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Reviewed by Barb Lien-Cooper Yotsuba&! Volume 3 Sometimes, in our rush to live our lives, to pursue our hopes and dreams, and to pay the bills, we forget about how much fun day-to-day life can be. We forget how much fun it is to go to the pool or a zoo or to see fireworks. We get too busy. We say we’ll do it later. Then, we don’t. Sad really. If there’s one manga out there that really makes you want to stop and smell the roses, to make you want to forget your troubles, c’mon, get happy, it’s Yotsuba. Oh, Yotsuba isn’t about big things. No one’s going to fight a big bad here or get to be number one or save the world. Leave that sort of stuff for the battle manga and the superhero comics that do that sort of thing way, way too much. Instead, Yotsuba is just the story of a little kid doing the sorts of things that make little kids (and adults if they’d stop being so darned stuffy and allow themselves to have some fun) happy. In this volume, our goofy little five-year-old learns about the joys of flowers, zoos, festivals, and fireworks. That’s it. Nothing too plot-heavy, but as enjoyable as all get-out. So, if you’re looking for a manga for a kid or just something to give you a break from all your concerns, Yotsuba is a must-read. As a sort of post-script, I should say that the art is really darling, without ever getting to be too saccharine. Highly recommended. And now... a review of Yotsuba&! v4. There’s a Beach Boys song called All Summer Long that lists all the fun the singer’s girlfriend and he had during the summer. There’s a line that says “Won’t be long till summer time is through”. Then the drummer yells out in the most defiant, happy voice possible, “Not for us now!” That’s how Yotsuba&! makes me feel, sometimes. In Yotsuba’s world, no matter what the season is, it’s always sunny, even when it rains. I know, I know. Yotsuba’s not about much of anything. It’s just about a cute kid who has a lot of fun and is happy most of the time. Nothing earth shattering there. But Yotsuba is like what Steve Martin said about banjo music. Much like it’s difficult to be depressed when you hear a banjo, it’s difficult to stay unhappy when reading Yotsuba. Unlike a lot of American works for children that try so hard to be all primary colors and funny, while throwing in age inappropriate remarks to try and keep the parents awake, Yotsuba isn’t post-ironic in the least. Instead, it’s unabashedly for kids in a way that shows how a real kid fits into the world and tries to comprehend new experiences. There aren’t a lot of rough edges in Yotsuba, not a lot of traumas, but you do understand that the adults have their concerns and they’re often too complicated to talk to a kid about…and how confusing that is to a kid. I like this series a bunch. It makes a difficult subject (a realistic comedy about childhood) look easy. No smart assed sit-com kids here. Just a little girl with a smile as big as the great outdoors. Review copies provided by Yen Press. Think you could have written a better review of Yotsuba&! v3-4? Write us and we'll probably let you give it a shot! --EiC PC |
2 December 2009
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