[Manga] Yotsuba is invincible. "WAKAPPA!"

I was shocked to discover how many people, despite coeccias', Saka's and my best efforts, are still unaware of the greatness of Yotsuba. Let the awareness spread!

Yotsuba&! (or "Yotsuba to!" or "Yotsuba and!") is the latest manga from Azumanga Daioh creator Kiyohiko Azuma. It's the story of a little five year old girl, Yotsuba Koiwai, who moves to a new house with her father at the start of the series. We then follow Yotsuba as she explores the world around her, meets people and wonderfully funny hijinx follow. Each chapter is aptly named and connects with the "Yotsuba and!" theme of the title ("Chapter 5: Yotsuba & shopping", "Chapter 7: Yotsuba & the storm" etc).

Besides Yotsuba, other important characters are Yotsuba's father (we never hear his first name), Jumbo, a close friend of the two, and the Ayase family, who live next door to them, mainly the three sisters Asagi, Fuuka and Ena.

Where Azumanga Daioh was mostly 4-panel strips, Yotsuba is laid out like a typical manga, but both are in the warm, relaxing slice of life style of manga. Azuma let's us view the world through the eyes of Yotsuba, through the eyes of a five year old. Everything is new, everything is exciting, everything is something to enjoy and to learn about.

Yotsuba's energetic and always curious personality could have turned out annoying in other series, but it's the honest enthusiasm and love for life, that makes the series so wonderfully irresistible. Yotsuba's humor has slapstick and visual gags, but the best laughs come from the subtle and amazingly perceptive observations of everyday life and things people tend to take for granted. There is so much wisdom and love, you'd need to be a completely heartless dullard to not love it.

Yotsuba began serializing in the magazine Dengeki Daioh in 2003, while the characters first made their appearance in Try Try Try!, a short one shot manga. The characters' appearances were changed a little for the manga proper, but the personalities were set in even back then, and the chapter is worth reading just to see how similar and how different everything is.

The manga was licensed by ADV in 2004. The fifth collected volume came out in Japan just recently, while ADV has released three translated volumes so far. I've not found confirmation for it, but the continuation of translated volumes seems pretty unclear, severely delayed if nothing else. ADV has confirmed they're still releasing Yotsuba. Volume 4 is set to come out at the start of 2007. Momotato Daioh has been translating chapters way before the series got licensed, and has been continuing to put out chapters every now and then, probably because of the way ADV has handled things. 43 chapters have been translated so far.

Even though there isn't an anime adaption yet (we can only hope), an adorable image album "A Cute Symphony for One Fun Day" has been released for the series, composed by Masaki Kurihara of Azumanga Daioh fame, and is essential, highly recommended listening for Yotsuba reading~

While I'm a huge Nausicaä and Maison Ikkoku fan, Yotsuba could well be the greatest comic in the world.
It's funny, cute, warm, witty and makes you smile unlike anything. There is a wide range of humor and jokes, brilliant insight into regular, everyday life, beautiful art and attention to detail and character nuances. It's not huge on action, drama or character development, but the series shows how it doesn't really need them that much (and both are in there).
The world will be a better place when everyone is reading Yotsuba, so spread the word, everyone! =D


EDIT:

Updated links~

Red = new!

Links:

Kiyohiko Azuma's personal homepage (worth checking out for the new drawings that appear every now and then)
Dengeki Daioh's website
Momotato Daioh's Yotsuba section
Chapters 1-26 + TryTryTry! - Moon was kind enough to host all the chapters I had, in an effort to get Spatula to read it~
Chapters 27-32 - Chapters 27 to 32 hosted on rapidshare.
Chapters 33-36 - Chapters 33 to 36 hosted on rapidshare.
Chapters 37-38 - Chapters 37 to 38 hosted on rapidshare.
Chapter 39 - Chapter 39 hosted on rapidshare.
Chapter 40 - Chapter 40 courtesy of 4chan.biz
Chapter 41 - Chapter 41 courtesy of 4chan.biz
Chapter 42 - Chapter 42 courtesy of 4chan.biz
Chapter 43 - Chapter 43 courtesy of 4chan.biz
Chapter 44 - Chapter 44 courtesy of 4chan.biz
Chapter 45 - Chapter 45 courtesy of 4chan.biz
Chapter 46 - Chapter 46 courtesy of 4chan.biz
Chapter 47 - Chapter 47 courtesy of 4chan.biz

Temporary Rapidshare/megaupload links for chapter 46:
http://rapidshare.com/files/32997047...ected.rar.html
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HH41ZJJ4


If some of the rapidshares are expired, all chapters are available from 4chan.biz

TryTryTry! Webcomics - Separate from the TryTryTry! oneshot that's included in the 1-26 archive, this is another short story and a few 4-panel gag strips of Yotsuba and crew before they became a proper manga.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Pyocola

How is the translation in the ADV volumes? I didn't want to get their Azumanga release because they went overboard with their localisation/adaptation.

