while the story has its good moments - beautiful art, people going through life, learning, growing, maturing - the weird ones made it harder for me to like the book. there was so much promise and strength in the opening lines that dwindled into nothing. the manga's portrayal of womanhood and depression is severely lacking - not to mention, dangerous.

the manga revolves around men. this becomes an even bigger problem when the message of the story borders on “men will save you from depression”. there is nothing wrong with love saving someone’s life, but to do so without any study of the suicidal character’s inner thoughts is extremely dangerous. the story would have worked better if her struggle with mental health was shown during her relationship with the man too, otherwise, it is like saying he came into her life and everything was fixed. did a man loving her really erase all her self-hatred and anger towards capitalism? how did moving affect this? where is her depression after she moves? suicide is not a solo factor, depression has a wide range of symptoms, where are they? if suicide is presented alone, then it is there for its own sake, a romantic concept and not an illness.

we see Chimaki struggle with his trauma, try to live, doubt himself. he and her ex have actions/stories outside of Nichiko but she does not get the same treatment.

her interactions with all the other female characters are about men. she never gets a moment to herself and is always thinking either about Chimaki or her ex. she interacts with Himari as a stand-by to Chimaki. while Momo appropriately moves on from her crush, her growth feels incomplete without a moment with Nichiko outside of rivalry, especially since Chimaki tries to bond with her outside of boy advice.

the story suffers from telling and not enough showing. we are told Nichiko is trying hard to live her life but are never shown her doing ordinary things - chores, grappling with doubts about leaving her job, how it feels to move back to your hometown.

the blurb is fitting though, it is simply a story about a woman meeting a man. the suicidal ideation and life struggles were props, 100% in case of Nichiko, varied in case of Chimaki.

i still appreciate the story. it is obvious that a lot of thought went into it, but the majority of it missed the mark for me.

As Dogs and Punching Bags begins, 34-year-old Nichiko returns to the tiny island where she grew up. Her estranged alcoholic father doesn’t have long left to live and, for reasons that become clear later, she wants to be there. But there’s more to her escape from Tokyo than family commitments—things she would prefer not to talk about with her gregarious neighbors.

One of those neighbors is Chimaki, a cheerful young man in his twenties. He’s friendly, eager to help, and almost puppy-like in his devotion. In fact, he reminds Nichiko of her childhood dog, Hachimaki—right down to a similar mark on their faces. Whether Chimaki really is Hachmaki reincarnated notwithstanding, the two find companionship as they attempt to put their respective pasts behind them.



The Secrets

Under the main romance of Dogs and Punching Bags is a pair of unfortunate secrets weighing down our two leads. As Nichiko’s birthday approaches, she continues to get letters from someone in her life whom she left behind. She’s still on the fence about whether to let this person back in, but news travels fast in a small town. So even though she’s playing things close to the chest, news of her activities back in Tokyo do come back to haunt her.

And speaking of being haunted, Chimaki has ghosts of his own. An innocent mistake from his childhood has cast a pall over his family and left many in town questioning whether he’s a safe person. That one childish mistake explains much of his kindness, as he attempts to pay off his “debt.”



Why It Works

On its surface, Dogs and Punching Bags is a simple love story. But Nichiko and Chimaki’s many problems—both childhood and more current—color how they interact with each other. Only when they’ve both come to terms with what haunts them can they be honest about their feelings for each other. Woven through their story is a secondary teen romance, much simpler and more innocent by comparison.

It’s a story that wraps up nicely in eleven chapters. The characters on this little island are alive with hopes, dreams, and fears. Even the most background of characters are unique and recognizable. Combined with lovely artwork and passionate storytelling, this is a love story you’ll want for keeps on your manga shelf.

I really enjoyed this. It's a sweet manga about self-discovery and self-sacrifice, and how to view the life that's right in front of you instead of trying to search elsewhere for it. I found the pacing to be a little fast, and maybe it's because I enjoyed the characters so much, but I would've loved to see their relationship develop more; but this is a problem I have with a lot of romance, so maybe it's just me. In any case, I recommend for anyone looking for a simple slice-of-life manga about falling in love in a quiet way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-arc!

Dogs and Punching Bags is Kaori Ozaki's newest English release, and it did not disappoint. This story follows Nichiko as she returns to her hometown for her father's last days. While there, she meets Chimaki, a young eccentric with a puppy-like enthusiasm for life. This stirs up memories and feelings in Nichiko that she had long forgotten. Kaori Ozaki has slowly become an auto-read author for me. Each story they write seems to hit home with the discussions of emotion, love, and sadness. This story did have some moments that made me annoyed but the overall message was done well. I would recommend checking this out if you have read from this author previously.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a proof in exchange for an honest review.
Dogs and Punching Bags was a unique and thought-provoking read. It’s rare to come across a manga featuring a woman in her 30s as the protagonist, and I found that aspect particularly refreshing. I really hope publishers will bring more stories that showcase women at various stages of life.
This manga was delicate, sad, and, at its core, hopeful. It tackled complex subjects like death, trauma, and the desire to live (or the lack of it). The story had a raw emotional depth that lingered long after I finished reading.
That said, I feel this story would have been even more impactful as a multi-volume series. There were so many concepts and themes I wished the mangaka could have explored in greater depth, and at times, the single-volume format felt a bit restrictive for the complexity of the narrative.
Overall, Dogs and Punching Bags is a meaningful manga that stands out for its maturity and emotional impact. While I wanted more time with the story and its characters, it’s still a powerful one-volume read.

