Toto! Volume 1

Rating T+ Genre manga Author Yuko Osada Publisher Del Rey

The infamous little farm girl from Kansas and her trusty furry companion sure are popular. People can’t seem to get enough of her story, and as I write this review I can recall a LOT of Wizard of Oz-based entertainment. First and foremost are the Oz books themselves and the original movie. Put those aside and we also have The Wiz, both in movie and musical form. Then there’s the incredibly odd Return to Oz from 1985 and of course most recently, the Wicked craze that started as a book and then took musical theater by storm as a fantastic yet sickeningly popular play. Oh right. We also have Son of a Witch; the sequel to Wicked which is most likely not well known but exists nonetheless.

So why am I listing off so many Oz related forms of media and verse? Well, it’s because in my opinion The Wizard of Oz has been done to death. It’s become so overrated that when I hear of a new take on the tale, I can’t help but roll my eyes. However, reading a manga that went the way of the yellow brick road didn’t bother me in the least.

Toto! Volume 1 by Yuko Osada is the adventurous tale of Kakashi, a boy from a small village on an island who has a strong desire to travel and see the world. When a strange zeppelin lands on the island for a quick repair, Kakashi sneaks on, carrying only his late father’s journal. While hiding out, Kakashi comes across a fellow stowaway; a puppy with a rather unique looking collar. Both are soon discovered by the passengers of the zeppelin, a gang of criminals known as The Man Chicken Family. They decide to use Kakashi to do their chores until they fall under the attack by an unknown assailant and Kakashi is tossed out, along with his new canine companion. He encounters a young girl named---you guessed it---Dorothy, who grows attached to the puppy and names him Toto. The two decide to pursue their further endeavors together when they soon come to find that Toto has quite an extraordinary ability.

The manga’s 13+ rating is appropriate. The storyline is full of adventure and doesn’t include anything too racy for young readers. It’s humor and haphazard yet interesting plotline reminds me very much of One Piece, which is also kid-friendly. It might be a little cheesy for some older readers but still has enough depth to keep interest. And although it’s yet another Oz spin-off (so to speak), Dorothy’s character isn’t the meek sing-songy girl from the movie. She’s actually quite an ass kicker.

Toto! Volume 1 surprised me. I didn’t think I’d dislike it, but I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. It’s a little kid-ish for my taste but it’s still enjoyable and makes a good read for young teens or even anyone who simply wants some light reading.