Yotsuba&!

Yotsuba&!
200px The cover for Yotsuba&! volume 1 (English version by ADV)
よつばと! (Yotsuba to!)
Genre	Comedy, Slice of life
Manga
Written by	Kiyohiko Azuma
Published by	ASCII Media Works
English publisher	NA ADV Manga (former) Yen Press UK ADV Manga
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Dengeki Daioh
English magazine	NA Yen Plus
Original run	March 2003 – present
Volumes	13
Related media
Nyanbo! (2016 anime spinoff)

Yotsuba&! (よつばと!, Yotsuba to!) is an ongoing Japanese comedy manga series by Kiyohiko Azuma, the creator of Azumanga Daioh. It is published in Japan by ASCII Media Works, formerly MediaWorks, in the monthly magazine Dengeki Daioh and collected in thirteen tankōbon volumes. It depicts the everyday adventures of a young girl named Yotsuba as she learns about the world around her, guided by her father, the neighbors, and their friends. Several characters in Yotsuba&! were previously featured in a one-shot manga called "Try! Try! Try!" The phrase Yotsuba to means "Yotsuba and," a fact reflected in the chapter titles, most of which take the form "Yotsuba and [something]."

The manga was licensed for English-language distribution by ADV Manga, which released five volumes between 2005 and 2007. Volume six was supposed to have been released in February 2008, but was delayed indefinitely in order to focus on ADV's core business of anime. At New York Comic Con 2009, Yen Press announced that it had acquired the North American license for the series; it reprinted the first five volumes with new translations along with volume six in September 2009, and is continuing with later volumes.

Story

Yotsuba&! is centered on Yotsuba Koiwai, a five-year-old adopted girl who is energetic, cheerful, curious, odd, and quirky—so odd and quirky that even her own father calls her strange. She is also initially ignorant about many things a child her age would be expected to know, among them doorbells, escalators, air conditioners, and even playground swings. This naïveté is the premise of humorous stories where she learns about, and frequently misunderstands, everyday things.

At the start of the series, Yotsuba and her adoptive father, Koiwai, relocate to a new city with the help of Koiwai's best friend, an impressively tall man nicknamed Jumbo. Yotsuba makes a strong impression on the three daughters of the neighboring Ayase family, Asagi, Fuuka, and Ena. Most of her daily activities and misadventures often originate from interactions with these characters.

The series has no continuing plot—the focus of the stories is Yotsuba's daily voyage of discovery. Many chapters take place on successive days (for details, see List of Yotsuba&! chapters), so that the series follows, almost literally, the characters' daily lives. The tone can be summarized by the motto, used on chapter title pages and advertising, "Today is always the most enjoyable day", or in the original translation, "Enjoy Everything" (いつでも今日が、いちばん楽しい日, Itsudemo kyō ga, ichiban tanoshii hi).

Main characters

Koiwai household

Yotsuba Koiwai (小岩井 よつば, Koiwai Yotsuba) / "Yotsuba" (よつば, Yotsuba)

Main article: Yotsuba Koiwai

Yotsuba is depicted as an energetic five-year-old girl with a child's wonder towards the world. She is infectiously enthusiastic about nearly everything. Before moving to their present house, she and Koiwai used to live with his mother, and before that on an island that is, according to Yotsuba, "to the left". Almost nothing is known about her biological parentage other than that she was orphaned somewhere outside Japan and then adopted by Koiwai. Hence, people often think she is a foreigner. She is an excellent swimmer and enjoys drawing, although others only praise her art to avoid hurting her feelings.

The name "Yotsuba" (よつば) can be translated as "four leaved clover," and is part of the phrase yotsuba no kurōbā (四葉のクローバー^?, "four-leaf clover"). Her green hair is always styled into four pigtails (even at bedtime), similarly to her namesake.

