Yotsuba&! (2011)

[よつばと!]

Volume 11

Author/Artist: Kiyohiko Azuma
Publisher: Dengeki Comics

Synopsis:
Yotsuba visits an udon shop, has pizza for the first time, and gets a camera.

Story/Characters:
There's a good variety of stories in this volume. You get the cultural feature of a traditional udonya, the imaginative fun of Yotsuba with her own camera and the (pseudo-)drama of Duralumin getting attacked by a dog. One thing that strikes me about the series is how generous people are with Yotsuba. Even though he's her rival, Yanda really doesn't have any malice toward her (though he can be rather immature in his teasing of her) and the worst we've seen so far is a yakuza-looking guy here who takes offense to Yotsuba taking his picture, but all he does is roar at her to run her off. Part of it is the setting, but Azuma doesn't play the story for unnecessary drama and it's a nice change of pace from most stories, even those geared at younger readers.

Art:
Beyond the usual quality, there are some good transparency effects for the bubbles in Chapter 72. The backgrounds in Chapter 73 (the chestnut hunting one) also stand out.

Conclusion:
This is another satisfying entry into the series. Fans already know they're going to want it in their collection and you should too.

Rating:
Own It