This was emotional, inspiring, strange and also funny! One moment gave me goosebumps. I absolutely loved it overall!

After leaving her isolating life in Tokyo, 34-year-old Nichiko returns to her remote island hometown for her estranged alcoholic father’s final days. There she meets Chimaki, an eccentric young man who stirs up old memories—and feelings Nichiko had all but decided she no longer deserved. But despite his puppy-like enthusiasm for life, Chimaki’s almost obsessive need to help those around him seems to be compensating for an unspeakable past...

Kaori Ozaki has quickly regained her place as my favorite mangaka. Though a bit more grown up than her other works it still keeps that same feeling of humanity that shines through as you read. I really enjoyed the realistic and complex characters with defining flaws and the ways they played togather. Cannot wait for her next work.

2.5 stars
Thirty-four year old Nichiko returns to her island hometown for her estranged father's final days. There she meets Chimaki, a younger and kind, albeit quirky, man whose incessant need to help others is fueled by the guilt of a fatal mistake he made as a child.

Both Nichiko's and Chimaki's backstories are very touching and the relationship that forms between the two is sweet. However, I found the story to be somewhat underdeveloped and all over the place. I also didn't feel like a particular character deserved to be painted in a sympathetic way but I understand that the mangaka wanted to create nuanced characters that, although have made mistakes, are still capable of redemption. Anyway this was alright. I definitely thought it was better than The God's Lie which I have also read but didn't enjoy. Perhaps this mangaka just isn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

I loved it so much!! The art was beautifull. The story combined love, everyday life, regret, sadness and the feeling of being lost in your early 20s and 30s and it was a joy reading it. The characters were amazing and lovable, I started caring for their story right away. Over all amazing read and will be looking into more stories of this author from now on!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha comics for a copy for review*

This standalone slice of life is great for those that enjoyed Kdramas like Welcome to Samdal-ri and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. Specifically the romance portion of the story. The coming to the sea for healing type of fiction is always a pleasure to read.

Dogs and Punching Bags is my first manga from Kaori Ozaki. I knew about their other works but I didn't have a chance to read them before. Partly due to me being particular about single-volume works where heavy themes are a part of the plot. Short form is not easy to pull off and oftentimes the feel rushed to me if the author isn't skilled enough.

Dogs and Punching Bags started underwhelming, then took a very sharp turn and eventually did a good job of bringing everything to a close. I found the dependence between and dynamics of the leads compelling. I am reluctant to call this is an "enjoyable" read, but it's worth your time.

This was an interesting contemporary manga. It left me with the sense of how humanity tends to act against its own self interest and somehow while life goes on for many for others it isn’t always the case. There is a sense of hope too in this story. That our mistakes would not define our futures. That we can find love and a good love and that it could stay close to us even with our glaring flaws.

This was a different reading experience for me then what I am used to reading manga. It wasn’t that it was not enjoyable, but there was a seriousness to it that I am not so accustomed to the manga I read being. It deals with grief, regret, and reaching for hope in life. I felt the mixed feelings of what it means to be human after I finished and I think that the remnants of this manga will sit with me for a long time.

Dogs and Punching Bags is a one-shot manga about a woman returning to her home island after her father is bed-bound and easing into life after the end of a tricky relationship. There, she meets a younger man that reminds her of her childhood dog, but despite being so sweet and caring carries some trauma of his own.

This was longer than I expected and that's not a negative; it gave the story a little time to breathe and ramp up before falling to a close again. Love stories of community where everyone works together and cares about each other even when some bad things happened in the past. The only thing that bothered me was the constant harping on Nichiko's age (early/mid-30s) as being "old" and even calling herself middle-aged at one point. Not a fan! But the rest of the story was cute and good and I enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the eARC in exchange for review!

Nichiko (34 y/o) returns to her island home following the final days of her estranged father’s final days. She encounters Chimaki -- an interesting character with a dark past and clueless puppy dog vibes. This was such a refreshing read with so many elements to unpack. Ozaki explores loss, love, forgiveness, healing, family, loneliness, rediscovering yourself, and defying societal norms. I loved meeting the characters of the island and seeing how everyone’s stories, regardless of how unconventional (or messy -- life wise), wove together

Thanks NetGalley and Kodansha Manga for the arc!

Woman falls in love and hooks up with the human reincarnation of her childhood pet in an only slightly creepy way. LOL But seriously, this was fun and Chimaki does actually give off strong golden retriever vibes. I believe that this is a standalone and not a whole series so I wouldn't expect any more volumes to follow this. If you want something to do for an hour or so, pick this up. It's cute.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

Dogs and Punching Bags follows Nichiko (34 y.o.), who leaves behind her lonely life in Tokyo to return to her secluded island hometown due to the impending death of her estranged, alcoholic father. There, she meets Chimaki (23 y.o.), an eccentric young man. Yet beneath his boundless zest for life, lies an intense urge to help the lives of those around him—perhaps a way to compensate for a haunting past he can’t outrun. What sort of past? Read and find out!

What I can say about DAPB is that it ranges from being humorous, weird and quirky, to seriously sad and depressing.
My fav funny moments were Chimaki's 'table' scene in a suit, panel with comment 'But I've never fished out my own ... before'' and Nichiko and Chimaki's vulnerable moments telling their truths. If you enjoy a beautifully drawn story with depth and themes like age-gap, hope, love and loss, and finding a place for belonging - this is for you.

''Life can wear you down like a beat-up punching bag, but it still goes on.''

˗ˋˏ ♡Thank you Kaori Ozaki and NetGalley♡ ˎˊ˗

This was an okay read, i would say perhaps this was not for me.

