Canis - Dear Mr. Rain

Satoru Kutsuna’s a young hatter who’s got nothing but love and passion for his craft. Unfortunately, he puts too much of it into his hats that he hardly has the patience to keep some members of his staff. Burdened by his business woes, Satoru walks out on a rainy evening and stumbles over a lifeless body.

Like a lost dog, Satoru picks up Ryou, a young man from New York with a mission. Ryou takes advantage of Satoru’s kindness before parting ways to face his death.

I can’t exactly place the story of Canis – Dear Mr. Rain to a convenient trope or category and to a degree that excites me… just a bit.

It has… complicated stuff

For one, because of Ryou’s complicated history in New York, a part of me expects this story to get some action — similar to Banana Fish where you’ve got a good overarching plot, manhandling, and kickass times. So when things finally kick up after Ryou leaves Satoru, I find myself flipping pages like a mad woman, wondering what the crap happened before I find myself back where this story started — Ryou in the streets and Satoru picking him up.

Canis - Dear Mr. Rain Canis - Dear Mr. Rain

To a degree, the story of Canis – Dear Mr. Rain, still has its botchy moments. If there’s one thing I find consistent with this story, it’s the fact that Satoru picks Ryou up. The very act also reinforces the ‘dog’ theme as though Satoru’s picking up a lost puppy. Ryou too acts in obeisance around Satoru and for a good while, the story begins to feel like the usual BL plot of obedient puppies. Zakk has also laid hints of attraction in various places and yet it feels like things around the characters are moving yet neither one of the protagonists are moving at all. I am still left hanging in the air and I can’t exactly say where this story will take me.

Perhaps I’m being too harsh because this is just the first volume. But maybe this is just me, riding on some expectation because as much as the story is still in its early brewing stage, Zakk’s art is quite polished. If she can draw something as good as then, then maybe she can tell me a cohesive story.

Honestly, where did this artist come from? Did she do dojinshi? Is she even Japanese? Is she a he? There’s something strange about Zakk but it’s a beautiful strangeness. I’ve been nothing but ironic and confused in this review, aren’t I? But stay with me for just a sec. and look at her work.

Canis - Dear Mr. Rain

It doesn’t look like manga at all, does it?

Well, I know for a fact that it’s manga but at the same time, I’m troubled by this nudging feeling that it isn’t. It’s black and white, it has the screen tones and the lanky bodies, but her characters are drawn with almost Disney-like eyes that it feels unlike a manga. It’s quite an interesting style. It doesn’t help that she does this with such finesse that it’s hard to truly pay attention to the story for the first time because you can’t help but admire the art.

Zakk has one of the clearest lines I’ve seen in manga lately. For this comic, I love how her thick lines jut out of the panels, making it appear as though her characters are three dimensional. It’s reminiscent of pop art which I find quite amusing.

For Zakk’s first volume, Canis – Dear Mr. Rain is a strong start. It has the artistic power to leave an impression and maybe, given time, her story will follow suit. I’m honestly quite impressed and I’ll definitely keep my eye on this mad hatter and his loyal dog.

Series Information

Canis – Dear Mr. Rain by ZAKK
Serialized in Opera
Published by Akane Shinsha
Purchase in: Amazon (It looks out of print but you can buy second hand copies!)