Review: Yoki Koto Kiku

Yoki Koto Kiku
By Koge-Donbo
Comedy
Rated E, for everyone
Broccoli Books, $9.99

Yoki Koto Kiku is over-the-top black humor, sort of the Japanese equivalent of Charles Addams. As the translator’s notes helpfully explain, it is a parody of a Japanese mystery novel, The Inugami Clan, but you don’t have to know this to appreciate the book. What the regular manga reader will appreciate is the way this book skewers steretypical characters such as the shinigami or the jealous ballerina.

Yoki, Koto, and Kiku Nekogami are 13-year-old triplets, the granddaughters of a wealthy merchant. Their brother, Sukekiyo, is away at the war, and his fiancé, 14-year-old Tamayo, is a maid in the household.

The book opens with some pretty pictures of the triplets being all affectionate with each other and talking about their dreams for the future. Then their wealthy grandfather dies, and they learn that only one of the children (or possibly Tamayo) can inherit his fortune. For a moment, family harmony prevails, but soon there is rat poison in the tea, razor blades in the handkerchiefs, and needles flying through the air. The triplets remain unscathed, but lots of not-so-innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire. The plots become progressively more ridiculous, and more hilarious, as the book goes on, culminating in an alternative explanation for a major event in Japanese history. My one quibble with the book is that it stops, rather than ends. As it’s a single-volume work, I would have liked a more satisfying denouement.

Koge-Donbo, whose lighter work includes Kamichama Karin and Di Gi Charat, uses her hyper-cute style to good effect, combining big eyes and frilly dresses with sharp-edged weapons and vials of poison. Her clear, linear style makes many of the panels works of art in themselves.

Broccoli puts extra care into their product, and it really shows in this book. There is one interior color page, and the paper quality is excellent, all the better to handle the large areas of black that Koge-Donbo deploys so well. Sound effects are translated alongside the original kana. Extras include character introductions in the front and translator’s notes in the back that explain literary references and inside jokes.

Witty, well drawn, and very Japanese, this is a book for people who enjoy the exotic qualities of manga or who simply enjoy black humor.

Yoki Koto Kiku is available now at Borders/Waldenbooks and will go into general release in October.

(This review is based on a complimentary copy supplied by the publisher.)

Did you enjoy this article? Consider supporting us.

Comments

  1. Ooh, another interesting title to add to my reading list. Lately I’ve been enjoying black humor more and more, so I’ll definitely have to check this one out.

  2. Thanks for mentioning this! I’m a huge fan of Kamichama Karin and Pita Ten so I’m glad for another Koge-Donbo title to watch out for.

    One question, though. Did Borders make some sort of unholy deal with a manga devil? They get advanced releases of Go Comi titles, too. I hate knowing I have to wait longer than other people for certain titles… :(

  3. I’m not sure what Borders did, but they do get the exclusives. Maybe they just try harder—I talked to their PR people a while ago and they do seem to take pride in their manga/GN line. And they carry a wider selection than Barnes & Noble, in terms of both titles and publishers.

    I questioned this during the Go!Comi rollout and Adam Arnold responded with a good explanation in the comments. Here it is:

    If you have an exlcusive title, then it means you know just how many books to print and have a pretty good idea of what your sales are going to be like. It also means that the store is going to hype up the fact that the book is exclusive at their store and that means free advertising for the publisher. It also ensures traffic to the store, which tends to mean that you’ll go for that book and probably come out with something else. In a way, everyone wins.

  4. Oooh, I need to get this one!

  5. Hmm. Thanks. It’s too bad they couldn’t make some sort of similar deal here in Canada.

  6. I have never read Yoki Koto Kiku, but i have read Pita-Ten from author Koge-Donbo and it is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. I really look foward to reading Yoki Koto Kiku, though :)

  7. I love this!!! super XD

  8. I was very taken aback by the sudden ending but, after all, did I already read a manga with a magificent ending that will leave a strong image in my memory? Not really… The point I want to make is that since my friend who has more experience in mangas than I do told me that there never was a manga with an ending worthy of the rest of the manga. And I think she’s right.

    But it’s really worth reading it, or should I say, watching it, for the quality of the drawings. I find them beatiful and I love the dresses, especially the “french maid” one worn throughout the book.
    The story is quite interesting but nothing spectacular.

Trackbacks