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Inubaka #1
Inubaka: Crazy For Dogs, Volume 1
All alone except for her loyal mutt Lupan, 18-year-old Suguri moves from the countryside to the big city to find a job and a new life!
When she accepts a job at a pet store, she meets a variety of dogs and owners, each with own quirky personality. What she lacks in
experience, she makes up for with her natural rapport with all things wagging and fluffy!
208 pages, Paperback
First published February 20, 2007
10 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Yukiya Sakuragi
18 books22 followersGenres
Seinen(3) Comedy(2) Drama(2) Romance(2) Ecchi(1) Slice of Life(1)
Seinen(3) Comedy(2) Drama(2) Romance(2) Ecchi(1) Slice of Life(1)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
February 16, 2013
When I first started this book, I really didn't like it. The plot was too over-sexualized, (i.e. two dogs mating in public, a couple sleazy guys picking up the main character on the side of the road, main character undressing in her work uniform, etc.) and I just didn't like it. It sort of got better the more I read, but I still wasn't that into it.
In the middle of the book, the owner of the pet shop got angry at the main character for wanting her dog and his dog to have puppies. He started ranting on how selfish she was to want to breed mutts, and that she would make more unhappy dogs in the world by doing that. But the truth was that any dog breeder, it doesn't matter if the puppies are pure-bred or mutts, makes more homeless animals in the world. He was just as selfish, in fact, MUCH more selfish than she was. He thought of the dogs as 'merchandise' and wanted to breed his own dog for money. In both cases, it makes more homeless animals in the world.
People should get their pets at animal shelters or the pound, not in a pet store. Believe it or not, most pet shops get their dogs from Puppy Mills, and that feeds the puppy mill business. I don't really care if the pet shop in this story didn't get their dogs from puppy mills, almost all pet shops with dogs in them get them from puppy mills. Puppy mills over-breed dogs for money, the animals live in horrible condition, and the dogs that don't sell simply die and are thrown out.
I hate to make this review into a rant about puppy mills, but it's true and that's the main thing that ticked me off in this manga.
Later on, when I was about 80% done with the book, two new characters came in; an elderly golden retriever named Ricky and a teenage girl who could care less about him. I started to get really sad around this part, especially when the dog ended up dying.
You see, I have a golden retriever too, and she's 11 years old. She's the first dog my family ever got and even though she's really annoying and brainless sometimes, this story really reminded me that she won't live forever.
I saw my own dog in Ricky, and by the end of the book, I was sobbing my eyes out. I hated the fact that the book went right back into the sexual stuff and ruined a perfectly intimate ending, but that one short story with the golden retriever made me think of my own old golden, and made me want to go outside and play with her, or give her a belly rub, and try not to think about how much longer she'll live.
In the middle of the book, the owner of the pet shop got angry at the main character for wanting her dog and his dog to have puppies. He started ranting on how selfish she was to want to breed mutts, and that she would make more unhappy dogs in the world by doing that. But the truth was that any dog breeder, it doesn't matter if the puppies are pure-bred or mutts, makes more homeless animals in the world. He was just as selfish, in fact, MUCH more selfish than she was. He thought of the dogs as 'merchandise' and wanted to breed his own dog for money. In both cases, it makes more homeless animals in the world.
People should get their pets at animal shelters or the pound, not in a pet store. Believe it or not, most pet shops get their dogs from Puppy Mills, and that feeds the puppy mill business. I don't really care if the pet shop in this story didn't get their dogs from puppy mills, almost all pet shops with dogs in them get them from puppy mills. Puppy mills over-breed dogs for money, the animals live in horrible condition, and the dogs that don't sell simply die and are thrown out.
I hate to make this review into a rant about puppy mills, but it's true and that's the main thing that ticked me off in this manga.
Later on, when I was about 80% done with the book, two new characters came in; an elderly golden retriever named Ricky and a teenage girl who could care less about him. I started to get really sad around this part, especially when the dog ended up dying.
You see, I have a golden retriever too, and she's 11 years old. She's the first dog my family ever got and even though she's really annoying and brainless sometimes, this story really reminded me that she won't live forever.
I saw my own dog in Ricky, and by the end of the book, I was sobbing my eyes out. I hated the fact that the book went right back into the sexual stuff and ruined a perfectly intimate ending, but that one short story with the golden retriever made me think of my own old golden, and made me want to go outside and play with her, or give her a belly rub, and try not to think about how much longer she'll live.
