This work of art evoked emotions and provoked thoughts that i never knew were possible from merely reading a manga. Words can do it no justice. Wait, actually i think 'silent yet incredibly eloquent' might cut it..... Then again it might not. I'm truly fortunate to have stumbled across this gem. Read this if its the only manga you do.

Just read it again. Beautiful....just beautiful.

... Last updated on April 22nd, 2008, 7:25am

If Norman Rockwell and Garrison Keeler collaborated to create a "Chicken Soup for the Manga Reader's Soul", I suspect it would be much like this one. Warm and syrupy with sentimentality, it's a picture of a future world that somehow retains the idealistic simplicity of life usually associated with the past. It's Romanticism in its very essence. You feel good when reading this manga, because it reminds almost everyone in some way of their rose-tinted memories of childhood summers - when the world was a simple place full of natural mysteries waiting to be discovered, and there was nothing more meaningful than going to the beach or walking through the forest.

It's most definitely a slice-of-life manga, and it's dramatic only in the way that life is dramatic. Characters grow up and move away, seasons and years come and go; and all of this is set against the seemingly unchanging facade of a robot - subtly accentuating the frailty and impermanence of life.

I felt almost like a voyeur, looking into this world. You track the story's of each character's lives without feeling like the author is actually telling you a story. Much of the world remains a mystery, which is both the most attractive and most frustrating aspect of this manga. You truly are seeing only part of these stories, and there are many plot elements left unresolved when the end comes. Like life, things are never neatly wrapped up.

There's really no other way to describe this series. The art isn't the best out there, but it's still good, and while simple, it's not simple to the point of lacking. The story is relaxing, peaceful, and well presented, and will leave you feeling the most satisfied you've been in a long time. Almost guaranteed.

There's lots of other stuff to say, but reading the series is better than reading my review of it. What are you doing? Get it, now.

I find most stories about human-like robots (e.g. Pluto) dreadful, and the whole notion of Slice of Life as a genre bothers me, since it seems to presuppose that Random Stuff needs no skillful handling in order to become art. These two concerns about YKK (it was originally billed above, for example, as a "slice of life" manga about a "robot ... that appears and acts fully human") kept me away from YKK for quite a while.

I finally gave it a shot because of barbapapa's list in the Top 5 Favorite Manga forum thread, where it's counted along with some other titles I like; and I'm very glad I did. In that posting he parenthetically notes that YKK is "better than life," and that is exactly it. This manga is better than real life.

As far as my fears were concerned ... One, the story never goes in for the whole manufactured robot?/human?/what-is-life? drama in the first place (it simply doesn't go there). Two, it emphatically doesn't belong in the Random Stuff bucket. Long episodes of house repairs and brewing coffee substitutes might seem, at first blush, to be the essence of Slice of Life in that sense. But as you read on you begin to see how these mark the deep beat of an epic poem on growth and decay, built from a handful of delicate but expertly handled twists on convention (it's the story of the growth and decay of species, rather than of individuals; decay is the primary theme, and growth the secondary one, rather than the other way around; the immortal god-like narrator figure has been flipped from its usual post outside the story to its center, in Alpha; etc.). So far from being random samplings, they're carefully crafted motifs in a much bigger picture. The result is a masterpiece.

One more thing. I don't know anything about the publication history of YKK, but it has the feel of a story that was cut off before the author was really done with it. It seemed to me that volume 14 ends abruptly, and then he gets the space of one very short Epilogue chapter to wrap things up. But the Epilogue isn't one of these inadequate patchwork wrapups at all --- on the contrary, it's an amazing ending. One of my favorite manga endings ever. Just one more thing to love about it.

... Last updated on April 24th, 2014, 3:36am

All I can say about this manga is to agree with everyone else. I feel it is truely a masterpiece. No explosions, no mecha fighting with giant swords, no buxom spacebabes in revealing outfits, yet still a work that can evoke great emotion.
For sure, it may not be for everyone, but I think that anyone who is willing to think about what they read a little bit should most DEFINATELY read this.
It's way up there on my list of alltime favorite mangas.

Nice clean art + interesting vignettes = heartwarming manga. Ashinano depicts glimpses into Alpha's life in a way that truly captivates and engages the readers. No matter which genre you are a fan of, I highly recommend this to all manga readers.

if your are lookin for something warm, unique and refreshing, this is it! definitely a 10/10...

Described in one word: nostalgia
At the end it kinda makes you feel old ^_^

I was searching the 'net for some new manga when I stumbled on http://ykk.misago.org/ and was introduced to YKK. As the creator of that webpage says, YKK is unlike almost all other manga out there - I believe there is currently no proper way of classifying this particular manga - it's on a class of its own. Die-hard action and romance lovers may despise this series, but most people should find this a refreshing break from the hectic life of monsters, killer babes, deadly robots, and the like - not to say that I don't enjoy such things.

It's just like food - eat too much spicy meals and you'll be bound to start longing for something more "bland." Don't misunderstand me, though - the art is captivating and the story flows by pleasantly. Highly recommended!

I couldn't stop reading it. I highly recommend it.