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I may have been too lenient on my score for this anime, but what can I say, it really captivated me. This review may contain spoilers.

I saw a post about the manga and decided to give it a try. Compared to the anime, the manga's art definitely gets a nine. I got hooked onto the series quite quickly. I've always been attracted to plots like this; a seemingly perfect city and a tragic world outside its walls. Sadly, not all volumes were translated yet and I was craving for more. So I went and watched the anime. 11 episodes and I finished them in ... one sitting. That's how good it was.

I can't say the characters were original; I've seen the cold-hearted and innocent characters getting paired together before, yet they still hooked me. I still enjoyed their interactions, much more their relationship. Truthfully, I expected a best friends kind of thing, but was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be slightly shounen-ai, or boys' love. The good thing about this kind of shounen anime is that you can insert a bit of shounen-ai (I will use this term since I'm more familiar with it) without having the entire story revolve around it. It's a byproduct at most--a byproduct you'd crave for. Frankly speaking, I wish they had more shounen-ai action in it, but that's just my yaoi-fangirl opinion.

There weren't many other characters, as the anime was short. I didn't really get the point of the mother. I was just getting attached to her, and was very disappointed when all she was was a sitting duck. She barely had a role there. I find connecting with her was a waste of time. However, I fairy liked the Dogkeeper (I find myself accustomed to calling her this, instead of Inukashi) and Rikiga. They were an enjoyable pair, although I think they needed a bit more spotlight. Their pasts weren't shone (as far as I remember) and Rikiga's participation in the creation of No. 6 baffles me still. Even Nezumi's (Rat's) past was hazy. Not a lot was explained and I'm still confused as to how he got himself into the situation where he first met Sion. But all in all, they were enjoyable and they were lovable as supporting characters.

Hmm, what can I say about the plot? It's about this boy genius named Sion. He had his future waiting for him. He was going to go to a prestigious school with Safu, his friend, but all that was taken from him when he harbored the escaped prisoner Nezumi. Nezumi escaped with Sion's help, and the authorities found out and stripped Sion's privileges. Four years later, they meet again in a curious situation where Nezumi saves Sion's life and they escape to the Western District, outside the city walls. The authorities had put the deaths of two people on Sion and he was now labeled as a criminal. They meet people in the Western District and Nezumi and Sion deepen their relationship.Sion receives a distress mail from his mother saying his best friend Safu was being contained by the authorities and as they try to save her, secrets were revealed about Nezumi's and the city's past.They go and come to the aid of Safu, and they find out in the end that Safu was actually some kind of powerful outer being. The correctional facility they were in gets destroyed and the walls separating the city and the Western District falls down. A few dramatic scenes and almost-deaths and the story ends.

It was a typical short story, but not something you could predict all the time and get bored with. The shortness of everything was part of the magic. In less than 11 episodes, you're hooked and crazy for it already. It's the details etched in the scenes that make you crave for more. Yes, the ending was kind of overly dramatic, and I did find that kind of disappointing, but that didn't affect my judgement for the entire story itself.

I definitely recommend this, but not to just anyone. For instance, I'm sure this won't appeal to shoujo-loving girls who like things such as Shugo Chara, or any of those pink and frilly things. They wont appreciate the wonders of this story because they're not the type to find these things appealing. Those that do are those that enjoy shows like Full Metal Alchemist, or something of Hayao Miyazaki's (Spirited Away, Nausica of The Valley of The Wind, etc). It's eccentric in its way; girly in the sense of the characters interactions with each other but guy-ish in the concept of the story. It's something anyone who's got an open mind would like.

This is amazing! The art wasn't Tobina Touya-sensei's style, but it was still great! The style reminded me of Fruits Basket with a little of Tamaki from Ouran. The story was short, but very cute. But even though I really love it, I like it short. :) There wasn't much romance in it since you really can't tell who'll she'll end up with but I don't really care that much since I can't see it as a romance story. It's more like friendship or family. Dogs are really man's best friend you know