Man's Best Friend

Inu mo Arukeba (chapters 1-3) The chapters feel episodic and somewhat disconnected, but they do fit together smoothly and there's some development between them in both character and story. Kuro's flails are cute if a little difficult to follow when he's in his true shape, and he's adorable when in human shape. While this one was not to my taste, it was well done and my own lack of fondness for it is due mostly to the pushiness and the style of the relationship development herein; for people with different preferences I think it would be quite enjoyable. I still felt it was cute. Kuro's devotion to Ukyoand Ukyo's shock and bafflement bridging into more are cute, though Kuro's initial reaction to Ukyo somewhat baffled me. My rating: 5 Mata Natsu ga Kita (chapters 4-5) I found the introduction to be quite confusing on this one, but some pages later when the confusion resolved (with the reveal that it was also Ken's confusion) it worked well enough. The art is a fun style, with silly doodles to accompany it, and the boys are both disasters, engaging as they are. This one has the most character and relationship development of the stories in this collection (and the least weirdness, having no supernatural tones or inexplicable happenings). The tension and resolution are well-paced, in both the first chapter and the second, which are separate stories and separate parts of the boys' relationship, and despite the potential for frustration at the characters with their handling of their conflict, I found myself not bothered by it, and happy to follow along with them. The sweet ending only made me like it more, feeling like the conflict paid off properly. My rating: 7 Kingyou Hime (chapter 6) Though this is quite short, being a single chapter unlike the other two in this volume, and lacking some followup or any development, I found this the most enjoyable and curious of the collection. Keisuke's character is set up well immediately on the first page (important, as it is so short) and his reactions to the twist and surprise are entirely reasonable (and relatable). I did wonder about certain things he hinted at as to his character, which is also impressive for an introduction given in such a short piece. The art, especially for the Kingyou Hime himself, is lovely. This oneshot is the one that sticks in my head the most and the one I come back to reread specifically. My rating: 8