With a nod to David’s excellent license request for Doubutsu no Oishasan, I started wondering why there aren’t more critter related titles available on bookstore shelves. Cats seem to be all the rage these days, especially on Twitter, due to the upcoming release of Chi’s Sweet Home (Vertical). Nothing against Chi, because I am eagerly looking forward to the book, but I am a little more of an equal opportunity animal fancier. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I love all animals, but dogs and horses hold an especially dear spot in my heart. So here is a list of titles that I would love to read some day. 
Derby Queen by Hinako Ashihara– This one seems like such a no brainer. With the success of Sand Chronicles, Hinako Ashihara’s three volume series about horse racing sounds like a good deal to me. Toss in some shoujo angst and romance, and I know that I would be waiting for the UPS guy to deliver them to my house.
Ten yori Takaku! (Higher than Heaven) by Yuko Asami – This is a 2 volume series from Jump, dating back to 1998. Ok, so it’s a little old, but it’s about show jumping! It doesn’t get much more exciting than that!
Yuko Asami likes dogs, too, because she is also the artist of Wild Half, a 17 volume series about a talking dog that can transform into a half-human, half-animal being, and solve mysteries, too!
Grooming Up! by Masami Yuuki – Another Jump title from the author of Patlabor. When Shunpei is stranded out in the country, he starts working at a horse ranch. At 26 volumes, this has to be full of horsy goodness. It’s also older than dirt, but I can keep hoping, can’t I?
Puku Puku Tennen Kairanban by Sayuri Tatsuyama. So cute!! From the author of Happy Happy 
Clover, this 10 volume series ran in Ciao. It’s about a little dog and all of his friends. How can you say no to a cuddle fest like this??
Shibao by Tsubasa Nunoura. Who could possibly resist the adventures of a stray puppy roaming the streets of Tokyo? Tsubasa Nunoura has another animal series I would love to read – Piku Piku Sentaro. That’s about a rabbit and it’s 34 volumes long.
So, there are just a few of the comic series featuring animals that I would love to see licensed. What are some titles on your wish list?
February 5, 2010 at 9:34 am
[...] looks at some animal manga she’d like to see licensed at Manga Maniac [...]