Children's manga. Might actually appeal more to adults but as one of the few selections that are appropriate for all ages, this is in the kid section. ( )

Originally posted here at Anime Radius.

Let's face it: Yotsuba&! will always be the sweetly endearing, slightly off-kilter, forever hilarious manga we've come to know and love. Kiyohiko Azuma has created a comedic juggernaut here, and there are no signs of it slowing down or shutting off any time soon. You would think that by volume five the jokes would slow down or stop being funny? You'd be wrong. Volume six is one of the funniest volumes by far, and introduces a new item into young Yotsuba's world that promises much more hilarity down the road: a bike. Yes, a child's bike with training wheels and a basket and a tiny bell - which means that Yotsuba is now mobile, ladies and gentlemen. The town she lives in is about to get a lot more hectic, I think.

While some volumes have spread out the love evenly between the cast members, this volume is all about Yotsuba. It does not suffer from moving its focus back from its ensemble of characters back onto its main protagonist, especially when the adventures she gets into are so amusing and quirky and so very Yotsuba. Her curiosity about the world can make anything exciting - from drinking fancy milk to making a bookshelf. Her big bike trip to deliver Fuuka some milk turns what could have been a simple trip into a big, world-expanding adventure that not only lets us as readers see more of Yotsuba's world but also shows us Yotsuba's first proper rolling steps into city life and places new to her, like bridges and schools. Any slice-of-life manga that can make things like those interesting deserves all the gold stars in the world.

The best thing about Yen Press' release of Yotsuba&! over ADV manga's handling of the series - that is, other than the superior translation and the honorifics being kept in dialogue - is that they add a preview of the following volume at the end of the book. For a series like this, it's almost a must. After all, once you finish one book, the only thing you want to do is get your hands on the next.
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Title: Yotsuba&! Vol. 6
Series: Yotsuba&! #6
Author: Kiyohiko Azuma
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 208
Words: 8K

Synopsis:

Chapter List:

Yotsuba & Recycling

Yotsuba & The Bicycle

Yotsuba & Pottering Around

Yotsuba & Friday

Yotsuba & Milk

Yotsuba & Delivering

Yotsuba & The Bookshelf

My Thoughts:

My reading of Yotsuba has taken on a ritualistic aspect in my life. While these posts go up for Manga Monday, I read them the Saturday before. I wake up, peruse wordpress and deal with the various notifications and new posts. Then I start up Calibre, grab a Pina Colada Bang and sit down on the couch. I open my “Manga” review template in OpenOffice and begin reading.

I fill out each chapter heading in the template as I come to them in the manga and decide which picture I want to include. All the while I'm sipping on cold Bang and reading the antics of Yotsuba. It is soothing, relaxing and something I look forward too. Because I don't do these every Monday the ritual doesn't become over used and I can't accidentally unleash Unspeakable Cosmic Horrors on an unsuspecting world. Of course, maybe a Yotsuba inspired Cosmic Horror wouldn't be so bad?

Anyway, this volume centers around Yotsuba getting her first bicycle and her adventures. Some good, some bad. Yanda, the Arch Enemy, makes another appearance and Yotsuba enjoys eating her hamburger in his face while he has to make do with instant ramen.

NO PICTURE BECAUSE LIBRARYTHING SUCKS.

One of the strengths of this manga are the supporting characters. I put this picture of her dad to show what kind of home life Yotsuba is growing up in. He's super laid back and just is himself. At the same time he's a very careful father. He's one of the safety bungees that Yotsuba can bounce off of without ever knowing how close to danger she ever came. It is what you want in a parent.

★★★★★ ( )

I'm now fully at easy with the Yotsuba&! series after having read the previous five volumes. I know the characters and look forward to meeting them again in each new volume.

In this volume. Yotsuba talks her dad into buying her a bicycle, although she doesn't listen to him very well and takes off on her own throughout her neighborhood. I also wondered about another chapter in which Yotsuba's dad is helping her use a power tool (a drill). Maybe we American parents overprotect our children, but I'd be more wary of givng a five-year-old free range of the nerighborhood without much oversight and teaching her use of a power tool. Even some adults can't handle these two things. Nevertheless, I do like the look into the "slice of life" the Yotsuba&! series and this book provides and wonder if this is an accurate look into the world of a young Japanese child.

I look forward to reading the next volume... ( )

The "Recycling" segment is really funny, but the "Friday" segment is hilarious. It made me realize that I under-use sticky notes. And the Bookcase segment? Made me realize that I need Yotsuba to help build me three or four. Whether playing "telephone" or tumbling off her bike and down a hill, Yotsuba has gumption and optimism, and the series leaves you with the taste of eclair on your tongue. ( )