''Man's Best Friend'' (known as aka the ''Inu mo Arukeba'' series) is an explicit

yaoi , also known by its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that depicts homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for a female audience, distinguishing it from the equivale ...

manga by

Kazusa Takashima is a Japanese Mangaka, manga artist, famous for her yaoi manga. After being a doujinshi artist from 1999 to 2000, she became an official manga artist in 2001. In addition to this, she has also illustrated a number of light novels. Biography Born ...

, and is published in English by Blu Manga, a now-defunct boys' love publishing division of

Tokyopop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licens ...

Plot

The manga is split into three stories: * The first three chapters are about Ukyo, who rescues a dog that he names Kuro. Kuro can talk and magically transform into a muscular human, and Kuro takes a romantic interest in Ukyo. * The next two chapters ( and ''Pinpoint Lovers'') are about Kentaro and Kasumi, who reunite after a decade apart. Long ago, Kentaro had made a promise to wait ten years for Kasumi, but at the time he had thought that Kasumi was a girl. * The last chapter () is about a man, Keisuke, who rescues a magical goldfish from a group of children. Said goldfish then transforms into a man, thanking Keisuke.

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 with a gun

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device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use. Holsters are often attached to a belt or waistband, but they may be atta ...

covering his crotch, with new cover art depicting Kuro tearing off Ukyo's shirt with his teeth. The new cover art was created from existing art within the volume.

Reception

The manga has been described as "reminiscent of '' Guru Guru Pon-chan.''" Kuro's dog-like characterization was praised by ''Sequential Tart''.

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American 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 prac ...

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 A romance or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and Romance (love), romantic love between two people, typically with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Authors who have contributed ...

s with Boys Love manga, mentions ''Man's Best Friend'' as an example of a

kemonomimi is a form of anthropomorphism in anime, manga, and games where '' moe'' qualities are given to non-human beings (such as animals, plants, supernatural entities and fantastical creatures), objects, concepts, or phenomena. In addition to ''moe' ...

"society", or setting.

References

External links

*
''Man's Best Friend'' page on Blu Manga
{{DEFAULTSORT:Man's Best Friend (Manga) Manga anthologies 2004 manga Tokyopop titles Yaoi anime and manga