Matsuri Akino

Mr. Main Character is a fairly normal school boy (besides some stuff he tries to hide) till he's approached by a bird man and told he's the reincarnation of the ruler of the small country of Dhalashar, which is just so happens has supposedly already found it's long lost reincarnated ruler and put him on the thrown. Bird man thing would really like Main Character to go back and take his place in the country, but Main Character really doesn't want to cause he's just a normal kid. Besides his show more apparent resurfacing ability to heal, save wandering souls, have premonitions of people's deaths, and all that kind of good stuff. And now in addition to all the great life experiences those kinds of abilities bring, Main Character also has other guardian beast things like bird man coming to kill him cause they think HE'S the fake reincarnation.

I've seen a lot of good reviews for this one, and I admit there are various things to like about it. For one, I like the premise. Main Character (oh, fine, I'll look up his name... Fuuto.) isn't the long lost queen king of a magical land he will be whisked away to. He's the ruler of a (in this universe ^_^) place that exists in the real world, albeit exoticized, that has a fake ruler put in place by the Chinese government. The choice to not entirely throw off the constraints of the real world is a little refreshing. Plots about being able to see ghosts or premonitions of death are done to death and I wouldn't find it a drawing point normally, but when added on to the already fairly interesting plot, it starts feeling like some extra spice for a little more fun, rather than a completely lame recycling of a tired idea. And though the manga is generally fairly light-hearted, it has some moments that are, quite frankly, truly morbid. It's by no means a constantly present trait of the volume, but it was just nice to see the manga wasn't going to flinch from going there.

Still, for me this manga didn't live up to the praise I'd seen for it in reviews. Though I originally thought the premonitions and spirits were spice to the interesting plot and would be worked into the overall story somehow... It seems like there were just being used for episodic moral 'lessons' like you would see in any other story of this type. A man feels guilty about the suicide of his wife, wife talks to him to tell him not to be. Find body of girl who was murdered so her spirit can be at rest. Woman abuses her son, is touched by main character and stops.

Not only are those sorts of stories lame, especially when rushed through like they were and not really fleshed out to make them feel more personal, if not original, but they tend to come with a pet peve of mine, the Sudden Magical Manga Change of Heart (though, no, it's not just manga. But I think you see it more in manga than a lot of things). A woman was abused as a child and abuses her son, WOULD have abused him to DEATH if the main character hadn't made sure the kid wasn't around for it to happen...And then a regression into a memory of herself as a child being abused, and having the main character step into this memory and just this one time to 'take her pain away,' and suddenly she wakes up a reformed woman? Or the main character tells his bird man he thinks some people deserve to be punished for killing a classmate, but when it starts happening he suddenly says, 'Oh, no! Don't do it! I do not have the right to dole out judgment and forgiveness after all! And besides, there must be another path besides violence and vengeance!' Ok, actually having to see the guys get 'punished' could change anyone's mind pretty fast. But such sudden, clear-minded reversal, complete with speech on forgiveness and non-violence? When things get too psychologically unbelievable, I get disinterested.

As for some other minor quibbles (these ones being more related to just my personal tastes), the supporting characters are 'zany' and so far seem one-dimensional. The female lead seems she might grow to something more interesting, but so far is just an emotionless doll in a wheelchair. The main character isn't great but he isn't bad and COULD be fun to watch if he had some more interesting characters to play off of, but, well, right now he doesn't.

Also, the manga is...very shoujo-ey. Yeah, it's shoujo (maybe? I'm not actually sure what it's 'officially' considered to be), but I didn't know that at first. When I first saw the art I thought it was just shounen with shoujo-ey art. But reading it, despite there being no real romance (yet?) and male main character, you can tell. Because the main sits around, stationary, acted upon by all the outside forces till they are forced to react. That is, besides when they are morally obligated to spread love by helping spirits or such, the only time they can be a little more proactive. ...Admittedly I haven't read a lot of shoujo so maybe this isn't as characteristic of it as I've gotten the feeling it might be from the ones I've read. Still, it's not a very shounen-manga-like way of going about things, is it? Now, part of me is a little happy to see that it apparently doesn't always have to be the female sitting around taking this lame passenger-seat role in her life. ...On the other hand, it's still a freaking lame role. Unless you're doing something original and interesting with the concept, I just don't really want to watch it.

In the end, concept-wise I kind of like this manga, but the overall experience was only a little above average. I don't plan to try any more volumes. show less

My favorite manga in all of the world. This was the first manga series I read in its entirety and it left a profound impact on me at such a young age. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an original, thought provoking series accompanied by gorgeous artwork. ESPECIALLY if you are a fan of monsters/creatures! Each story has a moral or lesson to it- not exactly like an Aesop's tale but reminiscent of one. There's also some subplots found along the way, but it isn't distracting at all show more and is fairly easy to keep up with. The main focus is each monster/creature the volume features as the central plot focus and thrusts into the spotlight.

