Matsuri Akino

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

Pet Shop of Horrors continues in the second volume where we get an additional 4 stories that range between the realms of humor, mystery and horror.

Dragon: A story about a misplaced dragon egg that is expected to hatch by accident on XMAS instead of the Chinese New Year risks killing the family that brought it home... and possibly the entire city of Los Angeles is under danger too. It is up to Count D to ask for Detective Leon for his help in order to sneak into the house and safely hatch the show more mythical beast in a remote area before things go crazy. A humorous story, we also start to see flashes of attraction between both characters, even though neither party wants to admit it yet.

Dice: A homeless con artist rescues a kitten without realizing Lucky is very special. Unable to care for her, Count D appears and takes the kitten away from him. Thinking little about the odd change of events, the guy ends up getting arrested by Leon for petty theft and bailed out by Count D. Little does he know, Count D is giving him the chance of a lifetime by adopting a strange little girl who might change his life for the better... as long as he doesn't break any of the tenets of the contract. A cute/odd story with a different kind of protagonist than other stories so far. I find it interesting that we get meet a low life criminal making a contract with the Count and the way despite being a lazy slob, there is a good side to him.

Delicious: The original manga version of the same chapter in the OVA series. The anime stays fervently truthful to the original source material. I personally didn't enjoy this episode as much as some of the other ones, but I suppose the animators chose this story because of the horror elements.

Destruction: Another story featuring Count D interacting on a more personal level with Leon. Our perpetually igneous detective has spotted Count D visiting a natural history museum one evening while carrying a suitcase. Assuming he is planning on selling opium, he follows him inside and gets teleported to a prehistoric world with extinct animals. Where are they and can they escape this strange dream before Leon harms any animals by mistake? A very different story from what we are getting accustomed in a pleasant way.

Overall, the stories remain fresh and fun to read and I award it 4 stars. 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