Yousuke Koiwai (小岩井　葉介, Koiwai Yousuke) / "Daddy" (とーちゃん, tō-chan)

Yousuke Koiwai is Yotsuba's adoptive father. The manga avoids the subject of her adoption or even her birth parents. When his neighbor Fuuka asks, he tells her that he found Yotsuba while visiting a foreign country and decided to adopt her and bring her back to Japan, with no further details. Although he often casually tells people that Yotsuba is a weirdo, he can be very offbeat and silly himself. He is depicted as a youthful dad with the carefree lifestyle of a slacker. He usually wears an undershirt and boxer shorts while at home, and apologizes when people see him in his "irresponsible" clothes. He works at home as a freelance translator, although the materials he translates are not described. When he does leave the house, usually shopping or with friends, he often brings Yotsuba. Despite his laid-back personality and playful behavior, Koiwai does aim to be a good father and proper role model to Yotsuba and punishes her if he feels she has done something warranting it.

Ayase household

File:Yotsuba-to-Ayaseke.jpg

Above, Fuka reacts to shocking news being spread about her by Yotsuba. Below, from left to right: Fuka, Yotsuba, Asagi, Ena, Mrs. Ayase, and Mr. Ayase at breakfast.

The Ayase family lives next-door to the Koiwais.

Asagi Ayase (綾瀬 あさぎ, Ayase Asagi)

20-something years old and the oldest of the three Ayase sisters, Asagi lives at home while attending a nearby university. She is depicted as a very attractive young woman who enjoys creating mischief and teasing people, especially her parents; her friend Torako once called her a horrible person for manipulating Ena. She often teases Yotsuba for entertainment, although not maliciously. Her mother claims Asagi was very much like Yotsuba when she was young. Mrs. Ayase is puzzled how such a cute child could turn out to be a delinquent, much to Asagi's annoyance. Asagi's irreverence may have come from her mother's teasing when she was a child. For example, in the past when Asagi presented Mrs. Ayase with a four-leaf clover, her mother asked for a five-leaf clover instead. Unable to locate one, young Asagi was reduced to tears. Yotsuba often refers to her as the "Pretty one".

Fuuka Ayase (綾瀬 風香, Ayase Fūka)

The middle Ayase sister, Fuuka (also romanized as Fuka) is 16 years old and in her second year of high school. She appears to be the most dependable and responsible of the sisters. Fuuka usually buys the groceries and is active in the community. During Yotsuba's eventful first visit to her school, one student calls her "vice-president." Fuuka often finds herself going out of her way to help out the Koiwais, even though she does not really intend to do so. Besides Jumbo, she has observed the Koiwais' eccentricities and oddball tendencies more than anyone else. Other characters often lightly ridicule her for making ban puns and wearing t-shirts with strange pictures on them (such as Chiyo's "father" from Azumanga Daioh, who also appears as a plushie in her room and as a keychain on her bag). Yotsuba has referred to her as "the one who is not pretty", much to Fuuka's dismay.

Ena Ayase (綾瀬 恵那, Ayase Ena)

The youngest Ayase sister, Ena is about 10 years old and goes to a nearby elementary school. As the one closest to Yotsuba's age, she and her best friend Miura play with Yotsuba most frequently. Ena is generally well-liked and is arguably the most earnestly kind character of the series. She tries to be eco-friendly by telling people about the negative effects of global warming, limiting her use of air conditioning, and teaching Yotsuba the benefits of recycling. Appreciative, level-headed and smart, she serves as a big sister figure to Yotsuba. However, her attempts to spare the five-year-old's fragile feelings sometimes lead her to say little white lies, like praising Yotsuba's unspectacular drawings or letting Yotsuba believe that her friend Miura (concealed in a cardboard costume) is a real robot named Cardbo (in ADV's translation) or Danbo (in Yen's translation) (ダンボー, Danbō), often landing herself and Miura in trouble as a result. During her free time, Ena often sketches (she has very good drawing skills) or plays with her finely-dressed teddy bears. Eager and willing to try out new experiences, Ena is not squeamish and even enthusiastic about activities like holding large frogs and cleaning out live fish. Yotsuba once referred to her as the "small one".

