The Fox & Little Tanuki, Volume 3 (2025)

A veces la historia me ha resultado confusa, por la viñeta en sí o por lo difícil que era distinguir a unos personajes de otros. Además, tiene un tono diferente a los dos tomos anteriores.

A bucólica saga da raposa castigada com o proteger o jovem guaxinim continua. Desta vez, o par vê-se envolvido num tortuoso enredo sobre o desaparecimento de jovens gatos. Uma aventura que mostra as rivalidades entre os diversos grupos de animais míticos, e as poucas almas sinceras que conseguem ultrapassar estereótipos milenares. Que é, precisamente, o que a Deusa da Montanha pretende, levando os personagens a perceber, pelas suas experiências e desventuras, que os seus papeis tradicionais evoluem. E nisso, não há melhor exemplo do que o da malévola raposa, que embora não o admita, está completamente rendida à inocência do pequeno tanuki que tem de proteger.

Se a história é um divertido mergulho no encanto dos mitos com animais japoneses, o que realmente nos encanta é a forma extraordinária com que Mi Tagawa a ilustra. A sua elegância delicada na forma como desenha os animais é admirável, deixa-nos a sorrir com a capacidade que tem de dar expressões às criaturas. Este terceiro volume mantém-se tão encantador quanto os anteriores.

Je suis toujours aussi conquise par ce manga absolument adorable. On a ici un tome plein d’actions qui permet d’explorer un peu plus la relation des personnages et l’évolution touchante de Senzo. Manpachi a conquis mon coeur encore une fois. Une parfaite lecture doudou.

Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.

There’s been a murder in the human world, and the animal who did it used an illegal substance that hid its scent. The wolves start their investigation, but making things more difficult is the wolf Chiaki and his partner Hagiri. Chiaki may have had some of the substance from a badger they apprehended in volume two, and Hagiri is a weird wolf who likes cats a bit too much. Mixed up into all of this is a little kitten Hagiri is trying to save from the wolves and the Bakeneko cat clan.

This volume takes a bit of a departure from the previous two because it mostly takes place in the human world, and it has a murder-mystery vibe, where the other ones had almost all animals as the characters and mythical places as the settings. I enjoyed seeing the animals in their human forms and seeing how their personalities translated into human traits. With the investigation, we also shift focus away from Manpachi and Senzou, but this gives the supporting characters a chance to shine. I appreciated the focus on Chiaki and Hagiri, as well as the other wolves, since we were introduced to a lot of characters over the last two volumes and hadn't really had a chance to learn all of their names and unique personalities.
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Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 4-8

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I just could stop myself but adore this manga series! In this third installation, the story picked up on the last few actions of the second one. Senzou and Manpanchi met a wolf who needed help in finding a kitten. However, this kitten was no ordinary one. Because of this, they had to deal with some issues in the human city. Also, they met a new clan who could either be an ally or an enemy.

I liked that this story revolved around love and friendship, and finding where you truly belong. I love the characters. They were funny that reading this even when there were some sad scenes made me laugh a few times. The artwork was cute and perfectly captured different facial expressions.

I hope to see an anime adaptation of this manga someday. I just know that it will be a fun and heartwarming one!

5/5 stars!

Recommended: always
If you've enjoyed the series so far, if you're looking for a lovely lighthearted story, if you're interested in Japanese bakemono-animals, if you like to have a little laugh :)

Thoughts:
This is a strong continuation of the series for sure. In the first installation, we met Manpachi and Senzou and saw their relationship develop. In the second, we learned more about some of the other bakemono they deal with, particularly the wolves. In this one, they're out of the forest and stuck dealing with some problems around humans. Every book has had a unique plot or element to it, and I hope to see that continue as the world grows more robust.

Being forced to deal with some issues in the human city, the bakemono get a lot of chances to really mess things up and have some ridiculous interactions as they try to conceal their true nature from the clueless humans. On top of that, we meet a new clan type of bakemono who are ready to be a thorn in everyone's side.

The story focuses on love and friendship of the wolf Hagiri and a special friend of his, while continuing to develop the relationship between Manpachi and Senzou as well. And my personal favorite Tachibana is of course still lolling around. 🥰 This volume wasn't quite as strong a collection as the previous two for me. I enjoyed it and have no problems with it, but the other two were that much funnier, or cleverer, or surprising. It's more that they were really good, and this one is good too. But in comparison, that's why this one is 3 stars as opposed to the higher ratings of the others.

If you haven't read the second book in a while, I recommend re-reading it or at least the last few chapters. This volume begins right where the action left off last time, and a few reminders of who everyone is and what trouble their facing will probably help give you a smooth return.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tokyopop for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Fox & Little Tanuki is the third volume of this lighthearted and appealing graphic series written by Mi Tagawa. Due out 23rd March 2021 from TokyoPop, it's 208 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

I really love anthropomorphic animals and this series is superb. The animals are well written, distinctly different in characterization and appearance and easy to keep straight in my head during the read. This is the third book in the series which has strong continuity overall; so it's best to read them in order. The narrative moves along at a good pace and it doesn't drag at all. It's action packed and engaging.

