Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo, Volume 1

July 1, 2008
Gr 10 Up-While "Pet Shop of Horrors" is certainly a catchy title, it could be misleading for American audiences who might expect a more traditional type of horror. Some of the people who come to Count Ds pet shop are given children instead of pets, or pets who transform into children overnight. These customers manage to suspend their disbelief and their qualms when they learn that the children have magical qualities. They transform their owners lives into something both astonishing and bittersweet. A mother is killed by her ex-husband, but miraculously saves her childs life in the process. A man and a magical dog save the life of a woman he loves, and in doing so they both die and are reborn. In an extra flashback story, Count Ds grandfather provides a special pet for Hitlers lover Eva Braun in the form of a child with blond hair and blue eyes. The black-and-white artwork is eye-catching and dramatic, propelling the story forward. However, some of the text is printed directly over the graphics, rather than in thought or word balloons, and is difficult to read and easy to miss. This is an unusual manga that will leave its readers both satisfied and perturbed."Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2008
He's baaack. After mysteriously closing his Los Angeles Chinatown establishment at the end of the original "Pet Shop of Horrors" series, the elegant Count D has opened a shop in "Neo-Chinatown," an indoor mall in Tokyo's red-light district. Of Chinese heritage himself, Count D sells pets with alternate human personas to grant "every desire" but usually delivers bittersweet or unhappyyet appropriatefates to customers. The original series introduced a skeptical and hip American detective as D's foil, providing comic relief and contrast. In this series, the dour young manager of D's building plays the outsider heavy, looking into reports of D selling underage children. Whether the manager will prove as successful a counterpoint as the original remains to be seen. This volume's three poignant stories concern an abused ex-wife, an unknown novelist finding fame, and a pair of lovers fleeing yakuza pursuers. A side story stars Eva Braun wishing desperately to give the Führer a child. All find their desires realized but in unexpected and all-too-fleeting ways. The many fans of Count D will find Akino's shojo art as lovely as ever and D's wardrobe as swoon worthy. The new series is up to five volumes in Japan and still coming out. Rated for ages 16+.M.C.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.