What do you think?
Rate this book
ヨコハマ買い出し紀行 新装版 [Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (Shinsouban)] #1-2
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1
A quiet cup of coffee as the world winds down.
In a future Japan, long after an environmental catastrophe, Alpha the android runs a small café in a seaside town. As she wonders if her absent owner will ever return, she stands witness to the twilight of humanity with coffee, a slice of watermelon, and the sound of her moon guitar. Alpha and her fellow residents enjoy the melancholy beauty of life, even as the end approaches. Savor chapters 1-24 of this beloved manga classic in English for the first time, in this deluxe five-volume set.
In a future Japan, long after an environmental catastrophe, Alpha the android runs a small café in a seaside town. As she wonders if her absent owner will ever return, she stands witness to the twilight of humanity with coffee, a slice of watermelon, and the sound of her moon guitar. Alpha and her fellow residents enjoy the melancholy beauty of life, even as the end approaches. Savor chapters 1-24 of this beloved manga classic in English for the first time, in this deluxe five-volume set.
450 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2022
93 people are currently reading
1032 people want to read
About the author
Hitoshi Ashinano
64 books66 followersHitoshi Ashinano (芦奈野 ひとし, Ashitano Hitoshi) is a Japanese manga artist.
Prior to his professional debut as a solo cartoonist, Ashinano worked as an assistant to manga artist Kousuke Fujishima, while also releasing some doujinshi (amateur manga) under the pen name 'suke'.
Ashinano's comics are known for their contemplative, laid-back, nostalgic feel. His first and best-known series is Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō, a slice-of-life manga set in a post-apocalyptic world. The manga was serialised in Kodansha's comics magazine 'Monthly Afternoon' from 1994 to 2006, won the 2007 'Seiun Award for Best Science Fiction Manga' and was adapted into an anime.
Prior to his professional debut as a solo cartoonist, Ashinano worked as an assistant to manga artist Kousuke Fujishima, while also releasing some doujinshi (amateur manga) under the pen name 'suke'.
Ashinano's comics are known for their contemplative, laid-back, nostalgic feel. His first and best-known series is Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō, a slice-of-life manga set in a post-apocalyptic world. The manga was serialised in Kodansha's comics magazine 'Monthly Afternoon' from 1994 to 2006, won the 2007 'Seiun Award for Best Science Fiction Manga' and was adapted into an anime.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews
August 19, 2022
Alpha is a robot in the form of a young woman who runs a coffee shop in a tiny town south of Yokohama, during what the reader presumes to be the ongoing effects of a soft apocalypse. She's waiting for her owner to return; in the meantime, she spends quiet days at work (not a difficult job, since she gets maybe two customers a day), exploring the area she lives in, and hanging out with a small handful of locals.
First and foremost, this is a cozy story. It's all about low-key interactions and appreciating the world around you. Forgetting you have a camera as you're swept up in the beauty of your surroundings. A couple of light SF manga I've read that have a similar, but not identical feeling are Aria and Girls' Last Tour.
As the book goes along, we meet a few more characters:
- A woman doctor who treats Alpha after she is struck by lightning.
- Ayase, a fisherman with a flying fish pet that assists him with his work.
- The Osprey, a nature spirit (?) who can only be seen by children. Her form is that of a slender, naked young woman with sharp teeth.
- The Association, a group of older people who get together to drink and socialize. This group includes Uncle, who runs a gas station not far from Alpha's coffee shop and provides fuel for her motor scooter.
- Kokone, a courier robot of a more recent model than Alpha, who delivers her a camera from her owner, and comes back to visit socially later on.
There's some melancholy underlying the story. For example, there's Takahiro, a pre-teen boy who lives in the town. He lives with Uncle, who is his grandfather, and we see none of his other relatives. Much as with the soft apocalypse, Takahiro's immediate family being absent isn't mentioned in the story itself. The reader can easily interpret the hugs and protection Alpha provides Takahiro as her being a stand-in for a lost mother, for example. He never acts unhappy about his situation, and is just an ordinary young kid, playing and exploring and, towards the end of the book, bickering with a girl close to his age.
Another point of melancholy is that Alpha is, as far as we can tell, functionally immortal and will be around long after the humans around her are gone. We don't know where her master is now, why they've left Alpha behind, or if they'll ever return to the town. Aside from the very first chapter, which shows a Yokohama full of bustling commerce, the places Alpha visits seem largely bereft of people. Her town is partially underwater, presumably due to climate change. This was written in 1995, which shows that global warming was known of well before half a dozen years ago.
I do have a few critiques of this first volume of YKK, but I'll put them behind spoilers because they aren't what I want to emphasize in this review, and it's pretty obvious they weren't on the author's mind either. :)
Critique section:
I'm not as happy with this "deluxe edition" as I have been with some of Seven Seas' other recent productions. The sections of color pages are nice, and it's cool that reproductions of the original tankoubon covers and other frontispieces--all in color--are included. Still, the cover stock is thinner than it ought to be, there are no glossy pages, and I will lay an even bet that the pages will yellow before five years have gone by, because the paper stock feels somewhat grainy and cheap.
