While today’s feature is a manga review, I feel that Yotsuba is a title for everyone. Whether you’ve been an anime and manga fan for years, or never picked one up, this is a great story that pretty much everyone will love.

Written and and illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma (creator of Azumanga Daioh), Yotsuba&! is a comedy manga about 5 year old Yotsuba Koiwai. She’s incredibly energetic, happy, mischievous and often weird. She’s adopted, and lives with her father Yousuke. Many of the stories focus on her humorous interactions with him, as well as their neighbors, the Ayase family and other family friends.

Watching Yotsuba discover and interact with everyday things is charming and heart-warming. Often times she’s naive, getting into trouble and blunt in her conversations with others.
(For those new to manga, remember to read right-to-left.)

If you like cute stuff, the series will steal your heart. It’s innocent and adorable, and just has a warmth that will make you feel happy and good while you read it. There’s a theme often mentioned in the manga, “Enjoy Everything,” which is perfectly fitting. Seeing the world through the eyes of this crazy kid will make you want to stop and enjoy all the little things in life. As mentioned earlier, whether you’re into manga or not, you owe it to yourself to check out Yotsuba&!

-Clint