Mrs. Ayase (綾瀬家の母, Ayase-ke no Haha) / "Mommy" (かーちゃん, kā-chan)

The mother of the Ayase sisters. She frequently has Yotsuba over as a guest and even tells her to visit them every day. Yotsuba's habit of calling her "Mom" is due to her generosity (she is fond of giving Yotsuba treats because she likes to watch her eat) and tolerant nature (she doesn't mind Yotsuba soaking her with a water pistol then acting dead to play the part). Nostalgia might why she dotes on Yotsuba so much, since during Yotsuba's visits she often reminisces about Asagi's younger years (cuter and better days according to her). Asagi exasperates her constantly, although her husband comments that the two have very similar personalities, which both deny. She likes ice creams, cakes, and other sugary desserts. Yotsuba likes to come over to have them, since they're always in the fridge - much to Mr. Koiwai's embarrassment and disapproval.

Mr. Ayase (綾瀬家の父, Ayase-ke no Chichi)

The father of the three sisters. Mr. Ayase is almost never seen at home, particularly during the regular workweek. While his profession is not yet revealed, it seems to be some sort of salaryman. Asagi teases him about his constant absences, even sometimes referring to him in the past tense as if he is dead. Still, Mr. Ayase is on very good terms with his family; he dotes on Ena and tries to protect Fuuka. Fuuka and Ena seem to take after his personality: laid-back, congenial, optimistic, and sentimental. Yotsuba seems to treat him with extra respect, although he, like the other Ayases, treat her as family.

Friends

Takashi Takeda (竹田 隆, Takeda Takashi) / "Jumbo" (ジャンボ, Janbo)

A friend of Koiwai and Yotsuba who has known Koiwai since they were children. He dwarfs the other characters at 210 centimeters (6 ft 11 in), especially Yotsuba. He is always referred to as "Jumbo" and works as a florist at his father's flower shop, which Yotsuba and Fuuka only discover through chance. Jumbo helps the Koiwais move in and frequently visits their house (usually with gifts for Yotsuba such as ice cream), and Yotsuba more or less sees him as family. He tends to make deadpan jokes that go over the heads of the younger children, like Yotsuba and Ena, but he means well. At the same time, he is rather impulsive, and often goes all-out in organizing impromptu activities for the younger children such as catching cicadas, fishing and star-gazing. He also develops a deep infatuation with Asagi at first meeting, but is too shy and awkward around beautiful women to directly act upon it. As a result, he often takes advantage of Yotsuba's relationship with Asagi, but due to Yotsuba's naïveté, these schemes are never effective.

Miura Hayasaka (早坂 みうら, Hayasaka Miura)

Ena's close friend and classmate who lives in a nearby high-rise condo. Miura is tomboyish and brusque, in both her appearance and speech (this is very noticeable in the Japanese version; see gender differences in spoken Japanese). She wears short hair and boyish clothes, such as sports jerseys. She has an active nature - for instance, she can ride a unicycle and likes to wear roller shoes. Most of the time, she is frank and tends to reply in a tsukkomi-like manner when she feels wronged or ridiculed. Miura also sometimes teases Yotsuba, even up to the point where Yotsuba is on the verge of tears, though Ena is always on hand to smooth things over. In the end, she is good at heart and the three are good friends. Miura is very squeamish. Unlike Ena, she hated the sight of gutting the fish and was scared by a large frog that Yotsuba caught.

Torako (虎子)

A close friend of Asagi who also attends the same university as her. The two frequently plan trips and hang out together. Focused on being 'cool', Torako smokes cigarettes constantly and is very skinny. Her name means "tiger" (虎, tora) "girl" (子, ko) and Yotsuba enjoys calling her just Tora ("tiger"). She is fond of taking photos on her old SLR camera. Jumbo has yet to meet Torako and was quite apprehensive, assuming that she was male and Asagi's boyfriend. Generally humorless and no-nonsense, Torako was annoyed by Yotsuba at first, but she ended up liking her and now considers being around her "fun."

Yanda (ヤンダ) , actual surname Yasuda (安田)

Yanda is a friend of Koiwai and Jumbo. Though he is mentioned in the first and fourth chapters, when Jumbo calls Yanda "no good" for making lame excuses for not helping the Koiwais move, he does not appear until chapter 30. He is childish, as shown by the petty pranks he plays on Yotsuba, including bribing her with candy then taking it back when it does not work and prank-calling her. He enjoys teasing Yotsuba and acting as her "nemesis". Koiwai refers to Yanda as his kōhai, junior, but in what context he is Koiwai's junior is unknown. He lives from paycheck to paycheck and eats instant ramen because he does not get paid until the end of the month, and only eats frozen meals the rest of the time.

