Review: Yotsuba&! vol. 12

I’ve been following Yotsuba&! since its debut in the U.S. back in 2009, and I wait in anticipation for each volume’s release more than any other of the many series I own.  It is an ongoing slice of life manga series created by Kiyohiko Azuma.  I recommended this in my Manga Holiday Wishlist.  It’s a great title to pick up and introduce to children and newcomers of manga.  This volume has become my favorite of the series thus far.  The simple setting and antics of the little girl Yotsuba are extremely relatable.  Any parent will soak up the familiar scenarios of children getting into things they shouldn’t.

Since it’s so modest to begin with, there isn’t much to say in terms of the story.  Yotsuba learns how to tie a bow, the basics of telling time, and how to cook curry with the help of her neighborhood friends.  She has a fun (yet horrific) time with blue paint, and she gets a bicycle helmet that’s pink and blue.  Throw in a camping trip and you have the gist of this volume.  It’s a manga that is incredibly human and laid-back, not meant to wow but to peacefully entertain.  There laughs to be had with this installment, but the majority of the time I found myself sitting back and smiling at how sweet the scenes were.  I never felt like I had to rush to get to the good parts; I instead took my time, leisurely flipping through the pages.

My critiquing for this volume mainly revolves around the artwork.  Backgrounds are done in a rather minimal style.  A lot of the panels don’t have any backgrounds at all, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  It acts as a way to focus on the characters and their funny facial expressions.  The lack of backgrounds helps convey certain feelings of the characters.  An example would be when Yotsuba does not comprehend an explanation of something and her blank stare is against a plain backdrop.  This aids in getting across the feeling of her confusion or how lost she is.  However, some readers could be opposed to the nonexistent backgrounds, especially those who want huge amounts of detail.

Also, hands and feet can look like globs of flesh in a few scenes.  Fingers are a little too pointy when a character is reaching or grabbing something.  These instances are occasional but might bother the observant reader.  Conversely, facial expressions are wonderfully drawn.  They’re bound to crack a smile on your face or cause you to downright chuckle aloud.  Last but not least, one aspect of the art that becomes particularly noticeable when reading slowly is the reuse of panels.  It didn’t really bother me, but Azuma has the tendency to recycle panels in the same sequence multiple times.  He’ll make slight adjustments sometimes—adding a hand or changing an expression—yet you’re looking at the same scenery and composition from the previous panel.  Although it may be done for effect, the duplicates might irritate some people, being considered a lazy drawing tactic.

While the manga has flaws in its artistic detail, it goes above and beyond in depicting children and their interactions with others.  It captures the mind of adolescents perfectly, when nearly everything was mysterious and simple.  We were all kids once, getting into mischief or discovering new things on a daily basis.  Our innocent and adventurous minds were always attempting to learn new objects, places, or words.  There were countless times I pointed at the page and exclaimed how I'd done the exact same thing when I was younger.  Yotsuba&!’s overwhelming charm and cute characters have a way of making you feel warm all over while reading a volume.  It’s a great wind down manga to read at the end of the day.  The series hits the reader where it matters most—smack dab in the beating heart of nostalgia.

Rating: Read it

*image from Google Images and ANN