Print Review: Inubaka volumes 1-3

Review Inubaka volumes 1-3Written by WarpshadowRating good/ very good

Inubaka is fun and somewhat heartwarming manga about dogs and the people who loved them. I liked it even though I am more of a cat person.

Suguri Miyuchi was just a sheltered country girl who went to the big city to find a new life with her dog Lupin. However it may have been Lupin who found a new opportunity for her when he decided to mate with a strange dog. That other dog belonged to Teppei who ran a pet store called woofles. Sugiri agreed to work at the pet store so she recompensate Teppei since his dog was a purebreed who was to be mated to produce lucrative offspring. However it turns out that she may be the perfect employee for a pet store since she has a love for dogs that few people can match.

Inubaka (which translates to dog stupid or crazy for dogs) is similar but very different than the many manga stories about a young (usually man) that finds his calling and strives to be a master. The main difference is that while Sugiri has a talent in her understanding of dogs the manga is devoted more to the bond that people and dogs share. This focus is made very apparent in the artwork which is decent overall but takes special attention in showing different breeds of dog. The mood of the manga is light and a bit sappy or heartwarming if you are more generous. As one small caveat there is a number of off color jokes but if you have ever owned pets you know that if you talk about dogs long enough you are going to mention poop. If you are a manga fan who likes dogs or a dog fan who likes manga you will probably like Inubaka.