This was adorable. Sad moments, sweet moments, adorable art. I loved this so much.

The fox was punished for causing problems. A tanuki was abandoned by his family. So the gods put them together. I highly recommend this manga.

Recommended: yes ♥
For a sweet light story, for drama mixed with humour, for characters you'll love

Thoughts:
The light and watery art style is a perfect match to this story, because it's overall pretty lighthearted with some moments of pain and depth for the characters to grow from. It's pretty irresistible to have the tough bad guy's heart slowly thawed by the adorable little fluff chub. Yet despite some character changes throughout, they also do stay true to themselves in many ways too; there's no miraculous conversions or sudden 180s here.

I really need to emphasize how much this made me laugh, too. Not just in terms of how often I laughed, but the force of my laughter. The frog part had me laughing so hard I cried, partly because it was just so unexpected, and I re-read it several times, laughing that hard every time. In fact, I'll probably go read it again when I'm done writing this, because it was such a pure joy.

Between sections are short info panels on the different kinds of bakemono, their powers, their history, relationship to the gods, and so on. I really enjoyed these because they gave me context for each character that I was missing without the cultural knowledge. Even for people who are more familiar with bakemono, the panels are beautifully done; I wish I could print them out and frame them!

The key reason why this is missing its fifth star is because I was reading along, laughing, crying, getting all the feels, when I went to the next page and it was an ad for another book. It ended! At a really weird moment! It felt so abrupt that I went back and made sure I hadn't missed something, but no... that's the end of this segment. That threw me off quite a lot, but I am really excited for the next installment, so maybe that's what they were going for. Regardless, this was an absolute delight!

Thanks to NetGalley and TokyoPop for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

KAWAII MUCH??? I think I just died and went into a cute coma, because this manga is full to the brim with adorableness.

A tale of unconditional bonds, altruism, self-love and -growth, I thoroughly enjoyed the Bakemono guide and expanding my knowledge of pantheons (Japanese in this case). I even teared up a wee bit; a lot of heart and promise in this story. Fluid, lovely artwork too. If this series stays on such a wonderful path, I shall definitely be purchasing the omnibus.

I have gotta say, this is one of the cutest manga I've ever read.

The storyline is already something I believe will be phenomenal once it picks up speed because I think the first volume so far is great.

I adore the artstyle, immediately fell in love with the little Tanuki and felt so much more with the Fox's backstory and flashbacks.

What I can say about Tanuki's image that I found a bit interesting as well as a little disappointing was the style the creator chose to use. It reminds me more of a Disney artstyle instead of the traditional Japanese cutesy chibi artstyle that is most common in manga.

Nevertheless, the story itself deeply follows the Japanese folklore, myths and tales of gods and goddesses and their servants and how animals are so embedded with importance and the roles each one plays.

It’s been years since I’ve read manga. Any manga. But I saw this one and knew I had to give it a shot. The title and the cover were enough to interest me.

When I was in Japan, my husband won me a plushie of a fox wearing a tanuki eye mask and I bought a blind box with the two animals as a small figurine. I don’t know how limited the pairing was, but I suspect that the fox is the main mascot of a store called Loft and the tanuki is just temporary. They’re incredibly cute together, so when I saw this manga, I knew it was for me.

Without even reading the summary I dived in. It didn’t surprise me it was about gods and bakemono. I like the Japanese folklore so even that was right up my ally. The mentor-apprentice relationship the fox and the tanuki have is incredibly cute too. There’s a lot of room for both characters to grow.

The side characters, another fox and two wolves, are adorable. I honestly love the stereotype characters and the world the author created. I don’t mind that their personalities are predictable because it’s the interaction between the characters and the situations they’re in that make the story.

I’m really looking forward to reading more of this series. Highly recommended if you’re interested in Japanese folklore and like cute art.

One of my favorite characters was; of course, Manpachi! He is the most adorable cub ever; I want to wrap him up and hug him. Lol, what I enjoyed so much in the story was the relationship evolution between Senzou and Manipachi. The witty banter amongst the two added a light comedic air to the overall arch of the narrative. The artwork depicting the tail of the once-great spirited fox was truly exquisite. If you are unfamiliar with Japanese Fantasies and are new to reading the genre; it may be hard at first to understand all the mythical creatures and the history behind them. Overall, I am very intrigued to see where the story continues in future volumes of the series.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this manga in exchange for an honest review!