Also- we don't talk about the anime. Just read the manga and you're set.

This series is out of print now- so if you are wanting to buy them yourself they maybe harder and pricier to find now. I know I paid a hefty price tag over the course of a year or two to gather them all up before they become too hard to find. You can still visit your local library, read online, or ask a friend who has them. show less

I first watched the highly underrated OVA series almost 20 years ago and for a very long time, I felt compelled to read the original manga because I loved the anime so much. I finally found a little free time and have decided to give it a try, and it has definitely been a great read.

Count D is a mysterious Chinese man living in Los Angeles's Chinatown with an even stranger profession: he sells all sorts of exotic and mythical animals to the right customer. Is the beast they see in the maze show more beneath the pet shop a human being or not? The rules are simple enough: never show the pet to anyone (some cases don't have this restriction), give the pet a specified diet, and keep its enclosure well-tended. The shop will not be held responsible in case the owner breaks any rules.

Of course, human nature entices people to break the rules, and all sorts of different problems could occur.

Dream: A young woman from a rich family feels rejected by her emotionally absent father and asks Count D to sell her a bird of unique beauty who sings to her every night. Will she fall in love with her new pet's beautiful lullaby? Or will she ask D for a change in contract to save the species from extinction?
Despair: This story was used in the OVA series and it replicates the source material very well. Our protagonist is an actor named Robin who played an alien prince in a Sci Fi film almost 10 years ago, but attempts to get any new roles have been a failure. Economically in huge trouble and abandoned by his wife, he purchases a very unique lizard from D who will give him the company he yearns. Detective Leon makes his first appearance in this episode and he tries to uncover the mystery between Robin's mysterious death... and all signs points to Count D's pet shop.
Daughter: Another chapter that was featured in the OVAS, it was selected as episode 1 even though it is technically Chapter 3 of the manga. A beautiful teenager named Alice dies from an overdose, leaving her well-intentioned but crappy parents behind in their despair. Fortunately, Count D has a solution that might give them a second chance for redemption... Or not. Quite personally, I didn't like this chapter that much, but horror fans will surely enjoy it.
Dreizehn: A young woman survives a home invasion/arsonist, but she ends up blind from the trauma of seeing the man murder her parents. Distraught and terrified about her safety because the killer escaped, Count D sells her a most unusual and faithful Doberman with the form of a handsome human in military garb named Dreizehn. Karen has a hard time believing Dreizehn is in reality a dog, and feels frustrated by his overprotective nature. However, for some reason she begins to feel like she has underestimated him and might need his help...

The start of the manga starts quite strong with 4 interesting stories venturing mostly in the realm of horror and adventure; I enjoyed reading it very much and plan to continue reading it. show less

I am a bit iffy about this specific volume. I sort of agree with other reviewers that the quality dropped a notch from the first 3. It isn't that this volume is bad per se, because the artwork is still stellar. More like the stories seem to be all over the place. It is only saved by one really good chapter in a sea of meh chapters.

Chapter 1: Digital: A socially awkward guy is found deceased in his apartment and Leon is forced to ask Count D to babysit his myriad of abandoned tropical fish show more while the LAPD discards foul play and locates his next of kin. A lead into the existence of a girlfriend who might prove a motive to his death awkwardly has the exact same name as a pet the fish have ushered Count D to rescue. It is up to Leon to forego his suspicions of D and for them to team up to solve both mysteries. This episode is kinda weird, and I am not fully convinced I understood the moral of the plot, but it was okay I guess.

Chapter 2: Flower and Detective (Part 1): Count D gives a weird plant to Leon as a gift. Suspicious of the plant, he soon discovers he has grown attached to it... literally? Another weird episode. Not terrible, but you are not missing anything if you skip it.

Chapter 3: Dark Horse: Leon and D befriend a stuntwoman/horse lover with money problems. She wishes to race her family's thoroughbred race horse for the money and excitement but the animal was born deaf. Will she accept Count D's offer? This chapter had a lot of promise. I really, really loved the artwork of the page where D's body takes on a ghostly shape when he barters a deal with the aspiring jockey. Sadly, we never know what the deal was, and if it affected the conclusion of the story in any way. Bummer.

Chapter 4: Flower and Detective (Part 2): Oh wow, wow, wow! This is the one and sole story that made this volume worth reading. I don't wish to spoil it, but it was thrilling to read!

I believe this volume deserved 3 stars, but the final chapter is great, and it compelled me to award it 3 1/2 stars. show less