Guru Guru Pon Chan

Review Date: 2007 June 27 16:06

Reviewed by: Azure

Released by: Tanoshimi

Publishing Country: UK

Author: Satomi Ikezawa

Age Rating: 13+

Page Count: 192

ISBN-13: 9780099506539

ISBN-10: 99506539

Summary

Ponta the Labrador is the owner of the Guru Guru bone which allows her to transform into a human girl. As a human she has also fallen in love with her neighbour a human guy named Mirai, the trouble is the constant transformations might be taking their toll. Will their relationship survive?

Review

Guru Guru Pon Chan is a sugary sweet romantic comedy, and is a great title to pull out if you want to prove that manga can be about anything, after all the human boy in this comedy is dating his dog. It's probably best not to dwell on things too deeply and instead focus on the comedy, which in places seem reminiscent of classic British kid's TV show Woof! The relationship between Ponta and Mirai is basically a loving owner/pet bond exaggerated many times, Ponta's human transformation simply amplifies that. The story also tends to be very episodic which works well, since each episode tends to be focused on a major plot point or gag.

The characterisation in this manga is excellent particularly with the title character Ponta, she has an extremely childish and innocent personality, just like you'd expect from a dog. Her expressions are also really well drawn, and extremly charming. Mirai is also extremely playful and kind, the perfect dog owner. The character designs are also really cute, though a few of the girls tend to look a little alike. The layouts are typical shoujo style, and are well laid out and easy to read.

This volume contains several distinct stories, the first is a cute little story about Mirai transforming into a dog. The second delves into Ponta's past and explains a little about how her owners found her. The final chapter is far more serious and begins to raise questions about the side effects of Ponta's constant change between forms. It's actually surprisingly touching as you realise there may be a downside to all that fun.

Guru Guru Pon Chan is sweet romantic comedy, it's pretty hard to dislike anything about it. It's sugary sweet, but still manages to add some great humour and characters into the mix. Just don't over think things too much , it's really less about Ponta's transformation and more about the ups and downs of a relationship.

Rating: 7/10