March 12, 2007 - If you love dogs, you must never read this book.
Okay, let me back that up. If you were the person who cried at the ending of Old Yeller, do not buy this book. If you feel a little lump in your throat as you pass a dog on the side of the road that's been hit by a car, thinking somewhere there's a family that's not going to see Scraps ever again, do not buy this book. Even if you don't own a dog, but have a friend who has one, and you know that someday that dog's not going to be around, and you're going to miss it, do not buy this book.
Hell of a way to endorse a book, isn't it? I'm not joking, though. This book comes cleverly disguised as a standard shojo manga about a girl who's really good with dogs, her adventures in the big city working for a pet store run by a jaded but handsome guy who's the definite love interest, and his goofy friend who's the comic relief. Nothing you haven't seen before, the artwork is great, particularly when it comes to the dog sketches, and hey, the book's called "Crazy for Dogs" so why wouldn't you pick it up?
Because of the story, that's why.
Let's go back a week. I'm reading this book during my lunch break, as I often do. It's enjoyable. The girl's drawn cute and the storyline's fun if fairly stereotypical. I figure it's an easy recommendation. Then, out of nowhere, I get blindsided by The Story. Now I can't tell you what The Story is, because we try to avoid the spoiler thing in reviews, with good reason. Still, if you've gathered enough from what I've already talked about, you know where I'm going with this. It's a story that makes Old Yeller look like a Will Farrell movie. It'll bring a tear to a glass eye, which is pretty much what happened in the breakroom.
Co-worker: "Hey, are you okay?" Me: (rubbing eyes) "I'm fine." Co-worker: "Dude, are you crying?" Me: "I said I'm fine! Go away."
Well, it wasn't that bad, but as someone secure enough in his manhood to admit to getting misty during certain movies, it definitely had the potential to open the floodgates…and I'm not a big fan of dogs. You can tell Sakuragi-san is, though. It comes through in the way the different breeds of dogs are rendered, from the French Bulldog all the way to the Golden Retriever. If you faithfully turn on your DS every day to make sure your Nintendog gets a walk and a bath, this book was custom made for you. What's also refreshing is that the book doesn't shy away from showing the dark underside to pet ownership…there's plenty of poop getting scooped and people getting peed on to go around. As a pet owner, I couldn't endorse this book enough.
| Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs Vol. 1
Written by: Yukiya Sakuragi |  |
While the majority of this review has been a bit tongue in cheek - you really should pick this up, dog lover or not - I'm not joking about The Story. Just as there's a certain age where your kid should be shown Old Yeller, there's definitely a certain age group that shouldn't pick this book up just yet, and props to Viz for putting the Older Teen rating on the back. I'm sure the rating was for the odd upskirt shot and the occasional bit of adult humor, but it would be easy for a kid (or a parent) to see this book and think it would be fine for any age group. Those parents will have a wonderful time explaining things to their child once they've read The Story. The rest of us will just need to find a box of tissues and make sure the rest of the guys aren't looking.
