Review: Manga
Title: Yokohama Kaidashi Kiko
ALTENATIVE Title: Yokohama Shopping Log or
Record of a Yokohama Shopping Trip
Genre: drama, science fiction, slice of life
Themes: country side
Author: Hitoshi Ashinano
Demography: Seinen
Manga volume: 14
Rating: 10(Masterpiece)
PLOT: Yokohama kaidashi kiko is a manga which is set in a post apocalyptic world, And the conditions are ever deteriorating, but exactly why and when this apocalypse occurred is not specified and thus the fact that its happening is of barely any importance. The manga is a serene portrayal of the characters day to day life bringing the mundane life in the canvas in such a way that never seems vapid at all.
Yokohama kaidashi kiko is mainly about our android/robot protagonist, A type A7M2 robot, one of only three production prototypes. Her name is Alpha (name of the robot project)Hatsuseno(name of her master). From the beginning of the manga she has already lived for a couple of years, and settled herself in her long gone masters home, which she remodeled to a lively cafe Alpha. Alpha open, friendly and mostly cheerful, sometimes clumsy, with a rather large sense of friendship to those around her and those she sees on a more regular basis. In fact, her vibrant nature often makes readers forget that she’s actually a robot. And it’s mostly through her eyes that we see the events unfold, or sights shared. This doesn’t mean that she’s the only focus in the show. Far from it.
The other notable characters are Ojiisan (name not specified) who runs a gas station afar from Cafe Alpha. Takahiro his grandson who goes along with Alpha as if she is his elder sister Kokone another android introduced in the manga who becomes very intimate with Alpha. Sensei, an older woman (even more than Ojiisan) who as the name indicates is a doctor, for both human and robots. Along with many other notably Misago, exactly what she is not specified (YKK has chosen to keep many secret to itself).
A lot of the part of the manga is about how Alpha spends her time with these characters while the other times, she with her trusty motor scooter and her camera she travels around the area making friends with the humans and robots, having new experiences and observing the passage of time. It’s the true Slice of life if you know what I mean.
Verdict: The manga is an exemplary piece of work where you get the feeling that every day no matter how puny and unimprtant it holds for our life can make itself an unforgettable part of it, its a work that helps us to feel that no matter how bad the earts condition goes down to it will still be just as avuncular as the people in it are, its a manga that begs for an optimistic view of life where each character is a main in his own world with their own life to look into. Alpha being stranded in her age never grows up but the character around her does thus she becomes a perfect model to judge different turn of life without changing her views and maturity.
The manga may have ended, but I will certainly find myself reading it all over again at regular intervals, looking at the stories in the same way I would reminiscence about a pleasant memory from my own past. It’s just that kind of manga, and it’s the finest manga I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
Whether its better than "town of evening calm, country of cherry blossoms” is a question. If I have to say then I don’t know, each has its merits.
And art wise it ranks the most impressive one I saw so far apart from Mushishi, which is more mystical and somewhat majestic, while YKK delivers more serene and tranquil and a surreal picture. The series unfolds in a meandering progression, by turns funny, touching, and nostalgic.
I would request every manga fans who can stand slice of life to read it.
It deserves every accolade it got and more.
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