Dogs and Punching Bags Review

Mangaka Kaori Ozaki’s short series have proven a hit here in the West with Kodansha steadily bringing us all of her work released after The Gods Lie. Today I’m here to take a look at her latest work, Dogs and Punching Bags to find out if it offers another must-have addition to your collection.

The story follows Nichiko, a 34-year-old who has been living in Tokyo but has chosen to return to her remote hometown on an unnamed island. Life in Tokyo hasn’t been going well and Nichiko’s alcoholic father’s days are numbered, so she’s returned not only to escape but to watch over her estranged parent in his final days.

Here she meets Chimaki, a young man who works in the only convenience store on the island. He’s always eager and willing to help the residents with any problems they may have, Nichiko included of course, but his almost puppy-like enthusiasm for life rubs our heroine the wrong way as she wonders what drives this compulsion of his.

Nichiko’s father passes away not long after her return to the island, but nevertheless, she decides to continue living there in her childhood home. The island is small and everyone living there knows one another, which means Nichiko quickly learns that Chimaki is sometimes treated as an outcast. Something happened in the past that changed everyone’s perception of him forever. As the two grow closer and spend more time together, she can’t help but wonder what happened…

On the surface, Dogs and Punching Bags is a mixture of a slice of life and a romance series, but as always with Kaori Ozaki’s work there is a lot of depth here, both in the story and the cast. Originally released in Japan as two volumes, but combined into a single omnibus here we’re treated to the whole story in one go. This I think works for the best as you’ll find yourself eager to keep turning the pages as we learn more about Nichiko and Chimaki’s pasts, the ghosts that haunt them (figuratively) and the future they dream of for themselves. And to a degree, this is a story about how individual perceptions can warp the truth. This is more so the case for Chimaki than it is for Nichiko, but it’s still an important theme nevertheless.

If I have one criticism of this manga, it would perhaps be the fact that Chimaki is sometimes a little too happy-go-lucky. I don’t think it’s unrealistic for him to have ended up this way given what he’s been through, but initially, that may put the reader off.

There’s also the fact that this is ultimately an age-gap romance and Chimaki has another admirer in the form of a high school student, but this topic I feel is handled well. It’s never directly stated how old Chimaki is (old enough to drink at least) but he’s firmly an adult so it doesn’t feel unnatural for him to be around Nichiko. But he’s also baby-faced enough that his scenes with his high school admirer aren’t uncomfortable either, I think Ozaki has managed to strike a good balance here.

I’ve always felt Ozaki’s work was strongest in short condensed runs. This is true of single-volume story The Gods Lie, and the short story collection Mermaid Prince. Whereas The Golden Sheep with three volumes to play with got away from itself. So, I was relieved to find Dogs and Punching Bags was originally two volumes. This means there’s a delicate balance between moving the story along and being able to enjoy the gentle atmosphere of day-to-day living on the island. It’s these quiet moments that offer opportunities to develop the side cast, who may not have big roles to play but matter all the same as they shape Chimaki’s relationships with his peers, friends and family.

So, the story proves excellent, but what about the art? I hear you ask. Well, that too proves great, as you’d expect if you’re familiar with Ozaki’s other titles. Despite the darker elements of the story, the character designs are cute and uplifting to watch over, while the backgrounds are detailed and capture the setting well. Sometimes I think it’s Ozaki’s art, rather than the writing, that conveys exactly what’s most important in her stories and this remains true here as well.

For those wondering about the relevance of the title to the story, I believe the dog in the title comes from the fact Chimaki reminds Nichiko of the dog she left behind when she moved to Tokyo. Meanwhile ‘Punching Bags’ is due to her taking up boxing as a hobby, or perhaps as a metaphor for how the two leads have been ‘punched around’ by life up to us meeting them!

Dogs and Punching Bags comes to the West in an omnibus format thanks to Kodansha under their Vertical imprint. The release has been translated by Kimberly Martinez with lettering by Mercedes McGarry and it reads well all the way through. The release includes colour pages at the beginning, which are always a nice extra.

Overall, Dogs and Punching Bags is a thoughtful and interesting manga from Kaori Ozaki who has made a name for herself writing stories exactly like this. Unlike her last work The Golden Sheep, this one doesn’t overstay its welcome and instead feels like a very satisfying read – particularly in this omnibus format.

Our review copy from Kodansha (Vertical) was supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).

A free preview can be read on the Kodansha website.