Uknighted Manganime Life is too short to watch bad anime

TITLE
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (Yokohama Shopping log.)
GENRE
Slice of life/futuristic drama.
VOLUME AND PUBLISHER INFO
No liscense as of yet.
MANGAKA
Hitoshi Ashinano
VERSION
Scanlation.
READING STATUS
Full (14/14)
NOTES
Two OAV series, two episodes each, has been made based on the manga. Neither of those have gotten an US release either.

Summary:
Far into the countryside, there lies a quiet, quaint coffee shop run by a woman named Alpha Hatsuseno. The shop, amongst other things, were a gift from her creator, who left on a journey many years ago. So, while she waits for him to return and visit, she tends the shop, occationally making trips to Tokyo (as it is in the future) to shop or just explore.

Review:
The first volume… no, CHAPTER… of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou saw the light of day in 1994, and for nearly twelve years, it has run in manga compilation Afternoon, alongside big names like Ah! My Goddess. And, as you guessed, the last volume, the last story, the last chapter, was to arrive in 2006.

It is with no small feeling of loss and melancholia that I sit here and try to find the words to explain this manga. When I started reading it around three years ago, I never expected to hold it to such an esteem as I do today. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is, in short, the finest manga I have ever read, and I don’t see it being surpassed anytime soon, if ever.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is mainly about our robotic protagonist Alpha Hatsuseno, named as such because she was the first robot of her particular type, the last name given to her by her creator. When we first meet her in the manga, she has already lived for a couple of years (though not as many as her… um, design seem to indicate.) Having settled herself in for a nice life at Cafe Alpha, she is still very curious about the outside world and the characters in it — a curiosity that only grows when she finally get around to seeing more of it later on. She’s open, friendly and mostly cheerful, with a rather large sense of friendship to those around her and those she sees on a more regular basis. In fact, her energetic and cheerful nature often makes me 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.

Among the other, more important characters and curiosities in Alpha’s life, her friends are those who gets the most on-frame support. The first character we meet is the elderly, but still spry Ojiisan (I don’t think we ever learn his name, and everyone around him seems to be content with referring to him as such.) He runs the gas station nearby, but also has a habit of tending a few smaller fields, with various produce and results. If there ever was a person who takes life one step at a time in a more pronounced fashion than Alpha, then he would be the one. He’s also the very model of neighborly courtesy and always seems to have the time to drop by Cafe Alpha for a cup and a chat, to which Alpha herself certainly don’t seem to mind.

And then, there’s his grandson, Takahiro, and his “attachment”, Makki. The two of them are, curiously enough, the two main indicators that time — and life — passes in this future vision of Japan, seeing as they both grow considerably in the duration of the manga. Both of them starts out their roles with the kind of youthful vigor you’d expect, which makes it all the stranger to watch them as they grow, especially since Alpha herself remains unchanged.

Kokone Takatsu is Alpha’s first robotic friend, technically the same model, but with a different serial number. She’s basically the “public” version, which gives us an indication of how many robots there seems to be wandering around among the human beings. She’s mostly shy and quiet, though she takes a liking to Alpha almost immediately, and, save for Ojiisan and Takahiro, she’s probably the most frequently used character in the manga. She’s also as curious as Alpha, though her curiosity seems to be more directed at themselves — the robotic humanoids, that is — and how they came into being. Also, unlike Alpha, she’s a city dweller.

The doctor is the last of the main personell, and the manga has a habit of hinting at the readers that she’s got more to do with the robots than you might think. Like Ojiisan, she’s an elderly person, and you quickly get the feeling that she sits on a wealth of knowledge about a lot of things.

Artwise, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou ranks as the most impressive I have ever seen. Character designs might look a wee bit simple at first glance, and in all honesty, it took me some time getting used to them. (I would actually have to admit, I’m not entirely comfortable with the character art in the very beginning of the manga.) Where YKK really shines, though, is in the extremely detailed background work. I would certainly not call it flashy, far from it. The manga doesn’t feature large, outrageous building or plant designs that would look alien to any earthling. Instead, we are presented to plain vegetation that is enhanced through the sheer force of realism, and it’s quite clear that the artist knows how the land is influenced by weather and by the particular growth nearby. You’re not just seeing a house at the end of a cliff by the sea. You can almost imagine it being an actual place you can travel to. You’re not just seeing roads and cities being submerged underwater. It’s almost as if it already happened, that the manga artist has been to that very place and found the inspiration for his work there. It’s… hard to explain, but the feeling of “having been there” is very prominent in Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. It’s a feeling I rather like.

And often, that’s how the manga speaks to the readers. While there are certainly no lack of dialogue between the characters in YKK, often the manga artist just let the images speak for themselves. The root of the story is basically the…. well, I don’t really know if it was a disaster, but one has to wonder just how Japan as it is presented in YKK, has come to this point. YKK has chosen to keep many secrets for itself, and while this may annoy a lot of people, I feel that this helps enrich the story. If there’s one thing I’m getting just a WEE bit tired of, then that would be post-apocalyptic (or at least post-cataclysmic) stories where the disaster that happened long ago is brought into light and used as a means to go into a long-winded tirade against human beings or hatecrimes or what have you. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou points no fingers — assigns no blame. It’s merely the story about a group of people living in what might very well be the result of some disaster, but for all it matters, looks like a paradise to me. It does go a little bit into the future of human beings, but I can’t say anything about that without spoiling stuff, so I’ll leave that to you to find out at your own leisure.

14 volumes! 14 volumes, and this rich, gorgeous, quiet, gentle and sweet manga has ended. I’m not going to say how it ended, of course, but the ending itself is definitely what I could have hoped for and THEN some. (Even though I have to swallow the proverbial lump in my throat in the process.) The creator of YKK, Hitoshi Ashinano, certainly have a knack for poignant, emotionally laden endings that both leaves you wanting more while at the same time understanding that things have to end eventually. It’s a strange kind of melancholia, especially in light of the fact that the manga itself never really delves any deeper than light sadness at worst. The manga is a joyful celebration of life and, believe it or not, a positive outlook of the future, no matter what happens. 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.

APPROPRIATENESS
The only thing I can think of is a scene where Alpha drinks alcohol, which might be considered unsuitable for some people. Curiously enough, there is at least two instances of characters brandishing what looks like firearms, but while Alpha’s gun is real (though unloaded), the manga is quick to point out that the others are mainly stun guns. Kinda redundant, seeing as absolutely none of the YKK characters have any violent tendencies whatsoever. Seriously, this manga is pretty much suitable for anyone, regardless of age.

RATING: (Five stars for a five star experience.)

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REVIEW BY
Northlander