Customer Reviews

Pet Shop of Horrors, Book 2

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Affectingly humanistic AND gleefully misanthropic all at once, PET SHOP OF HORRORS is a 10-volume series revolving around a Chinatown pet shop, the highly unusual animals it sells, and the (often unpleasant) fates which befall its patrons. Running the shop is "Count D", a young Chinese man with a charming smile. Trying to run him in is Leon Orcot, a grumpy police detective who is convinced D is behind all those nasty, animal-related incidents.

Each volume contains three or four clever, creepy, well-characterized stories focusing on an individual customer. Meanwhile, the series as a whole gradually unveils the story of Count D, and his quasi-adversarial relationship with the dogged-but-dense detective.

A lot of reviewers here explain the "rules" of the series to you. But I really enjoyed reading Book One "cold" and figuring it out for myself. The confusion is half the fun, and the real charm of the series is the way the stories subversively mess with our perceptions.

Some stories are better than others, of course. I was briefly alarmed at a dip in quality at Book 4, but Book 6 bounced the series back. Even so, Books 4 and 5 each contain one first-rate story, and overall work just fine as a brief change of pace. Book 10 concludes the series with four interconnected tales focused on the recurring characters. It is one of the best final books of a manga series that I have yet come across.

The "rating" jumps from T13 to T16 after Book 3. But I think that Book 1 gives you a good idea what you are in for content-wise. The detective does not watch his language, mermaids don't wear tops, many of the stories, uh, don't end well, and there is gore and extreme weirdness. But it is never gratuitous or stupid, and risque content is clever rather than crass. My local library has the full series, but it is STILL at the top of my To-Get List. It is that good.

this is NOT an alternate telling of that ridiculous musical movie starring Rick Moranis!

Now that we clear this up, I find 'Pet Shop of Horrors' to be enjoyable, though this is not what I expected. When I read through this, I expected this to be what everyone is saying is the 'Tales From The Crypt' of Japanese Manga, but in Tales From The Crypt, it deals with a creepy, skeletal storyteller telling scary stories. I think of PSOH as the 'Fantasy Island' of Japanese Manga. The way the episodes progresses, the store manager having an important role is some parts, the climaxes, IMO the whole concept of PSOH resembles that of Fantasy Island. Watch the T.V. series and you'll see what I mean.

Nonetheless, I find the stories in PSOH well written. Each story in this book are well balanced, so one doesn't feel shorter or longer than the others. The 'exotic' pets that were given to customers can actually change their lives to how they think of things whether those customers follow the rules given by the manager or not, and I think that kind of twisting concept is what makes this Manga shine. Because this is story-driven, however, there really minor horror in PSOH.

The art in PSOH is...well, Shoujo-ish. Don't get me wrong, I find the art design well rounded. The characters and environments look beautiful, the 'pets' look very imaginative, it's just...too...Shoujo-like.

Anyway, PSOH is a wonderful Manga that may be too dialogued for its own good. Anyone expecting a gorefest in this Manga might be disappointed, but for anyone else, don't hesitate to pick this up as well as its future volumes. I know I'm waiting for the next volume!

The art in this Manga is beautiful...It's very detailed and helps deliver the moods of each character. Of course, a Manga isn't complete without humor, and Pet Shop of Horrors doesn't exclude and funny scenes! It's quite entertaining to see Count D and Leon Orcot bicker. :) But, this Manga is also very serious. The chapter "Delicious" was rather bloody. I recommend Pet Shop of Horrors to people who enjoy things out of the ordinary.

At first I was a little worried about buying this manga in English from Tokyo Pop because they've had problems with translation in the past. But with the exception of Count D calling Leon officer instead of Detecive, this is one of the most accurately translated manga's I've seen. The stories are very original and have a haunting moral at the end of some (e.g. Daughter, Dream). But it can also be very funny at times (Count D and his sugar addicition). The art work is very unique and beautiful. Mari Akino puts so much detail into every pannel. This book is definately worth purchasing if you can find it.

Petshop of Horrors is a must read! It has beautiful art and it's strange and unusual stories suck you in. It is about the beautiful Count D who sells strange and magnificent pets. His is a business that deals love and dreams. The buyer must sign a contract before he/she may purchase their pet. There are three rules in the contract that the buyer must adhere to else the pet shop is not responsible for the consequences. If broken the dream pet becomes one of danger, despair, or death to its owner and possibly to everyone.

