By Matsuri Akino (Tokyopop)
ISBN: 978-1-4278-0607-9
Spinning off from the original series featuring the enigmatic Count D, which was set in the Chinatown of Los Angeles, this intriguing sequel finds the emporium of unique beasts firmly established in the futuristic Tokyo skyscraper mall called Neo Chinatown in that city’s red light district. Into this enclave of desperate commerciality drifts a troubled mother seeking a dog to protect her young son Shingo.
What the exotic, ambiguous, androgynous Count sells her appears to be another child, but whilst her minds spins, trying to remember just how she became a human trafficker, the eerie child reveals itself to be very far from human but a faithful guardian for all that…
As with the original 10 volume saga, this horror fable is a cautionary tale about making decisions and keeping promises, with dire results for transgressors. The Pet Shop’s most exotic creatures are far from dumb beasts and they always act as supernatural catalysts for people at a turning point in their lives. As the Count carries out his mysterious business amongst a wide and wary clientele we can see an inkling of some greater plan afoot…
Also included in this volume is ‘Door’; a beguiling tale of the Pet Shop in years past when it was situated in Nazi Berlin…
In many ways the tale has much of the flavour of Charles G. Finney’s 1935 brilliantly satirical cult novel The Circus of Dr. Lao (a fantastic, weird morality play/social commentary crying out for broader popular attention – preferably in an edition with the baroque illustrations by Boris Artzybasheff which were inexplicably omitted from many later versions). The fantastic elements of the offered “pets” are a double-edged sword that will alter lives not because the purchasers want it but because change is necessary – and inevitable.
The fabulous creatures stocked by Count D are tailored to reveal the buried secrets and desires of their future owners, and the tone of inevitable destiny does much to flavour this dark, pretty portmanteau yarn. Fans of classic mystery and suspense, as well as manga-lovers will experience a true treat with this compelling series.
This black and white book is printed in the Japanese right-to-left format.
© 2005 Matsuri Akino. All Rights Reserved. English text © 2008 TOKYOPOP Inc.