#oyamada

I feel bad for Oyamada. He got divorced after he got retired and he’s left to care for himself and his dog Ribbon now. He relied on his wife constantly for housework and other household duties that when she left him, he had a hard time taking care of himself. Is it common to get a divorce after retirement? Also, his memory isn’t the greatest now that he’s getting older. He had forgotten Ribbon’s age and always believed her to be 10 years old, but then he remembered that her tenth birthday was celebrated two years ago. It sucks that his memories aren’t stable and that Ribbon’s condition is starting to worsen as she cannot heed commands as well as she did before and her joints have become all achey.

This is the first time Niwa cannot solve a canine-related problem. While he does worry about Oyamada and Ribbon, there’s ultimately nothing he can do but give guidance. I actually like this. Niwa may be knowledgeable about dogs, but aging is something he cannot fix. Ourson is eight years old and he’s doing his best every day to make Ourson’s life meaningful with the remaining life he has left. I do like that the one who “fixes” the problem is actually Dr. Kubo. While he hasn’t cured Ribbon or made her heart condition go away, he does all he can do help Oyamada prolong her life so that she can live her remaining life to her fullest.

It was nice seeing the transition from Oyamada being clumsy and ignorant of Ribbon’s condition to now being very attentive towards her and even apologizing to his ex-wife for all he had done in the past. You just can’t help but want to pray for Ribbon to live a longer life.

Basic Premise: As a beast which lives off of eating anything and everything, Yattara finds its favorite prey of children and prepares to eat them. However, the children are living in a dingy apartment alone, without any parents in sight, and Yattara gets the idea to raise them by itself to test if children who are raised by hand to become happy will have a better taste when eaten in the end.

My Review: It's a classic tale of "inhuman monster bonds with humans". The main point that makes this manga interesting is that the story doesn't shy away from the harsher realities of living with a monster who only knows how to eat - it's inexperienced with how to care for children, messes up in gaining its trust, and contemplates eating them when they don't give an appropriate response that it expects. However, there are hints that Yattara cares for the children beyond its livestock-rearing capabilities, as it risks itself for their children's safety and takes actions that can be seen as non-beneficial.

Another interesting point is the relationship between the three siblings that are Yattara's main prey. The older sister is trusting of Yattara, the youngest child considers Yattara a kind of pet, and the middle boy is the main one who remains suspicious, arguing with his older sister about its true motives. While the older sister does also agree that the situation is suspicious, she frames their situation clearly: they don't have any other option, without parents, if they want to live well and raise their youngest sibling happy.

The main plot has just started to seemingly kick in, with other kinds of monsters becoming plot-relevant and a mysterious disease sweeping the world, and I'm excited to see where it goes from here.