Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou

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Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (abbreviated to YKK outside Japan) is an example of the proverbial “diamond in the coal mine”. Written and drawn by Ashinano Hitoshi, the manga was serialized in Kodansha's [b]Afternoon[/b] magazine for almost 12 years, and has gathered a number of devoted fans around the world despite the lack of licensed English translations. This comes as no surprise since it is one of the few series which deserves to be treated as a works of literature rather than of pop culture. YKK is a testament to the true potential of manga and the series is recognized as such, having been deemed worthy of ... Afternoon magazine's Four Seasons Award for debut works as well as the 2007 Seiun Award for Best Science Fiction Manga.

[b]Story (9.7) & Characters (10)[/b]

YKK is a science fiction story as it is set in a future after an unspecified large-scale disaster and the main character, Alpha Hatsuseno, is a robot who looks human. However, this is where any similarity to "regular" sci-fi ends. There are no spaceships, lasers, or mecha of any sort. Instead, older technology such as scooters, radios, propeller-driven aircrafts and the like, are very much still in use. This is reflective of the rural lifestyle that humanity has adopted in the story and adds to the easygoing pace of the manga. This tranquil, almost bittersweet feeling is reflected in the art style, the characters, and even the manner in which the story is delivered.

The story is told mainly from the perspective of Alpha Hatsuseno as she meets old friends, makes new ones, and casually explores the world around her. The most unusual fact about Alpha is that she isn't human, but a type A7M2 robot who looks human and is capable of feeling emotions. The story begins with Alpha taking a trip to Yokohama to buy coffee beans. She has been alone for some time as she waits for her "owner" to return from wherever he has disappeared to and, being immortal, she has decided that she can wait as long as it takes. In the meantime, she runs Café Alpha, a small coffee shop in the middle of nowhere which her owner left in her care.

Besides Alpha, several other characters also appear throughout the series. Some are shown regularly like Oji-san and his grandson Takahiro who run the gas station near the café. Others turn up less frequently such as the anonymous café customer and the mysterious Misago, an ageless wild woman who only appears before children. Next to Alpha, the other most prominently featured character is Kokone Takatsu, a type A7M3 robot. Kokone is effectively Alpha’s younger sister (production-wise that is), and as their friendship grows, she begins to develop romantic feelings for Alpha which later stir her curiosity about the history and nature of the A7 series.

Although the other characters do not enjoy as much exposure as Alpha does, several are given sufficient development to be memorable in their own right and their experiences serve as important reference points that highlight the passage of time. Through them, the reader is shown the great expanse of the story spanning the landscape and the era.

One of the most notable achievements of YKK is the manner in which the characters enhance each other throughout the series, and how Alpha gains a new perspective on life through her encounters with them. The interactions between the characters are often laconic and unhurried. Because of this, each encounter gains a languid, almost dreamlike quality that is far more memorable than what can be found in many other slice of life manga.

[b]Art (9.7)[/b]

The art in YKK contributes greatly to the relaxed atmosphere of the manga. Ashinano’s style is evocative of the simple yet fantastic nature of the world. In several parts of the manga, commonplace scenes are given an ethereal quality. This, together with the character designs and Ashinano’s unusual use of blank space, gives the art style a surreal characteristic that at times appears almost paradoxical. As with any long running series, the art style has evolved and improved over time.

Ashinano Hitoshi's character designs are perplexingly both spare and meticulous. Each character’s face is basic yet highly expressive; a stark contrast to their elegantly elaborate clothing and accoutrements. This unusual style is further enhanced by the picturesque backdrops and settings which the characters find themselves in. In addition to this, Ashinano has made wonderful use of blank space to emphasize the amount of detail in the characters and settings, something which is more prominently highlighted in the beautiful colored illustrations and panels that appear in the manga. This style of artwork focuses not only on the locations, but on the characters themselves and serves to enhance the reader's empathy towards each character.

