Kiyohiko Azuma’s ‘Yotsuba&!’ Is Returning To Paperback For The First Time In Almost Three Years (In Japan)

If you're like me, then every now and then, you'll look wistfully over at your bookshelf and wonder when, when the next volume of Kiyohiko Azuma's Yotsuba&! will finally be released. It is, after all, one of the most charming comics of all time, the story of a wide-eyed young girl who moves to a new town and manages to find adventure around every corner with her neighbors and her dad --- and, y'know, occasionally pretends to be an assassin sent to kill them with a water pistol.

But now, after almost three years, it looks like our nightmare might be over: Yotsuba&! vol. 13 finally has a release date. The only problem is that it's for the Japanese version.

As for why it's been so long between releases, it turns out that Azuma --- also the creator of Azumanga Daioh --- just hasn't done a whole lot with the strip in a while. According to Anime News Network, the strip that was published on June 29 was the first new chapter of Yotsuba's adventures since October of 2014; the only strip that came out that year. In the meantime, Azuma has worked on other projects, including illustrating a book of essays by voice actress Masumi Asano.

While there hasn't been an official announcement from Yen Press, Yotsuba&!'s American publisher, the popularity of the series makes it pretty doubtful that we won't eventually get a English version once everything's all collected. If, however, you happen to be in Japan, you can pick up a copy of the 13th volume next month, on November 27.