Azuma Kiyohiko - Yotsuba&!, vol. 05-08 + ch. 56-60

[oyceter]

I really needed cheering up, so I went through a reread of Yotsuba&! 1-4, along with basically staying up all night catching up, aided by lnhammer's extremely excellent chapter-by-chapter write ups. He notices a ton of details that I didn't, from the way the Koiwais' living room gradually changes to the drawings on the side of the Yotsubox

Comments

[thistleingrey]

*flies past* If you ever have access to a GameCube or a Wii with appropriate adapter, you might find Chibi-Robo of interest. (I have the requisite Wii+thingy but don't own the game.) Something in your posts about Yotsuba& has reminded me about that game.

(E-mail reply forthcoming.)

[oyceter]

Oh, that sounds interesting! Also, it sounds like it requires about the level of hand-eye coordination that I have... I tried borrowing Okami from a friend and playing because it sounded so neat, but could not even get past the "learn how to fight" stage because I suck so much at the fighting.

[thistleingrey]

Oh, yes--I played a few hours of Okami, and then I watched darkforge push through the boss battles, since he's much more adept with a console controller. A couple of those battles went on for half an hour non-stop and benefited from a second pair of eyes (mine) calling out when certain activities were feasible. sigh. It's a gorgeous game, but I cannot deal with half-hour boss battles!

I've been looking for Chibi-Robo used and will let you know if I get hold of a copy. :)

[oyceter]

Ha, yeah! I am now trying to sic myself on my video-gaming friends so I can make them play games I want to watch but have no skill to play....

[oyceter]

I never found Yotsuba's behaviour so odd that she seemed alien.

There were a few moments in v. 1 in which I wasn't quite sure, like when she didn't know what a school was, or what "moving" was, or what a doorbell was. The AC I sort of am skeptical about as well; even if her house didn't have one, did she never go into an air-conditioned store her entire life?

[oyceter]

Yeah, definitely. It was just that she seemed so unfamiliar with the concept. And if it had just been the AC or the swing or something, I think I would have just handwaved, but all of them together in the first volume, coupled with the back cover copy ("Is she even from our planet?" or something) and the green hair made me start wondering.

[jinian]

I love Yotsuba, though I kinda miss the "is she an alien?" moments.

[oyceter]

I kind of miss them, but on the other hand, I also really like the normal-five-year-old kid moments of ??? as well.

[lnhammer]

"I didn't cry!"

Yotsuba & Rain is (still) my favorite chapter. An umbrella really isn't, to her, something to keep off rain but something you carry when it's raining. (Even if rain isn't nearly as cool as a typhoon.)

One thing I've been noticing in the latest chapters, the ones that will go into volume 9, is that we've been spending less time in Yotsuba's POV, including more scenes where she isn't even present. I'm not quite sure what to make of this, but am willing to follow Azuma just about anywhere he takes us, at this point.

---L.

[oyceter]

Oh huh, I hadn't noticed that! Then again, I probably read those chapters around 6 in the morning, heh....

[lnhammer]

Clearly, you need to reread them. All of them.

---L.

[lnhammer]

So what did you think of Boxerman's recently introduced nemesis, Barebuttman?

---L.

[oyceter]

!!! I must have completely missed that! Clearly I need to buy all the vols and reread.

[lnhammer]

It's in the uncollected chapters that will become volume 9, one of the first chapters after the festival. Fuka overhears his introduction from her bedroom window.

---L.