Aug 24, 2021
This is my first review so don't judge, but I saw some absolute bellends giving this masterpiece hate so I had to do something.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is a masterpiece (hence the straight 10's). as long as you like slice of life, you have to read this. It's an extremely bittersweet story, taking place in the twilight years of humanity, I believe that "mono no aware" describes it YKK perfectly. Translated to "the pathos of things", mono no aware is the awareness of impertinence and time passing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mono_no_aware).
Story 10:
The premise is pretty simple, the eruption of mt. Fuji led to flooding of Japan (and
...
the world I guess??). All of humanity is dead except for a few settlements, one of them being cafe Alpha (ill get into it more later). There's not too much 'lore', because it's not the point of the story. Instead, YKK focuses on a robot named Alpha that runs a cafe in the middle of nowhere, her only neighbor an old man she calls Ojisan running a gas station. I want to keep this spoiler free but one of the most interesting parts is the passage of time, Alpha doesn't age so throughout the manga you see all the other characters growing up around her. There are a couple short arcs that add plenty of spice to the story, and as the chapters progress you start to learn the origin of robots. The bulk of the story is feel good slice of like moments, watching all the characters live their lives. I read this review that was talking about nihilism, this manga is the opposite. It's about finding fulfillment in the life they were given, and reading it just makes you smile.
Characters 10:
The characters are easily the best part of YKK. The main cast is Alpha and Ojisan, along with Ojisan's grandson Takahiro, another robot named Kokone, and an old lady name Koumishi. I love the robots in the story because they act like people. They don't spit out 1's and 0's, they understand emotions, and most importantly, they can sing and dance and even get drunk! One super theory I read is that the robots were made to live on after humanity, preserving our species as best as we can. Since the story is about Alpha I'll talk about her the most. I love seeing the world through her eyes. Plenty chapters have her just exploring, playing in the beach, and taking pictures with her camera. I'm sure the camera is a metaphor but I'm pretty thick, I'll let you figure it out ;). I don't really know what else to say, all of the characters radiate positivity. The same hate review saying the people feel idealistic and unrealistically happy. I just laughed, that's the entire point! The world is dying so all the characters are living the best they can, finding fulfillment in their lives. The characters are amazing, and their relationships add so much depth.
Art 10:
The art is beautiful, the random color panels are incredible. There were so many moments that just had me staring at my monitor, Ashinano is an incredible artist. The character designs are super fun as well, and I love the way Alpha dresses. A big plot device is a camera, so it makes sense the author would put in a ton of time in sunsets and landscapes. I don't know much about art so I don't have any more comments, but hey if you have wallpaper engine check out https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2583829079
Enjoyment:
Sorry for the plug lol, but seriously. If you can't tell by my description I love this story. A different hate review said "Is sole personal enjoyment enough to earn something a 10 or 9, if all other important parts of a story lack and the whole thing's mostly a carbon copy of a dozen of similar works?" First off, I don't know anything else like this story so I have no clue what it copied. Second, what's the point of manga? If a story is able to make you smile I think the writer has done their job right. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou has gone above and beyond, providing a happiness no other story has while also creating memorable characters and a wonderful world for you and I to enjoy :)
Thanks for reading my first (and probably only, this took so long writing holy shit) review! Feel free to friend me if you like my profile.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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