Yotsuba&! (2025)
[よつばと!]
Volume 16

Author/Artist: Kiyohiko Azuma
Publisher: Dengeki Comics
Synopsis:
As Christmas draws closer, Koiwai thinks up new things to do with Yotsuba.
Story/Characters:
It's been so long that opening the first chapter with Koharuko actually had me lost for a moment. Anyway, we start with Christmas tree decorating and then go into the main event of this volume, which is a trek up Mt. Takao. When setting it up, Jumbo makes a note that Koiwai won't have as much time with her once she starts school in the spring (which seems to reinforce my conclusion that the series will end once the school year begins, though Azuma could end up surprising us). The mountain trekking triggered some personal nostalgia of my own venture up Mt. Iwate during my first stay in Japan. Having Yanda as the plus one made for plenty of amusing moments.
We then have a chapter of Yotsuba playing at the Ayase house and a listless Fuuka thinking about adopting a hobby. We close on Yotsuba accompanying Ena and Miura to their school to practice for an upcoming PE test and what we get is a great treat for longtime fans of Azuma's works that I won't spoil here. Needless to say, if I wasn't going to already give this volume the usual rating for the series, this would've done it for me.
Art:
The art is charming as ever with great detail paid to environments and loads of excellent reaction shots. Yanda in particular gets some great moments.
Conclusion:
The gaps between volumes get progressively longer as the series goes on, but Azuma hasn't lost his touch in the slightest. While the stories themselves maintain the standard of charm you've come to expect, I have to once again draw attention to the great little treat Azuma has tossed in for the fans. This was worth the wait and worth a place in your collection, so be sure to get it.
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