A big villain being released from his 300 year old sleep, only to be told he has to raise a Tanuki to become a servant of the Gods. Safe to say he is not pleased. But there's no way out, so here they go!

This was my first ever manga (and didn't even realize it wasn't just a regular graphic novel), and I didn't expect the entire novel to be in black and white. This is not a bad thing, it was just a bit of a shock to the system, and I had some trouble understanding some panels, especially at the start, meaning it took me some time to get into the story.

I had read a review before about how to read this, and I was glad for it, as it would have been incredibly confusing otherwise. The final page/back of the book helpfully says how to read it, which is great if you read it physically. Electronically you don't see that until after you've finished it, so a huge thanks to that reviewer, and a head's up to anyone: this is read front to back, but the pages themselves are manga style.

Once I got into the art style and the story, I really really enjoyed it! As mentioned, some panels were really confusing to me, as I couldn't distinguish what was happening. That, and the order of reading not being mentioned before the story (it could have been added as a note for the ARC), is the only reason this isn't a 5 star read. Because the story! The feelings! And the bits of info about the Japanese mythology this takes from was great for people like me who had only ever heard of kitsune!

Little Tanuki, Manpachi, was just adorable, and I will protect him forever; even though he doesn't really need my protecting. I'll give him love instead. And food. The Fox, Senzou, is a bit of an asshole ("a bit"), but in this first volume he is already showing character growth, and I find him absolutely gorgeous. He's frustrating at times, but I already have major soft spot for him.

Koyuki was the sweetest, though I'm a bit bothered by the fact that the only female character is there to feed them only. Mikumo is a grouch and Tachibana is the best, and them as a duo is Amazing and I love them. I ship them. Not even gonna lie, their dynamic is the best.

I cannot wait for volume two, and hope to be able to get my hands on it, because this ended on a cliffhanger and I need to know how it'll continue!

Ah this was super cute. I enjoyed the story and the characters. I can't wait to read the next volume, especially with that cliffhanger!

This is about an evil fox spirit named Senzo who is unsealed by the Sun God to redeem himself. However he doesn’t expect his mission to be raising a tanuki. He names the small animal Manpachi and it is adorable to see them together. Senzo must train Manpachi to become a servant of the Gods. I loved the art work and the story. It face a Maleficient feel to it when it comes to a nortorious being having to raise a small child.

This was an incredibly adorable, heart warming manga that reminded me of the good old times when everything I cared about was Inuyasha.

I got an arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. And I enjoyed myself to the fullest reading this manga! It has sweet characters, an interesting beginning to a story and the strongest ever Inuyasha vibes - a god is waken up from his sleep and has to go on a quest while wearing a necklace that will hurt him if he is not doing as he's told. He has to take care of a young little demon that has to learn and one day become the servent of the gods. Now of course this is only the first volume and so we couldn't see much of a character development yet, but I'm sure this will turn out to be a sweet redemption arc for the main character. It felt like honey for my soul to go into this magical world.
Also I thought the explanations of different creatures was a nice extra at the beginning of each chapter.
Recommending this to everyone who loves Japanese myths, magical creatures and yes, INUYASHA!

So I love Tanukis, when I heard about this title I had to try it out. The art is adorable and the tiny baby tanuki is just beyond cute. The story in itself sees very familiar elements. A naughty animal spirit, the fox, get’s locked away by a goddess for causing mischief and is then given a second chance. His powers are blunted and to regain them he must help the tanuki grow up into a fine animal spirit. The little tanuki has been rejected by his animal parents for having powers and sapience and is all alone in the world. Great read for younger manga and animal story lovers.

The Fox & the Little Tanuki is a precious middle grade-appropriate manga, which the English-language market desperately needs more of. That said, this is also a manga title that I enjoyed as an adult and think would be a fun addition to any manga collection.

This was my first Manga. I loved the cute illustrations but the story was just okay for me! Still enjoyable enough.

