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Manga-ka: Kiyohiko Azuma
Publisher: ADV Manga
Rating: All Ages
Released: July 2007
Synopsis: “Having already tackled such diverse topics as cicadas and global warming, Yotsuba is back and ready to face a whole new set of challenges. See as she strives to master the complexities of rock-paper-scissors! Feel as she becomes one with the water during a weekend of fishing. Be confused as she tries to get money from strangers to buy her groceries!”
There’s nothing quite like sitting down for another volume of Yotsuba&! Summer continues through volume four as Yotsuba, and her family and friends, go up against groceries, trout and a little heartbreak.
It’s hard to write multiple reviews for a series like this, where that which makes it so fun to read maintains itself with so much consistency. Kiyohiko Azuma’s art remains top-notch in its charming simplicity and the visual humour continues to play a keyrole in this family comedy.
While I admittedly didn’t find myself laughing a loud as much as I have in previous volumes, there’s still plenty to giggle at. I’m becoming more and more attached to the secondary characters as well and some of my favourite scenes in this fourth book belonged to them. There’s something especially entertaining about the disproportionately large Jumbo going to the lengths he does to ‘compete’, in a sense, with the young Miura. I also love Jumbo and Yotsuba’s father together, whose shared states of mental wackiness never cease to surprise and amuse. Badminton rarely looks like so much fun, even if they’re hardly playing.
So, overall, Yotsuba&! is still great! Hilarious and remarkably adorable, a volume has yet to disappoint. I may not have personally found this fourth to be as inspiringly cute and comedic as others, but there was still no shortage of things to love.
Review written August 17, 2008 by Lissa Pattillo.
Book purchased from vender at Fan Expo 2008
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