(L) Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou

[Oberon]

Just finished reading the final chapter and thought I'd follow up with some overall ramblings and, well, thoughts.

Spoiler for the final chapter:

YKK and thus Alpha has been a constant companion in my manga reading habit for several years now and I'm both sad and glad that it finally came to a "conclusion". When I first began reading YKK I adored it, because of the overall calm mood inherent to each chapter. As the series went on the initial "feel good" mood was ever so slowly overshadowed by a growing sense of sadness and loneliness when someday along the way I realized that I watched how mankind in this setting has lost it's drive to evolve and continue on, but instead slowly and steadily fades out into oblivion, leaving behind the androids to live on in their stead. This sense of passing on was intensified by the happenings of the more recent chapters, where the flow of time got more notable, like Maki and Takahiro getting older, the old geezer handing down the gas station to Alpha etc. Therefore I'm somehow glad that we finally stopped following Alpha's path into a world where no alive human is left, but instead have a somewhat open ending where we can imagine for ourselves how things will continue from here on.

Interesting enough, it wasn't untill recently that someone pointed out to me that this wistful feeling of loss and things passing on is actually a literary concept rooted in japanese literature (mono no aware, for those interested) and not something the author simply came up with on a whim. This helped me understand why there never was nor would be an actual overarching plot going on that would tie in everything into a neat finished story package, including climax and closure. Of course that doesn't mean I wouldn't have liked some actual exploration of the "why" this world was based on instead of just a showcase of the "is". In the end we just got some facets of a world we never really comprehended until, and including, the very end. I definitely would have liked to know the story behind the original Alpha in the orbital plane or who Owner actually was, but I guess YKK wasn't this type of story.

That said, I'm content with how the story ended. Takahiro and Maki ended up together which is nice. The development of both Maki and Takahiro from children to adults made for a neat frame of time for the story to take place in and in which we followed everything from mostly Alpha's POV. I'm also glad that we didn't get to see what actually happened to the old man and the professor, as a confirmation of their demise might have made everything more depressing that it should. For all we know, he's still selling melons at the gas station and she's still watching over Alpha and the other androids. Oh, and !YAY!, Alpha and Kokone finally moved in togther. Now there's something I would have liked to see an additional chapter or two spent on. Maruko also got a whole lot nicer towards Alpha which is a plus as well.

Overall, it has been a fun ride and I'd like to thank Ashinano for creating one of the more unique manga out there both visually and contentwise, and I'm looking forward to what he'll be doing next.

[tsurumaru]

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

Oh no! Please no~

I feel your pain...

[suguru]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Just finished reading the final chapter and thought I'd follow up with some overall ramblings and, well, thoughts.

Spoiler for the final chapter:

YKK and thus Alpha has been a constant companion in my manga reading habit for several years now and I'm both sad and glad that it finally came to a "conclusion". When I first began reading YKK I adored it, because of the overall calm mood inherent to each chapter. As the series went on the initial "feel good" mood was ever so slowly overshadowed by a growing sense of sadness and loneliness when someday along the way I realized that I watched how mankind in this setting has lost it's drive to evolve and continue on, but instead slowly and steadily fades out into oblivion, leaving behind the androids to live on in their stead. This sense of passing on was intensified by the happenings of the more recent chapters, where the flow of time got more notable, like Maki and Takahiro getting older, the old geezer handing down the gas station to Alpha etc. Therefore I'm somehow glad that we finally stopped following Alpha's path into a world where no alive human is left, but instead have a somewhat open ending where we can imagine for ourselves how things will continue from here on.

Interesting enough, it wasn't untill recently that someone pointed out to me that this wistful feeling of loss and things passing on is actually a literary concept rooted in japanese literature (mono no aware, for those interested) and not something the author simply came up with on a whim. This helped me understand why there never was nor would be an actual overarching plot going on that would tie in everything into a neat finished story package, including climax and closure. Of course that doesn't mean I wouldn't have liked some actual exploration of the "why" this world was based on instead of just a showcase of the "is". In the end we just got some facets of a world we never really comprehended until, and including, the very end. I definitely would have liked to know the story behind the original Alpha in the orbital plane or who Owner actually was, but I guess YKK wasn't this type of story.

