and has re-read it endlessly. She is now working her way through the series (there are 12 at the moment) and still loves Yotsuba's adventures. In her words, they are funny, adorable, cute and random(!).

I bought this book for the 10th birthday of a friend's daughter who is into manga. I know nothing regarding manga and based my choice on recommendations from previous reviews The little girl loved it and is planning to buy further volumes.

Llegó antes tiempo deñalado

Muito fofo!

This is the English version. Not Japanese!

Ich war ja erst ziemlich Skeptisch was Yotsba& betraf zwar hatte ich schon viel gutes über den manga gehört und ach Azumanga Daioh vom gleichen Mangaka gefiel mir sehr gut trotzdem war da noch etwas was ich jetzt im nachhenein gar nicht mehr beschreiben kann. Trotzdem hatte ich mich mir mal vorgenommen den ersten band zu kaufen wohl aus einer Lane heraus. Bereuen tue ich diese Entscheidung kenesfalls. Schon nach wenigen Seiten hatte mich der Manga wohlfühl art gefangen. Ja man kann disen manga wirklich als wohlfühl Manga betrachten. Eine STory gibt es nicht wirklich es geht um Yotsuba ein kleines Mädchen die mit ihrem vater in eine neue Stadt zieht und in der Nachbarschaft allerhand Abenteuer und alltägliche Sitiationen erlebt. Dies zieht sich auch die ganzen Bände so weiter eine richtige Handlung gibt es nicht. Auch wird s nie ernstoder Dramatisch sondenr bleint alles frhlich und lustig. Die Kapitel sind meistens episodisch aufgebaut 1 kapitel ist eine Geschichte die abgeschloßen ist nur selten ziehen sich einige Geschichten über mehr Kapitel. Mit Yotsuba& haben wir enen netten und sehr wtzigen Slice of Life Manga mit sympathischen Charaktee die man schnell ins herz schließt. ich kan diesen manga nur empfehlen. Übrigens gibt es auch eine Deutsche Version jedoch empfehle ich zur Englishen zu greifen da mit dort die Übersetzung besser gefiel und die Witze auch besser rüberkamen.

This is a beautiful series. I was sad when Azumanga Daioh, the author's other series, came to an end. I had fallen in love with the characters, and knew I would miss Kiyohiko Azuma's charming storytelling. If I had known that Yotsuba was coming, I wouldn't have worried. Yotsuba&! gives you a whole new cast of wonderful, funny characters for you to fall in love with, led by the hilarious, almost otherworldly Yotsuba. This is slice-of-life storytelling at its delightful best, and Azuma's sense of humor just shines in his creations. I laughed out loud while reading this book, and others in the series. Yotsuba is a strange young girl. Her role in the story is that of the "Other." Through her eyes, we can see all the ordinary things in our world in a new light. Air conditioners, Cicada, Rain storms...things you wouldn't think twice about suddenly become strange and wonderful. I absolutely loved this book, and every book in this series that I have read after. It's heartwarming and very funny. Also, for those of us who are interested in Japanese culture, Yotsuba provides a fresh pair of eyes to learn about ordinary day-to-day life in Japan. You will learn more about Japanese life and culture here than you will reading other manga, which has a Japanese audience and assumes a certain knowledge of the culture. Yotsuba is an outsider, and needs even basic things explained to her, so you can learn along with her. I wholeheartedly recommend Yotsuba&!. It is pure, innocent fun that absolutely anyone can enjoy!