A charmingly-illustrated animal fable based on Japanese folklore, Tagawa's manga is an endearing story for older children.
Senzou, a Fox Spirit, has been imprisoned by the Sun Goddess for bad behaviour for the last three hundred years. Finally, he is free! But there are consequences: Senzou must raise a tanuki cub to be an assistant to the gods. To ensure he's doing his job, the Sun Goddess has outfitted Senzou with a magical bead necklace punishes Senzou when his conviction to help the tanuki wavers.
If you love seeing characters with tough exteriors soften by way of naive and loving younger characters, you'll love The Fox & the Little Tanuki. The plot-line is light and perfect for younger readers, but may be too light for older children and adults looking for a meatier story. If nothing else, the book is worth a read for the art alone.
Each chapter gives a brief introduction to the animal spirits of Japanese folklore; accessible for children without getting too bogged down in details, but just enough information to pique readers' interest.
Be careful!: This manga ends in a cliff-hanger and might leave you itching for the next volume!
4/5 stars.

This was really fun! I'm a sucker for grumpy, reluctant dads of unintentionally adopted children. If someone said they liked both cute manga and The Mandalorian, I'd recommend this. Since this is the first volume, it sets up the world and the story. If you are unfamiliar with Japanese mythology, then you'll appreciate the notes about the different bakemono, explaining their roles and powers without disrupting the story. It was a good start and I'd like to read the next volume and see where it goes.

The Fox and the Little Tanuki, Volume 1 by Mi Tagawa, 159 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL
Tokyopop, 2020. $13.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Senzou, a powerful bakemono, has been locked away for 300 years. He plans to continue in his ways after being released, but Senzou didn’t know that he would have to train a new tanuki. His troubles and penitence are just beginning.
Full of cool Japanese mythology, the start Senzou’s story was interesting to read. It’s a simple story about doing good to right the wrongs done and learning to be better from the inspiration of an innocent kid. Being the first volume, the ending is a cliffhanger, and the story is not compelling enough that I feel I need the sequel, but I would read it if it was conveniently available.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I love the illustrations in this manga, and Senzou and Manpachi's interactions are really adorable. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had been younger, however, because the plot leaves a bit to be desired. Still, I enjoyed my time with The Fox and the Little Tanuki and recommend it for those who want a quick, light read.

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

The Fox & Little Tanuki, by Mi Tagawa
★★★☆☆
175 Pages


When I picked this one up, I saw it was a Tokyo Pop production and assumed it was a manga. However, there was no warning when I opened it to begin reading back-to-front, as with most Japanese manga's, so I thought I'd been mistaken and it was a regular comic. Then it took me two pages to realise it *was* a Japanese manga, just in a way I wasn't used to – it wasn't read back-to-front, but the panels were arranged in the same order as most other manga's. It would have been nice to get some clarification on that before I began reading, because it wasn't immediately clear what order the panels were meant to be read in.

Then came the story...while the illustrator has some serious talent, and the artwork was beautiful, there were serious issues with the plot. The story didn't always make sense, or flow, so that you could follow one page to the next or even one panel to the next sometimes. There were a lot of instances where things happened and there was no explanation of *what* had happened or how, until about 2 pages later, or not at all. There was one point where Manpachi “transformed” and we see the result in Senzou transforming instead, but we never actually got to clearly see or understand what that transformation was because it was so confusingly written. The world building, to explain this world of Japanese mythology needed much more work, and the random pages to explain one creatures' place in the mythology weren't enough to help figure things out. In fact, I ended up skipping them because they gave little weight to the story at all.

Then the story ended abruptly right in the middle of a scene. It's one thing to end on a cliffhanger, but it felt like someone had ripped out the last few pages and left 15 pages of adverts in its place.

For me, it's an interesting story, with really beautiful artwork, but the plotting and writing let it down. (I also had an issue with my app crashing every 40 pages, which I can't explain.) It might be better for younger kids, with its strong moral and family-centred plot, but it would still need some work to make it much less confusing.

At first I thought this may be a lighthearted read, but upon further inspection it has a bit more depth to it. Still, the illustrations are cute and the story is engaging! I was captivated enough that I was somewhat surprised when the book ended. (I wanted to read more!) I'm looking forward to reading the next volume.

The first thing I noticed about this manga was the adorable cover and characters. I just had to pick it up. And I wasn't disappointed in the cuteness department. It is almost cuteness overload. The artwork was the best part.

I loved learning about Bakemono lore and seeing Manpachi's and Senzou's interactions. But the plot is rather simplistic and if I was younger, I probably would have loved. It is a great read for a younger audience, say middle grade to young teen.