Thirty-four year old Nichiko is cast adrift when she finds out that her boyfriend is a married man with a child.

She returns to her island home where her estranged father is dying from alcoholism. After his death she remains on the island and becomes involved in the lives of the islanders especially a young man in his early twenties who is attracted to her, but just when she thinks this might be a step into the future her ex boyfriend turns up.

This is about trying to find a new life, not by ignoring the past but by reconciling it and how that process of reconciliation can bring life to others. It is drawn well and is a gentle engrossing story.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really didn't know what to expect but ended up enjoying this despite it making me want to cry at times. It was very moving and I loved getting to know Nichiko and Chimaki and following along in the relationship they formed. It was just a beautiful story.

There are elements in Kaori Ozaki's "Dogs and Punching Bags" that reminds me of "Kimi wa Petto" which is one of my favorite manga series ever. There is a sweetness to the story as well as an honest melancholy. At 34, Nichiko is returning to her home island to care for her father who drove her mother, brother and herself away from the island due to his alcoholism. Chimaki is a young man who lives on the island who has a tragic past that drives him to help people.

There could have been more drama in this standalone. Nichiko's father dies in the first chapter and we never meet or find out what happened to her mother or brother. We do meet her married lover who wants her to come back to Tokyo.

That said, the incident in Chimaki's past is truly tragic. It too could have been more dramatic, but I'm relieved that it doesn't go overboard with guilt and angst. and I really liked the twist of who 'saves' him. That was a nice touch.

I also liked that Nichiko's married lover has a bit of an arc too. He's not a bad guy but he's not good either. Mostly he doesn't say what is bothering him. He's an avoider. Once he is at his limit, he leaves, but he's lucky that his wife isn't dumb nor is she a melodramatic hothead. She waits him out until he returns and they have their moment. It offers a bit of levity which is surprising.

I loved the story and the art. I'm definitely buying a copy because I like hard copies of manga best. The only thing that keeps me from giving it a 5 star is that I wanted Nichiko to have a real dog at some point. That's the only miss for me; otherwise, A+ read.

This one I have mixed feelings about. Aside from the fact that I didn't really like the age gap, the overall plot is okay. It was a quick and short read.
The main theme being to find yourself and maybe find love along the way.

I found the ML's story tragic, and the FL's back story too is interesting although I can't say I like her character too much. The plot goes somthing like this: FL broke up with her ex since she found out he was married, comes back to her hometown to see off her ailing dad. Meets ML who always goes out of his way to help others to repent for his sin.

She decides to be carefree and do whatever she likes like cut her hair and learn boxing, but when her ex is back to look for her, she runs off to meet him, even on the verge of accepting his proposal until the ML comes to her rescue thankngod. I forgot who the adult was here.

Anyways the only love story I liked was off the side girl. And the title is because she thinks the ML resembles her dog.

You can give this a read of you are bored and want a quick read.

The book was too lengthy and didn't interest me much. Personal opinion, I do not like stories that are cumbersome in graphic novels and the art is less and text is more.

The fact that there is no colour seemed to make me even more reluctant to read the novel.

Kaori Ozaki brings us another heartbreakingly human story about love and grief. This has become my favorite title by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for this advanced reader e-copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics, for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
An incredible and sad story. Well narrated, with a simply expressive drawing.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics, for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How can you make sad stories so enjoyable to read? Nichiko 34 years old woman comes from a broken family and just discovered her boyfriend to be a great liar. Chimaki a 24 years old man lived a tragedy and now does anything to help people around him. The story begins when Nichiko goes back to her hometown in an island to care for her dying father and she meets Chimaki and things start to get funny but heartbreaking.

I just love anything Kaori Ozaki made and her stories are always so beautiful and moving. I liked reading this manga so much.

Kaori Ozaki continues to pioneer new ways of breaking my heart and simultaneously SEEING the folly and beauty of humans, all while maintaining an edge of humor that helps it all go down.

