I definitely wasn't ready for how surprisingly horny this was, just because I expected it to be a bit more of a standard, wholesome coming of age/romance story with beastfolk lore mixed in for a bit of extra texture. But most of this volume seems to be setting up an A plot in which the main love interest, Tsunagu, is unable to control his instinctual feelings to the female lead Asaka's pheromones. And I'll be honest... I just don't really like this plot that much. It doesn't interest me much in Omegaverse to watch someone be unable to control themselves to the point of pushing someone else down, and it doesn't really interest me here (especially since they're high schoolers, I just find it a little unpleasant to read).
Though I will say that this "heat" plot that they're setting up is a bit more interesting and off the beaten path in what would otherwise be a fairly standard shojo setup (with beastfolk aspects mixed in of course). I feel a bit like a square for being like "They shouldn't have gone a different route that is relevant specifically to him being a beastman, they should have just done something normal and standard like every other shojo romance!"... but unfortunately, I would really like to see these two in a romance manga that has nothing to do with heats. They actually have really amazing chemistry, and him constantly pushing her down is the only thing that bothers me, even if she's obviously into it. They make an adorable couple, and in my opinion, seeing them gradually falling more in love and addressing these pheromone issues later would be more organic than starting out at 100. That's just me though!
My big plus in this is that I really liked the art style. Tsunagu, the dog man himself, looks a little awkward at certain angles which makes me feel like the mangaka maybe isn't that experienced drawing animals? but the main character Asaka has a face that really reminds me of old school Peach Pit, the volumes of Shugo Chara I read as a kid. She has these classic big anime eyes and detailed hair strands that I just adore!
The other plus is that I liked the little side plot about Asaka's friend Ayano who wants to be a writer. I feel like this book is setting up for a really good friend group to blossom. I also love Tsunagu's goals and character motivation of wanting to be a doctor for the beastfolk on the other side of the wall -- again, I feel square-ish, but I was way more interested in that than the sexytimes the volume kept setting up.
For me, there's just a bit too much working against this to keep me invested in continuing. They've also already sort of introduced a love triangle in this and that is my biggest pet peeve in any romance ever (unless it lasts like, one chapter). The fact that most of this book is about Tsunagu wanting to mate with Asaka (and vice versa tbh) is just not really what I wanted from this book and that's really on me, but overall it definitely wasn't bad or anything, and I think any fan of a high school shojo romance would find this to be a good time.