Friday
Sep032010
MMF: YOSTUBA EDITION
Friday, September 3, 2010 at 06:47PM
I've been thinking over how I would contribute to the Yotsuba&! MMF for the past couple weeks. Those who know me well may recall that I have mentioned it as being my favourite manga many times. I own six copies of volume one and multiples of all others. I own many of the figures of characters from the series as well. I not only helped my mother introduce the series to her fourth grade classroom, but had the class take a detailed survey of their impressions. However, it isn't really that easy for me to write about Yotsuba&!. Despite my adoration, its themes are limited and have been covered by others since volume one's release. There is not a detailed plot to analyze, and I don't have any particularly unusual insight into the series. So I decided to take a different approach. Instead of writing what it is, I will contrast with what it is not.
Yotsuba is not a typical "cute girl doing cute things".
As I am sure most of you know, little girls in seinen is far from unusual. The entire moe genre is built around this concept. When reading about Yotsuba, you may get the impression that is falls into the same category as series such as Hidamari Sketch, Ichigo Marshmallow, or Kamichu. Those three series are all very cutesy series starring a cast of cutesy girls, but all have an unmistakable element of appealing to the otaku audience. Despite its target demographic, Yotsuba does not come off as a seinen-series protagonist in the way that those characters do. The average little girl in these series is portrayed in a way that fairly unrealistic and idealized; the emphasis is on aligning with various traits of moe appeal. Neither is she like the typical young girl protagonist from shoujo series. Cardcaptor Sakura, Shugo Chara, and Full Moon wo Sagashite reveal other archetypes that are just far away from Yotsuba- if more relatable to their target audience of young girls. Yotsuba is realistically portrayed and comparable to a real little girl. Her quirky personality makes her just as interesting and charming as her "moe-moe" peers, but as a grade-A otaku I never feel like I am being pandered to in the slightest while reading Yotsuba&!. Despite that, she has become one of my favourite manga characters and I would like for more characters to be approached in this way.
Yotsuba&! is more than atmosphere
When I read reviews and impressions of the series, the focus is usually on the charm and uplifting feeling that comes with reading it. The humour aspect is mentioned, but usually less emphasized than its cathartic and joyous worldview. While this aspect of Yotsuba&! is a clearly evident and integral element, it is much more comedy-centric that, say, Aria. The series is completely saturated with humour, and you may be laughing as much as smiling. The humour is not the random comedy of Azumanga Daioh, or the awkward Japanese comedy where the punchline is literally a punch. The humour is Yotsuba&! is not always subtle, but far from ridiculously over the top like much manga/anime. It is a very grounded and earnest comedy that is derived from character interaction. I find Yotsuba&! to be significantly more amusing than a lot of anime/manga comedies, but more important is that the comedy is distinct.
Yotsuba is not the only character that matters
While the situations generally revolve around the titular character, the other cast members are much more than just background support. The rest of the characters are very important not only to interact with Yotsuba, but as endearing personalities on their own. When I ask children their favourite characters, the neighbor girls tend to get nearly as much love as Yotsuba herself. Jumbo, Yanda, and Mr. Koiwai are also likable characters that add significantly to the enjoyment. It is not just Yotsuba that makes the series Yotsuba&!, but plenty others as well.
Yotsuba is not technically deficient
Readers of Azumanga Daioh will be in for something very different with Yotsuba&!. The art in Azumanga Daioh was rarely much more than simplistic character drawing against black background in a 4-koma format. In Yotsuba&!, Azuma's recognizable character designs are strengthened and supported by detailed scenery on each page. The most impressive aspect of his artwork is the character expressions; Azuma can portray a lot of emotion through exaggerated expressions that are less obnoxious than the typical manga "silly chibi face". Yotsuba&! shows off Azuma's skills in a way that Azumanga Daioh never did, and the energy and fun of the series is well displayed.
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Ideally, I was able to clear up some issues that the readers may have been wondering about before embarking onto their Yotsuba&! journey. I recommend Yotsuba&! to everyone- I have always found it to be a work that draws in readers of all ages and tastes. I personally know cutesy and slice of life haters who have managed to fall in love with this series. The school year has recently started, and a whole new group of young students are getting to read Yotsuba&! for the first time in my mother's elementary classroom. I have always felt particularly enthusiastic over introducing this series to others, and my hope is that the Yotsuba&! MMF will be able to bring in more readers or encourage established fans to be thinking about the series again.
