Ranked #272

Dogs (Manga)

Four wayward characters are brought together by chance and circumstance...the beginnings of the next grand epic or just a bunch of short stories?

STORY - This first volume of DOGS is difficult to judge storywise because it presents itself as a collection of loosely-related oneshots while still functioning as the foundations to a much larger story. There are four main protagonists, and the volume is split accordingly into four sections. The storytelling varies from section to section, with some seeped in flashback and others taking place entirely in the present. It's occasionally a little choppy, but generally things are pretty straightforward. The stories themselves aren't excitingly unique or new for the most part, but they're heavy with potential. They leave the reader curious about the pasts and lives of the characters; you'll want to know more about all the details missing from the pages.

As oneshots, each segment is fun and interesting in itself, and they each do have something resembling a conclusion. As a starting point for a larger project, the volume does well in introducing characters and leaves you asking questions.

CHARACTERS - In a limited number of pages, each of the four characters present themselves as having a lot of potential. Mihai's chapter focuses mostly on his past, but it feels like that's just one story out of dozens that might also be back there. His present life seems to only be disguised in (relative) peace, and there seem to be a lot of things for him to do from there. His personality is charming, but not without the quirks that make him more unique and believable. Badou is a gigantic idiot with some really hilarious qualities. His dialogue is some of the best, and he's just an all-around fun character to read about. Original? Probably not, but engaging? Definitely. And even in all his silliness, Shirow manages to inject small panels here and there that give him a more introspective side. Potential? I think so.

Naoto I found to be the least interesting of the four. Her past was the most generic and the twist thrown in seemed a bit too contrived. With very few speaking lines, her personality was also the least expanded upon. She doesn't work that well as a oneshot, but knowing that there's more to her story, I wouldn't mind reading more about her. In contrast, I am most interested in Haine -- chalk it up to my affinity towards genetic experimentations gone wrong. With his superhuman capabilities, he's easily the most mysterious and his severe reactions towards certain situations only provides more intrigue on the subject of his past and his origins. All of these characters are just at their beginnings; in this volume, they're still in that stage at the beginning of the series when you aren't quite sure what to think of them. Most characters sound unoriginal when you describe their story in a sentence or two, and that's what DOGS feels like a lot of time. The more you think about the characters, the harder it is to see DOGS as just a bunch of oneshots. Potential! There's a lot of it.

ART - Miwa Shirow's art is nothing short of amazing. His characters are highly detailed and incredibly expressive. He doesn't shy away from anything. He has crazy perspective in his crazy gunfights and crazy chase scenes involving complicated poses. His pages are so, so dynamic that it's hard to flip through them slowly because you're so caught up in the action. His backgrounds and environments are outstanding, and for the most part, his sense of space and anatomy is also top notch. Occasionally, there will be some wonkiness where proportions or perspective doesn't really make sense; it kind of reminds me of the way many doujinshi artists distort their figures, but this only happens once or twice every twenty pages, so it isn't that big of a deal.

If nothing else, I would say DOGS is worth picking up for the artwork alone. The character and stories are interesting certainly, but if DOGS can only have one selling point, then it'll be in the artwork. It is beautiful.

OTHER - Viz has the license to this manga and finally released this volume in April 2009. The packaging is beautiful for the most part and it comes with a pull-out poster. Honestly, the translation looks really great, and for the most part, the slang/localization details that they do put in flow seamlessly and naturally. (Some word choices kind of puzzled me though, like a one-time use of "fag" for "cigarette" -- it's all well and good, but I'm not sure most Americans know that that's what it means.) The sound effects have also been edited and translated in English, but though this usually really bothers me, I found myself actually not minding that much -- there were a lot of sound effects that were much more creative than just WHAM and BANG though those do also show up. All in all, I'm extremely happy with the way Viz treated this and am looking forward to their release of Bullets&Carnage as well.

OVERALL - Clearly, the thing I like the most about DOGS is its potential. As a collection of oneshots, I do still like the stories and the whole theme of interconnecting plots and characters, but it isn't an amazing collection of oneshots by any means. At least two of the four stories are obviously incomplete, and there's so much more that can happen. If DOGS did not eventually continue to into its sequel, Bullets and Carnage, I probably wouldn't like it nearly as much, but knowing that it does, I see it as a pretty damn awesome introductory package. Conclusion: DOGS is worth checking out regardless of whether you're looking for some nice short stories or the beginnings of a grand epic. Post-apocalyptic and gun-toting bounty hunter fans should be particularly pleased, but even if you end up not particularly interested in the stories here, you'll at least have gotten some fantastic artwork out of it. read more

Dogs is a brilliant manga.

There haven't been many (action) manga I've read that have beautifully fluid fight scenes, engaging storylines, and gripping characters all available in one compilation. Dogs provides an amazing cure to that affliction.

The manga can be seen as one large, related story or a string of one-shots that are intertwined with one another. The chapters all serve as individual stories that add to the overall plot.

The first "story", Weepy Old Killer gives us the tale of Mihai. It is wonderfully refreshing to see a manga that centres around an older man; it's a definite break from angry adolescents. Mihai is a possibly now-retired assassin who became a foster father to the son of his boss while he was still in the business. Through flashbacks, we learn more about the history between this man and the boy, and the tragedies that came out of their relationship.

Gun Smoker is a definite change of atmosphere and pace from the first story in Dogs. It is more comedic, filled with dark humour and some very original slapstick following the escapades of a chain-smoker named Badou who gets into many a sticky situation.

Blade Maiden shifts gears again, going grittier than the other stories before it. It gives us the tale of Naoto, a young woman who has a giant scar on her chest that constantly reminds her of her only reason for living after her near-death: to kill the one who destroyed her life.

The last story, Dogs Howling In the Dark introduces the estranged loner Haine who finds out that he cannot avoid companionship even in the dark, lonely, violent city that he lives in. Each story is well-crafted, and tells each character's story interestingly.

With the art aspect, I must say that Dogs has some of the best panelling I've ever seen in manga. The scenes are all elaborately drawn and very detailed. Guns extending from one panel into the another, a middle finger stretching across the page, character positions, point-of-views; it feels as though you're a part of it while you read it, which is quite the accomplishment. There are well-placed close-ups, where we can feel the intensity coming from a particular character or event, and there's the well-timed bird's eye views, where we observe merely as spectators, shut out when the characters shut in themselves. I was duly impressed with the vision of the mangaka--I really don't think I've seen one use the panelling so exceptionally and creatively, in ways that actually contribute to mood, setting and characters, rather than to just "look good".

Dogs has some excellent characters. There's Mihai, who is older than the other characters, but who is someone to be reckoned with even with his gentle smile and reformed lifestyle. Badou provides some crazy energy and makes excellent comic relief. Naoto and Haine are deeply troubled, angry, and pained characters. Each person in this manga is carefully, artfully, and deeply rendered. Describing them does no justice: when you see what they have seen, see how they act, how they interact, and how they each suffer from and endure their destructive lifestyles, then only will you truly understand their capacity as realistically complex characters.

Also, the background or minor characters are well developed as well. There's Mihai's sociopathic, psychotic "son", Badou's snarky, clever friend who helps him out of trouble, Naoto's sensei who teaches her some deadly lessons about people and the world, and Nill, the silent but expressive girl who becomes Haine's ward--each are all carefully rendered even though they are just minor characters.

Dogs is a mature manga geared to an older audience. Its violence, grittiness and mature themes will not be suitable for a younger reader. But for any mature reader out there, then this is definitely recommended. You won't get anything pretty. This is about empathy, betrayal, revenge, and death in a world where a person has to destroy another to live just for one more day. Most importantly, this is about four people, people seen as the "dogs" of society, who struggle not to be vicious animals anymore.

Their struggle is definitely worth the read. read more