Yoko is as beautiful as the sunshine, but she still
has more in her than a Japanese doll or an exotic card image. Her first album was published
on 24 September 1970, and from the first moment everybody knew that Yoko was
different from all the other female cartoon characters. Yoko was a human being of
flesh and feelings at a time when when women in comics where somewhat caricatured.
Yoko was the beginning of a new evolution, because there
had never been a woman that was not only very beautiful, but also intelligent.
Origin
Yoko was born on a Japanese island. But she's still more European than Asian, because
her life is led on the European continent. Yoko only returns to her birthplace
when she really has to. Yoko combines Chinese poetry with Japanese efficiency.
But even though she travels through time and space, Yoko still remains a human
with feelings: hooked between two cultures, searching for her roots, doubting
herself, but with an unfailing trust in all creatures. In spite of being
Japanese, Yoko has a Chinese cousin. This fact came about because in the distant past,
Yoko's grandfather had bought a slave in Hong Kong for his mother. In that period of time
it was a normal thing to do. The Chinese girl was pretty and sweet
... he fell in love with her and they got married. So that's why there is
Chinese blood flowing through Yoko's veins.
Occupation
Yoko is an electrical engineer. She came to Europe to do some research and she
lives through part-time jobs, in expectation of a full-time job. Ben/Vic and Paul/Pol
hired her to assist them with a series about speleology and were immediately
impressed by her personality - all because of her mystic smile and her undaunted
character. "The trio of the unknown" is borned.
Capabilities
She has so many capabilities: she's great at Aikido, she's a pilot and can
fly a helicopter as well as a Gazelle, Jet Ranger and her Ecureuil.
But it doesn't stop there. She can also do archery, parachute jumping, delta
flying, ...
Fighting Crime
As an electrical engineer, Yoko meets new kinds of criminals. Besides being
a world traveller, Yoko is also a detective who tries to solve problems
caused by ultra-modern technological inventions, which threaten people or
even whole nations. The dangers are very real when the power of science
is used as an instrument for profit or as an instrument for personal ambition.
Artificially created typhoons, cannons with an unprecedented fire power, places with strange
creatures, vanishing chambers... it all stimulates the criminals' greed. "I don't want
to be so negative about science", explains Roger Leloup. "I just
want to say that the wrong people can use this knowledge to their own benefit.
Those inventions should be used for people's welfare and not to destroy
them." Even though Yoko uses all her energy and knowledge to prohibit
criminals bringing sorrow, Yoko still shows her opponents respect.
And she doesn't hide her emotions when some of them die, carried away by their
own insanity. "I'm self-contained, even misanthope. Being an only child, I'm very
attached to relationships with others, probably in reaction to childhood solitude.
So I want Yoko also to be surrounded with interesting people. Respect of the opponent is part
of her culture. Through the human values that highlight for some of her ennemis,
I try to emphasise Yoko's own values."
Learning Japanese
Japanese uses the most complicated script still in existence in the world.
The basis of this script are the Chinese characters, which came some 1400
years ago via Korea to Japan. The signs are so complicated that you should
need to take a dictionary in hand.
Certain sentences and words are easier to learn and to pronounce as follows.
PRONUNCIATION OF
VOWELS
Japanese has 5 vowels which appear short as well as long: a as in dag aa as in graag e as in weg ee as in heet ie as in niet ieie (this vowel is the same as the ie, but doubled in length) o as in bot oo as in boot oe (this vowel sounds a bit softer as in Dutch) oeoe (this vowel is the same as the oe, but doubled in length) au as in pause (not used much)
PRONUNCIATION OF CONSONANTS
Japanese has 17 consonants b, ch, d, f, g, h, j, k, m, n, ng, p, r,
s, t, w, z.
Most of them are the same as in Dutch. Below are some exceptions to the
Dutch pronounciation: ch as in German ich g as in the english goal ng as in ring (this vowel is always preceded by
a hyphen to indicate the sound
Yoko was born on a Japanese island. But she's still more European than Asian, because
her life is led on the European continent. Yoko only returns to her birthplace
when she really has to. Yoko combines Chinese poetry with Japanese efficiency.
But even though she travels through time and space, Yoko still remains a human
with feelings: hooked between two cultures, searching for her roots, doubting
herself, but with an unfailing trust in all creatures. In spite of being
Japanese, Yoko has a Chinese cousin. This fact came about because in the distant past,
Yoko's grandfather had bought a slave in Hong Kong for his mother. In that period of time
it was a normal thing to do. The Chinese girl was pretty and sweet
... he fell in love with her and they got married. So that's why there is
Chinese blood flowing through Yoko's veins.
Yoko is an electrical engineer. She came to Europe to do some research and she
lives through part-time jobs, in expectation of a full-time job. Ben/Vic and Paul/Pol
hired her to assist them with a series about speleology and were immediately
impressed by her personality - all because of her mystic smile and her undaunted
character. "The trio of the unknown" is borned.
She has so many capabilities: she's great at Aikido, she's a pilot and can
fly a helicopter as well as a Gazelle, Jet Ranger and her Ecureuil.
But it doesn't stop there. She can also do archery, parachute jumping, delta
flying, ...
As an electrical engineer, Yoko meets new kinds of criminals. Besides being
a world traveller, Yoko is also a detective who tries to solve problems
caused by ultra-modern technological inventions, which threaten people or
even whole nations. The dangers are very real when the power of science
is used as an instrument for profit or as an instrument for personal ambition.
Artificially created typhoons, cannons with an unprecedented fire power, places with strange
creatures, vanishing chambers... it all stimulates the criminals' greed. "I don't want
to be so negative about science", explains Roger Leloup. "I just
want to say that the wrong people can use this knowledge to their own benefit.
Those inventions should be used for people's welfare and not to destroy
them." Even though Yoko uses all her energy and knowledge to prohibit
criminals bringing sorrow, Yoko still shows her opponents respect.
And she doesn't hide her emotions when some of them die, carried away by their
own insanity. "I'm self-contained, even misanthope. Being an only child, I'm very
attached to relationships with others, probably in reaction to childhood solitude.
So I want Yoko also to be surrounded with interesting people. Respect of the opponent is part
of her culture. Through the human values that highlight for some of her ennemis,
I try to emphasise Yoko's own values."
Japanese uses the most complicated script still in existence in the world.
The basis of this script are the Chinese characters, which came some 1400
years ago via Korea to Japan. The signs are so complicated that you should
need to take a dictionary in hand.