This is a gentle story with nice characters, a light emotional touch, and evocative, absorbing scenery. A little slow, a little retro. Much like Kimagure Orange Road, for me it maybe wasn't worth waiting for multiple decades to see it in official translation. There are ways that it's obvious I'm not the intended audience, but it was at least worth a look as a piece of manga history.
First and foremost, this is a cozy story. It's all about low-key interactions and appreciating the world around you. Forgetting you have a camera as you're swept up in the beauty of your surroundings. A couple of light SF manga I've read that have a similar, but not identical feeling are Aria and Girls' Last Tour.
As the book goes along, we meet a few more characters:
- A woman doctor who treats Alpha after she is struck by lightning.
- Ayase, a fisherman with a flying fish pet that assists him with his work.
- The Osprey, a nature spirit (?) who can only be seen by children. Her form is that of a slender, naked young woman with sharp teeth.
- The Association, a group of older people who get together to drink and socialize. This group includes Uncle, who runs a gas station not far from Alpha's coffee shop and provides fuel for her motor scooter.
- Kokone, a courier robot of a more recent model than Alpha, who delivers her a camera from her owner, and comes back to visit socially later on.
There's some melancholy underlying the story. For example, there's Takahiro, a pre-teen boy who lives in the town. He lives with Uncle, who is his grandfather, and we see none of his other relatives. Much as with the soft apocalypse, Takahiro's immediate family being absent isn't mentioned in the story itself. The reader can easily interpret the hugs and protection Alpha provides Takahiro as her being a stand-in for a lost mother, for example. He never acts unhappy about his situation, and is just an ordinary young kid, playing and exploring and, towards the end of the book, bickering with a girl close to his age.
Another point of melancholy is that Alpha is, as far as we can tell, functionally immortal and will be around long after the humans around her are gone. We don't know where her master is now, why they've left Alpha behind, or if they'll ever return to the town. Aside from the very first chapter, which shows a Yokohama full of bustling commerce, the places Alpha visits seem largely bereft of people. Her town is partially underwater, presumably due to climate change. This was written in 1995, which shows that global warming was known of well before half a dozen years ago.
I do have a few critiques of this first volume of YKK, but I'll put them behind spoilers because they aren't what I want to emphasize in this review, and it's pretty obvious they weren't on the author's mind either. :)
Critique section:
I'm not as happy with this "deluxe edition" as I have been with some of Seven Seas' other recent productions. The sections of color pages are nice, and it's cool that reproductions of the original tankoubon covers and other frontispieces--all in color--are included. Still, the cover stock is thinner than it ought to be, there are no glossy pages, and I will lay an even bet that the pages will yellow before five years have gone by, because the paper stock feels somewhat grainy and cheap.
This is a gentle story with nice characters, a light emotional touch, and evocative, absorbing scenery. A little slow, a little retro. Much like Kimagure Orange Road, for me it maybe wasn't worth waiting for multiple decades to see it in official translation. There are ways that it's obvious I'm not the intended audience, but it was at least worth a look as a piece of manga history.
August 29, 2022
A really evocative set of...scenes, vignettes, whatever - from a post-apocalyptic world. Unlike a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction, the world Alpha and her friends inhabit is fantastical and beautiful. A lot is made of deep emotions, brief encounters with nature and friendship, and Alpha's personal growth.
Alpha's a robot, but it's wonderful how the locals have taken her and her quirks to their hearts.
There's a scene that really got me, near the end of this volume - Alpha standing on a cliff weeping with the beauty of street lamps coming on at dusk - once meant to light the way of people, now shining just to shine. "Flowers of light, left for us by the people of old."
Alpha's a robot, but it's wonderful how the locals have taken her and her quirks to their hearts.
There's a scene that really got me, near the end of this volume - Alpha standing on a cliff weeping with the beauty of street lamps coming on at dusk - once meant to light the way of people, now shining just to shine. "Flowers of light, left for us by the people of old."
September 6, 2025
Don't pick this book up expecting a lot to happen.
Don't pick this book up if you're looking for a lot of action and adventure.
Do pick this up if you want calm, relaxing vibes with fun and endearing characters. I didn't know what to expect when I decided to read this; however, it satisfied my soul in the most unexpected way. I tore through this in two sittings and I cannot wait to dive into the next volume.
Don't pick this book up if you're looking for a lot of action and adventure.
Do pick this up if you want calm, relaxing vibes with fun and endearing characters. I didn't know what to expect when I decided to read this; however, it satisfied my soul in the most unexpected way. I tore through this in two sittings and I cannot wait to dive into the next volume.
