Komatsu-kun Biyori

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This is what's slice of life is all about, I know it seems boring but what would you expect? It's a slice of life manga, of course there's little to no story but here at least it has a little bit of story, actually it has a story, it's just that, it's her (the mangaka) and komatsu's everyday life story.

Surpingly, this is actually a good learning material, I learned a lot about ferrets, the do's and don'ts, how to keep one, I never knew some details that we're tackled here even though I considered myself a animal geek (yeah I love to research random animals, ... I currently taking care of some scorpions, tarantula and freshwater fish).

If you're a pet lover like me, I'm definitely sure you'll love this.

Komatsu-kun Biyori is a manga for those who are similar to the mangaka; the experience of owning and raising an pet and remniscing on past ones. A heartfelt autobiography that I think any pert owner can enjoy regardless of what animal they took care of. There were a few moments where I even cried a bit with how familiar my experience was with the mangaka's.

The artstyle is adorable, especially little Komatsu! The way he's drawn is just so cute, and he moves and poses a lot like an actual ferret would. Not much attention is given to the humans but they also look fine being ... in a chibi-ish artstyle.

This manga also has a lot of information about ferrets and how to care for them. Things like nutrition, common problems, and even some basic biology with how they grow and mature.

Overall I'd suggest giving it a try if you're at all interested in any of the above points, it's fairly short and bittersweet and one of my new favorites <3

"This is the story of Komatsu-kun and me. Everybody, please take care of us!"

Komatsu-kun Biyori is... fine. Just fine. There's nothing wrong with it, really, but there's not much to get excited about either.

As a nonfiction yonkoma, there's not much of a plot. It's just random facts about ferrets and vignettes from Tsubaki's life with Komatsu-kun (her ferret). It does have its emotional highs and lows, since the real Komatsu-kun passed away during serialization, so some chapters do pack a punch. But for better or worse, most chapters are just fluff.

I'm not a huge fan of the art style either. It's pretty simple and unpolished, ... despite Tsubaki having a number of series under her belt; that's just her style. The animals are drawn to be cute and distinct enough that that's probably the series' visual charm point, but Tsubaki draws herself to look like a child or young teenager, which can make it easy to miss the fact that she's a grown adult.

Komatsu-kun Biyori is the kind of volume that's good for young readers, maybe tween or young teens who prefer light and fluffy subject matter. Nothing wrong with that. But ultimately, if you're looking for anything substantial or engaging, it might be better to keep looking.