Anime And Manga For All Kinds Of Dog-Lovers

By Jane Sandwood

Dogs have been featured in anime since the art form“s beginnings, with AstroboyÂ fighting gangs of dog-like cyborgsÂ in the 1960s. Man“s best friend has made appearances in many manga and anime series, but some of these take it to the next level and make canines the central character. Here are someÂ dog-centric anime and manga seriesÂ to suit every mood.

For Tear-Jerking Drama:Â Stargazing Dog

Told from the point of an Akita dog named Happie, this manga is about a down-on-his-luck man and his faithful puppy. Happie was adopted into a working-class family, but in a series of unfortunate events, his owner ”” who Happie simply calls “Daddy”“ ”” lost his home, job and wife. But Daddy doesn“t lose heart, and takes Happie on a road trip to southern Japan to find a new start. The manga was so well-received that in 2011,Â Stargazing DogÂ was adapted into a live-action film.

The story ends tragically (this isn“t a spoiler ””Â their fate is revealed early on in the manga, with the story being told via flashbacks). There’s a lesson here for dog-carrying travelers: to make sure that your travels won“t end similarly, make sure that you prepare your dog byÂ getting all the necessary immunization shotsÂ and protection against harmful parasites.Â Take frequent pit stopsÂ to let your dog stretch, relieve themselves, and get some fresh air. It“ll be good for you too, and you owe it to your loyal pupper to keep yourself healthy. AsÂ Stargazing DogÂ so clearly illustrates, dogs are so loyal to their owners that tragedies can happen when your health suffers.

For Brainless Fun:Â Shiba Inuko-San

Thanks to the “doge”“ meme of 2010, the Shiba Inu has become an internet favorite, sparking the emergence of Shiba Inu-related merchandise and media ””Â almost all of them odd.Â Shiba Inuko-SanÂ is no exception. On the surface,Â Shiba Inuko-SanÂ is like many other slice-of-life manga and anime series. In a nutshell, it“s about a group of three 14-year-old girls and their everyday school life. However, one of them ”” Shiba Inuko ”” looks exactly like a Shiba Inu dog. Nobody thinks this is strange, except for one of her classmates, Ishibashi Chako.

The comic consists of four-panel strips that have Chako questioning whether or not Shiba Inuko is a dog, and the anime doesn“t stray too far from that. The anime runs for about a minute per episode, with only 26 episodes, so you can easily finish the whole thing in one sitting. The premise is absurd, and there isn“t much of a story, but if you“re in the mood for something weird, cute and short, then this would be perfect.

For Fast-Paced Action:Â Ginga Legend Weed

Rival gangs at war for dominance isn“t a new theme in manga and anime, but inÂ Ginga Legend Weed, the storyÂ revolves around packs of dogsÂ instead of gangsters and delinquents. The sequel to the 1980s manga,Â Ginga Nagareboshi Gin, this manga is about a dog named Weed. When Weed“s mother dies, he embarks on a quest to reunite with his legendary father, Gin (fromÂ Ginga Nagaraboshi Gin).

On this journey, he meets other dogs who join his pack, and they travel across the land, fighting in skirmishes and solving problems between groups of dogs. If you enjoy shonen battle series and are curious to see how that dynamic would work with dogs, check the manga or anime out. With 60 volumes, the manga ran from 1999 to 2009, and was adapted into an anime series in 2005.

As this list proves, not all great anime characters are human. Dogs are amongst the most popular pets in Japan (and the world), so it shouldn“t come as any surprise that they would be featured so heavily in manga and anime. And because dog-centric animes span all genres, from light-hearted comedies to epic adventure dramas, there“s something for everyone.