March 4, 2023
You can relax now, the rat race is over.
Nothing really happens in Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō. It took me a couple of chapters, but once I gave in to the laid-back vibe, Alpha's wholesome way of life and looking at the world started to rub off on me a bit irl. I absolutely adored this.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō centers around the day-to-day life of a girl named Alpha, who looks after the cafe of her owner until he returns, should he ever. But luckily Alpha has time. She is an android, she can wait forever. In the meantime she enjoys life, meets with her friends, makes some new ones, and takes trips on her scooter.
Even though it's set after some sort of cataclysmic event, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō has zero in common with post-apocalyptic sci-fi. What happened in "the old days" or how is never really discussed. We get little tidbits of info here and there - something with rising water levels. But the "how" is really not the point. Whatever happened happened a long time ago. All we learn is that there aren't that many people left. The rat race is over and life is different now.
The point is that the world they live in is still changing. Alpha's friend and neighbor Senpai takes her on a roadtrip to show her some seasonal views - melancholic vistas that will soon disappear forever. Creating memories is important, because you'll never experience this moment again.
"Don't miss what's right in front of you," says Alpha, which is like her life motto. Everything she does, she does with clear intent. She's in the moment when she brews herself a coffee. It's an exciting day when her friend Kokone drops by for a visit. She takes a ride on her scooter with her new camera, but can't make up her mind about what to take a picture of. There are just too many sights to preserve.
I feel like there's definitely a spiritual dimension to this manga. Like a Zen garden, it expresses the fragility of existence as well as time's unstoppable advance. The only other books I've read that I have a similar tone that I can think of rn are The Walking Man and Furari by Taniguchi.
Nothing really happens in Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō. It took me a couple of chapters, but once I gave in to the laid-back vibe, Alpha's wholesome way of life and looking at the world started to rub off on me a bit irl. I absolutely adored this.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō centers around the day-to-day life of a girl named Alpha, who looks after the cafe of her owner until he returns, should he ever. But luckily Alpha has time. She is an android, she can wait forever. In the meantime she enjoys life, meets with her friends, makes some new ones, and takes trips on her scooter.
Even though it's set after some sort of cataclysmic event, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō has zero in common with post-apocalyptic sci-fi. What happened in "the old days" or how is never really discussed. We get little tidbits of info here and there - something with rising water levels. But the "how" is really not the point. Whatever happened happened a long time ago. All we learn is that there aren't that many people left. The rat race is over and life is different now.
The point is that the world they live in is still changing. Alpha's friend and neighbor Senpai takes her on a roadtrip to show her some seasonal views - melancholic vistas that will soon disappear forever. Creating memories is important, because you'll never experience this moment again.
"Don't miss what's right in front of you," says Alpha, which is like her life motto. Everything she does, she does with clear intent. She's in the moment when she brews herself a coffee. It's an exciting day when her friend Kokone drops by for a visit. She takes a ride on her scooter with her new camera, but can't make up her mind about what to take a picture of. There are just too many sights to preserve.
I feel like there's definitely a spiritual dimension to this manga. Like a Zen garden, it expresses the fragility of existence as well as time's unstoppable advance. The only other books I've read that I have a similar tone that I can think of rn are The Walking Man and Furari by Taniguchi.
September 26, 2025
There's barely any plot to keep things going and yet, the pages flew by in no time. This sparse and highly soothing storytelling creates an absorbing atmosphere that is hard to describe. I just flowed with the art and the writing, engaged with this dystopian utopia, the world slowly and softly ending. Community seems to be the key to the gentleness of this apocalypse, the bonds between the remaining population of this ruined Japan are strong: taking care of each other, drinking coffee, eating sashimi, watching fireworks, praying and remembering, they keep going together and that's all that matters. Memory and the passing of time is also an underlying motif to these vignettes of everyday life. One can say that this exploration of memory is an exercise in nostalgia, I choose to see it as an acknowledgement of the eventual decay of everything, a withering that is natural and brings its own kind of beauty. Other than an idealization of the past, this story seems to be an ode to the present, a reminder that everything passes so we might as well keep an eye open to the good portions of our own private apocalypse.
July 15, 2025
The whimsy is so turned up, my jam and my cup of tea.
"I'm starting to feel that the pictures I have left aren't so limited after all.
Regardless I can remember today's scenery vividly without them."
Apocalyptic Street lamps become:
"Flowers of light, left for us by the people of old."
This graphic novel is a slice of life in the future of Japan whose protagonist is a robot who is beginning to feel, and act, like a human. Published in the 90s this could have been inspiration for the script for the movie Barbie
I used to float/now I just fall down.....what was I made for?
"I'm starting to feel that the pictures I have left aren't so limited after all.
Regardless I can remember today's scenery vividly without them."
Apocalyptic Street lamps become:
"Flowers of light, left for us by the people of old."
This graphic novel is a slice of life in the future of Japan whose protagonist is a robot who is beginning to feel, and act, like a human. Published in the 90s this could have been inspiration for the script for the movie Barbie
I used to float/now I just fall down.....what was I made for?
August 6, 2022
I have been aware of this title for some time, and being drawn in by the concept and the art direction I was really ecstatic when I heard that it was getting an English release in an omnibus format. Still, I did not really know what to expect.
The series is very episodic but has threads that tie everything together to tell a broader story, the flow is very relaxed, and the art has a simplistic beauty to it. Reading the series is quite a relaxing experience as the drama is light and there is a wholesomeness to the story of a robot living out her life in a quiet seaside town.
The book is kind of like a warm hug in manga form, I am really happy to be able to collect this series, and it is something I think I will revisit.
The series is very episodic but has threads that tie everything together to tell a broader story, the flow is very relaxed, and the art has a simplistic beauty to it. Reading the series is quite a relaxing experience as the drama is light and there is a wholesomeness to the story of a robot living out her life in a quiet seaside town.
The book is kind of like a warm hug in manga form, I am really happy to be able to collect this series, and it is something I think I will revisit.
August 28, 2023
This is very cute!
Very simple and not much really going on but somehow it's that simplicity that makes this such a delight to read.
The artwork is simple yet elegant and there's a bittersweet melancholy to the way everyone is just going about their daily business in this quite lil part of a dying world.
I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would!
Highly recommend if you're into the slice-of-life stuff with sweet characters you'll easily develop soft spots for.
Very simple and not much really going on but somehow it's that simplicity that makes this such a delight to read.
The artwork is simple yet elegant and there's a bittersweet melancholy to the way everyone is just going about their daily business in this quite lil part of a dying world.
I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would!
Highly recommend if you're into the slice-of-life stuff with sweet characters you'll easily develop soft spots for.
March 17, 2023
Dystopian/post-apocalypse fiction is a hard genre to make fresh, but this title offers a nice narrative change-up to what the genre can be.
This is Earth's sunset from the perspective of a humanoid android who operates a small coffee shop. I like the peaceful, complacent tone of the story. The world is over, and the handful of humans still around aren't particularly bothered by it, instead focusing on just enjoying the rest of their life. The humdrum tone of the story reminds me of Tsukumizu's Girls' Last Tour, but instead of taking place in a hyper-industrialized wasteland, the setting is an idyllic countryside. The fusion of apocalypse and pastoral beauty calls to mind Terrence Malick or Andrew Wyeth.
Haven't mentioned it yet, but the art is excellent, that kind of classic 90s manga look fused with a bit of Glen Keane.
This is Earth's sunset from the perspective of a humanoid android who operates a small coffee shop. I like the peaceful, complacent tone of the story. The world is over, and the handful of humans still around aren't particularly bothered by it, instead focusing on just enjoying the rest of their life. The humdrum tone of the story reminds me of Tsukumizu's Girls' Last Tour, but instead of taking place in a hyper-industrialized wasteland, the setting is an idyllic countryside. The fusion of apocalypse and pastoral beauty calls to mind Terrence Malick or Andrew Wyeth.
Haven't mentioned it yet, but the art is excellent, that kind of classic 90s manga look fused with a bit of Glen Keane.
June 18, 2023
Super low-key, slice-of-life manga about living in a gentle post-apocalyptic world where the sea level has risen dramatically but everyone sort of shrugs it off and shambles on. The protagonist is a robot who is so close to human in her emotional life that one has to wonder why she is a robot at all. She runs a remote coffee shop patronized by a handful of locals who lead pretty bland and average lives.
It's all very dull but also sort of . . . nice. I have another volume on hand from the library, so I'll read on, even though I'm not entirely sure why at this point.
It's all very dull but also sort of . . . nice. I have another volume on hand from the library, so I'll read on, even though I'm not entirely sure why at this point.
October 7, 2022
This was my favorite manga as a teenager, and as an adult, I appreciate it in a new way. Between global warming and the prominence of fascism, the world is a scary place right now. But Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is a lighthearted reminder to enjoy the moment, even though it’s set in a deteriorating post-apocalyptic world.
April 1, 2023
Read the scanlations last year but this year I picked up the official publication so im logging it again. What a delightful book. Beautiful in such a quiet way. Finding myself inspired by the story all over again. Cant wait for the next volume.
December 20, 2024
This is a warm hug.