From the most beautiful parts of nature to fantastic creations of Ashinano’s imagination (giant sunflowers, underwater streetlights, water gods, kamas, and many other wonders that Alpha discovers), each object and location in YKK helps to transport the reader more deeply into Alpha’s world. Not only is it easy to understand what she is feeling about her surroundings from the art alone, but the simple beauty serves as a way of deeply understanding not only the intricacies of her world, but of ours as well.

[b]Enjoyment (10)[/b]

Many readers have hailed YKK as the epitome of the slice of life genre and, given the premise, this may be no exaggeration. The series makes exceptional use of “mono no aware” (a Japanese term used to express the awareness of the transient nature of things, and the bittersweet sadness at their passing), and the time period in which the story is set makes the use of this especially poignant. In Alpha's words "It looks like the twilight of this age has quietly arrived. I think I'll be around 'til these twilight years end."

Reading YKK is without doubt one of the most unique and wonderful experiences in manga. Each chapter is filled with a calm, inviting feeling that pulls the reader into the story like a lucid dream. Alpha is without doubt one of the most engaging characters ever created, combining childlike innocence with reflective maturity. The story is remarkable in both its simplicity and its complexity as the reader is taken on a journey of discovery about themselves, the world around them, and the transient nature of things, whilst the art perfectly resonates with both of these elements to produce an atmosphere like no other.

Melancholy yet hopeful, exciting yet wistful, joyful yet sad, YKK is a singular achievement in manga that is deserving of the title "Masterpiece", and should be afforded a place amongst the great works of modern literature.



[b]OVERALL - 10[/b]



This review is the final result of a review team composed of members from the [b]"Critics and Connoisseurs"[/b] club. The team members were:

[b]Anomalous[/b] - writer and editor
[b]Archaeon[/b] - writer and editor
[b]Yuunagi[/b] - writer and editor

Here are their individual scorings for the Manga:
Category - Anomalous, Archaeon, Yuunagi

Story - 9, 10, 10
Art - 10, 10, 9
Character - 10, 10, 10
Enjoyment - 10, 10, 10
Overall - 10, 10, 10

[b]In the club wide poll held for Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou it received an average overall rating of 8.83[/b]

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

I signed up to MyAnimeList in July 2008, and read YKK within a year. At that time, it was rated around a 9 and perennially ranked in the top 5 manga, including a stint at #1. Now, 6+ years later, it's rated 8.67 and #48, while Akira is in the top 25, a JoJo series is in the top 10, and two Urasawa manga are in the top 6.

In other words, good job, manga MAL readers!

YKK is about a young woman, Alpha Hatsuseno, who owns a small coffee shop in rural Japan and runs errands on a motorized scooter. ... This takes place after a global apocalypse...but that never becomes relevant to the story. And Alpha is either an android or robot...but that never becomes relevant to the story.

It's been well over 6 years since I read the manga, but I remember YKK like it was yesterday. Not because it was memorable, mind you, but because there was so damn little to remember!

There is no conflict or even plot to the 14 volumes. They consist of Alpha drinking coffee, making small talk with the few other characters, riding a scooter to various errands, and contemplating nature. That's it. Many panels don't even have speech bubbles.

I even set a personal record. I have always read manga quickly, but never before have I managed to consistently read an entire volume of work, normally 150-250 pages, in 5 minutes flat.

The whole time I was asking myself, "why am I reading this"? Is there a compelling, interesting story? No. Are the characters interesting? No. Is it funny? No. Enlightening? No. What's the damn point? I have an extremely wide range of what I'm willing to enjoy, including high school shoujo romances and avant garde, surrealist works.

But utterly empty navel-gazing? No thanks.

I can't even buy that it conveys an appreciation for nature or Shintoism. For one, I get that sense far better hiking on a trail or in a forest. And secondly, the art is far too sparse and simplistic to convey any of that imagery. Maybe if we were talking about a landscape artist on the level of John Constable, JMW Turner, or Isaac Levitan, but we're not. Even by typical manga standards, Hitoshi Ashanano's art is average and unexceptional.

What we're left with is a ruthlessly boring, empty manga.