Animal Academy: Hakobune Hakusho Volume 1

Neko has never been the most talented student. She's so bad, in fact, that she was only accepted to one high school: MoriMori High. She's just happy that she did make it into high school, though, and is looking forward to the fun experiences she's sure to have. She meets an odd but pretty girl on the train ride over, and it happens that this girl is also going to attend MoriMori. They become fast friends, and things are looking good for Neko. However, upon arrival at the school, Neko is told that she hasn't been accepted after all. Neko is understandably upset and begs the school to give her another chance. She is told that the reason she can't attend is that MoriMori is really a school for magical animals posing as humans. The school finally allows her in on one condition: she can't let anyone find out that she's actually a human. This manga could've been pretty bland, but I thought the manga-ka did a good job with it. The story is pretty good so far. Nothing major has happened yet, but I like the ideas present. The students at MoriMori are there to learn how to behave like humans so they can live in the human world. Some of the things they have to learn include how to use a door-knob and how to read street signs. The characters are a lot of fun. Neko is an energetic girl, and it's funny to watch her get used to her new environment. She feels a little out of place, but she's also way ahead of her classmates in school work, something she's not used to. Her classmates all have cute animal forms, but what makes them really interesting is their behavior. Her best friend who is actually a cat behaves exactly how you would expect. She's possessive of Neko and agressive toward strangers, and she sleeps a lot. She's also haughty. A young fox has an obvious crush on her, and she has no qualms about letting him know she's not interested. The art is so cute. I love the character designs, both human and animal. They're endearing and full of personality. This is a great choice for young girls. Manga, though appealing to children, is usually aimed at teenagers and young adults. Girls have an especially hard time since most titles for kids are aimed at boys. But "Animal Academy" is perfect. It's innocent and an entertaining read. I hope Tokyopop will continue to publish titles like this.