Pet Shop of Horrors Volume 9

Affectingly humanistic AND gleefully misanthropic all at once, PET SHOP OF HORRORS is a 10-volume series revolving around a Chinatown pet shop, the highly unusual animals it sells, and the (often unpleasant) fates which befall its patrons. Running the shop is "Count D", a young Chinese man with a charming smile. Trying to run him in is Leon Orcot, a grumpy police detective who is convinced D is behind all those nasty, animal-related incidents. Each volume contains three or four clever, creepy, well-characterized stories focusing on an individual customer. Meanwhile, the series as a whole gradually unveils the story of Count D, and his quasi-adversarial relationship with the dogged-but-dense detective. A lot of reviewers here explain the "rules" of the series to you. But I really enjoyed reading Book One "cold" and figuring it out for myself. The confusion is half the fun, and the real charm of the series is the way the stories subversively mess with our perceptions. Some stories are better than others, of course. I was briefly alarmed at a dip in quality at Book 4, but Book 6 bounced the series back. Even so, Books 4 and 5 each contain one first-rate story, and overall work just fine as a brief change of pace. Book 10 concludes the series with four interconnected tales focused on the recurring characters. It is one of the best final books of a manga series that I have yet come across. The "rating" jumps from T13 to T16 after Book 3. But I think that Book 1 gives you a good idea what you are in for content-wise. The detective does not watch his language, mermaids don't wear tops, many of the stories, uh, don't end well, and there is gore and extreme weirdness. But it is never gratuitous or stupid, and risque content is clever rather than crass. My local library has the full series, but it is STILL at the top of my To-Get List. It is that good.

Not that I want to be let go of course :) This manga drew me in from the very start of the first volume and has only continued to do so in this one as well. Covering the fascinating stories of Dragon, Dice, Delicious, and Destruction, this manga is one you'll have a hard time putting it down till you read it from cover to cover and even then it will pull you back for more (I've already read it at least twice). I'll admit this manga does have some bloody portions as well as creepy parts (it does have the word horror in its title for a reason), but even if you are the overly sensitive type you should have no problem overlooking these. The story and the art are the main focus here, and Matsuri Akino has a wonderfully beautiful, yet mysterious way, of portraying both. You can't help but tingle in dreaded excitement as some of the more unlucky owners' fates unfold. The tales are sometimes heartwarming (such as in Dice), and yet sometimes there is a illfated case where you feel as if some type of justice has been served (such as in Delicious). It's hard to boil the stories down like this, as they are all such a wonderful mix. There's even some comedy thrown in (such as the conversations between Leon and Count D).Plus where else can you see so many mythical creatures being interwoven into a story so smoothly? :) All in all it's a must read.

At first I was a little worried about buying this manga in English from Tokyo Pop because they've had problems with translation in the past. But with the exception of Count D calling Leon officer instead of Detecive, this is one of the most accurately translated manga's I've seen. The stories are very original and have a haunting moral at the end of some (e.g. Daughter, Dream). But it can also be very funny at times (Count D and his sugar addicition). The art work is very unique and beautiful. Mari Akino puts so much detail into every pannel. This book is definately worth purchasing if you can find it.

The art in this Manga is beautiful...It's very detailed and helps deliver the moods of each character. Of course, a Manga isn't complete without humor, and Pet Shop of Horrors doesn't exclude and funny scenes! It's quite entertaining to see Count D and Leon Orcot bicker. :) But, this Manga is also very serious. The chapter "Delicious" was rather bloody. I recommend Pet Shop of Horrors to people who enjoy things out of the ordinary.

Petshop of Horrors is a must read! It has beautiful art and it's strange and unusual stories suck you in. It is about the beautiful Count D who sells strange and magnificent pets. His is a business that deals love and dreams. The buyer must sign a contract before he/she may purchase their pet. There are three rules in the contract that the buyer must adhere to else the pet shop is not responsible for the consequences. If broken the dream pet becomes one of danger, despair, or death to its owner and possibly to everyone.My favorite chapter is Dreizehn. It's about a girl who lost her sight due to a tragic incident and goes to Count D for a pet. Count D gives her a Doberman seeing-eye dog that can also protect her in case the murderer comes back. To her surprise the Doberman feels just like a human. Her fierce and handsome bodyguard protects her throughout this story. It also has many amusing parts due to how she sees her pet.