Hiwatari (日渡) / "Miss Stake" (しまうー, Shimaū)

A friend of Fuuka's, given name unknown, who is in the same homeroom. Her first official appearance is in chapter 45, when she visits Fuuka's home and recognizes Yotsuba from her trip to their high school in chapter 40. Hiwatari is a bit eccentric. Her nickname Miss Stake (しまうー, Shimaū) comes from a "mistake" she made when she first introduced herself to her class (in Japanese, shimau used as an auxiliary verb can mean to do something by accident, hence the pun).

Development

In 1998, Azuma published a one-shot manga and two webcomics called "Try! Try! Try!", in which Yotsuba, her father (who is unnamed), Ena, Fuka, and Asagi first appeared. Although some of these characters, including Yotsuba herself, are largely the same as in Yotsuba&!, Fuka has a different character design, a more mischievous personality, and a different spelling of her given name (in "Try! Try! Try!", it is written with the kanji 風 夏, meaning "wind-summer"; in Yotsuba&!, it is 風 香, meaning "wind-scent").

Media

Anime

An anime "spin-off" based on cat versions of Azuma's character Danbo has been announced and is due to air in October 2016 as part of a "mini-anime" program. This project will not adapt any of Yotsuba&!.

Despite its popularity and the success of Azumanga Daioh, no plans have been announced for an anime adaptation of Yotsuba&!. In an entry posted on his website on 15 May 2005, Azuma said there were no plans for it to be animated; he reiterated this on the 5 December 2008, claiming that the stories and style of Yotsuba&! are not well-suited for animation.

Manga

Main article: List of Yotsuba&! chapters

The manga is written and illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma, and published by ASCII Media Works in the monthly shōnen (aimed at teenage boys) manga magazine Dengeki Daioh since the March 2003 issue, with serialization on-going. Chapters have been collected in thirteen tankōbon volumes.

In English, Yotsuba&! was originally licensed by ADV Manga, who published five volumes between 2005 and 2007 before dropping the license. The North American license was picked up by Yen Press, which republished the first five volumes along with the sixth in September 2009. All thirteen volumes have since been released. In addition, the series is licensed in France by Kurokawa, in Spain by Norma Editorial, in Germany by Tokyopop Germany, in Italy by Dynit, in Finland by Punainen jättiläinen, in Korea by Daiwon C.I., in Taiwan by Kadokawa Media, in Vietnam by TVM Comics, and in Thailand by NED Comics.

Each chapter of Yotsuba&! takes place on a specific, nearly sequential day of a common year starting on Wednesday. The year was initially believed to be 2003, coinciding with the date of the manga's serialization, but Azuma has stated that the manga always takes place in the present day. This allows the appearance of products created after 2003, such as the Nintendo DS Mr. Ayase plays in chapter forty-two.

Calendars

Both monthly and daily Yotsuba&! calendars have been released every year since 2005, although a monthly calendar for 2009 was not released due to constraints on Azuma's schedule. The 2005 edition of the monthly calendar featured pictures of Yotsuba playing with animals such as lions, zebras, and kangaroos. The 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010 editions feature photographs altered to include Yotsuba doing such things as playing with other children or reaching for a balloon. The photographs were by Miho Kakuta, with drawings by Kiyohiko Azuma. The daily calendars have a mix of original and manga artwork, with occasional captions, as well as other fun items – for example, the 2006 calendar had a game of shiritori ongoing through the year. The daily calendars run from April to March, following the Japanese school year instead of the calendar year.

The 2010 monthly calendar was released in November 2009.

Music

Two Yotsuba&! music CDs have been released, both purely instrumental, called "image albums". The music is designed to elicit mental images of events described by the titles. Both albums are composed by Masaki Kurihara and performed by the Kuricorder Pops Orchestra, who also worked together on the Azumanga Daioh soundtrack.

• The first album, Yotsuba&♪, released in April 2005, follows Yotsuba throughout the course of a typical day.
• The second album, Yotsuba&♪ Music Suite (General Winter), released in November 2006, depicts the season of winter, including Christmas and New Year's celebrations. "General Winter" (冬将軍, Fuyu Shōgun) is a personification of harsh winters, similar to Jack Frost.