My favorite chapter is Dreizehn. It's about a girl who lost her sight due to a tragic incident and goes to Count D for a pet. Count D gives her a Doberman seeing-eye dog that can also protect her in case the murderer comes back. To her surprise the Doberman feels just like a human. Her fierce and handsome bodyguard protects her throughout this story. It also has many amusing parts due to how she sees her pet.

I loved this manga so much that I read all ten volumes at Borders. The story is about Count D, who runs a pet shop in China Town, and Detective Orcot, who is convinced that he is up to no good and is determined to arrest him. Most of the pets are very exotic, and the people who buy them usually meet tragic ends. But it is always because of human nature that things go wrong. The pets look like humans to Count D and their owners, an interesting feature.

The characters are eccentric. Count D is usually dark and mysterious(unless there are sweets around), and thinks that humans are much more beastly than the animals in his shop. Detective Orcot is a more typical guy, who likes girls and drinking, and very stubborn, and his opinions are the exact opposite of Count D's.

The art here is some of the best I've seen, and I've seen a lot. The animals' human forms look exotic and beautiful, they were my favorite parts. But everything is well done. There are light shounen-ai elements in this manga, but not enough to bother you if you don't like that kind of thing.

The art here is absolutely gorgeous. Some of the best I've seen, and I've seen a lot. The animals' human forms are exotic and beautiful. They were my favorite part, but everything else is well done too.

I think that everyone can find something to like here. Most of the plots in the stories are very engaging, and sometimes the plot twists will take you by surprise. If you like this manga, I also suggest that you read "Dolls"(plural, "Doll" is another manga), which is about dolls made from plants. It also takes place in China town. But I liked "Pet Shop of Horrors" a lot.

This manga is as exotic and characterized as the Chinatown that serves as it's main setting. Who can help but love Count D and his charming occupation of "selling love and dreams" to people who usually don't realize what they are getting into when they buy his rare and rather deadly creatures for pets. There are currently eight volumes released already of this title, and the story becomes more fluent and interesting. The relationship between D and Detective Orcot is amusing and wonderful as they experience more and Orcot sorta becomes a believer. More like is forced to. You will enjoy this delightful tale of horror and dreams intermingled together in such a way that will make you ravenous for more...

Not that I want to be let go of course :) This manga drew me in from the very start of the first volume and has only continued to do so in this one as well. Covering the fascinating stories of Dragon, Dice, Delicious, and Destruction, this manga is one you'll have a hard time putting it down till you read it from cover to cover and even then it will pull you back for more (I've already read it at least twice).
I'll admit this manga does have some bloody portions as well as creepy parts (it does have the word horror in its title for a reason), but even if you are the overly sensitive type you should have no problem overlooking these. The story and the art are the main focus here, and Matsuri Akino has a wonderfully beautiful, yet mysterious way, of portraying both. You can't help but tingle in dreaded excitement as some of the more unlucky owners' fates unfold. The tales are sometimes heartwarming (such as in Dice), and yet sometimes there is a illfated case where you feel as if some type of justice has been served (such as in Delicious). It's hard to boil the stories down like this, as they are all such a wonderful mix. There's even some comedy thrown in (such as the conversations between Leon and Count D).
Plus where else can you see so many mythical creatures being interwoven into a story so smoothly? :) All in all it's a must read.

I read this series years ago and somehow managed to avoid reviewing it until now, when it's out of print. It just goes to show how good the series is.

Pet Shop of Horrors features, as the name suggests, stories centering about a certain pet shop in Chinatown, whose customers frequently meet messy ends. It isn't incredibly scary, though, and gets to be part comedy after a volume, but it does include quite a bit of blood, gore, etc. It is an entirely episodic manga apart from a 3-chapter finale, and each chapter focuses on a customer of Count D's (the shop's owner) and how their new-found pet affects their lives. The Count gives each a pet for a reason, and you have to see if they change appropriately after receiving them or not. Some stories are great, whereas a few might not be as appealing (I for one dislike Dark Horse in Vol. 4 in particular). In general, the stories are very well written and make you interested in what happens in them rather than makeing you want to write them off as filler. A part of their charm is that unlike other episodic manga, this one stands out in its gradual development of its leads throughout all chapters instead of just at the end.

