Yotsuba&!
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Yotsuba&! (Template:Lang Yotsuba to!) is an ongoing manga series by Kiyohiko Azuma, the creator of Azumanga Daioh, which was licensed by ADV Manga for English language distribution in 2004 and was released beginning in 2005. It is published by MediaWorks and serialized monthly in their magazine Dengeki Daioh.
Unlike Azumanga Daioh, Yotsuba&! does away with the vertical 4 panel newspaper strip format, preferring to use the entire page to tell the story. This allows Azuma to display more artistic prowess than before, as he seems to make Yotsuba's world as new and interesting as only young children can actually see it.
Yotsuba and members of the Ayase family were also featured in a one-shot manga called Try! Try! Try! Image:Yotsuba.jpg "Yotsuba to !" means "Yotsuba and !", which comes from the fact that the title of nearly every chapter/issue of the manga is of the form "Yotsuba and something". The name "Yotsuba" (四葉) can be translated as "four leaves," and is part of the phrase 四葉のクローバー yotsuba no kurōbā ("four-leaf clover"). In reference to this fact (or perhaps because of it), Yotsuba has four ponytails and green hair.
Contents |
Story
The series is centered on the antics of Yotsuba Koiwai (see characters), a six year old adopted girl who is energetic, cheerful, curious, strange and quirky; in fact, she's so strange and quirky that even her own father calls her a weirdo. She's also completely ignorant about a large number of things one would expect a child of her age to know about, among them doorbells, escalators, and even playground swings; this not only adds to her weirdness, but also allows for humorous stories where she first learns about and/or misunderstands these everyday things. She and her father, Koiwai, have recently relocated to a new neighborhood with the help of Koiwai's best friend, an impressively tall man nicknamed "Jumbo." Yotsuba makes quite an impression on the neighboring Ayase family's three daughters Asagi, Ena, and Fuka, whose interactions with her often lead to hilarious misadventures.
Though there seems to be no central plot and the story is mainly "about nothing," the main focus of the manga is Yotsuba's voyage of discovery. Within that process, the reading audience is on the same voyage to discover more about the characters, especially Yotsuba. Each chapter has a prevalent theme or object pertaining to its title. This theme often is something that Yotsuba discovers for the first time, or other characters deal with which Yotsuba introduces.
Main Characters
Koiwai Household
Yotsuba Koiwai / "Yotsuba" (小岩井四葉 Koiwai Yotsuba / よつば Yotsuba) is the main protagonist of the story. She is 6 years old, and displays a childlike wonder towards everything new she discovers (which is everything). Her ability to find enjoyment in nearly everything is unparallelled, and her constant happiness seems to be infectious to the rest of the characters. Before coming to live in her present house, she apparently lived with her grandparents on an island somewhere ("to the left," according to Yotsuba). Little is known about her parents, other than that Yotsuba was orphaned and subsequently taken in by Koiwai. However, this fact does not seem to bother Yotsuba in the least.
Mr. Koiwai / "Dad" (小岩井 Koiwai / とーちゃん tō-chan), given name unknown, is Yotsuba's adoptive father. The circumstances of his coming to raise Yotsuba as his own are opaque at best, but she treats him as though he were her biological father. He works as a translator, though what language he translates from, and what kind of material he translates, is unknown to the audience (since it doesn't matter to Yotsuba). He has a "loose" attitude about things, and is always wearing a t-shirt and boxer shorts when in the house (which is most of the time, since he works at home). He seems to frequently become frustrated when reaching an impasse in his translations, but when he finishes his work, he is more than happy to spend time having fun with Yotsuba. Regardless of his skills as a parent, it seems that Koiwai is a good father at heart.
Ayase household
The Ayases live next door to the Koiwais and play an important role in Yotsuba's activities.
Asagi Ayase (綾瀬あさぎ Ayase Asagi) is the eldest of the three Ayase sisters. Her age has not been revealed, though she is a university student and (apparently) only home for the summer. Asagi is attractive and physically mature, but tends to be irresponsible and enjoys teasing people, especially her mother. If she is aware of the crush Jumbo has on her she hasn't said anything, although she seems to take as much relish in teasing him as she does everyone else. It has been alluded to that she was similar to Yotsuba when she was young, which may explain why she is sometimes unfazed by Yotsuba's odd behavior.
Fuka Ayase (綾瀬風香 Ayase Fūka) is the middle Ayase sister, a 16-year old student at a local high school, and the most responsible of the three. She continually finds herself "helping out" at the Koiwai household even when she doesn't intend to, and tends to get more flustered than anyone else with their eccentricities. Nonetheless, she has become quite fond of Yotsuba. Yostuba seems to believe that Fuka is attracted to Mr. Koiwai, something she denies perhaps a little too vociferously. One of the running jokes in the series is that Fuka is terrible at drawing. She also has a penchant for bad puns, and for wearing shirts with odd or interesting graphics (one of the latter being an image of Chiyo's "father" from Azumanga Daioh).
Ena Ayase (綾瀬恵那 Ayase Ena) is the youngest Ayase sister and, even though she is still a few years older, the closest thing Yostuba has to a true peer in the main cast. Ena is sensible for her age and tries to be responsible (by doing things like limiting her use of air conditioning), but also enjoys taking the chance to play and have fun. She enjoys drawing (which she is quite skilled at), and is easily flustered.
Mrs. Ayase / "Mom" (綾瀬家の母 Ayase-ke no Haha / かーちゃん Kā-chan) is the mother of the Ayase sisters, and frequently has Yostuba over as a visitor. Yotsuba's habit of calling her "Mom" is annoying and endearing at the same time to her. She is incessantly frustrated with Asagi and is the butt of many of her pranks. She also seems to have a sweet tooth, often having cravings for ice cream, cake, etc.
Mr. Ayase (綾瀬家の父 Ayase-ke no Chichi) is almost never at home, at least during the day. While his profession is not revealed in the series, this seems consistent with the life of a salaryman. Asagi teases him mercilessly because of his constant absence, but he seems to have a good relationship with the rest of the family. He has a very laid-back and sentimental personality.
Friends
Takashi Takeda / "Jumbo" (竹田隆 Takeda Takashi / ジャンボ Janbo) is good friends with Yotsuba and Koiwai, apparently going back well before they moved to the city where he lives. He helped the two of them move in to their new house, and may have had some role in arranging their move to the city (or at least some influence, since he lived there already). Standing at 210cm (over 6'10"), he dwarfs the other characters (especially Yotsuba), and is usually known by the nickname "Jumbo." (When Fuka learns of his real name, she remarks that it's pretty mundane). Takashi works at his father's flower shop in town, though Yotsuba did not realize this until she went and saw him working there. Though not technically a member of the Koiwai family, he is often at their house, and is treated as as a family member (more or less) by Yotsuba.
Jumbo is somewhat impulsive, and develops a deep infatuation for Asagi when he first meets her. As a result, he attempts to use Yotsuba's frequent visits to the Ayase household as a way of getting close to her, though his plans usually backfire on him (while Yotsuba remains completely unaware of his ulterior motive).
Miura Hayasaka (早坂みうら Hayasaka Miura) is Ena's friend. She is kind, but often insensitive, especially to Yotsuba. Her rather androgynous appearance has caused her to be teased by Jumbo, who she quickly takes revenge on. She also notices Jumbo's infatuation with Asagi and manipulates this to her advantage.
Torako (虎子) is a friend of Asagi's. She smokes constantly and seems to be obsessed with being cool. Because of this she is often annoyed with Yotsuba's antics.
Volumes and Chapters
Though it is published in a serial format, Yotsuba&! is divided into volumes of 7 chapters, each relating to a specific day during the summer. At present, the first 4 volumes cover a period of approximately one month, with each volume lasting about a week in series time. The following is a list of the volumes, the chapters they contain, and their dates (if known).
Volume 1
- 1. Yotsuba & Moving (よつばとひっこし Yotsuba to Hikkoshi): 19 July
- 2. Yotsuba & Manners (よつばとあいさつ Yotsuba to Aisatsu "Yotsuba & Greetings"): 20 July (morning)
- 3. Yotsuba & Global Warming (よつばと地球温暖化 Yotsuba to Chikyū-Ondanka): 20 July (evening)
- 4. Yotsuba & TV (よつばとテレビ Yotsuba to Terebi): 21 July
- 5. Yotsuba & Shopping (よつばとかいもの Yotsuba to Kaimono): 22 July
- 6. Yotsuba & Cicadas (よつばとせみとり Yotsuba to Semitori "Yotsuba & Cicada-Catching"): 24 July
- 7. Yotsuba & Rain (よつばとおおあめ Yotsuba to Ō-Ame "Yotsuba & Rainstorms"): 25 July
Volume 2
- 8. Yotsuba & Drawing (よつばとおえかき Yotsuba to Oekaki): 27 July
- 9. Yotsuba & Revenge (よつばと復讐 Yotsuba to Fukushū): 30 July
- 10. Yotsuba & Cake (よつばとケーキ Yotsuba to Kēki): 31 July
- 11. Yotsuba & "No Bother" (よつばとどんまい Yotsuba to Donmai "Yotsuba & 'Don't Mind'"): 4 August
- 12. Yotsuba & Pools (よつばとプール Yotsuba to Pūru): 7 August
- 13. Yotsuba & the Frog (よつばとかえる Yotsuba to Kaeru): 8 August
- 14. Asagi & Souvenirs (あさぎのおみやげ Asagi no Omiyage "Asagi's Souveneers"): 9 August
Volume 3
- 15. Yotsuba & Souvenirs (よつばとおみやげ Yotsuba to Omiyage "Yotsuba & Omiyage"): 10 August (daytime)
- 16. Yotsuba & Asagi (よつばとあさぎ Yotsuba to Asagi): 10 August (evening)
- 17. Yotsuba & Flowers (よつばとフラワー Yotsuba to Furawā): 11 August
- 18. Yotsuba & The Bon Festival (よつばとお盆 Yotsuba to Obon): 12 August
- 19. Yotsuba & the Elephant (よつばとぞう Yotsuba to Zō)
- 20. Yotsuba & the Fireworks Show? (よつばと花火大会？ Yotsuba to Hanabi Taikai?): 16 August
- 21. Yotsuba & the Fireworks Show! (よつばと花火大会！ Yotsuba to Hanabi Taikai!): 17 August
Volume 4
- 22. Yotsuba & Competition (よつばと勝負 Yotsuba to Shōbu): 18 August
- 23. Yotsuba & Fishing (よつばと釣り Yotsuba to Tsuri): 19 August
- 24. Yotsuba & Dinner (よつばとばんごはん Yotsuba to Bangohan): 20 August
- Break - Yotsuba & 4 Panels (休憩 よつばと４コマ Kyūhei - Yotsuba to Yon-Koma): 21 August
- 25. Yotsuba & Adolescence (よつばとせいしゅん Yotsuba to Seishun) 22 August
- 26. Yotsuba & Newspapers (よつばとしんぶん Yotsuba to Shinbun): 23 August
- 27. Yotsuba & Tsukutsukuboshi (よつばとつくつくぼうし Yotsuba to Tsukutsukubōshi): 24 August
External links
- Momotato Daioh: English fan site.
- Comic Friendship: Fan site with character profiles, story info, and more.de:Yotsuba to!