Bow Wow Wata

Rating:
Summary: Touching, funny comic with beautiful art and cute animals
Review: I picked this one up on a whim, because I loved the cute name, the adorable art, and the concept of a boy who can talk to animals. Well, sometimes when you do that you end up regretting it, but I have to say that I loved Bow Wow Wata.

The premise of the story is a simple one. Our main character is a selfish young man whos family can talk to animals. His father uses this ability to run a poor but caring animal clinic, and expects his son to also become a vet. However, Tasuke has his own ideas. He doesn't want anything to do with the family business, doesn't want to talk to animals, and only wants to get a good job and become rich! All this starts to change, though, when a cute girl and her vicious-but-cute dog come to the clinic, looking for help. Although he starts out with selfish motives, could Tasuke be learning the reason his father values his ability to talk to animals so much?

The art in this comic is above average, and what made me pick it up in the first place. The characters are very cute, and the art is clean and very appealing. Also, the animals are beautifully drawn, and all are so adorable!

The printing quality of the book is also above average for american manga. The paper is very white and of very high quality, and the printing job is very well done, very clean-looking, and just above average in all respects. It's a level of quality you just don't always see with american comic printing, unfortunately, and it shows that the publishers really cared about the details with this book.

It was published unflipped, too, which means you have to read it in the Japanese order. This is a common thing with Japanese comics in the US recently. I prefer it, but I think it's worth mentioning. The publisher has included very, very tiny numbers in the corner of the panels to show what order to read them in. Personally I don't think this is really needed, but it's really hard to notice the numbers and they don't detract from the comic in the slightest.

At first I expected this to just be a silly comedy with cute animals. It has both of those things, but as the book goes on it becomes very touching as well. Anyone who's familiar with animal rescue, who's worked with animals, or who's had pets will be getting all sniffly reading this. It's a great mix of happy and sad that really makes the story stick with you longer than you'd expect.

Also, don't be fooled by the title! Cat lovers, there is a cat character who plays a major part in the story as well. I can't help but wonder if other animals will also appear in later volumes.

It's worth noting that the author and illustrator of this comic is also a vet with a degree in veterinary science. Her knowledge and love of animals shines through in this book, and it's obvious when reading it that she knows her stuff. This adds a bit of realism to the stories that would be missing otherwise.

To sum it up... If you like japanese comics and cute animals, or if you always wished you could talk to your pets, I really reccomend this comic. It may not be one of the super-popular comics out there, but it's still a fun, touching, and adorable story, at a reasonable price, and worth every penny.

Rating:
Summary: Best manga for animal lovers
Review: This is probably the best manga out there for animal people. I myself have lots of animals and really enjoyed this book. The art is cute and the animals are lovable.
The main character, Tasuke can talk to animals and his father is a vet. The situations the animals are in are realistic and believable. The author is a vet, so that's why.
I highly recommend this book. It's really good.