Fiance and two critters

A fox cub and a raccoon dog pup who speak the human language take a train from Mt. Takao to visit TANAKA, an ordinary office worker. They surprise TANAKA by claiming he is their fiancé. TANAKA gradually opens his heart to them, as he prepares a bed for them when they visit, eats with them, and watches them dancing and wrestling. In Mt. Takao, other animals than the fox cub and the raccoon dog pup, such as crows and flying squirrels, live in areas near facilities such as a school and a prison. However, the two know nothing about cooking and money, and innocently question things that are taken for granted in human lives. With its roundish drawings, this modern fantasy-like work vividly depicts the lively interactions among the precocious fox cub, the easygoing raccoon dog pup, and the human.

The New Face Award is usually given to inexperienced young artists in an expectation of their potential. However, this is not the case with manga. TOKIWA Seiichi is a new manga artist who has almost perfected his own unique manga style after spending a long time in trial and error. His drawings are simple but not old-fashioned, and the stories are heartwarming. The characters and backgrounds are drawn with clean lines while carefully paying attention to detail, providing a sense of peace to the readers. There seems to be manga like this but there isn’t. I look forward to his future potential and future works. (KURATA Yoshimi)