Manga Review: Yuzu the Pet Vet 1 by Mingo Ito
Yuzu Morino’s mother is very sick and will have to spend a lot of time in the hospital. Since her father passed away some years ago, her maternal uncle Akihito has agreed to take her into his home. Yuzu knew that he was a veterinarian, but didn’t realize that his practice, Blue Sky City Bow Meow Animal Hospital, is also where he lives. Nor was it mentioned that he expects her to help out around the place! Quite a fix for an eleven year old who’s afraid of animals.
It’s a difficult adjustment, especially as the animals at the clinic pick up Yuzu’s fear and act nervous around her in ways that amplify that fear. But soon Yuzu happens to witness a little boy whose large dog protects him from bullies. Which is cool. Until Yuzu learns that the now elderly dog is in fact on her last legs. Can she help the boy come to terms with his beloved pet’s impending death?
The title is misleading, as Yuzu does not in fact perform veterinary services, just age-appropriate chores related to her uncle’s practice. This series first appeared in the shoujo (girl’s) manga anthology Nakayoshi and is a loose tie-in to a video game about helping out in a veterinarian’s office. Yuzu proves to have a good instinct for when something’s wrong with an animal, and learns valuable lessons about life.
An aspiring pop star’s dancing dog teaches Yuzu that even when someone doesn’t look presentable, that doesn’t mean you can’t be proud of them. A girl struggling with her feelings towards a new cat after the old one died is about making new friends, and a dog with dementia is about learning to treasure memories.
This is very much a children’s series and should be suitable for second-grade readers on up, though the youngest will need some help with some of the end notes. The art is cute, with lots of sparkles, and the primary audience is meant to be girls.
Recommended for your kid who likes stories about animals.
