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REVIEWS

• 

  GGShang

  95/100
  A super wholesome comedy that reminds us what it's like to be a kid again

  Boy did I like this manga so much more than I expected. I'll start this off by saying that I normally don't love manga having to do with young children. Sweetness and Lightning, Love so Life, Gakuen Babysitters, they were all cute enough for the most part, but they weren't anything that I would want to read a second time. For me, cute just isn't enough to hold a series in high regard. And on the flip side, the only comedy I liked enough to read multiple times is Grand Blue. Everything else, especially the more pure slice of life ones, are kinda fun in the moment, but I usually forget about them in the long run. So when I was recommended to read Yotsubato!, which is essentially the two of those combined, you can understand why I had mixed feelings. With that being said, Yotsubato was such a treat to read through and has since become one of my favorite manga of all time.

  The story follows the adventures of this 5 year old girl, Yotsuba, and her friends and father. It starts out with her moving to a new town and getting acquainted with her neighbors, a family of three girls. As she gets to know them and their friends more, she goes on the simplest of trips that end up becoming fun adventures with her bright and loud personality. That's about all that there really is for the plot of the story, with each chapter or two representing some trip or experience she has. There's no real change or growth in the characters, but things that happen in one story do carry over to the next ones.

  So obviously with the plot being what it is, the characters and comedy really carry the manga. It's hard to go over every single one, but to sum it all up, everyone in the series has their own child-like traits that come out as they go along to Yotsuba's pace. No matter if they are adults, high schoolers or grade schoolers, they all have to adapt and go along with Yotsuba. But the thing is, it's not like they begrudgingly do it a lot of the time: they too end up having a lot of fun being like a kid again. Yotsuba herself is always bright and cheerful, always playing around, laughing, having fun at the smallest things, crying when she gets in trouble, being both easily angered and amused. In a word, she is just like a regular kid.

  The comedy in Yotsubato is surprisingly really good. During the first few chapters I thought that it would be just another comedy manga where I found find amusing, but not really laugh out loud funny, but once I hit the 9th chapter I found myself laughing so much, which is a trend that continued. I couldn't really tell you exactly what was so good about the comedy. In some ways it reminded me of Calvin and Hobbes where Calvin would surprise the adults by saying things that you would never expect a child to be saying, there were parts that were just so wholesome that I couldn't help but laugh and smile at, and there were parts where it was just like a real kid trying to weasel their way out of some sort of punishment they deserve. If I really had to describe it, I'd say that it was funny because I can remember all the times I've seen real kids, or even my younger self, doing all these things and remembering how funny they were to watch.

  I realize that this review will never do Yotsubato! the justice it deserves as a manga so the only thing I can do is suggest you go read the first few chapters since it sets the pace of the whole story. But to sum up, Yotsubato! is a manga that knows how to get into the mind of a child and helps you remember what you were like back then. So go and get swept up along with the joy that is Yotsuba and have fun like a kid once more.

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• 

  saulgoodman

  100/100
  This green-haired girl will pull you along into her world of everyday fun and discovery

  

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  What's green, has 4 clovers and hates bulls eyes?

  The story kicks off with a strange girl named Yotsuba Koiwai, extremely flabbergasted and mouth agape, moving into a new town with her father. But it's just not this new town that shocks Yotsuba, it's nearly every person, object, and phenomenon that she encounters in her mini expeditions. Door bells, air conditioners, global warming, Heelys, washing machines; Yotsuba's curiosity is piqued by just about anything that she hasn't seen in the soap operas and crime shows that she watches. Though not to the same extent, her curious nature reminds me of my own I had as a 6 year-old, too. Questioning everything, from the blue sky to my parents wrestling in bed, and being fascinated by the most mundane things like pencil sharpeners and electric tooth brushes. Yotsuba's curiousity and endless questions always exude adorable precociousness. She quickly accepts any answers anyone tells her, often leading to amusing misunderstandings and situations.

  Even as the story progresses and Yotsuba experiences more things, she's still as curious and easily surprised as ever. Thanks to her cheerful personality, Yotsuba easily gains new friends who teach her new things and experiences.

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  The World of Yotsuba

  True to its iyashikei roots, Yostuba&! has no resemblance of conflict or concrete story line. The green-haired protagonist constantly meets and interacts with new people in nearly every chapter, whether it be making new friends or bewildering complete strangers. Another source of comedy in this series is the varying reactions to Yotsuba. Besides the main cast, others also experience soothing healing from this cheekily cute girl, who unknowingly brightens and encourages them. Other characters simply don't know what to do with the lad. But some of them steadily get desensitized and understand how to interact with her. At the end of the day, everything and everyone has some sort of connection with Yotsuba, who's left completely satisfied.