July 11, 2014
There are two things you absolutely need to know.
1. This book is about dogs, any story that happens to take place is accidental.
2. There are more then enough gross out moments, but they aren't always acquainted to humour.
This first volume of Inubaka started strong for me. It seemed set to be a rare manga just about humour, but it didn't have any follow through. It read like it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. It's marketed like Shoujo and has all of the normal trappings for that genre, but then it has this fixation on the dogs that doesn't lend to the story being told.
The storytelling sucks. It starts off well enough, then mid-way through it completely disappears, and then re-emerges a bit the end. Gradually I just lost the enthusiasm I started with. Seriously, the pet shop this centres around is called WOOFLES! Such a promising start!
The story seems like an interesting idea, but nothing really meshes. I could've seen myself really loving this, but all that poop. I understand it being part of the story, I own a dog with issues so I really understand, but seriously enough with the poop. Enough. Focus on something else. It's like the chronicle of poop! Crazy aboutdogs POOP! If it was used more as gross-out humour I could've dealed, but it just constantly exists in the story without purpose.
Overall I didn't hate this. It was tolerable, but inconstant as hell.
1. This book is about dogs, any story that happens to take place is accidental.
2. There are more then enough gross out moments, but they aren't always acquainted to humour.
This first volume of Inubaka started strong for me. It seemed set to be a rare manga just about humour, but it didn't have any follow through. It read like it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. It's marketed like Shoujo and has all of the normal trappings for that genre, but then it has this fixation on the dogs that doesn't lend to the story being told.
The storytelling sucks. It starts off well enough, then mid-way through it completely disappears, and then re-emerges a bit the end. Gradually I just lost the enthusiasm I started with. Seriously, the pet shop this centres around is called WOOFLES! Such a promising start!
The story seems like an interesting idea, but nothing really meshes. I could've seen myself really loving this, but all that poop. I understand it being part of the story, I own a dog with issues so I really understand, but seriously enough with the poop. Enough. Focus on something else. It's like the chronicle of poop! Crazy about
Overall I didn't hate this. It was tolerable, but inconstant as hell.
November 21, 2017
Kind of mediocre. None of the characters stand out very much. Even the dog-crazy girl from the title is a bit generic with her dog sixth sense and anime ditziness. She wears a dog collar, so I guess that's unique?
That said, the story with Ricky and her owner was pretty touching.
The translations are clunky. A lot of the time the lines don't flow naturally or come off as thoughtfully presented in English. Seeing that the translation studio was in Japan pretty much confirms why it feels this way. I'll give them points for keeping the honorifics though.
That said, the story with Ricky and her owner was pretty touching.
The translations are clunky. A lot of the time the lines don't flow naturally or come off as thoughtfully presented in English. Seeing that the translation studio was in Japan pretty much confirms why it feels this way. I'll give them points for keeping the honorifics though.
January 25, 2008
This is *my* graphic novel :)
I love it because it is set in a Japanese dog store and there are always cute little furry critters gracing the pages!
I love it because it is set in a Japanese dog store and there are always cute little furry critters gracing the pages!
July 25, 2015
That was kind of depressing... Liked the dogs but disagreed with some of the concepts.
February 27, 2020
I ordered three volumes of this from the library thinking it would be a cute slice of life series instead I got the most specific fetish comic ever written. Multiple times in each volume our ditzy dog-loving main character:
Enters a room and causes dogs to piss all over themselves and her.
Catches poop straight from the dog's butt in her bare hands.
Flashes cleavage and underwear.
I felt grosser reading this then I did Gantz
Enters a room and causes dogs to piss all over themselves and her.
Catches poop straight from the dog's butt in her bare hands.
Flashes cleavage and underwear.
I felt grosser reading this then I did Gantz
June 20, 2021
God,
This is so bad. Bad dog care advice. A pet shop with inadequate space for the puppies. A man who won't fix his dog, but bitches (aha) at the MC for not fixing hers. An asshole dude, with a naiive MC. Panty shots for no reason. The seller was "traumatized" by seeing a bad breeder, so decided to .... become a breeder? This was so stupid I regret reading this.
Find something else.
