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Title: Animal Academy Vol 2

Author: Moyamu Fujino

Publisher: Tokyopop

ISBN: 9781427810960

May Contain Spoilers

I liked the second installment of Animal Academy much better than the first.  All of the pointless slapping in the first volume is gone, and replaced instead with slice of life chapters as Fune tries to fit in at her new school.  It’s not easy, seeing as she is the only human other than Yuichi attending the incredibly weird school for shape-shifting animals.  Fune’s group of classmates settle into their studies, learning about each other as the semester progresses.  Can they overlook their differences and become friends after all?

The fluffy adventures that Fune and her companions embark on hardly provide for a challenging read, and that’s not a bad thing.  There is a sense of wonder as the young characters learn about the human world, starting with an unauthorized trip to the outside after Kotaru finds a portal out of the isolated school grounds.  The forbidden exploration, which culminates with the discovery of a treasure trove of junk, set a light-hearted tone that remained during the rest of the book.

Though the activities that Fune participates in can hardly be considered unique, they are related in an even-paced, interesting fashion.  Personalities are slowly revealed, friendships are formed, and Fune learns just as much about herself as she does about her friends.  There are even mysteries to solve, such as the identity of the snake, who keeps turning up when she’s at her wit’s end, and the purpose of the student handbook, which is eerily updated in almost real time.

I was grateful that Miiko’s personality, though still extremely obnoxious, was toned in this volume.  Instead of going out of her way to antagonize other students, she merely resorted to name calling.  No physical attacks, and her outbursts of jealousy over Fune making new friends has widely evaporated.  She still believes that she is better than other, lower animal life forms, but what else would you expect from a cat?

Age Rating – 10 & up

Grade:  B+

Review copy provided by Tokyopop