July 2, 2024
8/10
Some weeks ago I discovered the Japanese word iyashikei, which means something like heartwarming, feel-good, wholesome or healing. The term is even used to define a genre in serialised storytelling: iyashikei comics, iyashikei tv shows, iyashikei novels. So, now I have a word to denote this genre of manga that I have grown attached to in the last three or four years.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is the quintessential iyashikei manga. It was serialised between 1994 and 2006 in the seinen magazine Afternoon, and only now it's being published in the West. It's a slice-of-life comic set in a post-Apocalyptic world, a near future where Japan appears vastly submerged by waters, and most of humanity seems to be gone. However, unlike what such premises could lead you to expect, the people we follow in the strip live a very pleasant and peaceful life. Full of melancholy, for sure, yet a pleasant one. We may be watching the last generation ever, while mankind slowly wears off. But guess what...in the end this state of affair is not that different from the life of everyone in every generation. We are all going to die. Every death is the end of a world (spoiler alert kids: there is no god, soul or afterlife...). Every life is a melancholic, hopefully beautiful walk towards our personal Apocalypse.
So, the sci-fi-esque premises do not much affect the actual setting of the story. Life after natural cataclysm, for the few survivors, is just country life. The same can be said for the protagonist, Alpha. Technically, we are told that she is an android, a robotto girl. But she looks, talks and experiences life just like every other human being, at least in this first volume (of the five chubby volumes composing the series). Alpha is the owner of a café with rare customers, and while she waits for who knows what she makes a few friends. And she looks outside the window. And she goes around in her vespa. And that's it. Life.
Nice soft art-style, with a simple yet very very effective cross-hatching. Solid panel compositions make the backbone of the work, according to me.
Some weeks ago I discovered the Japanese word iyashikei, which means something like heartwarming, feel-good, wholesome or healing. The term is even used to define a genre in serialised storytelling: iyashikei comics, iyashikei tv shows, iyashikei novels. So, now I have a word to denote this genre of manga that I have grown attached to in the last three or four years.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is the quintessential iyashikei manga. It was serialised between 1994 and 2006 in the seinen magazine Afternoon, and only now it's being published in the West. It's a slice-of-life comic set in a post-Apocalyptic world, a near future where Japan appears vastly submerged by waters, and most of humanity seems to be gone. However, unlike what such premises could lead you to expect, the people we follow in the strip live a very pleasant and peaceful life. Full of melancholy, for sure, yet a pleasant one. We may be watching the last generation ever, while mankind slowly wears off. But guess what...in the end this state of affair is not that different from the life of everyone in every generation. We are all going to die. Every death is the end of a world (spoiler alert kids: there is no god, soul or afterlife...). Every life is a melancholic, hopefully beautiful walk towards our personal Apocalypse.
So, the sci-fi-esque premises do not much affect the actual setting of the story. Life after natural cataclysm, for the few survivors, is just country life. The same can be said for the protagonist, Alpha. Technically, we are told that she is an android, a robotto girl. But she looks, talks and experiences life just like every other human being, at least in this first volume (of the five chubby volumes composing the series). Alpha is the owner of a café with rare customers, and while she waits for who knows what she makes a few friends. And she looks outside the window. And she goes around in her vespa. And that's it. Life.
Nice soft art-style, with a simple yet very very effective cross-hatching. Solid panel compositions make the backbone of the work, according to me.
August 19, 2022
Don't spend your money on this terribly printed edition of a truly magnificent piece of art. Seven Seas completely dropped the ball on this "deluxe" version by choosing to use an extremely low quality, high contrast version of the original artwork. While I can't attach comparison shots to this review, there are entire sections of delicate line art that have been reduced to black smudges. This is not just an occasional issue, but is consistent throughout the book. A quick look at either the original Japanese copies or the recent French edition will show that Seven Seas pushed this book out the door with almost no concern for quality control. Hitoshi Ashinano's artwork is so delicate and so detailed, but Seven Seas has made him look crude and sloppy.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is an incredible manga, but please don't support such an insultingly bad release.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is an incredible manga, but please don't support such an insultingly bad release.
February 4, 2024
I am probably not the person to be reliably reviewing this book for others. I rarely read manga, so I don't have an appreciation for nuances of the genre. My students and colleagues are often heavily influenced by manga and anime (as is Hollywood, the Marvel Universe especially), so I try to keep a toe in the water. This work was mentioned in a panel at a science fiction convention in the last couple of years, so I picked it up.
After the first few pages (this is an easy read, I could have finished it in a day) I had the sense of the world (post-apocalypse, rising seas, reduced population), and understood that the main character is an android. The chapters, though, are not really about that, and they lack significant drama. The events are slice-of-life, there don't seem to be active risks or dangers. The protagonist's needs are minor, and she's mostly not doing much about them. That's not usually a winning formula for fiction.
Some of the chapters are touching, but distanced due to the lack of threat or drama. I was mildly bored, and planning a three-star review. Certain Japanese social conventions were a bit off-putting, as well.
But.
About two-thirds of the way through, the accumulation of small touches finally got through to me. This is a contemplative work, and it's about kindness and perseverance. Most of the turns are involved with acts of kindness, and openheartedness. The big picture may be awful, but these folks are getting along. They are taking what comes, admiring what's beautiful.
