/azu/ - Azumanga

Nope, Kiyohiko Azuma didn't draw that. I just googled it and it was drawn by the author of Pretty Neighbor, and also this doujin about Osaka. This dude really can draw with a style similar to Azuma's.
In fact, that page you posted comes from Pretty Neighbor number 7, even though it's not porn.
I don't know if the translation is real, but may be since a lot of people seem to want to know where Yotsuba came from in the canon of the manga, which is a question I don't think will ever be answered. In fact, I don't think we need it answered, and Azuma himself may not know.
I found a theory on Tumblr:
> There's theories that she's from North Korea because she's afraid of targets and whenever she hears something loud she goes "we're under attack"
I think that makes sense, but also I think coming up with theories is missing the point. Yotsuba is a story about very simple things, and introducing a canonical origin would complicate everything.

That being said, if I had to have a theory I would say she's Irish.
That's my old head-canon.

-Yotsuba's head is a four-leaf clover
-Green is a dominant color in the covers
-There are terrorist attacks in Ireland even today, would explain why she thinks fireworks are "the enemy"
-She was born in an island
-Koiwai knows English, and although he may know other languages, we know for sure he speaks English and we have no confirmation that he knows Korean
-Due to Catholic influence, there are fewer abortions in Ireland and therefore, more kids in orphanages
-Yotsuba is short-tempered and even uses violence some times
-She's also loud, energetic, and has a poor understanding of boundaries

I'm not saying the Irish are loud and violent, I'm just saying there are stereotypes. I have nothing but respect for those drunk animals.

>>3485
Heh, that's interesting, I didn't know about that artist and that "Pretty Neighbor". It's cool when this "type of content" gets so on model with the original source (not that I agree to what's on it, specially after the 3rd chapter). We could hire this guy to make new "normal" Yotsuba chapters whenever we are in a drought like the current one.

I like that theory about Yotsuba being Irish… makes a lot of sense in a way. Anyway I don't get why Azuma decided to give her that kind of backstory if it isn't going anywhere. He may as well made her from a Japanese orphanage, heck, she could even be Koiwai's biological daughter and the stories wouldn't change a little bit

Yotsuba seems a little more unruly than your average Japanese child her age, so the backstory about her being foreign may just be a cover to explain her behavior.

>>3485
>Koiwai knows English

Do we know this for certain? I think it's probably safe speculation that he translates to/from English, but has it ever been shown explicitly in the series?

>I don't know if the translation is real
I think you may actually have me to blame for that translation. I vaguely remember that being one of the first things I attempted translating many years ago.

I'll bet I can do a better job now.


My own, personal interpretation of Yotsuba and Daddy's first encounter, as it seems unlikely to be explained in the original series.

The fact that she tells Ena she came from "an island to the left," would indicate that she was adopted before she started forming memories, right?

It seems like the story setup is her being raised without really understanding what's going on around her.

She reacted to the explosion from the fireworks saying, "I-It's the enemy?!"

Those are the reasons I think it might be like this.
My friend says, "That's probably not right."
I don't think it is either.

>>3490
>Yotsuba seems a little more unruly than your average Japanese child her age, so the backstory about her being foreign may just be a cover to explain her behavior
Maybe, but on the other hand, Tomo is Japanese.
I get what you're saying, though. Yotsuba being how she is and being foreign just works, I'm not even sure why.
> it's probably safe speculation that he translates to/from English, but has it ever been shown explicitly in the series?
I… I thought it was explicit in the series when I posted it, but now I'm not sure.
Didn't they say at some point he speaks English?

>My friend says, "That's probably not right."
So even the author of Pretty Neighbor has those conversations with friends.
Probably no theory is right.

>>3486
>I don't get why Azuma decided to give her that kind of backstory if it isn't going anywhere
Maybe he will reveal at some point where Yotsuba came from. I don't think so, but could happen.

But ask yourself this: if it was revealed in the manga itself what country Yotsuba came from, and what her story is, how she met Koiwai , how and why she was adopted, would that change the manga in any way?
That explanation would take a whole chapter, and the chapter right after would be just normal things happening. Right?
I know i wouldn't have it any other way. If they explained it all, I'd want them to go right back to their mundane adventures.