They've done a pretty good job so far.
They changed Pantsman to Boxerman, and the Honyakuka - Konnyakuya gag naturally doesn't work as well in english (although their effort wasn't too bad, Translator - Train spotter), but those are the only complaints I've had.

Yotsuba in book form is good enough reason for purchase anyway~

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Everyone loves the revenge chapter. I personally love the Flower Cupid chapter above all else~

Also the series is still going in Japan, so who knows. I'm assuming it's still pretty popular and Azuma seems to enjoy doing it, so hopefully no end in sight as of yet.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

SUPREME VICTORY

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

It's generally very difficult to trace something back to its original beginning, especially if it's gotten popular, but not actually started, at 4chan. Case in point, when I tried to find out the real origin (and hopefully original screenshot) of the whole "im in ur base, killin ur doods" Starcraft (or is that Warcraft) thing. I got about a few dozen answers, all of them conflicting with the other, and none of them plausible enough.

And I'd naturally marry Fuuka~

How ya doing, buddy?

Yeah, 5 volumes out in Japan so far. ADV has released volume 3, which ends at chapter 21, meaning the scanlated chapter 26 is some way in the middle of Volume 4. Momotato is working on the next batch of chapters (I think it was chapters 27-30 or maybe 27-32), but he's a bit busy with life, so it may take some more.

I had to leaf through my translated volume 3 for the chapter number, so I saw and was reminded of what happens in chapter 21. That scene of Yotsuba crying and telling her name in the middle of the crowd is such a heartbreaking moment. Yet you know it was necessary for her to learn even a little.

It's one of the things I love about the series. There's just enough mischief to make it snappy (I feel so guilty for always laughing at the paper-scissors-stone match in chapter 22), and there are the moments when Yotsuba gets scared or hurt, just like children do, but it's mostly so warm and knowing.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

The incident itself was hilarious, but I hate Miura for doing such a horrible thing. Going out of her way to scare a child like that

FELIPE NO

Speaking of non-official Yotsuba anime:



And hopefully everyone's seen the awesome Azumanga Yotsuba OP animation flash. Acer was kind enough to upload it for easier finding, be sure to save it for safekeeping immediately:

http://www.acerbandit.net/flash/soramimiyotuba.swf

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

TSUKUTSUKU-BOUSHI!

As some of you may have already heard, chapters 27-30 are now out. I got mine from #lurk, but Face has been nice enough to upload the two packs to his server:
http://f4c3.free.fr/Yotsubato_c27-28.rar
http://f4c3.free.fr/Yotsubato_c29-30.zip

Be sure to thank him.

Anyway, I actually don't think these are Momotato's scanlations. Not only has he not updated his news at all about a release, and the typeset is completely different. It's good work anyway, so I highly recommend reading them, all four chapters are wonderful. Chapter 30, with Yanda's first appearance, is by far the most mischievious chapter so far, but I still couldn't contain my laughter, no matter how guilty I felt about it.

Of course, after that you only need to reread chapter 27 again~



Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Moon

Update the first post with the links (for chapters 27 + 30 and the Image Album), nub.

Updated first post with hosted chapters and image album~ Now no one has any excuse not to find them.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I'm completely smitten with the Tsukutsuku-boushi chapter. While the Flower Cupid remains my absolute favorite, chapter 27 is such a winner.

Not only is it completely adorable, but it's filled with absolute GOLD moments like Yotsuba making the earth slightly safer with the AC remote and the trouble it eventually causes dad, the whole "I'm a tsukutsuku-boushi!" stuff and the reactions it brings out in everyone, Jumbo's return from Hawaii, Asagi's impersonation of the cicada and Yotsuba hastily trying to reveal her exciting discovery to her dad near the end. Such a perfect description of children's impatience and frustration at adults not listening XD

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Yes it is. I'd say the style (and structure) is slightly different, but in general you can say if you enjoy Yotsuba, you'd love Azumanga as well. It's a must read especially if you liked the anime, as the two complement each other very well, both exhibiting gags and puns not in the other.
I do wish ADV would have realized to put translation notes into the first two volumes, though.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Join us, OP. You know it'll make you much, much happier.

