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.

I was not sure how Dogs and Punching Bags would leave me feeling after reading the blurb and the first chapter. It did provide enough of a hopeful note to encourage me to read it and before I knew it I finished the entire book. It was absolutely lovely! I've seen enough bungled attempts at stories where a person with a mysterious past (Nichiko) returns to their small island/village only to meet a local with a dark past (Chimaki) that I was apprehensive, but all of the story elements were well executed. Bonus points as well for not having the characters from multiple age demographics fall into trope hell; they were portrayed in a believable and relatable, if not likeable, manner. As someone older than Nichiko I was very amused at her need for liquid courage during one particularly inspired scene. I mean this as a compliment: This is the kind of story that lends itself well to a screenplay because this book takes you through the emotional arc of a short drama series.

Whoa, this was a great read. It had so much to do but everything panned out nicely and not too rushed.

Our FMC comes back home to bury her dad after escaping her childhood home years ago. Our MMC is also back home facing people who know his darkest secret.

When I found out what exactly happened, I was so shocked and gutted that a child had to grow up with that kind of grief and ridicule from everyone for a gut wrenching incident that is...inherently the adults fault. Besides that heavy burden, he's well traveled and is super sweet to the point of being a bit too naive.

I think they meshed so well together because of his "weirdness". He was able to get past her defenses and bring some joy to her life. I did find it weird how everyone called him not normal, but no one seemed to want to get to the root of it? Could he possibly be on the spectrum of some sorts?

When her ex came to visit, I howled of laughter because what?! Watching him get so fed up with their lovely dovey-ness brought me joy because he's a scum bag for cheating and misleading the FMC. The fact that his wife took him back shocked me.

I'd definitely recommend this if you're looking for a story set on a small island with likeable characters and an easy going story. I read this in one sitting and immensely enjoyed myself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for the DRC!

This is my first time reading Kaori Ozaki's work, and it was great! The last fifty pages had me in tears, and I can't wait to read more from this author.


Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for this ARC!

this was such a cute read! it was a bit sad at times and thought provoking so if you’re not in the mood for that, i don’t think you should pick it up. other than that, it was a quick and romantic read!

i loved the characters ESPECIALLY chimaki. he was such a sweetheart and definitely a boyfriend material. i absolutely loved the way he treated nichiko.
however, nichiko was a tad annoying at times, especially the way she acted after she found out this one thing about chimaki. that aside, i did love their blossoming relationship and definitely preferred she stayed with him rather than the married guy lol.

the writing style was easy to get into, although i didn’t care *too* much about the flashbacks. i don’t mind if there are a couple of them but in this case we got a lot and i found it just a little boring.

the best part of the book was the romance between chimaki and nichiko for me, i just wanted them to get together lol. i also loved chimaki’s little sister, she was such a sweetie! i wish we got more of her.
overall, i do recommend picking this up, it was worth a read. ♡

Nichiko came back to her homeland of a small island. Everyone on the island thinks she's this big shot from Tokyo, but her life doesn't seem so big at all. As she familiarizes herself being back home, one guy would be more than happy to help her.

This one shot manga was very refreshing to read. It started out with melancholy but it feels like as though you're changing with Nichiko. It was fun to experience the people of the island. And it was something else to learn about the characters much deeper.

The manga also feels like a love letter to all golden retriever partners. And I love that so much. It was just so sweet and lovely.

This was a good dive in to realities of life and also its complexities. Because who does have all their stuff together? This was a good reminder that everything will be okay. I'm so glad I read this.

Finally, the art is so gentle and I love how you can easily ease in to the manga through the illustrations. Overall, this was a really good manga.

4.5★ // Upon receiving word of her estranged father's declining health, 34-year-old Nichiko leaves her life in Tokyo, returning to her small island hometown. While healing from her isolated past and re-rediscovering her sense of self, she meets Chimaki, a young man with puppy energy and a heart of service. However, the reason for Chimaki's altruism may not be as innocent as it seems..

Don't be fooled by the title - there is a lot less dog in the story than expected (barring Chimaki's personality), but also a lot more depth and meaning than expected.

As for the punching bag, it felt like *I* (i.e., my heart) was the one being punched with all the emotions I experienced while reading this.. I really felt for both of our incredible MCs. Although being a stand-alone volume, I felt that the characters were well fleshed out, their personalities and growth clear. Also, I love to see a mature, non-toxic couple!

This was such a beautiful story on self-identity, love, loss, loneliness, belonging.. plus so much more. I'm already ready for the re-read!

🎵 Song to pair with: Punch - NCT 127

This had beautiful artwork and an equally beautiful story. The characters are all very human and flawed, coming from complicated pasts and are able to open themselves up to another to recognize that they deserve to find a deep and meaningful love. It’s a touching story, paced well, with timely exposition, complex family dynamics, with humor sprinkled throughout too. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, thank you for the opportunity to read it!

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Dogs and Punching Bags by Kaori Ozaki was...excellent. Oh my goodness, I loved it so much. This is a standalone manga story set mostly on a tiny island off the coast of Japan about a woman who ran away from and toward her problems and a unique, cheerful young man haunted by his past. This gives the feeling of a josei manga and has the most beautiful artwork and themes and heartwarming characters and how they are all brought together throughout the healing process. It was just so, so beautiful and perfect. Recommended for adults only though.