This is so bad. Bad dog care advice. A pet shop with inadequate space for the puppies. A man who won't fix his dog, but bitches (aha) at the MC for not fixing hers. An asshole dude, with a naiive MC. Panty shots for no reason. The seller was "traumatized" by seeing a bad breeder, so decided to .... become a breeder? This was so stupid I regret reading this.
Find something else.
September 16, 2010
This manga has a lot of information on the care of dogs, almost to the point of being more instructive than a story. The characters are kind of typical - ditzy, naive heroine and mysterious, brooding hero. The art is pretty good. There are some sad moments involving the animals. Overall, I liked it all right. I probably won't read more because of the sad animal parts, though. I'm just too sensitive to that sort of thing.
Product Description
All alone except for her loyal mutt Lupin, 18-year-old Suguri moves from the countryside to the big city to find a career and a new life. In her first job at a pet store, she meets an assortment of quirky dogs and even stranger owners!
On a walk to check out the new neighborhood, Lupin "courts" another dog while her owner Teppei isn't looking, shattering his dream of a litter of purebred puppies. To make up for her mongrel's wayward wooing, Suguri offers to work at the pet store Teppei manages. Her adventures in canine antics have just begun!
Product Description
All alone except for her loyal mutt Lupin, 18-year-old Suguri moves from the countryside to the big city to find a career and a new life. In her first job at a pet store, she meets an assortment of quirky dogs and even stranger owners!
On a walk to check out the new neighborhood, Lupin "courts" another dog while her owner Teppei isn't looking, shattering his dream of a litter of purebred puppies. To make up for her mongrel's wayward wooing, Suguri offers to work at the pet store Teppei manages. Her adventures in canine antics have just begun!
July 1, 2013
I wasn't really sure how I felt about this during the beginning of the volume, but once Suguri went to work in Teppei-san's shop, I ended up starting to like the book. The puppies are all so cute! And the storyline with Ricky was so sad :-(
What I find most interesting about the art of this series is the men actually look Asian. The girls still have the standard manga look (and I know why) but manga characters don't often look Japanese or any type of Asian. So I think it's pretty cool they do in this book :-)
Suguri's dog Lupin is adorable!
What I find most interesting about the art of this series is the men actually look Asian. The girls still have the standard manga look (and I know why) but manga characters don't often look Japanese or any type of Asian. So I think it's pretty cool they do in this book :-)
Suguri's dog Lupin is adorable!
April 21, 2019
The best part about this story was the dogs. They were cute, realistic, and the only reason anyone should even concider reading this book.
The plot was absolutely terrible and overly sexualized. The main character is horribly stupid, even for an innocent girl just out of high school. Why the fuck would you get in a car with a bunch of men you don't know? Holy shit. Everyone knows that's a quick way to die! Well, everyone except the main character of this book. She thought they were just being nice to her (seriously) when they're obviously total pervs.
Fortunately she escapes from those creeps since she has to chase after her dog. She finds him humping another dog (because this is a classy story) and apologizes to the owner of the other dog profusely. That guy gets pissed at her but ends up giving her and her dog a ride back to Tokyo since that's where she lives ans he's headed that way any way. He's not a creep like the other guys and ends up showing her his pet shop where he works. He sees that she truly loves dogs and offers her a position at the shop.
She gets her money stolen from her after she shows her new roommates all the money she saved up. No surprise the pervy free loader guy is also theif (because why not, right?) The guy who stole her money creepily suggests she works at a host club to make up the lost money. Ew.
There are several plots involving dogs and their owners. The spoiled girl and her old retriever is probably one of the most depressing parts of the story. A bratty girl brings her old golden to the shop to buy expensive stuff. She says that she is waiting for him to die so she can get a new chihuahua puppy. Her old dog saves the chihuahua by showing concern for him, alerting to the chihuahua' s heart condition which it is then treated for. Going to the store to alert the main character about the puppy is what the old dog does as his last heroic act, as he dies shortly after this.
The two stars I gave this book was for the dogs alone, especially the old retriever because he's the real hero! I'm definitely not reading any more of this manga because the human characters were either too irritating or flat for me to want to keep reading about them. If the book was solely about the dogs and the people weren't so annoying, I would have loved this series.
Trigger/Content Warnings: Dog Deaths. Though it is peaceful, it's still incredibly sad.
