I'm always saying Kiyohiko Azuma's work is special because it is so true to life. I'm saying it again right now, in fact!
One thing that Yotsuba& specifically brings to the table is his environments. I love seeing them.
His environments are from observation, and he's even said drawing Yotsuba helped him go outside more. There's so much around us that doesn't come to mind when one tries drawing from imagination. He spends a lot of time taking pictures of things and really including the details when he draws.
The signs, the power lines, the gutters, bushes, storefronts, brickwork, everything. He includes so much to look at. The manga is very much about exploration of our surroundings through Yotsuba's eyes, and that's exactly what his backgrounds allow us to do. There's so many little details to see.
He's an artist who really gets outside, observes, and documents. He understands the value of gathering reference for illustrations, and using the details to bring reality to the manga's world. Yotsuba's neighborhood feels real, because it is.
If you wanna draw a street, try going to your nearest one and take a picture of it, you'll be amazed how many details are there that you'd never think to add. Wanna draw a forest scene? If you go to the woods, you'll be amazed how much is there.
Kiyohiko Azuma isn't interested in making a manga where the world looks "idealized" or "pretty" or "magical". As always, the magic is in the mundane.
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