That said, I'm content with how the story ended. Takahiro and Maki ended up together which is nice. The development of both Maki and Takahiro from children to adults made for a neat frame of time for the story to take place in and in which we followed everything from mostly Alpha's POV. I'm also glad that we didn't get to see what actually happened to the old man and the professor, as a confirmation of their demise might have made everything more depressing that it should. For all we know, he's still selling melons at the gas station and she's still watching over Alpha and the other androids. Oh, and !YAY!, Alpha and Kokone finally moved in togther. Now there's something I would have liked to see an additional chapter or two spent on. Maruko also got a whole lot nicer towards Alpha which is a plus as well.

Overall, it has been a fun ride and I'd like to thank Ashinano for creating one of the more unique manga out there both visually and contentwise, and I'm looking forward to what he'll be doing next.

Reading the last chapter of YKK felt a lot like watching the last episode of Zettai Shonen--there are too many unanswered questions to list, and normally a really open-ended "ending" like this would make me start tearing my hair out, but somehow this kind of ending fits the series well. I'd like to have seen what happened to Director Alpha, or more of her backstory, to find out why humanity is slowly but peacefully fading away (most of the population is sterile maybe?), to see what Alpha does when the waves finally catch up to her beloved cafe (move it to what's left of Yokohama?), to find out what happened to the Owner, or to get some backstory on the Misago and how she came to be--but wrapping up every plot point could have taken another 140 chapters easily, and after twelve years of YKK, while I'd like to see it go on forever I can understand how the manga-ka would be ready to start a new project.

I give the author credit for taking the usual conflict-climax-denouement formula for storytelling, tossing it completely out the window, and making a compelling story anyway. I get the impression a lot of fans of the manga didn't like the OVAs, but I'm hoping YKK will get a longer anime treatment as well (probably a long shot, but I can hope).

And one more thought on the end:

Spoiler:

It's good to see Alpha isn't alone anymore--I always thought she liked talking to people way too much to sit alone in her cafe as her number of customers slowly declines.

[TooPurePureBoy]

Ya this is one of those endings to a story that make you feel hollow and sad but at the same time very fullfilled. I'd be proud just say i've experienced YKK to anybody, but if they asked me what the story was about I'd have a really hard time answering. Not really sure how to put it into words but it is a glorious work of art that I'm glad I took the time to experience. I'm sad to see it go but at the same time I'm proud for the mangaka because until the very end he really never faultered from a flawless portrayal of the theme and tone he wanted to present. He didn't do flawed things in order to keep his story interesting on a more shallow level and for that he should be held in high esteem.

[Mr_Paper]

While still preparing his new work, Ashinano had this 'Special' chapter published in Afternoon a month or so ago...

YKK Special Chapter - 「峠」 "Mountain Pass"

- Enjoy

[Stxopher]

Thanks for the heads up. Definately a short little thing but fit so well.

[G. Zeus]

So our beloved Alpha's been promoted from coffee shop manager to local legend. How fitting


I've been trying to create a sort of "reader's guide to YKK" since not all people have the time to figure out the story and connect the details on their own. In it would be chapter summaries, memorable lines, personal comments and interpretations, indications of related chapters and reoccuring themes and common fan speculations floating around the internet.

[edit]: And much like the licensing of YKK, the chances of this being finished are close to nil.

[textureheap]

I just got a chance to see the anime for this, didn't know about the manga. Only took a couple of minutes to realize this was a gem of an anime. This manga is very unusual, really awesome to find this entire series available online too

[G. Zeus]

Originally Posted by textureheap

This manga is very unusual, really awesome to find this entire series available online too

Partially due to the unfortunate fact that this manga is still unlicensed and will probably remain that way. A blessing and a curse if you will.


[UPDATE:]
The nominees for the Seiun ("nebula") Award have been announced and guess who's one of them.

If these articles are correct, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou will be competing against Busô Renkin, Karakuri Circus, Yôsei-koku no Kishi, and Death Note for the Comic category.

While being nominated alone is already an honor, winning the award would really be neat since it could boost the chances of the manga getting a proper and official translation.

[Dop]

According to this, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou won this year's Seiun award for best manga.

Excellent!

I'm with G.Zeus on this one, hopefully this will increase the chance of the series being licensed!

[steelbound]

I recently discovered, read, and loved Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. When I looked around for wallpapers, I didn't find many. Therefore, I decided to try to may some of my own and here they are.

