Wholesome and hilarious. That is the short version. If you need something to make you smile and warm your heart, buy this series. It's like Way of the House Husband in that it is made of short vignettes with a comedic twist but instead of a former gangster turned house husband, it is about a tanuki pretending (?) to be a dog. I love it. Gimme more.

Story: This manga is wholesome and extremely fast to read. The short stories are funny but in a cute way. Because these short snippets are pretty light, we don't get a lot of background but therefore nothing takes from the wholesomeness. It's hard to say more about the story than I love wholesome manga lately so 4.5/5.

Art: The art is easy and still I kinda like and think it's simple but beautiful and cute. It's quite minimalistic and simplistic but fits the story perfectly.
4/5

If you’re looking for a manga that pairs well with a big blanket, a cup of tea, and gray skies, With You and the Rain by Ko Nikaido is the one for you!

This charming story about the relationship between an owner and their… curiously unidentified pet will have you laughing and appreciating the company of your own fur babies. Each chapter is a different adventure, exploring the everyday lives of the charming duo.

The lack of names for both the protagonist and their rescue pet allows the reader to insert themselves into the story, which is a nice touch. I could easily relate to how much the owner cares for their new best friend, and how one can consider a pet rescuing them instead of the other way around.

While Volume One does leave the reader with a satisfying ending, I am already looking forward to future adventures with this hilarious and heartwarming crew!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

When that little Tanuki "OR dog" held up the sign that said the dog, I WAS IN!

This absolutely charming manga works almost like newspaper comics, and the collection is full of funny and sweet little stories of how a lot of people knowingly accept or think this little furry friend is a dog!
I am adding it to my collection, drawn beautiful and filled with adorableness!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

With You and the Rain was a cute and simple story. It feels similar to Yotsuba&! (though with more mature humor), and I'd generally recommend it to fans of adult contemporary slice-of-life stories. Nikaido's art is stunning, and its appeal immediately caught my eye when I heard about this title's announcement.

This is currently a digital-only release, but it would be nice to see it get a physical release sometime too.

Art and Story: Ko Nikaido
Translation: Nate Derr
Lettering: Jan Lan Ivan Concepcion
Editing: Jesika Brooks

I received a copy of this manga through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not a lot of action but you don’t actually need it to make this an utterly cute and sweet and wholesome manga! 😊😊 The stray “dog” is such a funny character! 😆

With You and the Rain

ARC provided by NetGalley

If it looks like a dog and acts like a dog and insists it's a dog, it's...a dog? Probably? She adopted it anyway, and her life with this "dog" will never be boring!

My initial thought upon reading that description and looking at this book’s cover was, ‘What???’. That animal on the cover was definitely not a dog, I had no idea at first what it was but it was absolutely adorable so I just decided, why not and requested it.

Honestly, this was such a cute manga. I don’t know what has been up lately but I have been finding the cutest manga recently and I don’t want it to stop. Let’s say that the dog is a dog. It insists as such by writing it down so who am I to disagree. From that, I imagine you can get the humor of this book. It really is just this wholesome story of this super nice lady and this adorable ‘dog’. There is not a lot here but not everything has to be chocked full of intensity to be enjoyable. Overall so cute would definitely recommend it.

Protagonist meets a Tanuki and mistakes it as a dog... a very talented dog that can write and communicate with you. So starts a bunch of adventures with the dog. This is a quick and easy read. There isn't much depth but its still a very cute story to follow. I'm excited to see where this manga goes next.