*"This gentle calm and quiet is the twilight of an era.
I will probably watch the passing of this twilight age."

• Hatsuseno Alpha*

Plot/Story
The stories featured in YKK are mostly light and melancholy. Readers who are used to action, sex, fanservice, violence, and/or intense drama would either be A) disappointed, or B) surprised that stories without the said elements could possibly exist and still be enjoyable.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is characterized by mono no aware, a Japanese concept that describes beauty as an awareness of the transience of all things and a gentle sadness at their passing. Entertaining old customers in a coffee shop, riding through desolate roads on a scooter, reminiscing while watching the sun set; none of these are close to being earth-shattering and yet the author somehow presents ordinary scenes in such a way that they evoke overwhelming feelings of nostalgia. Being reminded that today will be tomorrow’s yesterday, one cannot help but appreciate the present for its fleeting existence.

*"Alpha may think that there is nothing special about herself.
I'm certain that those who meet here realize otherwise."

• anonymous customer*

Characters
Despite its sci-fi premise, the natural depiction of the characters makes YKK one of the more realistic titles in the slice of life genre. Although the author chose to do away with exaggerated anime/manga stereotypes (lecherous old men, bubbly and saccharine girls, idealism-spouting youngsters, and the like), Ashinano managed to create an entire cast of characters which are relatively modest yet still appealing. They might not stand out too much but that only makes them more endearing to some readers because they seem more real that way.

[img]http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m68/dakilang_epal/YokohamaKaidashiKikouv08c066014b.jpg[/img]

Drawing Style
Ashinano’s character designs are simple yet charming. The faces of the characters are very expressive, effectively bringing out the characters’ moods and personalities. As one goes through the volumes, it’s also quite interesting to see how Ashinano’s style had improved through the years (the series ran for 12 years, after all).

What really makes his art stand out, however, is his awesome ability illustrate the setting in fine detail. Gusts of wind sweep across vast fields of grass, the lights of a submerged city continue to glow beneath the ocean waves, roads and towns once bustling with life now stand derelict and abandoned; the scenes often invoke feelings of nostalgia as if the writer and the readers had been there themselves. Later on in the series, Ashinano starts using more and more of these images to enforce or sometimes even replace the dialogue to deliver his message to the audience.

[img]http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m68/dakilang_epal/068.jpg[/img]

Enjoyment
If you can take delight in life's little pleasures, if you wish to believe that all will be well in the future, if listening to Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World (without thinking of irony) brings a smile to your face, then you would probably enjoy this masterpiece.

Overall
Well, it looks like it’s all downhill from this point on for anime/manga because I don’t think I’ll ever find anything close to being as good as this series. Sure, I’ll probably stumble over a few other well-written stories out there, but I really doubt it if they would be as emotional and as thought provoking as Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.