  My favorite relationship in the series is Yotsuba and Torako's (Asagi's friend). The cool smoker was initially and literally stunned into silence by Yotsuba, completely unsure how to interact with her. Though her interactions with Yotsuba are much less awkward as time went on, Torako's relatable uncertainty with interacting with children still hangs in the air. Compared to Yotsuba's usual cheery and bright interactions with many other characters, this one full of one-sided awkwardness, one-sided cheerfulness and mutual friendship(?) is extremely fun to read every time.

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  Parents and Kids

  Though the story is heavily centered around Yotsuba's misadventures, it additionally depicts the flip side of the spectrum; parenting. Yotsuba and Yousuke's playful fights and banter make up a good portion of the chapters, but their interactions can be pretty informative and teach a thing or two about parenting. Throughout the frequent accidents caused by Yotsuba, Yousuke takes up a passive-aggressive style of discipline. He gently shows Yotsuba her errors and mistakes, rarely through stern, dragged out lectures, but by silently showing the consequences, gently asking what she did and other similar tactics. And when Yotsuba quickly recognizes and admits her fault, it really illustrates the heartwarming and understanding parent-child bond between them.

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  A Child's Innocence

  My favorite part about this series is Yotsuba's solo adventures. Through her curious nature and free-spirited sense of adventure, anyone will share her excitement when she goes on an errand for the first time, to the zoo and see animals she's only seen in her picture books, firework shows and so many other experiences that have become commonplace for me a long time ago.

  Briefly touching on the art, it immensely helps to capture the feelings of discovery and a child's perception of a massive world begging for exploration. The huge stand-alone panels of Yotsuba grinning ear-to-ear in a new place or experiencing something new. Consecutive panels of Yotsuba running rampant and gleeful. All rekindle the feelings of youthful discovery.

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  Aren't I a great artist?

  Expanding on the art more, it's extremely fitting for the always relaxing tone and a great benefactor for the nostalgic experience. Character expressions are quite lively, especially in Yotsuba's case and making for another comedic source, but also can be deadpan and blank, yet another comedic add-on. Their designs are just as bubbly, regardless if they're adults or kids. However, in contrast to the simplistic style, there's some surprisingly detailed background art, often eye-candy treat that you can be sure to look forward to in any chapter. These panels and pages, as I've briefly mentioned before, encapsulate the grandness and exciting outlook of a child of the world. The otherwise mundane places and experiences are amplified into fascinating, with their fine details and Yotsuba's shining eyes and sunny grin taking up the entire page at times.

  The cover art and pages are also quite an entertaining sight to behold.

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  Conclusion

  If you ever need a break and destress, to temporarily forget about life's worries, this is what Yotsuba&! was created for. Take a step back, immerse yourself in this clover-haired girl's gleeful journeys, and remember what it was like to be a kid. Old, hazy memories of going to the beach to collect rocks or stepping into the grocery store was like stepping foot on the Moon. This series would be alternatively referred to as "The World of Yotsuba", because she pulls you into her own realm of imagination and discovery that'll leave you mesmerized and curious as to just what other bizarre adventure she'll go on next.

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• 

  Matheusmiranda96

  100/100
  Porque hoje é sempre o dia mais belo

  Yotsuba to!, a série de mangás escrita e desenhada por Kiyohiko Azuma, nos mostra o cotidiano de uma ainda muito jovem Yotsuba. Uma garotinha hiperativa, curiosa, meiga, e um tanto inconsequente, como toda criança de 5 anos que encara na mudança de cidade o início de uma aventura.

  Adotada por um jovem adulto chamado Koiwai Yousuke, a garota e o pai chegam a sua nova vizinhança e, de imediato, brindam o leitor com as mais irreverentes situações.

  O mangá é contado em ordem quase que inteiramente episódica, onde cada capítulo representa um dia da vida da menina. Neles podemos presenciar as peripécias vividas pela protagonista, bem como as relações criadas com os outros personagens a medida que nos são apresentados.

  Uma interpretação simplória e errônea que muitos possuem, seja ao ler a sinopse, seja ao ler os primeiros capítulos, é que se trata, tão somente, de uma história com situações alegres e fofinhas vividas por uma garotinha fofinha. Como a maioria das histórias Moe são, inclusive o outro mangá do autor.

  De fato existe muitas situações cômicas, divertidas e simpáticas. No entanto, a obra aponta para algo além.

  Os dias vividos pela menina, representados por cada capítulo, não nos apresentam meras aventuras, pequenas e desconexas, ou histórias fantasiosas. Existe um sentimento de fidelidade em cada situação, prendendo o leitor a realidade e mostrando que cada atitude tem sua consequência.