In the end, it's a four-star review. The big test is whether I'd buy the next volume, which I'd figured out was a no pretty early on. Well, that's what I thought, but after I post this review I will be ordering the sequel. I'm intrigued. There's a lot of food for thought here.
After the first few pages (this is an easy read, I could have finished it in a day) I had the sense of the world (post-apocalypse, rising seas, reduced population), and understood that the main character is an android. The chapters, though, are not really about that, and they lack significant drama. The events are slice-of-life, there don't seem to be active risks or dangers. The protagonist's needs are minor, and she's mostly not doing much about them. That's not usually a winning formula for fiction.
Some of the chapters are touching, but distanced due to the lack of threat or drama. I was mildly bored, and planning a three-star review. Certain Japanese social conventions were a bit off-putting, as well.
But.
About two-thirds of the way through, the accumulation of small touches finally got through to me. This is a contemplative work, and it's about kindness and perseverance. Most of the turns are involved with acts of kindness, and openheartedness. The big picture may be awful, but these folks are getting along. They are taking what comes, admiring what's beautiful.
In the end, it's a four-star review. The big test is whether I'd buy the next volume, which I'd figured out was a no pretty early on. Well, that's what I thought, but after I post this review I will be ordering the sequel. I'm intrigued. There's a lot of food for thought here.
April 22, 2024
I really enjoyed this overall, absolutely adored Alpha and her cafe. Very reminiscent to other cozy sci-fi such as the Monk and Robot Duology by Becky Chambers (<3). I will most likely be reading more of this series (I just wish it was written by a woman).
However, it was very difficult to look past certain parts or drawings in the story that catered to the male gaze (i.e. the Osprey ‘creature’, and the classic female form, small waist, wide hips, among other things taken up by many manga and anime). I know this was first written in the 90s and written by a man, so I understand my perception on this, but still!!
However, it was very difficult to look past certain parts or drawings in the story that catered to the male gaze (i.e. the Osprey ‘creature’, and the classic female form, small waist, wide hips, among other things taken up by many manga and anime). I know this was first written in the 90s and written by a man, so I understand my perception on this, but still!!
Read
April 14, 2024SO cute, SO wholesome, exactly what i wanted it to be. the ultimate slice of life manga
July 6, 2025
oh my god
January 6, 2025
There was a conversation on Tumblr recently about weird books. You know, the ones where you're never sure what's going on, and you either give in and let the weird wash over you, or struggle to make sense of what the author is trying to say. And I was marveling that people could devote hours to something they didn't really understand and enjoy it. Also, I dnf Rabbit Cake recently because for me, it was weird as performance, simply for the sake of being weird. So generally, I prefer straightforward communication.
Ah, but here? Here we have the loveliest sort of weird. It's a cohesive world, even if we don't get its back story or much explanation about how it works and why it is the way it is. And I'm sort of in love with it. There are no epic battles, no angsty musings about fitting in with society, no preaching. Just little vignettes of life lived in a world that has changed and a quiet acceptance of that. Wonder and appreciation for what is and not too much anguish over what has been lost. People are sparse here and those that show up at Alpha's cafe are welcomed and gladly given time and attention.
Maybe it's the artwork, spare but evocative, simple scenes of nature taking back what humans created. I really want to be there, where the roads are deteriorating and full of cracks with little plants peeking up. Maybe it just fits my mood right now, when I'm spending a lot of time wondering where the world is going and how long that can last.
Whatever, I've been reading a few chapters before bed each night and sleeping well. I'm grateful.
Ah, but here? Here we have the loveliest sort of weird. It's a cohesive world, even if we don't get its back story or much explanation about how it works and why it is the way it is. And I'm sort of in love with it. There are no epic battles, no angsty musings about fitting in with society, no preaching. Just little vignettes of life lived in a world that has changed and a quiet acceptance of that. Wonder and appreciation for what is and not too much anguish over what has been lost. People are sparse here and those that show up at Alpha's cafe are welcomed and gladly given time and attention.
Maybe it's the artwork, spare but evocative, simple scenes of nature taking back what humans created. I really want to be there, where the roads are deteriorating and full of cracks with little plants peeking up. Maybe it just fits my mood right now, when I'm spending a lot of time wondering where the world is going and how long that can last.
Whatever, I've been reading a few chapters before bed each night and sleeping well. I'm grateful.
