Morgan’s Monthly Manga Musings #10: “Her Majesty’s Dog:”
Manga-ka: Mick Takeuchi
Translated by: Go! Comi
Rating: 16+ (for the graphic descriptions of death, especially in chapter 2.)
Genre: Supernatural, spirits, psychics, comedy, secret life, Japanese culture, romance, mild horror, master.
Cover Price: $10.99
Blurb: “Amane’s not like other girls. With her ice queen demeanor and naivete, she’s become quite the misfit on campus. Even more unusual is her relationship with fellow transfer student Hyoue Inugami, the hottest guy in school. But the truth is that Amane is a powerful psychic and Hyoue is her guardian demon-dog whose powers are fueled by her kiss! And when Amane lets her “dog” off his leash, no vengeful spirit is safe!”
Morgan’s Musings: I cannot believe this book came out 19 years ago! I feel so old! I recall seeing it advertised back when I was starting to get into manga and I was interested. Not sure why I did not get it. This was another one I found at the giant used bookstore in Knoxville in 2023. ^_^ I got the first two volumes for $5 each, which was nice. Time to cross off some of those beginning otaku goals from my list!
Amane is a powerful kotodoma, a psychic who can control people, dead or alive depending on strength and lore, with words alone for words carry power and energy. First off, I LOVE kotodoma myths, even having them be a staple job in my “The Hunter and The Bringer” series! Two, I have always loved the supernatural, which makes sense because my first book is about that, “Spirit Vision.” There were some good supernatural mangas in the 00s and I feel this one is as well. She is to herself and when she gets bullied, it never bothers her…or she does not get it. She is often chill, deadpan, but also overly literal from her small village upbringing, which I thought was a nice attribute touch. She also is horrible with tech, including a simple flashlight, which I found hilarious!
From the first few pages, I fell for the rapport between this relaxed secret psychic and her hot, most popular guy in school boyfriend. In disbelief from her class they are together, she just naturally kisses him, shocking them more. This is rare in the very beginning of a manga and I dug how it was done. But Hyoue is not her boyfriend in actuality; he is her dog…literally. He is a 500-year-old dog demon, and her companion beast, Amane his queen. Her majesy’s dog… oh! Do you get it? HA! The kicker? The demon has to feed off his master’s life force, through kissing. But, Amane is indifferent to it. Hyoue definately does not seem to mind.
We start with her classmates discussing how a girl a few months ago killed herself in the gym shed (those things often have amiss storylines in anime…) and Amane goes to investigate after being locked in there by some horrid girls who told her to stay there all night (which she PLANNED to do because she takes everything literally!) How they reveal the ‘spirit’ in this one was a nice arc. Chapter two was…phew…hard. If you love dogs or animals in general, it will get your heart! The other chapters are school life adventures mixed with the supernatural, while slowly, but with a nice flow building the lore and backstories to this series’ universe. And like I stated, the dynamic between our queen and her loyal beast is engaging, full of positive spirit.
Will I Continue the Series? Indeed I shall! 🙂 Hope I can find them all. There seem to be 11 volumes, but they all look challenging to locate. With me luck if I go down this path.
******************************
Keep reading! Stay geeky! 🙂
******************************
Educator of young minds by day, super nerdy savior of justice, and cute things by night, Morgan Straughan Comnick has a love for turning the normal into something special without losing its essence. Morgan draws from real-life experiences and her ongoing imagination to spark her writing. In her spare time, she enjoys doing goofy voices, traveling to new worlds by turning pages, humming child-like songs, and forcing people to smile with her “bubbliness.” It is Morgan’s mission in life to spread the amazement of otaku/Japanese culture to the world and to stop bullying; she knows everyone shines brightly.
For more information about Morgan and her works, check out her website, which also has links to all her social medias: http://morganscomnick.com