  Em um mundo cada vez mais imerso numa busca desenfreada por autosatisfação, com uma sociedade entregue ao cinismo, egoísmo e a falta do mínino de valores norteadores, torna-se enfático que a história seja contada pela perspectiva de uma criança.

  Aliás, a história de Azuma evoca muito bem esta sensação de imersão. Muitas vezes o leitor pega-se questionando alguns fatos curiosos, por exemplo, sobre como a menina possui pouco conhecimento, ou quase nada, sobre as coisas mais básicas da vida comum.

  Escadas-rolantes, elevadores, câmeras de seguranças em lojas, colégios, tudo passa a ser uma descoberta. O mangá constantemente convida-nos a esquecermos do que já sabemos para redescobrirmos o mundo a partir da Yotsuba.

  Yotsuba To! não apresenta um enredo poético, com dramas profundos e questionamentos filosóficos. Muito pelo contrário, a simplicidade do mangá nos convida a refletir sobre algo que há muito fora perdido: a beleza no dia-a-dia.

  O ser humano, com sua pressa exarcebada, impaciências e aflições, perdeu a capacidade de presenciar as coisas mais belas. Os gregos antigos chamavam isto de Apeirokalia: uma condição humana, tratado por eles como uma doença, adquirida através de uma vida sem possuir nenhuma experiência com as coisas boas e belas.

  É comum que as artes sejam cada vez mais tratadas como relativas, apontando para conceitos desconstruidos  e grotescos. A arquitetura abandonou o senso estético e adotou padrões genéricos. As cidades perderam suas conexões com a natureza, sendo invadidas por mais e mais prédios, ruas concretadas, portas e janelas gradeadas.

  Aliás, a busca pelo grotesco vigora como a lei da vez. No cinema, na música, nas expressões artísticas, tal qual a pintura, as danças e esculturas, na literatura. Tudo clama por características grotescas e anomálicas. Não importando se são boas, se representam verdades. A ordem é chamar atenção.

  Quanto mais chamativo algo for, melhor. Roupas assimétricas, com estampas e formas anormais, móveis possuindo aspectos não naturais, casas que mais parecem prisões. Este êxtase constante tem confundido as percepções sobre o que realmente é belo.

  Aristoteles acreditava que as coisas mostradas para as crianças influenciava, diferentemente, a sua capacidade de aprendizagem e de conduta na sociedade. Por isso, o filósofo exortava para que não se revelassem, às crianças, as más condutas dos deuses porquanto isto as condicionariam a experienciar o mundo através dos aspectos maus, distantes da beleza.

  Por isso, ao viver uma vida bombardeada pelo grotesto, distante do belo e do bom, o ser humano tem se encontrado neste constante estado de confusão. A humanidade, sempre em busca de um sentido na vida, imersa no relativismo, não encontra uma saída.

  Uma vida no automático. Assim o homem olha mas não enxerga o mundo a sua volta. Acorda, toma um café, junta a mochila nas suas costas e vai trabalhar. Uma corrida em loop rumo ao progresso, sem tempo para refletir sobre o motivo de correr tanto. Em uma pista circular o homem é, diariamente, induzido a viver um ritmo que não é natural.

  Um turbilhão de informações desconexas pouco a pouco o tira do eixo, ficando, assim, menos sensível, mais bruto, e até desatento para o que realmente importa. Nosso jeito de agir, pensar e perceber o mundo foi condicionado de maneira intencional. Distante das experiências belas da vida, o homem tem se encontrado doente, sufocado por tanto relativismo, pelo grotesto. Como quem adormece esperando a morte por  carregar no corpo uma doença, a apeirokalia.

  É justamente nisto que reside o valor de Yotsubato!, com uma narrativa simples, apontando para este algo maior que sempre esteve presente. No acordar, no alvorecer, no educar uma criança, na natureza e nas coisas que ela compõe, no trato para com o próximo, na contemplação das coisas anteriores a todos nós que nos remete ao excelsior presente em cada um: a beleza.

  A beleza é imensamente importante na vida e no mundo porque ela realça tudo. Ela realça, não só o mundo à nossa volta, mas a nós também.

  A beleza é uma das coisas que fazem a vida valer a pena. Ela enriquece a vida

  "Tarde te amei, Beleza tão antiga e tão nova, tarde te amei! Eis que estavas dentro de mim, e eu lá fora, a te procurar! Eu, disforme, me atirava à beleza das formas que criaste. Estavas comigo, e eu não estava em ti. Retinham-me longe de ti aquilo que nem existiria se não existisse em ti. Tu me chamaste, gritaste por mim, e venceste minha surdez. Brilhaste, e teu esplendor afugentou minha cegueira. Exalaste teu perfume, respirei-o, e suspiro por ti. Eu te saboreei, e agora tenho fome e sede de ti."

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