It's become a bit of a tradition for me to listen to Dawn from the Yotsuba image album in the morning when getting up. A perfect morning theme.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I couldn't help myself. Yotsuba playing on the Wiimote to make summer end is too precious.
And then dad loses week's worth of work again and the Asagi household TV changes channels mysteriously ='D

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Yotsuba's nationality admittedly intrigued me, but only when the manga itself talked about it, as otherwise it doesn't matter. Finding out more about her past would be fascinating, but it might be something painful and what matters most is that Yotsuba is happy right now.
It's obvious it doesn't matter too much to Azuma, and I think the "Yeah. Hawaii's to the right" line is a perfect and subtle example of this.

Yotsuba sees dad as her real father (though she probably doesn't even know what a biological father is) and dad definitely sees Yotsuba as his real daughter.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Hatter106

And after the horrible print quality of Vol. 3, I'm less inclined to purchase their stuff.

What? =/
I have volume 3 and the quality was great. Can't you check graphic novels for bad prints before you buy them?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Dark Nation

Anyone know where I can get Volume 27 - Current? I am definetly digging this manga.

http://www.gamingforce.com/forums/an...tml#post113007

The urls are also in the first post
And they're not volumes, they're chapters

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Hatter106

Hmm, odd that you guys didn't notice, it caused a big stir on the AnimeOnDVD forums...
Basically, ADV's entire print run of Yotsuba&! Vol. 3 is marred with lower-quality, pixelated, "jagged" edges, something even an apprentice printer should have been able to catch. It's not really noticable if you hold the book a full arm's length away, but I like to hold it closer, to better appreciate the linework (as do many people). I'm not sure whether ADV just happened to get low-quality masters for this volume (unlikely), but it definitely affected my enjoyment of the volume. Their first two volumes were pretty much pristine, which is important since Azuma has such a clean line style.
As far as I can tell, there's only one "clean" page in the whole volume (p. 173, when Yotsuba tries balloon catching over, and over, and over...) Look at the lines of their face, then compare it to the opposite page. You'll definitely notice.

I actually held off on buying vol. 3 for the longest time, hoping ADV would correct the problem in a new print run. They haven't acknowledged it yet.

Interesting. I had to comb through my volume again at close range and I had a hard time seeing what you mean at first.

Is this the "jagged" edge you mean?
http://myy.helia.fi/~a0400729/Pics/IMG%20305.jpg

I see it now, but since I didn't notice it at all when reading, it's not that much of an issue for me personally, unlike a dodgy translation or censoring/content editing would be.
At a normal reading lenght the panel line "jaggies" are still slightly visible



but considering the alternative looks like this:



I can't complain and I don't see how it's any kind of good reason to boycott the release. But hey, their loss.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

JUMBO BEAM!

So someone over at Chiyochan.net has translated Chapter 31.

Note that this a single individual, so if you want the best quality scanlations, I suggest waiting for more "official" groups, but for simply reading while we wait, this was fine. And what a completely wonderful chapter it was too, so good <3



I renamed the pages correctly and rapidshared:
http://rapidshare.de/files/21480663/Chapter31.rar.html

How ya doing, buddy?

I heard from RR the other day that chapter 32 was translated and proceeded to find it. A wonderful chapter as usual, I especially liked the stuff at the video rental store.

I also noticed Face's uploads of 27-30 have expired, so I re-rapidshared 27-32 and updated the opening post in case people only check the first post for new chapters.

http://rapidshare.de/files/23352237/...27-32.rar.html

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Glad to see more people exposed to the wonder of Yotsuba~

And Kiyohiko Azuma is a man.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I like to think they've forgotten about it for a while and will continue it once they realise the error of their ways. Seriously, what the hell is that crap they churn out while overlooking Yotsuba? Lagoon Engine Einsatz?

Anne Freaks was completely awful, and I don't understand why anyone would waste their time reading, much less commercially releasing it =/

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I don't even know the translation to 33, where the hell did you get 33-36? =/

FELIPE NO

This is terrible, I've missed so many chapters even though I tried to look for any news on updates ;_;

Anyway, downloaded the torrent that had 1-37, threw out 1-32 and 37 and uploaded 33-36 to rapidshare for anyone who hasn't read them yet.
Anyone wondering why I threw out 37, you can view a few posts up. Basically, someone thought it would be "hilarious" to write in mock ye olde english and the results were dreadfully unfunny. Please don't waste time with that release and wait for a proper 37 instead.


Updating the first post right after this.



The beach story was absolutely adorable, but I was laughing with tears in my eyes at the recycling chapter. That little cat figurine she uses to calm herself down, the whole idea and execution of the gag was just brilliant ='D

The last chapter was another great one, especially the start.






I foresee a new Yotsuba ava/sig set coming pretty soon. I already have two sigs ready, as a matter of fact.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

That PPD one is unbelievably awesome =o
Saved to HD so bad, already watched it three times in a row now~

Jam it back in, in the dark.