Manga Dogs 2

good book

At the end of the previous volume, manga artist Kanna had been kidnapped by a wannabe. More than her life, her work was in danger as her pages were taken hostage, preventing her from making her deadline. Of course, she’s rescued — the advantage of a series made up of short (ten-page) chapters is that things move very quickly. The teacher of the manga class (made up of Kanna, the three aspiring guys, and the new character) is herself an aspiring manga artist, but one that’s portrayed pathetically, due to her age and lack of accomplishment after all that time. The teacher decides to take the class to Comiket, the world’s largest comic book event, so she can sell her dojinshi. The new setting allows for a whole new set of complications, including cosplay and Kanna trying to protect the naive boys from being exposed to yaoi. The characters are static in this series, the better to allow the plot twists to vary for sitcom-like comedy. The high points of a manga career are moved through quickly, as Kanna gets her first collected volume in this book as well as appearing at her first signing, all of which cause more tension and humorous desperation. The guys show some value here, coming up with a ridiculous plot that somehow works out, because everyone is oblivious to anything but their immediate wants. When Kanna gets a love letter, we’re told by the author Ema Toyama that “manga artists are a life form that metabolize the bad events in their lives and excrete them as manga story points.” That makes the whole book seem a bit self-referential — as Kanna struggles with deadlines and ridiculous page counts demanded, once envisions Toyama feeling similarly. Fans and the reader response card rankings are continuing themes, with this book’s cliffhanger involving the ever-present threat of cancellation. The book ends with the first chapter of “Teach Me (heart) Buddha!”, Kanna’s series about a young girl trying not to fall in love with buddhist gods reincarnated as cute young men, so we can see how many areas she needs to improve. The premise is silly, the characters weirdly exaggerated, and the plots artificial. That’s the point. Good manga is hard, even if it is making fun of itself. (Review originally posted at ComicsWorthReading.com.)

I want the next one!!!

Overall boring

awesome

Manga dogs continues its slight progression of the reclusive 'Sensei', Kanna Tezuka. You can tell that she slowly, but surely, becomes more open and caring to the three manga dogs. The typical goofy trio are the same as ever in this sequal with different tricks. Worth the buy, I was satisfied with how the series progressed and ultimately ended.

~4/5 This is an adorable comedy. I know there’s only one volume left, and I already wish there was more. Not to mention my love for Toyama’s art already, but the characters are just great here, as is the humor. The mangaka-related antics and jokes are so great here. The group go to a convention, are entered into a manga writing contest, try to help Kanna turn in her work on time. The new guy actually is a manga artist, though not published. Kanna has a signing, gets her manga made into a book, deals with a possible cancellation. We meet friends of Prince, and then Shota’s sister. All kinds of antics in this volume. And along the way, a lot of humor. I love the antics here, the way the boys are so oblivious and idiotic, but do genuinely like Kanna and look up to her. I will say that I think I like Prince the best, in terms of Kanna. Shota is adorable, too, and Specs is oddly humorous. I was laughing through most of this volume, and can’t wait for the next one. I suspect it will be just as good. [More of my reviews are available on my blog, Geeky Reading, to which there's a link on my profile.]