The plot was absolutely terrible and overly sexualized. The main character is horribly stupid, even for an innocent girl just out of high school. Why the fuck would you get in a car with a bunch of men you don't know? Holy shit. Everyone knows that's a quick way to die! Well, everyone except the main character of this book. She thought they were just being nice to her (seriously) when they're obviously total pervs.
Fortunately she escapes from those creeps since she has to chase after her dog. She finds him humping another dog (because this is a classy story) and apologizes to the owner of the other dog profusely. That guy gets pissed at her but ends up giving her and her dog a ride back to Tokyo since that's where she lives ans he's headed that way any way. He's not a creep like the other guys and ends up showing her his pet shop where he works. He sees that she truly loves dogs and offers her a position at the shop.
She gets her money stolen from her after she shows her new roommates all the money she saved up. No surprise the pervy free loader guy is also theif (because why not, right?) The guy who stole her money creepily suggests she works at a host club to make up the lost money. Ew.
There are several plots involving dogs and their owners. The spoiled girl and her old retriever is probably one of the most depressing parts of the story. A bratty girl brings her old golden to the shop to buy expensive stuff. She says that she is waiting for him to die so she can get a new chihuahua puppy. Her old dog saves the chihuahua by showing concern for him, alerting to the chihuahua' s heart condition which it is then treated for. Going to the store to alert the main character about the puppy is what the old dog does as his last heroic act, as he dies shortly after this.
The two stars I gave this book was for the dogs alone, especially the old retriever because he's the real hero! I'm definitely not reading any more of this manga because the human characters were either too irritating or flat for me to want to keep reading about them. If the book was solely about the dogs and the people weren't so annoying, I would have loved this series.
Trigger/Content Warnings: Dog Deaths. Though it is peaceful, it's still incredibly sad.
July 10, 2019
Disclaimer: I am new to manga. I read my first manga last year, and have only been reading comics in general since 2016, so take that into consideration when decided whether to give any weight to this review or not. I've only read two other books of manga: Vinland Saga, Omnibus Vol. 1 and Ranma 1/2. I loved Vinland Saga but did care much for Ranma. So, obviously, I don't have much experience when it comes to reading manga or understanding the culture behind it.
That being said, I detested this one and am so grateful that (a) I bought it from my local used bookstore so I didn't pay full price and (b) I only bought the first one and don't have to buy the rest. I found it difficult to figure out which character was speaking based on where the speech bubbles were located. I also found the two main male characters to be absolute jerks, one of whom is completely reprehensible. Suguri is unbelievably naive, and her parents are rotten, too. I found the attitude towards "pure bred" dogs versus mixed breeds to be appalling, too, but I suspect some of that is cultural. As a dog lover who has only ever adopted mixed breeds from shelters, I found the pet store backdrop and focus on pure bred, pet shop dogs as the only good dogs, to be challenging, at best.
That being said, I detested this one and am so grateful that (a) I bought it from my local used bookstore so I didn't pay full price and (b) I only bought the first one and don't have to buy the rest. I found it difficult to figure out which character was speaking based on where the speech bubbles were located. I also found the two main male characters to be absolute jerks, one of whom is completely reprehensible. Suguri is unbelievably naive, and her parents are rotten, too. I found the attitude towards "pure bred" dogs versus mixed breeds to be appalling, too, but I suspect some of that is cultural. As a dog lover who has only ever adopted mixed breeds from shelters, I found the pet store backdrop and focus on pure bred, pet shop dogs as the only good dogs, to be challenging, at best.
October 18, 2018
It's pretty cute. This series stars main character Suguri, an 18 year old who loves dogs (I assume the title is Stupid for Dogs, Inubaka, which they translated to the more meaningful crazy for dogs). She's sick of being under the watchful eye of her parents, and the final straw is her dad trying to set her up with a job. She and her dog (Lupin) head out to Tokyo to find work, and luckily she happens into an unusual circumstance that finds her landing a spot at a pet shop (due to her skills with detecting and cleaning... Doggie fecal matter, yuck).
The art is really polished. The stories are fun. It's nothing heavy hitting, so a good, light read.
There are a few pandering images, so you'll have to put up with those if you're just here for a cute romance comedy with dogs.
