On not needing monkeys

[larryhammer]

For a couple months, I've been obsessed with Yotsuba&!. Which is one of those technically accurate statements that leaves out so much, but never mind. And now -- bwahaha! -- I have the official translation of volume 4 in my grubby large hands. More of the wonderful same: Yotsuba plays rock-paper-scissors with Dad, is taken fishing by Jumbo, helps cook a "regular-delicious" dinner, tries to understand what a broken heart is, fails to keep a secret, and dreams of being a summer-ending fairy, or possibly a cicada -- she's a little unclear on the distinction. In short, she's still five.*

Mostly wonderful, anyway -- one story is the weakest chapter yet, but the best one is among the strongest.

Many series reviews comment on Yotsuba having an ignorance of the world deeper than normal for her age, but I've yet to see mention that this lasts for only a couple chapters: after learning about swings, doorbells, and air conditioners, she ... well, "settles down" isn't the right phrase -- she shrinks to normal five-year-old naivete. Not that she's quite grasped such school concepts as homework or grade level -- or even school. "[B]ubbly and fearless, and often wrong, and scarily like a real four-year-old," as someone puts it. I suspect Azuma realized he didn't need exaggeration to get comedy. The first couple chapters are hysterically funny, but later volumes are even better. Realism is humor's friend: A five-year-old who doesn't know from a swing set or a doorbell is an alien**; a five-year-old who's never seen a fireworks show or ridden a bus is a slightly sheltered child in a confusing world. A mortal five-year-old can show us the mortal world anew.

And, well, a hyperactively cheerful child navigating the shoals of daily life is comedy gold. Especially when combined with credulous literalism, the well-meaning misunderstandings of the neighbor girls, the deadpan snark of Dad and his childhood friend Jumbo, and slacker Dad's attempts at being a responsible parent.

One revealing moment: When Dad mildly corrects Yotsuba's shameless request for a gift, she says, "I know this! It's that really hard word," and then stumbles the pronunciation of what's given variously as tact (official version) and restraint (scanlation). Dad's reaction is, "Yeah, that," then a bemused, "That's hard?"

This is the sort of manga that people who find and click with become devoted followers. "Reading books like this just makes me happier, dammit," "She's visually cute, of course, but that doesn't begin to explain the concentrated happiness that comes out of this book," "This is about as much precious fun that you can have in a comic without a monkey," and "Printed joy" are all typical comments. If people do find it, that is -- ADV's manga division does hardly any promotion*** and went on near-hiatus for two years. Given the number of complaints from readers and comic book stores about Yutsuba&! 4 gone AWOL, it's not surprising this is one title they're reviving.

And I, for one, am happier.


* She claims to be six, a mistake that isn't corrected till volume 6. Her claim to be from an island that's "to the left," however, remains unexplained.

** In a developed country, at any rate. And most developing ones.

*** Their web site hasn't been updated since 2004, and doesn't mention Yotsuba&! at all.

---L.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

You've expressed it perfectly--you've explained exactly why I like it, too: it makes me happier. It expresses a... surpassing joy in the unvarnished world. I love it. Azuma is really good at his *art* too--it's not only the story scenarios, but how he can express such a huge range of emotions with just a few cues in the face. And while the people are manga standards, the backgrounds are so lovingly detailed--how can you not feel the heat during the summer, when you look at those pictures?

Yes, at first I thought she really must be an alien--which would have been fine--but I'm glad now it's just normal-level naivety.

Reading this post made me happy the same way Yotsuba&! makes me happy :-)

[larryhammer]

I really like how Azuma draws facial expressions. Yotsuba's noseless face is the most cartoony of the cast, but he uses is so well, which is expecially important because she never hides a single emotion. He also draws perfectly how her not-quite-coordinated body moves.

I've seen some criticism of how much he traces photos for the backgrounds, but I think that's important to what he's doing. It's part of grounding the series in daily life. And it really is daily -- most chapters take place on successive days, or the day after that.

---L.

successive days

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

right! time slows down to a child's pace. I ***love*** that.

[larryhammer]

Yotsuba's noseless face isn't an exaggeration: her profile is flat, and there is never a hint of an outline or shadow or anything. Even a bandaid plastered across it isn't bent any more than the curve of a flat face would make it. The next oldest cast, Ena and Miura, have hints of noses, a touch of outine. It's an interesting stylistic choice, this.

Um. Did I mention obsession?

---L.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

An obsession I can completely identify with :-D

and that's an interesting nose thesis... as one grows older, one's nose gets more prominent... hey wait, that's actually **true** too.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

And, I do love the slacker dad... relaxes me just looking at him.

[larryhammer]

I like Koiwai -- his relationship with Jumbo, his attempts to actually grow up to be what Yotsuba needs and expects. And he nails a moment at the end of volume 4, with the exact right reaction to Yotsuba's big news.

---L.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I have to go see if we have that volume--I think I've only read through vol. 3. My husband brought back like a trailer for a later volume from Japan, but it probably was for something further along than 3. Come to think of it, Amazon sent me an ad for vol. 4--should act on it!

[larryhammer]

It's the one that's just out. Yes, you should act on it!

---L.

[returnoftheblog.livejournal.com]

This is the Azumanga Daioh! guy? (I'm guessing it is, as the name sounds familiar and I think he also got the Eng translation published through ADV).

I normally don't grab manga that often (as I have mentioned before, NOT CHEAP), but I saw the band-aid picture link and my face nearly melted off. I'll have to see if Borders/Barnes & Noble/Books-a-Million/whoever has any copies of it...

(I'm trying to get a little less paranoid after my recent hysterics. This is a first step or two.)

...

*goes to look at the band-aid pic again, emits squeal of both joy and pain, goes to get ointment and anti-bacterials for what's left of his face*

[larryhammer]

Yup -- by the author of Azumanga Daioh. And he's gotten even better. Four-panel strips kinda limit comic pacing to certain structures, and Azuma's got bunches more.

It should be at Borders. My local B&N didn't have it yet as of a week ago, but they're often slow to stock new manga. And, well, Yotsuba is an excellent way to reduce stress. (Unfortunately, the bandaids are from a chapter that isn't out in English yet, so you'll have to wait to find out rest of the story. That or track down the scans.)

---L.

[incandragon.livejournal.com]

Wow, you've mentioned Yotsuba before, but now you've got me hooked. I'll go find/read it. Happiness was the magic word -- that's how I described Totoro, way back in the 80's. Even before it was translated, it had the power to make me happy.

[larryhammer]

Totoro's power is very similar, yes. Totoro and Yotsuba have very similar pacing, as well.

---L.