Maybe that's the point of having that piece of mystery: makes us think what the answer is, and then we get no answers, and then we notice that the answers wouldn't change a thing so the whole mystery doesn't matter, which forces us to wonder what exactly matters, and what matters has been stated from the beginning: today is always the most enjoyable day.

Maybe it's just that.

>>3496
I'd say any information we receive will most likely be drip-fed through inconsequential conversation as the series continues.
Look how many years it was before we finally learned Koiwai's given name. And it wasn't like it was a big deal when it was revealed, his mom just called him by his name.

In fact, in Azumanga Daioh, we never learn Kagura or Sakaki's given names.

>>3497
> in Azumanga Daioh, we never learn Kagura or Sakaki's given names
True. I wonder why he chose to give just those two characters the Cher treatment. Maybe he thinks bodacious babes don't need full names?
>Look how many years it was before we finally learned Koiwai's given name
Not only that, he never even mentioned having a hot sister.
As much as Sakaki and Kagura have no given names, Koiwai is the most mysterious character.
I respect being discrete, but in his case I think he goes too far.

I've seen a theory several times about Koiwai having been someone like Dr. Tenma from ''Monster'' or Rock from ''Black Lagoon.'' As in, he used to be an adventurer who was involved in all sorts of troubled shit all around the world, then he decided to retire and returned to Japan to live his boring but peaceful life again. During the last days of his adventures, he saved an orphan girl from some kind of civil war, there was no one around to care for her, so he adopted her and brought her to Japan.
I'm betting either on China-North Korea border, where she was a refugee girl Koiwai saved from human traffickers, or on Golden Triangle, where her original parents were killed by a drug cartel.
>>3497
> Kagura or Sakaki's given names.
Do you mean that "Sakaki" and "Kagura" are their '''sur'''names, not their names?
>>3498
> 1590692843318.jpg
Koharuko is hella cute. We need more arts and headcanons about her. Same applies to Miura's mom.

>>3501
Maybe it's because I'm a Westerner, but I always thought of Sakaki and Kagura as their christian names. It wasn't until reading this thread that I realised they must be surnames. It seems weird that everyone (even the teachers) is referred to casually except those two.

>>3501
>>3502
Yeah, "Sakaki" and "Kagura" are their family names. I'm kind of surprised we never learn Kagura's since she ends up pretty close with the group and isn't as intimidating as Sakaki. It makes sense everyone would call Sakaki by her family name though (although I can imagine she would wish people would call her "-chan" like they do with Chiyo).

>>3502
I like that fan theory. What if Koiwai is actually John Wick?

>>3498
Where did you find that image? I tried looking for the name in the signature using Google, Pixiv, and Deviantart, but came up empty.

>>3503
I'm pretty sure I just googled 小岩井 小春子
See images and scroll down a bit.

Actually, yes. I just repeated the process and came up again.
This is the website, seems to be an artist's blog: http://tomohiro-kouda.sblo.jp/s/article/184178419.html

>>3505
Nice, the latest image on that person's blog is a Kagura that I'm not entirely comfortable posting here.

>>3507
ooooh, very nice. I found a cute Fuuka a couple of years back too.

>>3486
>heck, she could even be Koiwai's biological daughter and the stories wouldn't change a little bit
It would mean that Koiwai knows Yotsuba's mother intimately, which is it's own can of worms. Why doesn't she have partial custody if she's not around? Why doesn't Yotsuba know her? Is she dead? If she is, does Yatsuba know it? Was this some drunken fling or a marriage that failed? etc.
Yotsuba being adopted gives the convenience of bringing a child into the story without the complications of actually bringing a child into the world.
All that being said, maybe it would be cool if Yotsuba did have a mom that lived with them. I wonder what she would be like.

>>3485
>Pretty Neighbor number 7
What? There’re only five of them.

>>3518
I just checked and there seem to be seven.

>>3520
What's the description for #7?

I looked at my scans and it only has the first 6 chapters listed there. It also doesn't have any of the omake pages.

>>3521
"<I wish, I'd know Japanese ;-) >"

It doesn't look like the same artist at all, so I suspect some mislabeling. Involves Jumbo/Fuuka and Ena/Miura.

>>3525
>"<I wish, I'd know Japanese ;-) >"
At first I didn't know what you meant, I thought that was part of your comment.

>>3529
Oh, that's what I thought at first too.

>>3529
lol this is so confusing