Dog Days Manga Review
Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in a land of magical dog people where nobody can feel pain? You'd probably think it to be a paradise, but as it turns out, they've got their problems just like anyone else.
PRODUCTION INFO
Dog Days originally aired as an anime, written by Masaki Tsuzuki (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha), directed by Keizo Kusakawa, and animated by studio Seven Arcs. The first season of anime premiered in spring 2011. After that came a light novel and then a manga which was written by Takuya Fujima and consists of a single volume. The franchise went on to spawn a second season titled Dog Days' and a third season has been recently aired.
SUMMARY
As covered in the anime, Dog Days is about an acrobatic 13-year old boy named Cinque Izumi. One day he is demonstrating his abilities on his school's grounds by his lonesome, when he notices a dog watching him. As he's about to land on the ground while performing a trick, the dog opens a magical portal and Cinque falls in. it takes him to a new world known as Flonyard which is full of people who have dog ears and a tail! As it turns out, he was summoned by Millhiore Firianno Biscotti, princess of the Biscotti Republic, and he was chosen to partake in their war.
WHAT TO EXPECT
This manga will not make sense unless you watch the
anime first. I made the mistake of reading before watching because I was misinformed that that manga premièred before the anime. Only read this if you watched the anime, and view it as an add-on material. There is a lot of fanservice, so you might as well consider it to be like one of those special ecchi episodes that only appear on the DVD's or BD's of anime. Even if you read the Dog Days manga before watching the anime, it won't ruin the anime; it'll just confuse the Hell out of you for the duration of the manga. The art is very moe and cutesy, so if you're a fan of moe fanservice and the Dog Days anime, definitely go for it. But other than that, the manga can easily be considered a waste of time.
MAIN CHARACTERS
Cinque, also known as the hero in Flonyard, is a half-Japanese, half-British boy from Cornwall. The story is told from his point of view. He was summoned to Flonyard because of his acrobatic ability which was observed by Tatsumaki who perceived this as a great warrior's skill. Upon his arrival in Flonyard, he is surprised, but does not decline Millhiore's request, as he had been longing for a good opportunity to take advantage of his athletic talent. This is a good example of his easygoing personality, and throughout the series he never loses this appearance, which makes him a little bland in my opinion.
Millhiore is the 13-year old princess of Biscotti Republic. She gets along with her people on a friendly level and even squeezes in idol performances for her people's entertainment. She is loved by her people for putting in so much effort to governing the nation and pleasing them at the same time. Millhiore has a kind yet determined personality, although she can be a little careless at times, such as when she summoned Cinque to the land of Flonyard without first knowing that it was impossible to send him home afterwards. She is very protective of the Biscotti Republic and goes into battle herself, wielding Excelide, Biscotti's treasure, as either a sword or a dagger.
Éclair is a 14-year old female knight and the captain of the Imperial Guards. She is very serious, and has a tsundere personality. She has been training as a fighter since she was a child, and takes great pride in her ability. Ricotta is a 13-year old girl who works as the Chief Researcher for the National Research School of Biscotti. She is a very knowledgeable and friendly girl. There are many other members of the Imperial Guards and Firianno Castle who work and fight alongside Cinque and Millhiore.
OPINIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
I had a hard time understanding what was going on in the Dog Days manga, which is probably due to the fact that I hadn't watched the anime before reading. The character introductions
were placed too close together and were too brief to actually remember. The battle was also confusing as it had not been explained properly like it was in the anime. Add swimsuits, panty shots, and nude fanservice to the mix and you've got a typical add-on for the anime. It is obvious that the manga was created with the intention of complimenting the anime and bringing more attention to the franchise. My favourite aspect of the manga was the artwork, which is absolutely gorgeous, but other than that, I was unimpressed by the protagonist and the storytelling of the manga in general. For something like this, I have to recommend watching other special episodes of an OVA that compliment your favourite series. Titles like Highschool of the Dead, Sword Art Online, Mayoi Neko Overrun, and many, many others contain similar special episodes. All you have to do is look. If you want recommendations for the Dog Days franchise in general, then I strongly suggest Familiar of Zero and Fate/stay night.
RATING
★3/10★