In many ways, this does feel like a mature followup to her previous work "the gods lie" as we once again find ourselves following broken families in their healing journeys, only the main cast is adults and not children.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this manga to read for an honest review

Reading this was a fun read and I did get emotionally invested in the story and characters, this is a story about the characters finding themselves through hard times and also self-doubt.

I will definitely look for more books by this author to read

This manga follows a story of Nichiko a 34 year old woman who returns to her island home to take care of her dying father. As she cares for him she meets the local townspeople one of which is Chimaki a 24 year old store clerk. despite the age difference to make falls for Nichiko and she enters his store. As the story goes on, we begin to realize that Chimaki has a compulsive need to help people while we learn that Nichiko is escaping something from her past. On the surface, this manga looks like your typical romance, but as you delve deeper you realize that each character is dealing with something that they’re trying to escape. Whether it be insecurities, trauma or strained relationships, each character is fully flushed out in a way that’s different from the next. This manga also addressed the complexity of what it means to be in love with someone. It centers around the idea of empathy, the healing components in relationships and self forgiveness.. I loved this manga and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for the ARC.

This is a touching story about two people finding each other while dealing with their own pasts. This manga touches on some pretty serious topics - death, depression, guilt, loneliness, etc. It does get a bit dark at times, but it is overall more hopeful than anything else. I really enjoyed the two leads, their stories, and the relationship they develop.

I have read a few of Kaori Ozaki's works. So far, I really love Gods Lie the most, Mermaid Prince was okay and this new manga fell in between this two. The simple story about moving on from the past and trying to find happiness in what we have now is such a heartfelt message. Our main character dealing with her affairs with a married man goes back to her hometown in an island to care for her dying father met a younger man that worked in a convenience store with a dark past. The tone of the story is more lighthearted with a slight darker undertone but not as dark as Gods Lie. I like the budding relationship between the couple as they learned to let go of the past and overcame their fears. There aren't much of character development but i like the simplicity of these people living their life. Its a sweet simple story

This is a tale of two broken adults who are now living in their rural hometown after being away for a long time. Despite being two very different people, Nichiko and Chimaki begin to get closer as they figure out how to move on from past incidents, or their sins, and what to do with their lives. I really enjoyed reading this, since their struggles of not knowing what to do in their lives and trying to find something is very relatable.

I think I just like this author's work, cause again super slice of life yet I couldn't stop reading.

Basically a 34 year old women is trying to figure out life. Goes back to a small town with her ill father, and as he passes away she tries to find the meaning in life. Sadly she's mixed up, messing with a married man, but meets a new guy on the island who has a set of troubles himself. The past is never nice to people, and this story is about forgiveness and letting go while finding meaning in life. Overall a great look into the life of normal people trying to get by in life. A 4 out of 5.

This was super sweet. A slice of life story between two adults lost in their pasts and trying to move on. It was so sweet to see them work through the things that was holding them back from enjoying life, and somehow finding solace with each other

Personally, the MMC is not one that I'm fond of-happy go lucky personality type but I still enjoyed the story nonetheless.

I loved the art style and will definitely be checking out the artists other work!!

A solid complete-in-one volume of an adult drama that takes place in a small island town in Japan. Dogs and Punching Bags deals with themes of being an outsider and coming to terms with your past. It was sweet to see the relationship between the two super different main characters Nichiko and Chimaki develop over time. Good for those looking for a dramatic story with adult characters.

I really enjoyed this! I thought the story was well thoughtout and realistic. The characters were relatable, flaws and all. There was a bit of an age gap between the two main characters, but it wasn't as much of an issue for me as they were both of age. I thought the romance between the two was really cute, and would definitely read more! The art had a very adorable quality to it, too!

Thank you so much for letting me read this manga. I liked this story very much. The characters stay with you long after finishing the story.

This was a great read. I loved the interaction between the leads and how their relationship grew over time. There were some weird moments, but they didn't ruin the overall reading experience. I loved the art and how the story progressed from start to finish. The book felt like a good feel good animated movie.

Overall, highly recommended by me. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy.