This week I am reviewing Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (no official English title so you have to bear with the Japanese) by Hitoshi Ashinano.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is a sci-fi slice of life (why else would it be good) manga that was serialized from 1994 to 2006 in Afternoon magazine (probably the best monthly magazine with titles like Vinland Saga, Blade of the Immortal, Land of the Lustrous and many more). The premise is that the world has undergone an ecological collapse, yet humanity is still present, albeit scarcely. We follow our main character Alpha, who is a very human-like robot and runs a coffee shop in the outskirts of Yokohama. Having barely any customers, she spends her days either lazing around, be it by herself or with the few people living in the area, or exploring the obscure nature of the region and generally contemplating life. It is a great example of the iyashikei genre (serene depictions of characters’ daily lives aiming to spiritually ‘heal’ the reader) while also being a thought-provoking journey to find humanity.
This description may create the image of a serious and dry narrative but the reality is poles apart. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is a meticulously paced as the stories (chapters) are fairly short in length (around 16 pages with small amounts of text) yet their components all feel adequately realized. The artistic abilities of Ashinano, coupled with his skill to make the stories flow, lay the groundwork for intimate characterization and allow the reader to easily get immersed in the manga’s unique atmosphere. In other words, he certainly succeeds in depicting the most charming post-apocalyptic world I have ever seen.
Now let’s talk characters:
Alpha is a great main character. Being a robot that no longer has a master, she is faced with two problems – understanding how living creatures perceive the world (time and age) and finding a new purpose in life. She, however, is not Miyamoto Musashi (Vagabond and real life) and won’t embark on a philosophical quest filled with metaphors in order to find answers. Instead these issues are dealt with in a completely natural way by having her eventually reach conclusions after all she experiences in the real world around her. She is also extremely likeable.
The second most important character is Kokone. Another robot that unlike Alpha works as a courier and therefore travels a lot. A much more methodical individual, she never questioned the world around her the same way Alpha does. After meeting Alpha she starts to understand the beauty of uncertainty and the appeal of exploration and even simple parts of life. She fits her role as a foil to Alpha’s character perfectly, while also being great by herself.
The rest of the cast is also excellently used. Whether it is the elderly duo of Ojisan and Koumi’ishi that have already walked their paths or the much younger Takahiro and Matsuki that have their whole life in front of them, they all contribute to the narrative and give rise to a whole specter of viewpoints for the main topics of the manga. There is also a traveler that wonders the region with his flying fish predator that look like it came out of an mlg compilation.
Naturally, I cannot avoid talking about the art of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. What can I say? It is gorgeous. I love how it effortlessly conveys the atmosphere of the world and brings life to all the characters. The easiest way to bring my point across is with numbers. From this 140 chapters manga I have saved 320 pages which I thought looked extremely beautiful.
As I mentioned before, there is a great deal of meaning packed in Yokohama‘s narrative. In a world, where society and politics are practically nonexistent, it is only up to the individual to chose what future to chase. and with that more questions arise A great topic the manga discusses is that of memories and growing up. Alpha can learn new things but her existence is not as momentary as that of a human. Is there value in a story that never ends? Can people really live on in another’s memories? Should a life even have a purpose when only the individual is there to decide? If any of that sounds intriguing, I suggest you give Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou a read.
For my final thoughts I would say that Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is very much like tea. It is warm and soothing and clears your mind before a long day of work or a good night’s sleep. It is simultaneously simple in ingredients and complex in flavor. Most of all – it leaves you feeling content without dismissing the prospect of a future revisit.