February 9, 2023
3.5!
this was truly an easy slice of life read, with undercurrents of nostalgia, comfort, melancholy, and even a bit of spookiness threaded underneath. all vibes that really shined through the relaxed narrative and setting. it did seem like something was building slowly behind the scenes, but it never really amounted to anything or became any more overt by the end, which I really hope it will in the next omnibus! this seemed to lack that sense of progress in the story.
also... there were a handful of scenes that made it soooo evident this was written by a man lololol
this was truly an easy slice of life read, with undercurrents of nostalgia, comfort, melancholy, and even a bit of spookiness threaded underneath. all vibes that really shined through the relaxed narrative and setting. it did seem like something was building slowly behind the scenes, but it never really amounted to anything or became any more overt by the end, which I really hope it will in the next omnibus! this seemed to lack that sense of progress in the story.
also... there were a handful of scenes that made it soooo evident this was written by a man lololol
April 8, 2023
The story of a futuristic Japan and a young women, who is actually a robot, who lives amidst the aftermath of a cataclysmic event.
I was lukewarm about the robot characters before I started this manga, but I was wrong. Such a delicate, lovely book. Hoping for another volume soon!
Outstanding.
I was lukewarm about the robot characters before I started this manga, but I was wrong. Such a delicate, lovely book. Hoping for another volume soon!
Outstanding.
August 20, 2022
"A quiet cup of coffee as the world winds down."
Rly beautiful in how it lets you sit within these quiet moments, giving room to say what has been unsaid.
Rly beautiful in how it lets you sit within these quiet moments, giving room to say what has been unsaid.
January 17, 2024
I’ve been on a kick for gentle post-apocalyptic robot media as of late, and this manga has been really stand-out in that category! Just a quiet slice-of-life book about how the android Alpha spends her days in a rural coastal town, as the world’s sea levels slowly rise. The world is going out with a gentle sigh, rather than a bang, and the people in and around the mostly-sunken Yokohama City and the rural Miura Peninsula have peacefully built their lives around the ever-changing coast.
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is classified as “iyashikei”, a slice-of-life subgenre specific to Japanese works, “portraying characters living peaceful lives in calming environments, and is intended to have a healing effect on the audience”. It’s not super plot-focused, and that’s intentional, as each chapter is just a vignette into the work’s immersive world-building, and a small glimpse into the lives of the main characters! The writing and art made me feel every gust of crisp sea air and every cup of coffee shared! It has that sense of romanticisation of little things in every day life, which most people look for in Ghibli works, though I’m not sure how reductive it would be to call this ‘Ghibli-esque’; it’s possibly fitting, but I feel like every Japanese work gets a ‘Ghibli-esque’ label slapped on it by foreign audiences at some point, so I’m avoiding that.
Hitoshi Ashinano’s beautiful artwork cannot be understated - I adore this type of 90s era manga art style (especially the way he draws women! they always feel like uhh actual fleshed out human people. There is a vaguely supernatural sea monster girl in the recurring cast who is just casually always nude and it’s pleasantly non-sexual. There’s one scene where the vibes were a teensy bit weird? but I’m not sure what to read into that) and the way he renders scenery in this post apocalyptic world is incredibly immersive. The Seven Seas translated deluxe edition is also so beautifully printed and designed, with the cover’s foil-finish text and the interior colour inserts.
Overall, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou has been a wonderful addition to my personal manga library that I know I’ll be coming back to, even just for the art! Such a calming and pleasant read 💛🌊✨
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is classified as “iyashikei”, a slice-of-life subgenre specific to Japanese works, “portraying characters living peaceful lives in calming environments, and is intended to have a healing effect on the audience”. It’s not super plot-focused, and that’s intentional, as each chapter is just a vignette into the work’s immersive world-building, and a small glimpse into the lives of the main characters! The writing and art made me feel every gust of crisp sea air and every cup of coffee shared! It has that sense of romanticisation of little things in every day life, which most people look for in Ghibli works, though I’m not sure how reductive it would be to call this ‘Ghibli-esque’; it’s possibly fitting, but I feel like every Japanese work gets a ‘Ghibli-esque’ label slapped on it by foreign audiences at some point, so I’m avoiding that.
Hitoshi Ashinano’s beautiful artwork cannot be understated - I adore this type of 90s era manga art style (especially the way he draws women! they always feel like uhh actual fleshed out human people. There is a vaguely supernatural sea monster girl in the recurring cast who is just casually always nude and it’s pleasantly non-sexual. There’s one scene where the vibes were a teensy bit weird? but I’m not sure what to read into that) and the way he renders scenery in this post apocalyptic world is incredibly immersive. The Seven Seas translated deluxe edition is also so beautifully printed and designed, with the cover’s foil-finish text and the interior colour inserts.
Overall, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou has been a wonderful addition to my personal manga library that I know I’ll be coming back to, even just for the art! Such a calming and pleasant read 💛🌊✨
August 24, 2023
The seasons aren’t as distinct as they used to be…. but I think everyone’s become more sensitive to things.
I rarely review manga on here, but I had to make an exception for this poignant and reflective volume.