The first main character of the series is Count D, of course, the mysterious, incredibly feminine-looking sugar addict who acts incredibly creepy/cryptic half the time (think Yuuko from xxxHolic) and... spends the other half acting like a henpecked wife towards/arguing with the second main character, Leon. Leon is a grouchy, slightly sarcastic cop who would like nothing more than to see the Count behind bars (at first anyway). Then midway through the series we are introduced to Leon's younger brother as well as a cast of recurring pets as well. If you're anything like me, you'll grow extremely attached to all of them by the end of the series.

For those who might want to know, the series does contain a fair bit of romantic subtext between the two leads(which is even poked fun at in one of the extras). It's nothing major, and one could definitely write it off as nothing, but if you know that you won't touch anything that vaguely hints at similar relationships, just know: you have been warned.

The story takes place in L.A., and its location and general localization make it a great choice to give to someone who's just getting into manga, particularly if he/she likes shows like the Twilight Zone or the X Files. There are only a few instances in which honorifics are included (I believe I counted 6 throughout the series), and all of them can just be ignored if you don't know their meanings (they really could have just been left out completely/ translated to Mr./Ms., etc., but oh well).

As for the overarching plot, it remains largely nonexistent until the final volume. As stated before, though, the individual chapters and character development are enjoyable enough to where you shouldn't mind. There are a few plot inconsistencies throughout the volumes that make me think the author didn't plan on a certain ending plot-twist until later (re-read the final chapter of Vol. 4 and the third "Flowers and the Detective" story after reading vol. 10 to see what I mean), but they aren't that bad. The ending, while a bit confusing, solves the main mysteries that the series had left hanging while creating a few more questions in the process. It also gives a good conclusion to the personality development the characters have received since the start. PSoH contains environmentalist themes as well that are made VERY apparent towards the end but don't come off as very cloying.

The artwork itself is detailed if a bit dated (the series came out in the '90s) and is drawn in the "shojo-style" (though technically the series is a josei- i.e. is intended for an older female audience). The characters, both male and female, human and anthropomorphic animals, look attractive, though admittedly, the art is the series' weakest point.

If you like horror manga with a good dose of character development, you should give PSoH a try. You might have trouble tracking some of the volumes down for a reasonable price (it is OOP after all), but it is well worth it. It also has a sequel out, PSoH: Tokyo that follows the Count several years after the end of the first series, so if you liked this part of the story, try that as well.

I picked up Pet Shop of Horrors on the strength of it's reputation as both one of the best josei (women's) manga and one of the best horror manga. It's a reputation well earned.

The primary setting is San Francisco's Chinatown, where the mysterious, effeminate Count D (we don't in fact learn his real name, as Count D is actually his globetrotting grandfather, but for the purposes of the story we'll call him D) runs a petshop with a seedy reputation and whose clients have an alarmingly high death statistic. Detective Leon Orcot vows to close the shop and put D behind bars for murder and whatever else he can pin on him. More on that in future volumes - for now we're just getting accustomed to the format of the series.

Each volume generally tells the tale of four pets and their owners and what happens to them after the sale. In the premiere, we meet a gentle, empathetic Bird of Paradise trying to lighten his mistress' depression; a monstrous rabbit who is both her new owners' desperate dream and worst nightmare; a Basilisk who falls in love with her master; and a noble, heroic Doberman determined to protect his blind mistress from the still-at-large murderer of her parents who might be after her next. Of course, this is Pet Shop of Horrors, not Lassie, and when their tales are told, things will only have turned out well for one of the four...

The pet shop scenario allows D and Leon to be a point of reference throughout the series so that new situations don't have to continuously be set up. The banter between them is often amusing, and D himself is fascinatingly ambiguous. In some ways the stories are somewhat predictable (although the ending of one gave me quite a whallop), but that's not always a bad thing, and some have rather deep things to say about treating not only our animal companions but fellow man well. The animals themselves are diverse enough to keep things from getting stale.

It is worth addressing the manner in which the animals are presented here. Throughout the series, they appear to their owners as humans, which anthromorphizes them (think the ballet Swan Lake, the musical Cats, or the anime Wolf's Rain). An interesting aspect is that the animals reflect the human cultures of their indigenous area. The Bird of Paradise, for instance, appears as a beautiful androgynous youth in the traditional dancing garb of Bali to represent his plumage, while the Doberman appears as a handsome young man in a German military uniform.

A mixture of fantasy and horror, this is worth a read for anyone old enough to handle the fact that it is a horror series with some frames which earn it a 16+ rating.