Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: August 2011

Price: $10.99

Creator: Masashi Tanaka

Format: 144 pgs.; B&W; Paperback

ISBN: 978-1-9354-2939-5

Age Rating: 10+

ICv2 Rating: 4 Stars out of 5

 

Other than the chapter headings, there are no words in this manga, the story of an anachronistic dinosaur in a world of mammals, a world which mysteriously shifts between Africa and Alaska from story to story.

 

Gon is a super-strong, indestructible little carnivore who begins the first story at the age of one year.  He outfights bobcats, bears and lions, floods an entire valley, greedily devours the good parts of fish while stealing them from other animals… and yet he comes across as being oddly sweet in some ways.  When he has enough, he shares, and he fights on behalf of those he befriends.

 

The artwork is the selling point for the book, brilliantly realistic, and yet made surreal by the addition of a dinosaur into an otherwise straightforward natural setting.

 

This is the third American edition of this series, and the second in this exact format, but the paper quality seems to be better than that used in the CMX edition.  Unfortunately, the price is much higher as well, making it high for the short length of the book.

 

There is a lot of animal violence in the book, ranging from cartoony to realistic.  Anyone old enough to appreciate the artwork may find it enjoyable.

 

--Nick Smith: Librarian Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.