I am not exaggerating when I say this is the best manga I've read in a while. I came into this not expecting anything. With a title like, "Dogs and Punching Bags", I mean ... you don't get much from that. It could go either way honestly. But, oh my gosh this book is so beautiful. I'm saying this after crying for like five minutes straight. I did the type of crying that makes you feel like you got the flu or something.

Where do I even start? This book is about love. All types of love. It's about loneliness, regrets, and forgiveness. You just got to read it. Please experience this book for yourself.

Chimaki's life really touched me. His story is so sad but he's such a funny, innocent, sweet, and beautiful character. See ... now I am crying again! There are some parts that sort of touch on the unseen/spiritual side that just grabbed my heart and squeezed the life out of it (in a good way).

The final chapter is so freaking good. With manga you already have an image put before you but somehow Kaori Ozaki managed to make her writing stand out a bit more during an intimate scene between Chimaki & Nichiko. Like, I obviously need to check out her previous works because if her other books are anything like this! Whew. Okay, I'm done. This review is long enough. "Dogs and Punching Bags" gets all the stars.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

The illustrations are stunning. I could really feel the emotions coming alive on the pages. Both main characters have compelling stories. Even though they are very different I could relate with both of them and felt for their struggles.

This was one of those stories that you know you are going to like/love from the very first pages.

Nichiko is a thirty something who is soul searching back at her small island hometown.
The island has a few interesting locals and soon after Nichiko’s arrival, everyone’s lives changes. Especially, Nichiko’s and her love interest’s.
There were some bizarre and maybe unnecessary moments, body shaming but also a comment condemning it. The male gaze and other patriarchal weirdness do not take away from the story, no matter what. The back stories of the two main characters were authentic and relatable. Overall, a life-affirming and cute story and flows really well.

Dogs and Punching Bags follows Nichiko's return to the island she grew up on. Here she meets the younger Chimaki, whose kindness allows Nichiko to glimpse a more hopeful future.

“Why are you so passionate about helping people? I've got to. Otherwise, I can't make up for the rest of my life...”

One of the best parts of this manga is the beautiful art style. Ozaki is immensely talented, and deftly demonstrates her 30 years of experience in the industry. Her art style pairs perfectly with the tragic, but ultimately hopeful tale she weaves in Dogs and Punchings Bags.

The character journey of both main characters takes center stage in this story. Ozaki invites us to reflect on the reasons of why and how we live our lives. This is complemented by distinct and memorable side characters with their own satisfying storylines.

While I enjoyed this manga overall I did find the pacing a tad fast. This story could have done with a few extra chapters, maybe an extra volume, to especially explore life after the conclusion to the story. I would have also liked to see a bit more than the glimpses we got into Nichiko's past. This manga went a long way with the philisophical points it tried to make, but fell short at various points to really drive home some of its messages. Giving the story some more space to breathe would probably remedy this.

“There are so many beautiful things in this world. The more I see, the more I want to drink them in, and the more I want to live.”

Overall there is a lot to enjoy in Dogs and Punching Bags. I would recommend this manga to people who enjoy reflections on life and love complemented by a beautiful art style. It is a quintessential Japanese tale in parts reminiscent of Your Name, Fruits Basket, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, and I Sold My Life for Then Thousand Yen per Year.

TW include, but are not limited to: suicidal ideation, child death, manslaughter, animal death

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for this ARC!

I really, really loved this one - a self contained one-shot volume about a woman who returns to her childhood home because her estranged father is dying.

Very much about finding the place you belong and recognising the worth of what’s in front of you. Being able to persevere through hard times and not bully yourself. Ozaki deals with heavy source material with deft. Some fantastic female characters here as well.

Very much showcases that manga can be a medium for mature and complicated narratives.

thank you to the publisher for an arc!

i need this animated STAT — the last fifty pages had my heart in my throat and tears pouring down my face. dogs and punching bags is a story of love and loss, family, and finding a place of belonging. the art was absolutely beautiful and my heart broke for our mmc chimaki and his depressing backstory, but i loved his tenacity for life and desire to help anyone/anything 💗

This story was such an oddball but in the best way. It's very hard to explain, but this story is about finding a place where you finally feel at home. Both of the main protagonists have traveled the world trying to find something, but only manage to find it when they return to the island where they grew up. The main characters are pretty realistic, and it makes you root for them. The path the plot takes is pretty windy, like a backwoods mountain road. There are moments when you wonder where it's going, but it always manages to hook you back in. But it's a very charming story about how we all have people who truly love us and there IS somewhere in the world that we belong in.. Sidebar, there is one [spice] scene in this story, but it's completely plot-relevant and makes complete sense to be in there. This story also has a crazy balance of tragic and comedic, morose and light-hearted. The art, of course, was gorgeous. I love this author's art style, which is part of the reason I jumped to read this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

There were definitely some weird parts, but I do appreciate how Ozaki broaches heavy subjects while maintaining a very personable kind of levity. I like that Atsumu wasn’t irrevocably awful, though I think he deserved worse than he got. And I didn’t really get the whole dog part of the story (like, why was that relevant?) but both of our main characters were endearing and deeper than I originally guessed (which is something I’ve definitely come to expect from Ozaki main characters)