The art is really polished. The stories are fun. It's nothing heavy hitting, so a good, light read.
There are a few pandering images, so you'll have to put up with those if you're just here for a cute romance comedy with dogs.
November 28, 2017
3.5/5 stars.
This book is cute, especially for someone like me who adores dogs. It's actually got a lot of informative things about dogs: breeds, care, etc. It sort of reminded me of Oishinbo in that way (only Oishinbo is about food).
The story itself was fun. Suguri is a bit of a bumbling character, but that's pretty typical with manga. It's also somewhat sexualized, but again, that's to be expected with manga (sadly). I'm definitely interested enough to keep reading. We'll see if the storyline is enough to sustain a whole series.
This book is cute, especially for someone like me who adores dogs. It's actually got a lot of informative things about dogs: breeds, care, etc. It sort of reminded me of Oishinbo in that way (only Oishinbo is about food).
The story itself was fun. Suguri is a bit of a bumbling character, but that's pretty typical with manga. It's also somewhat sexualized, but again, that's to be expected with manga (sadly). I'm definitely interested enough to keep reading. We'll see if the storyline is enough to sustain a whole series.
August 30, 2021
It took me so long to get this book. I collected like 7 other volumes before I got this one just because I liked the art style and it's about dogs! I finally got this and started reading....and it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. The girl is pretty clueless and the guys a huge jerks. But I'm going to continue with what I have until I get to where I can't read until I find the next volume and see if I want to continue with it or give up. Hopefully it will get better because I was so excited for this series.
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March 5, 2023Dnf on first page calls dog an it they are living babies fur babies if you call ant if my fur babies an it I would yell at you. so to me main character is not true dog lover and secondly she goes work in pet store.with pure blood puppies which most likely came from puppy mills bc we know today that a lot of puppies in pet stores do come from and I didn’t see anything saying they were not from puppy mill.
November 9, 2017
I really enjoyed reading "Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs" as it brought me a new appreciation and love towards dogs. The storyline is quite unique and I loved the humour throughout the series, which never gets old the more you read the books over and over again.
July 10, 2018
Cutesy story about owning and running a pet shop. It follows a lot of typical stereotypes in Japanese fiction, but adds some real-life dog care advice to follow with the pet owning boom. It's fine, but nothing riveting. I appreciate the educational aspects more than the narrative.
February 26, 2021
This is an interesting series of Manga, very niche. The storyline isn't complex and there is a typical amount of fan service making this series more appropriate for older teens. Half of the story is facts about dogs and dog related things. We visit a breeders home, experience various dog agility events and focus on daily care of dogs. The other half of the story is Suguri and her kidnapping and ultra sheltered existence. Dark subjects come up, animals dying, self harm, animal abuse, spying on young girls, and the return of the kidnapper.
Volumes to keep 2, 3
Volumes to keep 2, 3
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2022
When a manga makes you sob sitting in the library and you can't hear yourself sobbing over your headphones and someone comes and checks on you, you know it's a good manga. But seriously. I really enjoyed this and I kind of want to continue on with the series.
July 2, 2017
Hilarious and sexy at times too. Loved it.
January 18, 2018
Ok series but love the covers for each volume. Very cute!
August 18, 2018
Super cute and a little sad but over all a good doggy manga.
September 11, 2018
First of 18 volumes (I have 1 through 17). Sugari finds her way to working in a pet shop in Tokyo and meets a few of the characters. A good story even as an introduction.
December 19, 2018
Omg! Hilarious book I loved it! I also am crazy for dogs so this is kinda perfect for me!😊
May 12, 2019
Ahhh I am so happy to be rereading one of my favorite series of all time!
Story about doggos?? YES PLEASE
Story about doggos?? YES PLEASE
September 1, 2020
Ricky is the best goodest boy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2020
I can’t really tell what age of reader this was written for. While most of it seems to be at a pre-teen level, there’s also alcohol, a “hostess club,” and plenty of sexual innuendo.
April 27, 2021
Exactly as advertised, but with the usual sprinkling of manga oddity and one heart stopper.
March 17, 2022
I first read this in high school and now I am crazy for dogs. All I know about dogs i learned in inubaka. It was just so cool to revisite this.
January 4, 2025
First DNF of 2025 this is just not it and very weird I was hoping for a wholesome story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews