Pupposites Attract, Vol. 2

正反対なわたしたち [Seihantai na Watashitachi] #2

by Hono Natsuna

Rottweiler Tsubu-chan and Pomeranian Monjuro are friends and they're leading the way now, pulling their owners Chiharu Kagura and Kiyotaka Tsujii even closer together. Kiyotaka may be a bit shy, and Chiharu a bit reserved, but they can't deny each other's charm-and unexpected similarities to their beloved pup! A chance encounter with a stylish young woman and her dignified old Shiba leads to new friendships and discoveries, and inspires Kiyotaka to make a bold move…

Genres: Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Contemporary, Josei, Slice Of Life, Comics

160 pages, Paperback

First published December 25, 2023

Reviews

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

YOUTUBE VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/6km-O0QKu4c

Updated Review 1/21/26: Truly as wonderful as I remembered! Though I got a little teary-eyed when seeing the backstory of Mon-chan and how she came to be in our male lead's care. Plus, seeing how close he is with his brother really warmed my heart!

I LOVE the new young woman who's been introduced! Rereading this volume reminds me how this is one of the few series that I have loved every new character introduction, and that I'm NOT getting upset when someone not the leads is getting the spotlight! I feel that's fairly rare for me because if I get attached to the leads, I want the story to ONLY focus on them, but there is a really wonderful balance here!

I was planning to go to bed, but I think I'll sneak in a few chapters of volume three because of how happy I feel after reading this! Hehe!

Original Review 10/25/24: This was just as wonderful as volume one!

I was a little nervous with the introduction of a new character right from the start that they might steal the "spotlight" from our leads, but oh my goodness I LOVED her and her pet dog! While I definitely don't want her stealing the show, I was absolutely thrilled to see more of her as the volume progressed! I also don't think she'll be going anywhere and desperately hoping things take a glowing turn in volume three! Hehe!

I really love how in volume we got Tsubu-chan's backstory with Chiharu and her raising him, and how now in volume two we are getting Monjuro's backstory with our two brothers. I honestly was surprised to see how we even got some of Kiyotaka's brother's backstory too! It was heartfelt, to say the least, and was equally moved and had warm fuzzies. <3

The art is wonderful and I'm VERY excited for this new development between our leads! It's definitely a slow burn romance, but not TOO slow in my opinion. Having our wonderful doggos around really brings some fun humor and delight with each page!

EAGERLY looking forward to volume three and hope we will get it sooner rather than later because I need to see more of everyone and their adorable dogs! Highly recommend it if you're looking for a feel-good josei with dogs!

[Beka · Rating 5 out of 5]

ADORABLE 😍

[Katie Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t remember much about the first volume but I remember some of the basic information stuff. I still enjoyed this volume of the series, I really love the art style especially for the dogs. I liked that we get plenty of cute scenes between the characters and their pets but aside from that nothing really stuck out about this manga to me. More characters get introduced here and it’s nice to have more characters but it feels a lot more like a filler content manga and didn’t particularly add anything to the story. I’m happy the series is going to be continued but I’m unsure if this is a series I will continue or not at this time.

[marcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vol. 1 ★★★☆☆

I wish the focus has stayed on the main couple. Chiharu and Kiyotaka are now an afterthought in the story; their relationship doesn't progress much. Instead, the story has moved on to another couple in their periphery. It's just too early to throw more things into the mix.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The slow and gentle romance makes slow and gentle progress. And a secondary character romance is introduced -- or a one-way crush anyway.

It's all very sweet, but the pacing could wear on me in a few more volumes.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapters 16-25 -- Bonus [Character Profiles -- Special Stories] -- Afterword -- Translation Notes

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s dog day afternoon. And morning. And evening. And vernal equinox, presumably. This time out we get Chako, a gyaru, added to the equation, but the true friends were the people we asked to local hotels along the way.

The dogs might be a gimmick, but they’re a gimmick that absolutely works to elevate this series. Without them, this is a fairly standard romance with a couple of okay characters and some mild charms.

With them, however? Good lord do I love Tsubu-chan so freaking much. The Rottweiler that only wants to be loved is the best part of this book and is anthropomorphized just enough without being too much.

Fine, fine, Mon-chan’s okay too, but I have never been a fan of yappy dogs in any context. Aniki, the new dog who belongs to Chako, is probably a bit too human, but he still manages to be a pretty fun pooch.

Chako helps at her family’s very, very pet-friendly inn, which leads to Kiyotaka asking Chiharu if she wants to go. Separate rooms, of course. It’s a pretty cozy romance; worthwhile without being too much.

There’s also a flashback to Mon-chan’s adoption that is pretty cute and fleshes out Kiyotaka’s brother, Tsuji, who Chako is smitten with. It’s all very standard romance plus dogs.

3.5 stars - like I said, the dogs are the key to this and make it a lot of fun. For dog lovers who also like shojo, this is a peanut butter and chocolate scenario, but there are enough moments I would label as ‘stinking cute’ to support all but the most fervent canine haters.

[Jess | jadecanread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just dog people being dog people with other dog people.

It's darling.

RECAP: Kiyotaka thinks to ask Chiharu to join him for a weekend at a pet friendly inn. Kiyotaka's brother is introduced more and we learn of a classmate who Stans him. Backstory of Monjuro's adoption and name. Volume ends with them checking in at the inn and the classmate seeing Tsujii jr.

[Noi (in & out) · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO CUTE!

I thought it was the last one though! WHERE IS VOL. 3????

[LindSlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute light read. I would have liked a little more focus on the main couple before jumping into new characters and the set up to their arc. Chiharu and Kiyotaka really haven't had much time together at all, which I think is a shame because they are really sweet and fun to watch interact when they are in spaces together. Hoping the next volume allows them to interact more.

[Kindred Reader (lilastrings)]

Ugh, my heart. I love this manga so much. We are introduced to a few more characters and pets in this volume, as well as the backstory of how Monjuro became part of the Tsujii household. We get to know Kiyotaka's brother, Takaya, a bit more in this volume, and I really love their relationship. Another great volume with humor and tenderness!

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Doggy Universe Expands

The Munjaro and Tsubachan are so adorable, and we even get more dogs, characters, and a backstory of the brothers which liven up the story even more. I loved it and I can’t wait to read the next volume where they both spend time together in the doggy inn.

[Aless · Rating 3 out of 5]

This went by faster than the first volume, but it was still adorable! Since I read the first volume to now, I do own both and am impatiently waiting for the next volumes!

[Ken Yuen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story continues to be cute. Really like the characters in this story, and the third addition (fourth?) with the girl with the shiba inu and the little brother is pretty fun

[givememycheetos · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️

[Emma (littledollreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuteness overload. New faces ( human and dog alike) in this second volume who promise to add some spice to the story. This is just the cutest contemporary manga I have read in a long time and the dogs just make it so much better. Love how I immediately clocked the young fashionable girl and the elderly traditional dog pair as another perfect opposite set. Also loving how everyone here has the most children's book set of jobs; teacher, firefighter, student, innkeeper, it's just so great.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so, so cute. A little bit of a bummer that I think the English publication is pretty much in line with the Japanese - we may just be one volume behind? - because it means it'll be pretty slow going. But it's a very relaxing story that's worth taking some time with.

While the first volume focused a bit more on Chiharu and Tsubu, we swing heavily toward the Tsujii brothers in this one. The younger brother, Takaya, actually kind of angles into a main character, with a budding love interest of his own, which I assume will be a big part of volume 3. But I like him, and I still really enjoy their whole family dynamic.

I don't remember if I knew from the first volume that they're half-brothers; they share a mom, and I'm assuming she's still married to her second husband, Takaya's dad. Although we don't see him or the divorced one, Kiyotaka's father. There doesn't seem to be much bad blood there, and the brothers are incredibly close. Protective of each other in nice ways, and only ever arguing when it comes to naming the new puppy they adopted together, as a little ball of sickly fluff...

I hadn't realized Monjuro really belongs to both of them, although Kiyotaka's certainly more head over heels for her. I wonder how long in the series it will take for the brothers to split up their living arrangements and wind up with their love interests.

It's interesting that even though we're only in the second volume, somehow the romantic movement between Kiyotaka and Chiharu feels really slow. When he plucks up his courage to ask her to a dog-friendly inn (where the college classmate crushing on Takaya lives and works), she spends three days trying to decide if she wants to go with him. She likes him as a person, but it kinda seems like...it might take a lot of effort to see him as a romantic partner? She's giving off pretty strong single woman vibes. It's interesting for this genre.

Really enjoying all the characters, and I love how absolutely central the dogs continue to be. A very heartwarming story that could easily carry on for a rather long time.

[Eden Wolfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I was decently excited to read this since I had enjoyed the first volume of Pupposites Attract, but sadly I couldn’t get as invested in the story in this volume. Part of it was likely because the new character, Chako Asaoka, was mainly just characterized as a girl who had a big crush on Takaya Tsujii. It was really disappointing to see that her character seemed to be framed around her crush on him, plus it felt like the pigtail type hairstyle was drawing on making her seem younger and innocent. I really wish that her character would embrace her more edgy style and look rather than making her super timid. For both women in the volume it seemed like the guys were supposed to be protecting them, once again pushing the idea that these women needed to be taken care of when they are perfectly capable of standing up for themselves. Another thing that threw me off was some of the body positioning of the character. For instance, on page 136 it kinda looks like Chiharu Kagura’s feet are facing the same way. I keep trying out the pose and the positioning of the feet doesn’t seem to match up with what it should look like. Also I am curious about the brothers dad, I can’t remember if he was talked about in the last volume but I wonder why he didn’t come with his wife to see his son after his graduation and to help them move in together. Also, I am a little confused about the inn, it might just be a cultural difference that I have not educated myself about but I don’t understand why Chiharu and Kiyotaka would want to spend money to stay in an inn nearby when it is not out of necessity. They are not traveling far so I do not understand why they would waste their money just to stay in the inn, is this just a way to spend time together that is common in the Japanese culture? Despite all of this, I still really liked the volume. I thought the story line was cute albeit predictable and I liked that we learned more about the dogs and their owners pasts. It was a quick easy read that definitely is helping pull me out of a reading slump. I can’t wait to read the next volume.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume 2 shows us how Chiharu and Kiyotaka’s friendship and budding romance continues to develop while bringing us all the adorable dogs! While I’m super invested in the super sweet and wholesome romance, it was pretty neat to see some new characters in the story! I think the new characters are going to work out because they fit in so well with everyone.

One of the things I loved about this volume is that we got to learn more about some of the main character’s past. I love a good sibling dynamic, so I loved how the flashbacks worked on that while also giving us Monjuro's backstory. While time moves fairly slowly in this story, there was a lot covered that made the characters feel a lot more realistic than they seemed in the first volume.

All in all, I enjoyed this even more than the opening volume! It may not be something you’re interested in if you don’t like slow burns, but I do think a lot of people will enjoy it. Plus, the artwork is beautiful and I love seeing all the dogs that pop in and out of the story!

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to see the second volume of this series on the shelf of my local bookstore while i was just browsing without planning to get anything, so naturally i had to get it!

While this volume definitely didn’t disappoint in cute floofs, i do feel like while we were introduced to one but maybe two new characters and i sense some set up for the little brother’s romance arc maybe, i also feel like not much really happened in this volume… by the end of the main plot before the bonus content at the end it felt like there was a rather good amount of pages left that should’ve been more of the main story.

I’m not sure if they ended it early because they wanted it to be a cliff hanger ending or felt there wasn’t enough pages left to include more and wrap it up for the volume properly so instead cut it short and threw in bonus content? I liked it anyways and I’ll continue the series no doubt but i do feel like the first volume was more excited and this one felt a bit like oh that was it…?

[aleksandra ❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed "Pupposites Attract." It's a light read that you can easily breeze through, and it offers a truly heartwarming and charming story. The plot centers around an extroverted woman with an introverted Rottweiler who crosses paths with an introverted man and his extroverted fluffy dog. The dynamic between these characters is adorable, and you can't help but root for them from the very beginning
The art style complements the story perfectly, capturing the emotions and quirks of the characters. The interactions between the dogs also add an extra layer of sweetness to the narrative. The chemistry between the main characters is palpable, making it a delightful experience for readers
I highly recommend this manga for anyone looking for a lighthearted, easy-to-read story with a delightful premise. It's the perfect escape into a world of charm and warmth, and I can't wait to see what happens next!

[Vex · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second volume of Pupposites Attract divides the narrative's attention between Chiharu and Kiyotaka's fluffy feelings and Kiyotaka's relationship with his younger brother. Though I don't actively dislike the bond between the brothers, I do find it unnecessary in this story. His brother's own romantic pursuits serve to distract from the main couple and needlessly drag out their own romance.
Time that could have been spent on them is wasted on other characters.

Because of this lack of focus, Kiyotaka and Chiharu don't make any good progress as a pairing. By the end they have agreed to go on a (totally platonic) date but we get to see none of it because this whole volume was just build-up. Using filler to make a volume narratively barren is common in a lot of manga, but it being common doesn't make it any better.

The art and characters are still cute. It's still a decent read, given how short it is.

[Susanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 changed gears a bit by introducing a new character and dog. Chako goes to college with Takaya, the younger brother of Kiyotaka the fireman, and she has a crush on him. She owns a Shiba Inu, and runs into Kiyotaka when both are walking their dogs. He learns that her family owns an inn that welcomes dogs, and finds courage to ask Chiharu there. The volume ends just as their staycation is about to start.

This was a more interesting volume than the first, but too short, even with several cute extras. The focus was a bit more on humans than dogs. Kiyotaka’s romance with Chiharu advances slowly, but at least he’s sort of aware of his interest. Chako doesn’t have a chance to learn to know Takaya yet, but it’ll be another interesting romance.

I’d thought I might leave this for two volumes after reading the first, but now I think I’ll continue a bit more to see where this goes.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still just so flipping cute. The romance between the two leads is on a VERY slow burn. Which is fine by me, because I'm much more here for the dogs. This volume introduces a new character and her dog, with the apparent intention of eventually pairing her up with Kiyotaka's younger brother. I was a little apprehensive about introducing a secondary romance in a book that's going slow, but she's just so charming that I can't help but love her. Her gimmick is actually pretty interesting: a modern and trendy girl who happily transforms into a very traditional appearance for her family's traditional business. I've seen characters like this before, but rarely characters who seem perfectly content in both modes.

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ta bé, però li falta més química entre els protagonistes i que la relació amorosa progressi!!!
Aquest volum conté 14 capítols breus en què se'ns mostra el dia a dia de dos propietaris de gos completament oposats a la imatge que transmeten, bastant a l'estil del webtoon que estic seguint últimament Love 4 a Walk . ♥♥♥ En aquest cas (a diferència del webtoon) qui té problemes per disciplinar el gos és el noi, que les passa magres amb la seva pomerània consentida, i l'obra se centra més en les personalitats dels gossos i dels seus amos (l'un, bomber i l'altra, mestra), amb un toc humorístic més que no pas en l'amor incipient o cap drama! Una cucada de cap a peus, amb ganes de més!!! :3

[Pam Z (Pam's Shenanigans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Heartwarming slice-of-life manga series about doggo parents with opposite personalities from their puppers Rottweiler Tsubu-chan and Pomeranian Monjuro. This second volume continues where our main characters Chiharu and Kiyotaka left off from Vol. 1 where they officially met.

This series is the kind that doesn’t rush the romance but is also not exactly slow burn. There’s definitely progress for the two MCs and I love how they’re slowly warming up to the idea of liking each other and spending more time together.

New characters and puppers were also introduced and my heart couldn’t be more happier!

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute follow up to volume 1!

I like that there was a lot of forward momentum to the story for both Kiyotaka and Chiharu in terms of their relationship (or blossoming of a relationship) and Takaya had the beginnings of a possible relationship too!

Of course the highlight of the whole thing was the puppers! I kept stopping to squeal at how cute they’re drawn. I like the addition for a new pup (and character in his owner!).

I just wish it was longer. Right when I was getting into it, it ended. I appreciated the extra Special Stories at the end to fill that gap, though.

[Henli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid follow-up to volume one. This one is a little more fast paced, but it doesn't feel rushed. It did, however, feel short.

In this volume we learn more about the Tsujii brothers, their relationship, and about how Monjuro came to be a part of their lives. I really enjoyed getting to know these two characters a little more.

We're also introduced to a new character in this volume, Chako Asaoka, and her Shiba Inu Aniki. We find out pretty quickly that she has a crush on Takaya, Kiyotaka's younger brother, and that her family runs a pet friendly inn. Kiyotaka starts to realize that he might have some feelings for Chiharu when he decides he wants to visit this inn with her.

Everything about this series so far is so wholesome. The art is great, the characters are really likeable, and we're seeing a bit of progress with the slow burn romance plus a possible second romance brewing. I'm excited for volume 3!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

They’re making slow progress! I’m glad the teacher turned out to be a nice guy, and the new girl…well, she did good to have a crush on Takaya- he’s used to his brother so probably won’t be scared of her. It was funny that Chiharu and Kiyotaka had totally different impressions of her when they first met 😅

I find the concept of staying at a local inn to be rather wasteful, but…maybe if you live in a small apartment with your dog, it could be a nice break?

[Pandicornzombie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second volume continues the cozy vibe with the adorable addition of a shiba, bringing even more charm to the group. I love how different each dog’s personality is, it keeps things light and entertaining. Tsubu-chan is still my favorite, but what stood out most this time was Monjirou’s adoption story. It was heartwarming and surprisingly relatable, adding emotional depth to an otherwise feel-good read. Definitely give it a try!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

continues to be so damn adorable...we get backstory on kiyotaka and his brother, which is too cute, plus a new lady character with a mostly-stoic (except at bathtime) shiba inu! there is a tiny bit of progression in the main characters relationship as they decide to go on a little staycation together...hopefully next volume continues to show them growing closer!