The pages are inked in black and white and the page layout is in the classic "manga style". The publisher and author have included a how-to-read-manga tutorial page in the back of the book for western audiences. The pages are arranged like western books, with the spine facing left and the first page facing the reader.

Four stars. This would make a good selection for public or classroom library acquisition, for manga fans, and lovers of anthropomorphic graphic novels.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I still just absolutely adore this Fox and the Hound coded manga. I will say, my ratings are slowly declining but hoping that this will continue to stay at at least a 4-star rating.

At the beginning, I was worried it was going to be a 3-star as I wasn't 100% sure what was going on. But I went back to volume 2 and read the last chapter and found my footing a lot easier from there. Sometimes it is a little difficult to make out who is who, but by around half way through I was a lot better at differentiating. The storyline at the beginning also just wasn't my favourite we've had throughout the story so far.

There were a few panels in this where I couldn't follow exactly what was happening, but that does tend to be more common in fight scenes anyway. And I think the distinguishing features of each of our characters just aren't as easy to make out when they are fighting.

But enough with the few issues I did have, this continued to be the most adorable story ever with the most silly and angry characters. I'm excited to focus more on Senzou in the next volume and less on the extended side characters, as this volume was mostly following them.

The art style of this is truly charming and just puts a smile on your face. The derpy wolf faces kill me every time and the way these characters go from being all angry and 'scary' to having no idea what is going on is so funny.

I love The Fox & Little Tanuki. It's so heartwarming and cute that I can't even. In this third part Senzou and Manpachi meet a wolf that needs their help in order to find a kitten. Not just any kitten though, but one with powers and that was created for the wolf. Hagiri is a weak and gentle wolf raised by cats. He doesn't really fit into the pack and now the wolves are on the run and after him. I really liked this side story in a sense. We get to know the wolves better and Senzou makes new friends although he obviously doesn't want to and at the same time he bonds with Manpachi even more. I love the characters and their personas, how easily Tagawa moves this and makes us fall in love all over again. Perhaps it's hard to see the big picture, but I want to keep reading this forever!

The art is cute and beautiful. The animals have facial expressions, but they still look realistic and like animals. Their human forms are so like their animals forms, which is amazing. The movements and everything look so fine and the story evolves in such a great way that wow. This series is amazing!

Au début, pas évident de me remettre dans l'histoire après plusieurs mois. Mais je vous rassure, ça revient vite. C'est tellement mignon et touchant qu'on est vite absorbé par l'intrigue. D'ailleurs, dans le tome 3, l'intrigue est double mais tout fini par se lier.

C'est vraiment une série avec plusieurs niveaux de lecture. De nombreux thèmes sont abordés. Il y a ce côté tout mimi plein de tendresse, il y a le côté légendes et croyances japonaises mais aussi la quête initiatique, la lutte contre les démons du passé et une certaine critique de la société avec la hiérarchie, les catégories sociales, etc. C'est bien plus profond qu'il n'y parait.

Pour ne rien gâcher, le scénario est fluide. Les illustrations sont jolies. Les visages et surtout les yeux sont très expressifs. Il y a beaucoup de détails. On a une réelle impression de mouvement. Et petit bonus, en plus du bonus en fin d'ouvrage, il y a sous la jaquette, des planches ou autres informations sur l'histoire.

Une série coup de cœur à ne pas manquer !

O terceiro livro da série, continua a ser uma absoluta fofura sem perder na acção. Supreende-me como Mi Tagawa consegue ilustrar tão bem as personagens que conseguimos segui-las bastante bem mesmo em momentos mais caóticos - incluindo a distinção entre lobos, cujo numero crescente de elementos relevantes torna isto mais complexo.
Vi uns erros na tradução mas de resto penso que está bem conseguida.
Quanto ao enredo deste volume, continua diretamente do cliffhanger do anterior e segue a matilha de lobos, incluindo mais como esta funciona e alguns dos elementos se relacionam, com o Senzou e Manpachi a servirem mais como ajudantes à situação. Ao contrário dos outros dois volumes, apesar de acabar numa nova linha de enredo, o fim não é no meio da ação - o que é óptimo porque a tradução do proximo ainda demora!
All in all continua forte.

Senzou and Manpachi run into a wolf who is getting harassed by a group of other wolves because he is concerned about a kitten. They decide to help the wolf find and protect the kitten, but this is one tough gang of wolves.

I don't know if it is translation issues, the art style, or just because there is no recap at the beginning of these volumes but I had a hard time following what was going on and who was who until I got about halfway through the book. Once I finally caught on to the plot, it was a cute rescue mission, but it felt like work to get there.

Notes on content: I don't remember if there was any swearing or not. (Sorry! Hazards of busy weeks and not getting around to reviews until days later.) No sexual content. There were some animal fights, but no serious injuries that I remember.

Senzo et Manpachi ont bien accompli leur dernière mission en retrouvant les chats égarés, mais ils sont confrontés à de nouveaux ennuis avec Hagiri qui s'est livré les foudres de son chef de meute. Hagiri est à la recherche d'un chaton qui a captivé son cœur et il tombe sur Senzo et Manpachi, mais il n'est pas certain qu'ils l'aideront. De plus, ils doivent résoudre le mystère de la disparition d'un coéquipier d'Hagiri et de son utilisation de la substance interdite dendropanax. Je trouve ce tome mignon, avec des personnages loups sous forme humaine très séduisants, et l'histoire amusante. Cependant, l'histoire principale est un peu mise de côté et j'ai hâte de découvrir plus l'histoire personnelle de Senzo et les événements qui ont conduit à son exil. En gros, c'est un tome mignon.
Chronique complète :
https://lesparaversdemillina.com/le-r...

you know things are really CUTE when even Mikumo starts acting like a fool, LOL. AHHHH, except, am I cooing or screaming? Because things get really serious in this volume. Senzou and Manpachi are on the run and uh, can I just say HOW?! How are they all just running around town like it's nothing? Is there no code where they shouldn't be showing there're tons of wolves around to humans? i'm surprised nobody called animal control, LOL

even though the cast of the story has expanded (drastically), i've noticed there's only one human who has made a second appearance. i wonder if this is just a coincidence/ convenient for laughs since said human is apparently SUPER into furballs, or if there's something more going on here. also TACHIBANAAAAAAAA!!!! MIKUMOOOOOO!!! MY POOR BL CHILDREN!!

Bc i've BLed them

C’est le foutoir complet, mais tout s’imbrique merveilleusement bien… tellement bien que ça frôle presque le génie.
J’ai adoré les nouveaux personnages.
Les dessins sont encore plus beaux que dans le précédent. J’ai pris un plaisir fou à m’y attarder, même si je n’ai pas réussi à les détailler autant que je le souhaitais parce que j’étais trop impatiente de voir comment les choses allaient tourner.
Bref, c’était une lecture passionnante. C’est à nouveau un coup de cœur pour ce troisième tome.
https://psylook.kimengumi.fr/2023/02/...

Continuing with the story of our favorite little black fox and his friends, a new adventure awaits. In the third book of the seriesm it follows Senzou and his friends as they must rescue a cat and navigate the politics of the wolves. It’s a fun read and I always love reading more about these characters journeys. The artwork is great too!

*Thanks Netgalley and TOKYOPOP for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How can I not like this story and these characters? I just loved it but I have to read the first two volumes because I thought that this one was the first vol. Anyway, it was easy to understand what it was all about with the grumpy Senzou and the cute Manpachi.
I really hope that they will make the anime based on this manga because it's the kind of good adventures that I would love to watch.

The story is really leaning into the wolves shapeshifting into humans all the time. While I liked the story about the kind-hearted wolf who took care of kittens, there were too many doggone characters. I kept losing track of who was who. We get a bit more of Senzou’s backstory. Mr. Fox ain’t been hardcore all his life. He’s also getting along much better with the tanuki.

This series is still fairly cute.

I’m so scared. I feel like this one is gonna be my favorite and I’m only half way through the series. The story was perfect for me. More “page time” was given to minor characters which really fleshed out the story. I really enjoy how the direction wasn’t as clear in this one. For the first half, I wasn’t sure how the story would go. The characters were also so fun and more diverse this time. We got more backstory from everyone, which I really enjoyed.

This is such a cute story. I really love that new animals are introduced in every volume and that more of the mythology behind the story is revealed. This was exciting and moved along at a nice pace, some of the plot with the main characters was not as prevalent which disappointed me slightly, but some of the developments with the others characters was enjoyable; namely the cats and the wolves.

Cette série est toujours aussi mignonne et ce tome était particulièrement bien. On en apprend plus sur le passé de Senzo et je suis convaincue que l'histoire va continuer à prendre en maturité avec le temps. Les thèmes abordés tournent souvent autour de l'exclusion et je trouve ça assez inédit dans les mangas.

I just love this series so much. It is a lovely story about family told in a funny and entertaining way. This volume is a great continuation of the story with a lot of character growth as well and I can’t wait to see what this group of characters does next!

I love the character designs, but with a lot of time between reading volumes it was hard to remember who all the wolves were and what their human forms looked like.

I enjoyed the growing friendships and loyalties in this volume.

En toute confiance

Je me lance dans l’aventure et je signe. Je suis sensible à la patte graphique et aux mystères que nous réservés les aventures de Senzo le noir et du petit Manpachi !

Un tome très centré sur une meute en particulier, ses oppositions, ses choix. Ça se lit tout seul.

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Preciousness

4,8/5

Manpachi! You are so wiseee! Hagiri and Milk, please, be happy you two!!!❣️❣️❣️

Senzou looks cool in here!

Une suite mignonne et pleine d’action.