Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo, Vol. 1
Grade 10 Up–WhilePet Shop of Horrorsis 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 D's 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 child's 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 D's grandfather provides a special pet for Hitler's 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 LibraryCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.