Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Yokohama Shopping Log, Yokohama Shopping Trip, Touge

Japanese: ヨコハマ買い出し紀行

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 14

Chapters: 142

Status: Finished

Published: Apr 25, 1994 to Feb 25, 2006

Genres: Award Winning, Drama, Sci-Fi, Slice of Life

Theme: Iyashikei

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Afternoon

Authors: Ashinano, Hitoshi (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.68¹ (scored by 18,188 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #53²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #205

Members: 72,325

Favorites: 5,051

Resources

Wikipedia

8.68

Ranked #53Popularity #205Members 72,325

MangaAfternoonAshinano, Hitoshi (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /14

Chapters: /142

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Synopsis

In a post-apocalyptic world where an environmental disaster led to the eruption of Mt. Fuji and the inundation of Yokohama, the age of humans is in its twilight. Alpha Hatsuseno is an android and the namesake of a small cafe outside Yokohama. As her owner is away on a trip indefinitely, she has been left responsible for running the cafe. Although she rarely gets any customers, Alpha remains outgoing and cheerful.

While Alpha awaits her owner's homecoming, she explores the vicinity with her scooter and camera. Throughout her journeys, she meets new people and other androids, making memories along the way.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is a beautiful, laid-back story centered around Alpha's daily activities, emphasizing the passing of time in everyday life.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Three drama CDs were released in 2002. In all three, Alpha is voiced by Hekiru Shiina and Kokone by Akiko Nakagawa. Both of whom voiced the same characters in the two OVA series.

A novel based on Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou called Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Novel: Seeing, Walking, Being Glad, written by Teriha Katsuki, was published by Kodansha on 23 October 2008. Set long after the conclusion of the manga series, it tells the story of a boy robot named Omega and his search for the legendary Cafe Alpha. (Source: Wikipedia)

In 2007, the series won the Seiun Award for Best Manga.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou has been published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment as omnibus volumes since August 9, 2022.

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Related Manga

Adaptation:

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Quiet Country Cafe

More characters
Characters

Hatsuseno, Alpha

Main

Takatsu, Kokone

Supporting

Misago

Supporting

Ojisan

Supporting

Takahiro

Supporting

Maruko, Maruko

Supporting

Koumi'ishi, Alpha

Supporting

Koumi'ishi

Supporting

Matsuki

Supporting

Ayase

Supporting

Reviews

Dec 2, 2023

Halcyon13

Recommended

It's a fleeting collection of memories, short-lived moments, and an undivided appreciation for all that exists and happens. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou can be best described as a rudimentary stage of observational meditations, capitalizing on the short-lived nature of learning something new daily, while loosely connecting these discoveries through either recurring characters or a continuation of small adventures. Ashinano's intended feeling of relaxation is steadily present, but past the initial intrigue of rarely traveling to new places and meeting new people, it becomes a matter of sustaining the attraction of following Alpha's menial livelihood. Certain chapters legitimately challenge our perception of Earthly attachments, questioning how one ... would continue to find purpose in a post-apocalyptic future, soon to be submerged under water. Then again, the series' best component is this deceptively idyllic setting, yet not nearly enough time is spent exploring, which gives rise to a relatively common issue, repetition that forcibly wanes interest.

As much as I've claimed that the narrative's mild ennui is dependent on Alpha's inactivity, she's also the singular foundation of why any of Ashinano's concepts work, more specifically, her carefree speech pattern and extremely friendly readiness to interact. Structurally, the majority of the stories are sourced around her curiosity or chronicle an acquaintance of hers, who often introduces her cafe to a new character. The constantly moving, circular rotation of almost every prominent personality arriving for a cup of coffee at the humble shop is a satisfying intersection of paths we assumed would cross at some point; it's a small world if you will. Alpha's keen view of behavior throughout the series sparks the bulk of the reader's engagement, as she contemplates where a gynoid's similarities lie compared to the human inspiration for her design. It's a shame the science-fiction principles are hardly addressed, as there's enough material regarding ridiculously high intelligence and sense of emotion for a humanoid robot for a sequel. The technological element is limited to fan service, occasionally posing a theory about how consciousness can be harnessed and replicated.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou's scenic value is largely credited to the texture-first approach to backgrounds, accentuating the emptiness of expansive rural areas. The landscapes are picturesque, maintaining distance and detailed intricacies in panels that are slightly more condensed. Coastal drawings experiment with characters swimming, sometimes evoking the sensation of soaring through clouds, visualized by dark ink-shaded streaks. However, Ashinano gives little attention to the actual dystopian parts of the worldbuilding, likely to remain on the lighter side of mystery, but I find the impending danger of water in a seaside environment a necessary geographical insight. There is no consistent plot or direction here, rather it's thoroughly engrossed in laid-back immersion, unable to be intellectualized nor extended beyond the comfortability we've already experienced. The minimalist sentimentality is exciting while it lasts, highlighting communities and living in the present.

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Feb 18, 2023

darkpixelftw

Mixed Feelings

TL:DR
Over-rated but not bad. Some loose threads in it "plot". Very unique atmosphere, similar to the "cosy dystopia" vibe of Girl's last Tour. Seems somewhat rushed towards to end. Beautiful art but it can't compensate for the characters and plot (or lack thereof). I recommend this only if you enjoy the vibe. There really isn't much else here.

Story: 4/10
The story follows Alpha's life as the people around her grow up, and she grows as a person too. Her interactions with neighbours and friends she makes along the way changes her, subtly. Maybe too subtly, it's hard to convey that the robot Alpha is now ... "human", or more human, when she was pretty much a regular person in the beginning anyway. The fact that Alpha (and some of her friends) is an android is simply superfluous.

People grow up, move out, the village Alpha lives in decays slowly. The world is dying, the apocalypse happened in the past, and yet nothing comes of it. The apocalypse, or humanity dying out really only comes up at the last chapter.

It really does feel like another manga about living in the country side. The fact that the world is ending, or that there are robots around, is simply unnecessary. You could rewrite the entire manga to be about a small village dying out and pretty much nothing would change.

So many elements of the manga feel tacked on or pointless. What's with the Misago? It never goes anywhere, was it supposed to represent growing up? If it was, there are far better ways to go about. What does the never-landing plane mean? Why was it included? I can't even guess.

I feel that there is a long period of relative stasis story-wise and then the child characters suddenly grow up. Maybe that was the intention, after all that's how it often feels like in real life, right? However, the languid pace the earlier chapters becomes light speed. I think it would have more impact if we spent more time with the characters, and they grew up at a slower pace.

Kokone's thing is trying to find the androids that came before her. And we sort of get a conclusion, that android were made from human experiences. No not uploading human brains or something dark like that but something more literal. If that sounds nonsensical, I agree. It didn't make any sense for me and that robbed any emotional impact it could have had.

The manga has a melancholic, bittersweet but pleasant atmosphere. Yet, when I read this, I often wondered what I was actually looking at. Sure, the child characters grow up, but we see them so little (and it happens so fast) that I didn't really care. Alpha never really changes, not in any way that I could actually describe. The friends she make get a few appearances each but they never have much of a presence. There's no plot, no drama or deepening relationships. This manga isn't philosophical or enlightening, I was never made to think about something. The more I think about it, the more I feel I wasted my time reading this.

Art: How can you even rate art?/10
Damn the art is good. The characters actually change clothes! Wow! The character designs are so cute and emotive. Some of the panels are practically paintings, if I saw some of them in a gallery, I wouldn't bat an eye. The manga has whole chapters with no dialogue and the minimalist style absolutely works! The panels are so well constructed and emotive. If nothing else, check out some of the wide panels.

And to address criticisms I've heard, I don't think this is a moe-bait manga. Yes, the character designs are cute and data between androids is transferred by kissing (sigh, I know) but it's never shown "on screen". There isn't really fan service.

Character: 4/10
Characters are idealised caricatures of rural folk, no drama, no real emotions. I don't think any of them has any depth to them. I really can't say more on the subject than that, there just isn't anything to say.

