Inubaka (Crazy for Dogs), v. 1

by Yukiya Sakauragi
Published in the U.S. by Viz



Slugline: A competent story about a girl who is especially good with dogs.

Suguri is a high school grad who loves dogs and wants to move to the big city. Like many manga girls with a special ability, she is otherwise inept, overly optimistic, and not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Through a series of misadventures (and one tasteful scene of her mutt humping a purebred bitch) she lands a job at a dog boutique in Tokyo.

As a dog owner myself, I was a bit disappointed by the attitude of the store owner and love interest is that mutts are worthless. That tends to lead to the attitude that some dogs are "good" and some are "bad" when the truth is that any dog can be a good dog -- whether a mutt, a pit bull, Chihuahua or Great Dane -- and any dog can be a bad dog. It all depends on what humans teach them, or fail to teach them.

Suguri does run into some realistic problems, such as dishonest roommates, in Tokyo, but on the whole Inubaka is a lightweight story with lots of cute puppies and dogs.



Inubaka (Crazy for Dogs) vol. 1 is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda