Nov 22, 2020
Do you want to have deep conversations with your pet about philosophical topics like Schrodinger's Cat or Occam's Razor? If so, you should probably get a shiba.
Sekai no Owari ni Shiba Inu to is a simple 4-koma gag manga about the journeys of an unnamed high school girl and her pet Shiba Inu Haru-san, as they traverse through a post-apocalyptic Japan. They get into random hijinks such as meeting aliens or other cryptids as they journey around Japan.
Given the nature of the manga, you can't really expect there to be any deep or intriguing overarching storyline, as each chapter is fairly episodic. Despite that,
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being a 4-koma manga, I think the series fulfills its role very well. With one of the main characters being a dog, it's definitely very cute and charming when Haru-san just does cute dog things (CDDGT? Cute Dogs Do Cute Things? Is that even a thing?) The manga usually goes over many random topics, so it's fairly interesting every time and even occasionally thought-provoking. There are also occasional parts of the manga that are surprising sad (I actually cried on one of the chapters).
The art is great. The series is fully-colored, which already sets it apart from many other manga, and keeps it from being too dull. The artstyle for the humanoid characters (basically the main girl and occasional gods and mythological beings) is fairly standard, but it's still decent enough. The main focus of the series is definitely Haru-san and other dogs that appear, and they are all super cute. Haru-san is super adorable and the author also includes a lot of meme dog faces like the doge face. The background art is also fairly nice, especially considering how most 4-koma don't even have background art to begin with. There are some sparse fanservice of the main girl, but I do think it's not particularly intrusive.
The characters are enjoyable. As you may expect, there isn't particularly any outstanding character development, but the characters are still enjoyable to watch. The interaction between the leads are a joy to read; the main girl's cynical and down-to-earth personality as well as Haru-san's overly-philosophical and loving personality makes for a great and fairly humorous relationship. There are a few other recurring characters, like other dog breeds and yokai. They aren't particularly deep, but still fairly interesting. Also, nothing wrong with cute doggos. Finally, the occasional hints at the main girl's personality and her past are a very nice contribution to both her character and to her relationship with Haru-san.
Overall, the manga is super enjoyable. For a 4-koma, it does everything super well. The characters are enjoyable, the doggos are adorable, the chapters are comedic and even thought-provoking, and amidst it all, there will be laughs and a few tears. Also, you'll probably end up wanting a shiba after this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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