Overall: 5/10
This was a hard review to write. When I initially finished it, I had pretty positive feeling towards the manga. But, given time and fresh eyes, I find more and more to dislike. The manga has very meditative atmosphere which I love. There isn't a manga (or any work really) that feels quite like it. But, if I sat down and tried, I don't think I could tell you what I'm supposed to be meditating on. Maybe I just didn’t "get" it or maybe this manga just isn't for me. Lots of others seem to love it so maybe it will really resonate with you if give it a shot as it has so many others. As for me? I wouldn't recommend it. Except for the art, it's almost worth reading just for that. Great art and a unique vibe just can't compensate for no plot and bad characters

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Sep 12, 2020

Krunchyman

Not Recommended

Funny

“The spaces between the lines on a page epitomize the bulk of your life… but oh does that not make for a banal narrative?” — Krunchyman

Has Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata taught us nothing about the art of slice-of-life? Over the years, I have entertained a myriad of the aforementioned genre in hopes of finding a relative facsimile of the famed Studio Ghibili. Shows like Mushishi, Haibane Renmei, A Whisker Away and A Silent Voice have been nothing short of utter disappointments and have soured my tastes for the genre. Even the preordained replacement of Miyazaki, Mamoru Hosoda, feels like an extremely ... watered down version of the anime master. Before the audience gets the wrong idea, Hosoda’s Wolf Children is probably the best slice-of-life I’ve seen outside of a Studio Ghibli project; that being said, the rest of his works are rather jejune and uninspired. The problem, however, does not rest at the doorstep of the genre itself, but the manner in which most directors approach the genre. And if we consider the creative process, it’s really an issue of apprehension. Directors and mangaka’s are fully aware of the infinitesimal attention span of younger audiences, hence they throw in sexualized scenes, prosaic jokes, and character quirks that do not feel natural in the least; which makes the whole notion of labeling numerous works slice-of-‘LIFE’ rather nonsensical; Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (YKK) does little-to-nothing to change my opinion on this matter.

YKK features a disaster-stricken world where most people live in sparse towns and spend their days lazing about whilst drinking coffee. While YKK is not a tale about mental health or nihilism, I couldn’t help but wonder if the manga panel featuring a gun sitting on the table while Alpha is sipping on her coffee was a reference to an Albert Camus quote, “should I kill myself, or have a cup of coffee?” Philosophical pondering aside, YKK is about the life of Alpha (an A7-M2 model robot) as she lives her cheerful life in her quaint town. As the reader quickly learns, most chapters are placid affairs and many of them contain little-to-no exposition whatsoever. This minimalist approach is quite rare these days and is generally encouraged to permit the viewer to enter a meditative experience about the conundrums of life; however, the conundrums of life are nowhere to be seen in YKK, making the experience in congruent to the human experience. In other words, the characters of YKK feel like idyllic, unrealistic versions of what humans truly are, giving the reader no base in which they can identify with the characters in a meaningful fashion. Life, after all, is about struggling with one’s inner desires and instincts, but when a work of art discounts the essence of life — it is already dead!

One cannot help to draw a parallel with Alpha’s existence and the surface world of Texhnolyze. Both of which are nihilistic ‘paradises’ in which comfort and security of prioritized over the grind of creating a better version of oneself. As a point of contrast, Isao Takahata’s, Only Yesterday, takes the ‘banality’ of human existence and brings to LIFE all of its good and bad aspects. The highs and lows of numerous Studio Ghibli films give the viewer a sense of purpose and fulfillment, even when purpose itself doesn’t exactly exist; whereas YKK is a symbolic representation of heaven, in which you must be comatose to ‘enjoy.’ This is why random scenes in which Alpha takes a bath with Takahiro or the transfer of information between robots through kissing (female kissing, by the way) are used to liven things up, if you will. But all this did was remind the reader that most ‘artists’ in the manga industry are rather indolent, and prefer to give the reader superficial experiences as opposed to literary depth.

It still boggles the mind, though, that YKK, Mushishi, Haibane Renmei, and the like have fooled numerous people into believing that this typifies life — let alone art.

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Poll: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Chapter 140 Discussion wakka9ca - Aug 24, 2009	29 replies	by mazuchi »» Sep 7, 2:39 AM
Poll: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Chapter 84 Discussion Deliriant - Oct 3, 2014	2 replies	by StephLovesCats »» Aug 18, 1:17 AM
Poll: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Chapter 132 Discussion Raitei - Oct 19, 2012	2 replies	by Beatnik »» Aug 13, 3:21 PM
Poll: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Chapter 104 Discussion Raitei - Oct 18, 2012	4 replies	by Beatnik »» Aug 13, 2:22 PM
Poll: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Chapter 58 Discussion Ochitsukaseru - Apr 20, 2021	1 replies	by Beatnik »» Aug 12, 2:40 PM

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