I went and judged a book by its cover: picked up this manga because of how fresh and clean the cover art looked. I thought it was going to be more of a slice of life on a small island kind of story, and was a bit surprised to discover how central the romance to the story. The romance features an age gap, but it’s handled with grace: for starters, it’s a woman who is older, and secondly, the age gap as such does not become the main focus of deliberation or shame for either of the main characters. It’s a fairly short manga, but it did have a room for a surprisingly fleshed out love triangle, even though the blurb didn’t prepare me for one. Looking at other reviews, I can see I can see why some readers brought up undeserved redemption, but I thought it was probably on par with the rest of the storytelling decisions, which were handled with sympathy and relative lack of judgement that leaves room for complexity. For a story that was focused on finding your place in the community - and one quite hopeful in tone - it managed to weave in a lot of sorrowful elements: grief, trauma, emotional resolutions that are years in the making. And yet everything was generously sprinkled with warm humour which elevated the reading experience.

This was my first time reading this mangaka, and I think I will keep my eye open for more of her books. I like stories that clearly only a mature woman could have written.

Thanks to Netgalley for an early reading copy.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kodansha for this eARC, in exchange for an honest review. I loved this manga so much!. The island setting and art style is beautiful and the story is rich, this is a compelling look at life after loss and dealing with grief. The characters are well fleshed out and mostly likeable. Seinen isn’t my go to genre of manga but I was gripped from the start. The heavier elements of the story are woven in without leaving the reader in pure emotional despair and the flow of the story is just right, This is my first manga read by this author and I will look out for their other work.

"Dogs and Punching Bags" by Kaori Ozaki is about a woman named Nichiko who returns to the island where she grew up to take care of her dying, alcoholic father. While on the island, she meets an eccentric man named Chimaki, and their relationship grows the more time they spend with each other. Both have secrets that come to light the further you get into the manga.

This manga is sweet, heartwarming, sorrowful, and intriguing. The characters are relatable and well developed. Also, the artwork is beautifully drawn and adds to the story!

I loved this manga and highly recommend it! I hope the author continues the series! Thank you, NetGalley and Vertical Comics, for sending me an ARC of the manga to review! It is available for purchase now!

Publishing date: 21.01.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC. My opinions are my own.


Hmm, I am feeling a little mixed here. This manga is nice and all, but maybe not quite what I was looking for. I think bullet points will serve me well:

Did like:
- The artstyle was nice
- Age gap was handled well and not necessarily the central theme
- Loved the little sister
- Main couple was in general cute

Did not like:
- Redemption for an undeserving character
- Unnecessary sex-scene could have been fade to black
- Story felt a little all over the place
- A certain revelation seemed to be handled a little poorly by the main character
- This is a spoiler, find it at the end of my review ...

All in all, this is an okay manga. I have read better, I have read worse. It isn't overly long, I finished it in a single day. If you are interested, I would say go for it.

My rating will be a firm 3 stars, smack dab in the middle as I don't feel any particular way about it.

TLDR: Typical small-town romance manga with an age gap



The spoilery disliked part: Epilogue with pregnancy

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I read The God’s Lie by Kaori Ozaki a while back, and I have to say, this manga was miles better. Although I’m not typically a fan of age-gap romances, this one was handled remarkably well. It also featured one of the most… unique sex scenes I’ve ever come across in a manga.

This would’ve been a five-star read if not for the redemption it gave to a wholly undeserving character.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 1 star ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

this manga's art style was beautiful, i actually really liked it. however, everything else, i didn't enjoy. maybe it's not for me, sorry! to me, it felt like the whole plot was all over the place and i never really understood what was happening. that made me very confused. the story also feels incomplete because of all the ongoing themes being underdeveloped. sad to say that i didn't have a good time reading this.

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley and Kaori Ozaki for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

Amazon and B&N review submitted, pending respective system approvals
Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for Jan 31st
Blog post goes live February 7th
Will cover in an upcoming youtube wrapup

**TL;DR**: An engaging story about finding your place and community, even in the darkest parts of your life.
**Source**: NetGalley, thank so much to the publisher!

**Plot**: Nichiko returns to her home island, a tiny place, to find herself. There she meets Chimaki and their stories blends.
**Characters**: I really enjoyed these characters, especially Nichiko. She was refreshing in her pushback against societal norms but also her steadiness.
**Setting**: The island setting is an easy one to pull off, but I still really enjoyed it’s small cast and scenery.
**Art/Layout:** Absolutely love art. I really enjoyed this, it was sparse but had a lot of grace. A lovely style.

**Thoughts**:

Dogs and Punching Bags follows Nichiko who returns to her small home island, a common tourist spot, after having a rough patch in the big city. She’s leaving behind a broken relationship, and at 34 she’s pushing the boundaries of what Japanese culture finds acceptable for a single woman. She meets Chimaki there, a young man in his early twenties who works at the connivence story but has his own dark history and story. The two of them hit it off as friends and we follow their relationship as their lives start to meld.

I really enjoyed this! The tone in this was unexpected but one I gobbled up. There was tension and there was some intense emotional reactions, especially with Chimaki’s story. But the island setting and the almost cozy vibe made this such a hopeful and overall happy manga. I was happy while reading this and the ending left me smiling. My only complaint about this was that Chimaki seemed a bit infantilized - and I’m not sure if that was intentional as his story really seems to look at the idea that’s he stuck in a place and way because of what happened to him as a young boy.

Besides that this was lovely. The art is graceful and really adds to the setting and feel and ultimately there is a Happily Ever After, so this could be considered a true romance. I especially loved Nichiko who pushed back several times against people commenting on her age and single status. An absolutely lovely read, one I recommend.

This manga had a weird name and I was very curious to see how it was going to play out and what it was. Overall I loved it, I thought it was cute and the story didn't dragged. Loved that we got the whole story and the ending was too cute. I cried to in this one.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.