[Jiji]

Originally Posted by steelbound

I recently discovered, read, and loved Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. When I looked around for wallpapers, I didn't find many. Therefore, I decided to try to may some of my own and here they are.

Really excellent, steelbound! Thanks. I've collected other wallpapers from various fans over the years. I think I discovered YKK in 2000 or so.

Spoiler for for large sizes:

These are just three of the best, I think.

In other news, Kabu no Isaki appears to be Ashinano-sensei's new series now. There has been two releases, chapters 1 and 2 so far. Go to Cafe Alpha to read or DL. There's tons of speculation on whether this is taking place in Alpha's world or not, although the leading theory so far is that Kabu no Isaki is a prequel, or at least earlier in time than YKK. I suppose we ought to start a new thread for it? I, for one, breathlessly await the next chapter.

[G. Zeus]

Wow. Recent signs of life.

Spoiler for wallpapers:

From IIChan Translations' imageboard:


From pre-crash Danbooru:


From pre-crash Danbooru, drawn by Yuki Urushibara, author of Mushishi:


From Cafe Alpha (I think):

Shameless plug:
Recently updated the YKK review (linked in my sig) to contain links to other YKK reviews by various authors and bloggers online.

Other stuff:
YKK jumped from #11 to #6 at MyAnimeList.net this week and has been occupying the top spot in Anime New Network's top 10 list of best rated manga for 3 or more weeks now. At Baka-Updates Manga, the series is still at #27 (with multiple tied titles).

[NoSanninWa]

Ah, but how well loved is it in Japanese ratings? That is crucial if it is ever going to get as much animated love as Aria.

[G. Zeus]

I haven't the slightest idea, I don't know enough moonspeak yet to navigate through those pages. I'm hoping that the positive feedback for the manga would eventually catch the attention of some English licensing/publishing company though.

Sidenote:
Should we create separate threads for Ashinano's other works (PositioN, Kumabachi no Koto, Kabu no Isaki) or would you prefer to have the discussions here as well? He's not exactly the most popular mangaka out there (i.e. relatively few readers -> expect few replies) and most of works so far seem to have the same themes and atmosphere anyway.

[Jiji]

Personally, I'd be surprised if PositioN warrants enough interest and/or discussion to have it's own thread. (And I look at "Kumabachi" as a part of the PositioN group of stories.) But if, as it is looking like, Kabu no Isaki is going to be Ashinano-sensei's new series, then it could probably use it's own thread. And I think I'll start that thread today.

[Shii]

Danbooru is still up you know. (Ads are NSFW)

http://danbooru.donmai.us/post?tags=...kaidashi_kikou

[Ottocycle]

I'm looking for the Chinese tankoubons of this manga. Might anyone know, by any chance about any publisher that exists for them?

[NaweG]

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

Ah, but how well loved is it in Japanese ratings? That is crucial if it is ever going to get as much animated love as Aria.

I do wonder if with Aria coming to a close if that will make an "opening" for YKK to get a full treatment.

Personally I've started playing around with Blender (using it's version of toon shading), talked to a couple of voice acting friends, and a friend with some music background about doing our own "episodes". Not sure what the video equivalent of a dojinshi/doujinshi would be called...

Anyway, with the recent award, and with a new series that an anime of this one could promote, one can hope that perhaps the stars are finally lining up for this!

[G. Zeus]

Originally Posted by humbug23

I'm looking for the Chinese tankoubons of this manga. Might anyone know, by any chance about any publisher that exists for them?

Ahahahaha...

If you insist, you could check out this thread.

Originally Posted by NaweG

Personally I've started playing around with Blender (using it's version of toon shading), talked to a couple of voice acting friends, and a friend with some music background about doing our own "episodes". Not sure what the video equivalent of a dojinshi/doujinshi would be called...

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by NaweG

I do wonder if with Aria coming to a close if that will make an "opening" for YKK to get a full treatment.

Anyway, with the recent award, and with a new series that an anime of this one could promote, one can hope that perhaps the stars are finally lining up for this!

Aye. After 12 volumes, 3 seasons, 1 OAV, and 1 PS2 game, let's just hope that they suffer from withdrawal symptoms that's bad enough to make them look for alternatives.