To end this article, here is a picture I took of my Yotsuba action figure but with a robot arm. If this article ends up being really lame, at least this picture concludes it on a high note.
Yotsuba is not a typical "cute girl doing cute things".
As I am sure most of you know, little girls in seinen is far from unusual. The entire moe genre is built around this concept. When reading about Yotsuba, you may get the impression that is falls into the same category as series such as Hidamari Sketch, Ichigo Marshmallow, or Kamichu. Those three series are all very cutesy series starring a cast of cutesy girls, but all have an unmistakable element of appealing to the otaku audience. Despite its target demographic, Yotsuba does not come off as a seinen-series protagonist in the way that those characters do. The average little girl in these series is portrayed in a way that fairly unrealistic and idealized; the emphasis is on aligning with various traits of moe appeal. Neither is she like the typical young girl protagonist from shoujo series. Cardcaptor Sakura, Shugo Chara, and Full Moon wo Sagashite reveal other archetypes that are just far away from Yotsuba- if more relatable to their target audience of young girls. Yotsuba is realistically portrayed and comparable to a real little girl. Her quirky personality makes her just as interesting and charming as her "moe-moe" peers, but as a grade-A otaku I never feel like I am being pandered to in the slightest while reading Yotsuba&!. Despite that, she has become one of my favourite manga characters and I would like for more characters to be approached in this way.
Yotsuba&! is more than atmosphere
When I read reviews and impressions of the series, the focus is usually on the charm and uplifting feeling that comes with reading it. The humour aspect is mentioned, but usually less emphasized than its cathartic and joyous worldview. While this aspect of Yotsuba&! is a clearly evident and integral element, it is much more comedy-centric that, say, Aria. The series is completely saturated with humour, and you may be laughing as much as smiling. The humour is not the random comedy of Azumanga Daioh, or the awkward Japanese comedy where the punchline is literally a punch. The humour is Yotsuba&! is not always subtle, but far from ridiculously over the top like much manga/anime. It is a very grounded and earnest comedy that is derived from character interaction. I find Yotsuba&! to be significantly more amusing than a lot of anime/manga comedies, but more important is that the comedy is distinct.
Yotsuba is not the only character that matters
While the situations generally revolve around the titular character, the other cast members are much more than just background support. The rest of the characters are very important not only to interact with Yotsuba, but as endearing personalities on their own. When I ask children their favourite characters, the neighbor girls tend to get nearly as much love as Yotsuba herself. Jumbo, Yanda, and Mr. Koiwai are also likable characters that add significantly to the enjoyment. It is not just Yotsuba that makes the series Yotsuba&!, but plenty others as well.
Yotsuba is not technically deficient
Readers of Azumanga Daioh will be in for something very different with Yotsuba&!. The art in Azumanga Daioh was rarely much more than simplistic character drawing against black background in a 4-koma format. In Yotsuba&!, Azuma's recognizable character designs are strengthened and supported by detailed scenery on each page. The most impressive aspect of his artwork is the character expressions; Azuma can portray a lot of emotion through exaggerated expressions that are less obnoxious than the typical manga "silly chibi face". Yotsuba&! shows off Azuma's skills in a way that Azumanga Daioh never did, and the energy and fun of the series is well displayed.
-------
Ideally, I was able to clear up some issues that the readers may have been wondering about before embarking onto their Yotsuba&! journey. I recommend Yotsuba&! to everyone- I have always found it to be a work that draws in readers of all ages and tastes. I personally know cutesy and slice of life haters who have managed to fall in love with this series. The school year has recently started, and a whole new group of young students are getting to read Yotsuba&! for the first time in my mother's elementary classroom. I have always felt particularly enthusiastic over introducing this series to others, and my hope is that the Yotsuba&! MMF will be able to bring in more readers or encourage established fans to be thinking about the series again.
To end this article, here is a picture I took of my Yotsuba action figure but with a robot arm. If this article ends up being really lame, at least this picture concludes it on a high note.
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