A review by toritoot
Yotsuba&!, Vol. 15 by Kiyohiko Azuma
4.0
I normally reserve writing reviews for manga series for the last volume so I can give a summary of my thoughts on the series as a whole. But seeing as I'm not sure when, or if, another volume of this series will come out, I'm going to go ahead and make my review now.
I loved this series from the start. Yotsuba is so irrepressible. She has spunk, she has energy, she has determination, and she's infinitely curious, and this makes you really like her. Her adventures, while all very every-day and mundane, become something far more because of how excited and invested she is in them. The characters surrounding her, her father, the neighbors, her dad's friends, all add something very charming to the series, and I don't know that the books would be the same without them. It's just a lovely series that makes you smile while you read.
I do feel that the later volumes petered out some in terms of subject matter choices and the way the author chose to portray Yotsuba's interactions with them. It got a little boring and uninspired in places, and I can think of a number of far more interesting things for Yotsuba to encounter in her day-to-day life. But I'm definitely going to re-read this series at some point, so maybe my opinion will change.
If this series does continue, I would love, love, LOVE to see Yotsuba go to school, as I think it would open up so many fun story ideas. I just don't know if the author plans to write the series for that long. At this point, it feels like the series is coming to an end. And while that's sad, I'm also okay with that. I could see one more volume coming out to tie things up, but if there are no plans to continue the story in a new setting, then I think this is a good stopping point.
If the author were to continue the series, then I would certainly not say no to him sending Yotsuba off to school. I would read the fool out of that.
I loved this series from the start. Yotsuba is so irrepressible. She has spunk, she has energy, she has determination, and she's infinitely curious, and this makes you really like her. Her adventures, while all very every-day and mundane, become something far more because of how excited and invested she is in them. The characters surrounding her, her father, the neighbors, her dad's friends, all add something very charming to the series, and I don't know that the books would be the same without them. It's just a lovely series that makes you smile while you read.
I do feel that the later volumes petered out some in terms of subject matter choices and the way the author chose to portray Yotsuba's interactions with them. It got a little boring and uninspired in places, and I can think of a number of far more interesting things for Yotsuba to encounter in her day-to-day life. But I'm definitely going to re-read this series at some point, so maybe my opinion will change.
If this series does continue, I would love, love, LOVE to see Yotsuba go to school, as I think it would open up so many fun story ideas. I just don't know if the author plans to write the series for that long. At this point, it feels like the series is coming to an end. And while that's sad, I'm also okay with that. I could see one more volume coming out to tie things up, but if there are no plans to continue the story in a new setting, then I think this is a good stopping point.
If the author were to continue the series, then I would certainly not say no to him sending Yotsuba off to school. I would read the fool out of that.