The manga is by Kiyohiko Azuma who also created Azumanga Daioh. The similarities between these two are very apparent, and the style of humor is the same, so if you liked Azumanga Daioh, then you don’t want to miss reading Yotsuba&!.
Similar to Azumanga Daioh, you’ll meet lots of new characters as the series progresses, mostly Yotsuba’s friends and neighbors, and they are all almost as odd as she is. XD My two favorite characters are Mr. Koiwai and Fuka Ayase. Mr. Koiwai is Yotsuba’s father. I aspire to be like him when I have my own daughter. He’s kind and is always there to take care of Yotsuba, but at the same time he makes sure she behaves properly (not so easy for a five-year-old). Fuka Ayase is 16-years-old and the middle sister of the Ayase family, who lives next-door to Yotsuba. Fuka is creative and smart, and she is the vice-president at school, but she also gets flustered really easily.
Yotsuba&! is a slice-of-life series, through and through. When I thought about slice-of-life, I used to think about Azumanga Daioh or Lucky Star, but none of them capture the little joys and perks in life as well as Yotsuba&! does.
In the manga you’ll follow Yotsuba to the bike store, the zoo, and much much more, all while seeing what life is like through the perspective of an eccentric five-year-old. It is funny reading Yotsuba's unusual but completely innocent remarks about things such as global warming and cicadas. Yotsuba will say and do the darndest things, and despite her bratty side which appears from time to time, you can’t help but adore her.
