Yotsuba&!, Vol. 1 (YOTSUBA & ! GN)

A lovely and simple manga and a nice introduction to the genre from the ages of around 5 and up. My kids are really enjoying these simple adventures of a child learning about the world, having some clumsy social interactions but also learning from her mistakes. The pictures can be laugh-out-loud funny at times and they're good fun for adults to read aloud at bedtime. It isn't just a book about children. Yotsuba's father is a fully fleshed out character, and there are some really nice moments of everyday affection - in-jokes, monster-impressions, laundry-day dances, his competitive and childlike streak - between them, as well as with the adults next door and his best friend, Jumbo (and the amusingly absent third friend, who is never available and deemed useless.) It's a very faithful manga, as well.Jokes that only work in Japanese are left intact, with explanations written alongside them, and where a Japanese word cannot be translated it is also left alone and explained instead - certainly an improvement from the 90s where you'd be lucky if the character names remained. These add a nice little educational touch to the books. The art style is also very impressive. There are silent panels setting the scene - the suburban architecture, the chirp of crickets, the little giveaways as to the seasons (the books begin in the middle of a hot summer).There is no large story arc, no grand event. These are small slice-of-life tales, as simple as going to Ikea or letting off fireworks for the first time - but that's part of their charm.

Yotsuba&! is actually a manga I found out about through figure pictures. I know, an odd way to find out about new (to yourself that is) manga, but I just kept seeing the figure of this cute little green-haired girl and wondered where it came from. (With any luck, I'll track down my own little figure at a good price)The first volume of the manga introduces us to our titular character, her Daddy, Daddy's friend Jumbo, and the next door neighbours. And quite frankly I can't think of another way to describe the feeling of reading this first volume other than it's like being smothered with adorableness. As a character Yotsuba reminds me a little of the character Lilo in that she'd very endearingly weird. Like a little kid should be.She's so enthusiastic about everything and seems to love just learning about the world around her. And while she might not always get it right, she keeps trying and it's so hard to see her efforts and not stop and grin to yourself. If there isn't a mascot that represents that irresistible urge to grin? Yotsuba should become it; because that's exactly the feeling you get during this first volume.I really can't wait to check out the rest of the volumes that are available, and see how Yotsuba takes to life in her new home, and how she brings in her neighbours and probably everyone else around her, into these daily adventures. (Because it might just be everyday life, but every day is an adventure to Yotsuba.)I would recommend this manga to everyone. A kid looking for their first manga, an old pro who has read nearly everything out there, and even just the casual fan. This really is the type of story that can be for everyone.

I've started reading Yotsuba by chance (very easy Japanese and great for beginners) and I got hooks.Yotsuba is a little girl, and we get to see the world thru her naive and sometimes quirky eyes.You laugh, and think, and laugh, and reminisce about your childhood, and laugh and maybe cry.This first volume it's not the very best of the 12 (as for today) around... but you'll get a taste.

When our 10yr old daughter fell in love with Japanese anime films and wanted to read some manga, a friend recommended Yotsuba as being ideal and it was the perfect suggestion.She adores this book and has re-read it endlessly. She is now working her way through the series (there are 12 at the moment) and still loves Yotsuba's adventures. In her words, they are funny, adorable, cute and random(!).

Was hoping it was the Japanese version, but its all in English. But it's ok, the story is fantastic.

This is a great, funny and heart-warming manga that is beautifully illustrated as well. The attention to detail in the drawing is astonishing, even for a manga.However I feel it is somewhat let down by a somehow lacklustre and sometimes irritating (to me) translation. For example, the sound effects are left untranslated, with Romanji and translated versions below. In addition the translated SFX often seem wrong. To me it all just seems clumsy, putting the translations of sound effects in a footnote would be more elegant.In the translators defense, I think that they have captured Yotsuba's malapropisms better that the scanlators do.Fortunately the stories are very visual, so the translation is not as much of an issue as it might be.The book could also benefit from an appendix or footnotes, explaining some the little details of Japanese life that that seem so central to the stories, as not all of us are such rabid Japanophiles that we know them. For example, what's the deal with the salt?Despite these minor irritations, I would still heartily recommend Yotsuba&! to anyone who wants a funny and non-violent manga.

Chi's Sweet Home is a brilliant series of books that I first discovered while in Japan! I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes funny manga stories like Azumanga Daioh or Chi's Sweet Home!

I bought this book for the 10th birthday of a friend's daughter who is into manga. I know nothing regarding manga and based my choice on recommendations from previous reviews The little girl loved it and is planning to buy further volumes.

I love this series so much, nothing was wrong with it when i got it which us good! I recommend buying this book!!

The print quality and bind is pretty good. The manga itself is 10/10. Only one thing I didn't like is that in some pages the panels are slightly bigger than the page size. So some picture borders are cut a little.

El libro llegó en excelentes condiciones, tal como se muestra en el listado. El manga es bastante entretenido, aunque a pesar de ser mas de 200 páginas, es fácil leerlo en una sentada.

Este mangá é um dos meus favoritos e desde sempre eu tenho desejado obtê-lo.Finalmente consegui juntar uma grana para começar a minha coleção física ♥Yotsuba é aquela história que te prende desde o primeiro capítulo e quando o final vai chegando a dor de saber que o fim está próximo é imensa.Eu ri em todos os quadros, Yotsuba é a coisa mais fofa e idiota já criada ♥Eu acho muito interessante a forma como o autor escreve a garotinha, apesar dele não se prender nos momentos que te darão um melhor entendimento do passado dela, o pouco que eles descreve nas entrelinhas faz perceber que ela levou uma difícil vida e no entanto nada a manchou.Espero poder ler mais sobre a relação da Yotsuba com seu pai adotivo e com a vizinha a qual ela chama de "Mãe" nos próximos volumes.

日本語版と一緒に読んでいくと、英語ではこう言うのかとか、日本の漫画特有の擬音や効果音、劇中の看板の文字にまで注釈があり、とても読みやすくで親切な仕上がりだと感じました。