Man's Best Friend (manga)
Encyclopedia
Man's Best Friend part of the Inu Mo Arukeba series is an explicit yaoi
manga from the creator of Wild Rock
, Kazusa Takashima
and is published in English by Blu Manga, the boys' love publishing division of Tokyopop
.
hat, a strategically placed gun holster
at his crotch, with the Japanese inside cover colour art, which depicts Kuro tearing off Ukyou's shirt with his teeth. The former being the book's second print
cover in Japan and the latter being the first print
's cover in Japan.
", and Kuro's dog-like characterisation was praised by Sequential Tart. Library Journal
described the stories as contrived and said that the characters "exist to have sex". Christopher Butcher regarded Man's Best Friend as being the "most unique" of Blu's releases, and as a "very creative" fetish. Dru Pagliassotti, comparing romance novel
s with Boys Love manga, mentions Man's Best Friend as an example of a kemonomimi "society", or setting.
Yaoi
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
manga from the creator of Wild Rock
Wild Rock
Wild Rock is an explicit yaoi manga created by Kazusa Takashima and is published in English by Blu Manga, the boys love publishing division of Tokyopop. It is published in Spain by Ediciones La Cúpula, in France by Taifu Comics, and in German by Carlsen Manga. In May 2007, Wild Rock was...
, Kazusa Takashima
Kazusa Takashima
is a Japanese manga artist, famous for her yaoi manga. After being a doujinshi artist from 1999–2000, she became an official manga artist in 2001 with her series Harlem Beat wa Yoake Made being serialized in Monthly Asuka. It was later published in 2002 by Kadokawa. In addition to this, she has...
and is published in English by Blu Manga, the boys' love publishing division of Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
.
Description
When Ukyou rescues a stray dog and names it Kuro, he soon learns that he may have found a rare breed - his new dog can talk and magically transform into a hunky human! With his dog now taking the form of a hot man and licking him in various places, what is Ukyou to do?!Plot summary
the manga is split into three stories- The first three chapters are about a dog named Kuro, who is magically able to transform into a human with a dog tail whenever he gets excited, and his "owner" Ukyo.
- The two next chapters (Mata, Natsu ga Kita [Summer Has Come Again] and Pinpoint Lovers) are about Kentaro and Kasumi, which meet each other after a decade, Kentaro making a promise of waiting for Kasumi to return ten years before, which at the time he thought that Kasumi was a girl.
- The last chapter (Kingyo Hime [Goldfish Princess]) involves a guy, Keisuke, rescuing a goldfish from some kids, and finds out that the fish transforms into a man to thank him for rescuing him.
Publication
For the English release of Man's Best Friend, Blu Manga decided to replace the original cover art, which depicted Kuro reclining shirtless in a cowboyCowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
hat, a strategically placed gun holster
Holster
A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use.-Function:...
at his crotch, with the Japanese inside cover colour art, which depicts Kuro tearing off Ukyou's shirt with his teeth. The former being the book's second print
Edition (book)
The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed “from substantially the same setting of type,” including all minor typographical variants.- First edition :...
cover in Japan and the latter being the first print
Edition (book)
The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed “from substantially the same setting of type,” including all minor typographical variants.- First edition :...
's cover in Japan.
Reception
The manga has been described as "reminiscent of Guru Guru Pon-chanGuru Guru Pon-chan
is a manga by Satomi Ikezawa about a Labrador puppy, named Ponta, who turns into a human and falls in love with Mirai Iwaki, who's very popular in his school. In 2000, it won the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo...
", and Kuro's dog-like characterisation was praised by Sequential Tart. Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
described the stories as contrived and said that the characters "exist to have sex". Christopher Butcher regarded Man's Best Friend as being the "most unique" of Blu's releases, and as a "very creative" fetish. Dru Pagliassotti, comparing romance novel
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
s with Boys Love manga, mentions Man's Best Friend as an example of a kemonomimi "society", or setting.