Picture books

A Yotsuba&! picture book, Yotsuba & Monochrome Animals, was published on 16 December 2006 (ISBN 978-4-8402-3714-7). The book has pictures of Yotsuba playing with various black-and-white colored animals, such as pandas. The name of each animal is given in Japanese and English, along with the scientific classification of the species. Another book called Find Yotsuba was released in 2013, which is actually a compilation of all the calendar illustrations released previously.

Reception

File:Yotsuba.jpg

Fuuka (left on bicycle) and Yotsuba (behind) return from an over-successful shopping trip.

Yotsuba&! is drawn not in the vertical four-panel strips of Azuma's earlier series, Azumanga Daioh, but in a full-page format, giving him more artistic scope. Azuma's work on Yotsuba&! has been noted for its clean art, detailed backgrounds, and expressive faces. Azuma is also praised for his joyous tone, slice-of-life storytelling, comedic writing, and eccentric yet realistic characters, especially Yotsuba herself.

The Comics Reporter described the series as "read[ing] like a love letter to the way kids can be at the age of 2–5," and a reviewer at Anime News Network compared Azuma's ability to capture "the wonder of childhood" to Bill Watterson's in Calvin and Hobbes. Manga: The Complete Guide described it as "a light, feel-good manga, like an endless summer day." Nicholas Penedo of Animeland said "with Yotsuba, we find ourselves plunged into the wonderful world of childhood," calling the French edition of volume eight, "A beautiful manga for children and adults." BD Gest praised Azuma's skill in making distinct secondary characters, calling them "immediately recognisable", and saying that they each spice up the story in their own ways. However, Azuma has been criticized for creating characters that are "too clean, too perfectly functional," for overusing "outrageous expressions and reactions," and for dragging out jokes too long.

Yotsuba&! has been popular with readers as well as reviewers. For example, on Amazon.co.jp, volume six was the third best-selling comic in Japan for the first half of 2007 and volume eight was the second best-selling comic in Japan for 2008; volumes seven and eight both were number two on the Tohan comics chart the week they debuted. Volume eight sold more than 450,000 copies in 2008, making it one of the top 50 bestselling manga volumes on the Oricon chart for the year. The first five volumes of the English translation were each among the top 100 selling graphic novels in the United States in the month of release. Volume six of the English edition reached number 3 on the New York Times best seller list for manga, and it stayed on the list for four weeks. Volume 8 debuted at No. 2 on the manga best seller list.

The series had sold a total of 13 million copies worldwide as of December 5, 2015, and 2 million of which are published outside of Japan, including the U.S., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Korea, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Awards and recognitions

Yotsuba&! received an Excellence Award for Manga at the 2006 Japan Media Arts Festival, where the jury citation praised the vivid characters and gentle atmosphere. In 2008 Yotsuba&! was nominated for the 12th Osamu Tezuka Culture Award and the Eisner Award in the "Best Publication for Kids" category, but did not win either, and was runner-up for the first annual Manga Taishō award. In 2016, Yotsuba&! won the Grand Prize at the 20th Osamu Tezuka Culture Awards, sharing it with Kei Ichinoseki's Hanagami Sharaku. The English translation was listed as one of the best 20 comics of 2005 by Publishers Weekly, one of the best comics of 2006 by the staff of The Comics Journal, and one of the top graphic novels for teens in 2008 by YALSA. Volume one was named Book of the Month in the June 2005 issue of Newtype USA.

There was an exhibit of Yotsuba&! artwork at the Gallery of Fantastic Art in Tokyo from 2–17 December 2006. The lead article of the May 2009 issue of the Japanese design magazine Idea was a study of Yotsuba&!, focusing on book design, interior layout, and how translated editions were handled.

External links

Official websites

• ASCII Media Works website (Japanese)
• Yotsuba Studio, Kiyohiko Azuma's studio website (Japanese)
• azumakiyohiko.com, Kiyohiko Azuma's personal website (Japanese)
• ADV website at the Wayback Machine
• Yen Press website

Other

• Yotsuba&! (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Momotato Daioh