[3] It was translated into English by Frederik L. Schodt and was published by Stone Bridge Press as The Four Immigrants Manga: A Japanese Experience in San Francisco 1904–1924 in October 1998.

[4][11] This had the effect of "[helping] readers see the Japanese characters as "us" and the Americans as weird, frequently baffling foreigners, consistent with the general viewpoint of the comic.

"[14] Garrity comments on the prevalence of racism of that era: "a hundred years ago, everyone, of every background, was openly and casually racist."

"[11] Manga Critic Katherine Dacey writes that the manga's "visual style and subject matter may not strike contemporary readers as manga-esque ... but the intimate quality of the stories will leave as lasting an impression as graphic memoirs such as Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home.

"[9] Jason Thompson writes that the manga is "frozen in time with diligent documentary-style realism, with cynical humor and cartoony cheer".

"[11] Harvard Asia Pacific Review commends Kiyama's "keen insight into the workings of society, especially into Japanese-American interaction.

[17] Writing in American Studies International, Robert Humphrey commends Kiyama for his "gentle humor that appeals to readers of all cultures .

"[19] Kom Kunyosying draws a parallel between the manga and Mikhail Bakhtin's essay Epic and Novel as they are both "anti-genre," which "achieves much of what other forms cannot, including an ability to engage with contemporary reality, and an ability to re-conceptualize the individual in a complex way that interrogates his subjectivity and offers the possibility of redefining his own image.

[12] AnimeFringe's Janet Houck commends the characters for not being "depressive" and for bringing "their own unique spin on how to be successful in California, from farming rice to investing in banks to gambling.