Dogs and Punching Bags follows Nichiko's return to the island she grew up on. Here she meets the younger Chimaki, whose kindness allows Nichiko to glimpse a more hopeful future.

“Why are you so passionate about helping people? I've got to. Otherwise, I can't make up for the rest of my life...”

One of the best parts of this manga is the beautiful art style. Ozaki is immensely talented, and deftly demonstrates her 30 years of experience in the industry. Her art style pairs perfectly with the tragic, but ultimately hopeful tale she weaves in Dogs and Punchings Bags.

The character journey of both main characters takes center stage in this story. Ozaki invites us to reflect on the reasons of why and how we live our lives. This is complemented by distinct and memorable side characters with their own satisfying storylines.

While I enjoyed this manga overall I did find the pacing a tad fast. This story could have done with a few extra chapters, maybe an extra volume, to especially explore life after the conclusion to the story. I would have also liked to see a bit more than the glimpses we got into Nichiko's past. This manga went a long way with the philisophical points it tried to make, but fell short at various points to really drive home some of its messages. Giving the story some more space to breathe would probably remedy this.

“There are so many beautiful things in this world. The more I see, the more I want to drink them in, and the more I want to live.”

Overall there is a lot to enjoy in Dogs and Punching Bags. I would recommend this manga to people who enjoy reflections on life and love complemented by a beautiful art style. It is a quintessential Japanese tale in parts reminiscent of Your Name, Fruits Basket, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, and I Sold My Life for Then Thousand Yen per Year.

TW include, but are not limited to: suicidal ideation, child death, manslaughter, animal death

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for this ARC!

I really, really loved this one - a self contained one-shot volume about a woman who returns to her childhood home because her estranged father is dying.

Very much about finding the place you belong and recognising the worth of what’s in front of you. Being able to persevere through hard times and not bully yourself. Ozaki deals with heavy source material with deft. Some fantastic female characters here as well.

Very much showcases that manga can be a medium for mature and complicated narratives.

thank you to the publisher for an arc!

i need this animated STAT — the last fifty pages had my heart in my throat and tears pouring down my face. dogs and punching bags is a story of love and loss, family, and finding a place of belonging. the art was absolutely beautiful and my heart broke for our mmc chimaki and his depressing backstory, but i loved his tenacity for life and desire to help anyone/anything 💗

This story was such an oddball but in the best way. It's very hard to explain, but this story is about finding a place where you finally feel at home. Both of the main protagonists have traveled the world trying to find something, but only manage to find it when they return to the island where they grew up. The main characters are pretty realistic, and it makes you root for them. The path the plot takes is pretty windy, like a backwoods mountain road. There are moments when you wonder where it's going, but it always manages to hook you back in. But it's a very charming story about how we all have people who truly love us and there IS somewhere in the world that we belong in.. Sidebar, there is one [spice] scene in this story, but it's completely plot-relevant and makes complete sense to be in there. This story also has a crazy balance of tragic and comedic, morose and light-hearted. The art, of course, was gorgeous. I love this author's art style, which is part of the reason I jumped to read this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

There were definitely some weird parts, but I do appreciate how Ozaki broaches heavy subjects while maintaining a very personable kind of levity. I like that Atsumu wasn’t irrevocably awful, though I think he deserved worse than he got. And I didn’t really get the whole dog part of the story (like, why was that relevant?) but both of our main characters were endearing and deeper than I originally guessed (which is something I’ve definitely come to expect from Ozaki main characters)