Overview
Yotsuba&! (“Yotsuba and”, pronounced Yotsubato) is a slice of life manga by Kiyohiko Azuma (Azumanga Daioh) that began life as a series of oneshots under the title Try! Try! Try! in 1998, before Azuma returned to it in 2003 after finishing Azumanga Daioh. The plot, in so far as there is any, focuses on a young energetic girl named Yotsuba and her adventures in the neighborhood with her adoptive father Yousuke, as well as their neighbors the Ayase family. Known on the English-speaking Internet for somehow being one of the few sacred cows that even 4chan refuses to mess with, Yotsuba&! also has the weird distinction of having an anime spinoff while itself being barred from being animated in the form of Nyanbo.
However, that hasn’t stopped companies from merchandising the series anyway. In 2013, Kotobukiya created a model kit of Yotsuba, carrying around a camera, a handbag, a cardboard box and her trusty teddy bear Duralumin.
Construction and Engineering
The plastic is decent and the kit is fairly articulate, especially for a pre-FA Girl/Megami Device Kotobukiya. It does require some painting for the camera and to properly detail Duralumin, but nowhere on the scale of some other kits. It’s also a very easy kit to put together; like the manga it’s based on, it’s easy to pick up and a good time to get through.
Aesthetics:
Yotsuba is cute and this kit is an almost perfect adaptation of Yotsuba to a 3D format. What more could you ask for?
Ease of Acquisition:
As this kit hasn’t been printed in sometime, you will have to go for the secondhand market. We got our copy for ¥3000 (roughly £14/ $19) from Mandarake, so if you’re looking for one of your own, secondhand sites might be the best place to start.
Personal Verdict?
If you like Yotsuba&!, you’ll like this kit. It’s sweet, simple and easy to build, allowing fans to build her even if they’re not an expert. She’s not a must-have, but you won’t regret it if you do give her a try.
Official Site: https://www.kotobukiya.co.jp/en/
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