In loosely connected episodic chapters, we explore a quiet Japan years after some kind of catastrophe or natural decline. Streetlights twinkle under ocean waves. Roads slowly disappear as tides move inland. And amidst it all, an android serves coffee in a small cafe to a handful of regulars and shows herself to be as human as the rest of us, whatever that means.
The back cover of this volume describes this series as a quiet cup of coffee as the world winds down. That’s apt. There’s not much moving the plot along to a clear destination, instead we’re invited to sit in on special moments. It’s a somewhat soothing and meditative vision of how life goes on.
It's hard to describe, but the pages really breathe. The words and art are married beautifully and both show incredible talent and a clear vision for what Hitoshi Ashinano wanted this to be.
Savor your time with this one. 5/5.
I rarely review manga on here, but I had to make an exception for this poignant and reflective volume.
In loosely connected episodic chapters, we explore a quiet Japan years after some kind of catastrophe or natural decline. Streetlights twinkle under ocean waves. Roads slowly disappear as tides move inland. And amidst it all, an android serves coffee in a small cafe to a handful of regulars and shows herself to be as human as the rest of us, whatever that means.
The back cover of this volume describes this series as a quiet cup of coffee as the world winds down. That’s apt. There’s not much moving the plot along to a clear destination, instead we’re invited to sit in on special moments. It’s a somewhat soothing and meditative vision of how life goes on.
It's hard to describe, but the pages really breathe. The words and art are married beautifully and both show incredible talent and a clear vision for what Hitoshi Ashinano wanted this to be.
Savor your time with this one. 5/5.
February 8, 2023
Utterly soul-swelling and beautiful. This series is a quiet moment of meditation stretched across the face of an apocalyptic Japan. It is so quiet, contemplative, and unorthodox in its take on an apocalyptic setting. It has a rather Buddhist approach to the supposed end of the world, with people living their quiet lives full of love and hope during what is meant to be the twilight of humanity. Alpha is a beautiful soul, and her personhood as a robot is never called into question. Her destiny though, as humanity fades away is compelling. The contrast with Yokone as a younger, overthinking youth is beautiful, and every relationship in this book radiates its own unique kind of love.
There's not much conflict, and I don't know what direction it goes beyond this point, but I would take this premise every time. This is a series about love under any circumstance and it is easy to adore with your whole heart.
That's all.
There's not much conflict, and I don't know what direction it goes beyond this point, but I would take this premise every time. This is a series about love under any circumstance and it is easy to adore with your whole heart.
That's all.
February 4, 2024
I only have kind and wonderful things to say about reading this series for the first time. The setting is a dystopian future due severe changes in the Earth’s climate. Yet, this series is portrayed through “slice of life” story telling. It’s relaxing, heartwarming, and still carries the undertones that this is the end of the world. A wonderful read for anyone, even those who don’t normally pursue manga.
Recommendation: Read the translation notes and references at the back of the book early on. A lot of time and intention was taken into translating this series. Lovely!
Recommendation: Read the translation notes and references at the back of the book early on. A lot of time and intention was taken into translating this series. Lovely!
January 11, 2025
A lovely little manga series about the Earth after an environemntal apocalypse of sorts, and the people living in it despite everything.
Very peaceful and meditative with a lot of melancholy underneath. Vibes remind me of some of my favorite comic strips at times (Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts) in the way that a comic strip can just be a little meditation on some subject rather than jave a greater narrative. I do hope it gets a little more going in terms of plot, though.
My favorite thing about this so far is how Ashinano decides to use eschew cynicism for a more hopeful tone. Excited to read more and see where it goes!
Very peaceful and meditative with a lot of melancholy underneath. Vibes remind me of some of my favorite comic strips at times (Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts) in the way that a comic strip can just be a little meditation on some subject rather than jave a greater narrative. I do hope it gets a little more going in terms of plot, though.
My favorite thing about this so far is how Ashinano decides to use eschew cynicism for a more hopeful tone. Excited to read more and see where it goes!
April 9, 2023
Lovely peaceful scifi novel about a robot named Alfa who’s an owner of the coffee shop in the rural part of Japan. The story takes place in somewhat apocalyptic setting as the country slowly sinking into the ocean. However it’s primarily slice of life about adorable kind Alfa and her friends, day to day activities.
October 3, 2023
I absolutely loved the art, the premise, and the main character. It had some very sweet and touching moments that were very relaxing.
However, it is laden with all the issues that most manga have when written pre-2000s. There is some egregious "fan service" or whatever it should be called. The story was also not very compelling which is a shame since I enjoyed Alpha's perspective a lot.
It's certainly worth a read at least once for the lovely art but I'm not sure I'll be picking up the other volumes.
However, it is laden with all the issues that most manga have when written pre-2000s. There is some egregious "fan service" or whatever it should be called. The story was also not very compelling which is a shame since I enjoyed Alpha's perspective a lot.
It's certainly worth a read at least once for the lovely art but I'm not sure I'll be picking up the other volumes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews