Yotsuba never disappoints me. Even when she's depressed, I find myself laughing at least every other page. In this volume Yotsuba learns how udon noodles are made, tries pizza for the first time, goes chestnut picking, discovers bubbles, becomes a photog, and suffers her first night away from Juralumin. I am very interested in volume 12 as an overnight camping trip is hinted at in the first chapter, which can only be filled with amazement and wonder for Yotsuba and I cannot wait to take part in that adventure. This time the early chapters were more episodic than usual, I thought. The first one wasn't even particularly funny, but very life-like: Yotsuba lost her way in the neighbourhood, comes across a small family-run udon restaurant and peers in the window to see an old man hand-making udon noodles. And she goes in and badgers the people to look on (a nice wink at the audience was her rhapsodising about supermarket udon noodles and the noodle maker carefully not reacting to her). When asked she's quite willing to show her address on a piece of paper and her dad has to come and take her home.In the second chapter Yotsuba and her dad order Pizza and it takes a long time to come and then they eat it and Yotsuba has never eaten it before. The fun lies in showing all the waiting bits in between. Azuma can really draw people in weird positions anatomically correctly. Considering he doesn't use a super-realistic manga style that's pretty cool, I think.The next chapter is Yotsuba and soap bubbles: Jumbo and dad are involved, but actually her dearest enemy Yanda has bought all kinds of amazing bubble-making tools and all of them play with them outside in the park (because it gets really soapy indoors fast), with no feelings of self-consciousness whatsoever.And then Yotsuba gets taken on a chestnut-collecting trip for the first time. The biggest thing are the worms in the chestnut.The last few chapters are all interconnected however (well actually the chestnuts show up in the last chapter, too), Yotsuba gets her own beginners camera and takes pictures. In her exploration of the neighbourhood it's hilarious how many of the grown-ups are quite willing to do the stupidest poses when asked by her. But when she shows Miura her new camera, they come across a big dog behind a fence on their way back to Yotsuba's house and Yotsuba manages to have the dog snatch her teddy Jourlamin from her (because she basically teases it).The scene of how she gets Jourlamin back (Miura is too scared of the dog herself) is brilliant, but then the dog stinks. And the girls decide to wash the teddy - and then it doesn't speak any more... The portrayal of Yotsuba's real grief and her eventual enjoyment of being really, really sad is so well done - I remember these emotions being so intense but also enjoyable myself at that age.And the teddy is healed at the end, no worries ^^
What do You think about Yotsuba&!, Bd. 11 (2012)?
the chapter about her getting a camera is my favorite. I'll start taking more pictures from now on!
—Shonamercy
Yotsuba never disappoints and I laughed even more this time around. Can't wait for vol.12!
—antonieta93
Giggled my way through it, as usual. Yotsuba never disappoints.
—keighteen
gorgeous as always. AAA yotsuba unyu bangeet :3
—nick
