I happened to be at my library again before all the snow hit and saw that they had a few new manga in their collection. One of them was Dinosaur Sanctuary (or Dino-san, as it is known in Japan–now why the f*ck they didn’t call it Mr. Dino here is beyond me!) If you click on the link I’ve provided, you’ll see that the scanlators only have a few chapters available for you. I’m kind of unsurprised that this mega-researched slice-of-life is not a super hot draw for the pirates, but more on that in a second.
Seven Seas is the official English-language publisher and you can buy the first two volumes directly from them, if you’d like.
SPOILERS
.
.
.
.
If you have ever said to yourself, “You know what I want in my manga!? I want strangely sexy, sweaty dudes and scientifically realistic dinosaurs!” then this manga might be perfect for you, particularly if one of your favorite slice-of-life sub-categories is “struggling animal care facility,” ala Shiroi Suna no Aquatope/The Aquatope on White Sand and probably others?
Like Shiroi Suna no Aquatope, Dinosaur Sanctuary follows new hire, Suma Suzume, as she learns the ropes of dinosaur care and feeding. Suma exists in an alternate universe where, in 1946, as the back cover copy says, “someone discovered an island where dinosaurs had survived into the present. Through breeding and genetic manipulation, humans managed to increase their population and supercharge their popularity!”
I mean, I’m down? But, I did have to laugh when jaded veteran dinosaur caretaker, Kaidou is introduced like this:
I mean, hello, handsome!
The rest of the story really does follow the “struggling animal care facility” plot. If that’s unfamiliar to you, it basically goes like this: animal care facility (aquarium, zoo, dinosaur sanctuary) has a really devoted, underpaid staff who love their animals and their work. They are experts in their animals and treat them with respect and kindness, but that isn’t enough! The local population just isn’t all that interested in this amazing, if small collection and wonderful creatures and so the facility is doomed to close unless they can somehow drum up admissions. What will happen to the animals if they are forced to shutter? How can they possibly drum up enough ticket sales to save the small animal care facility??? Plucky newbie tries homemade signs, her deep knowledge, and enthusiasm (possibly introducing this tiny facility to this thing called “the internet”) and is partly successful. Yet even more effort from the whole team is needed if the facility is to survive! Meanwhile, health crises among the animals continue–some of them quite dire and/or possibly heartbreaking. Plucky newbie learns that caring for animals on a large scale like that which the animal care facility is involved in is far more complicated than she originally thought. She might fall in love along the way, but her heart will always belong to [fill-in animal type.]
I mean, don’t get me wrong. I am a giant fan of slice-of-life. So, as long as I’m learning interesting animal facts, I’m 100% in for the ride–even if it takes me down roads I’ve already been on. To that end, Dinosaur Sanctuary has an actual paleontologist consulting on the manga who adds a LOT of dino facts at the end of each chapter.
I was, for whatever reason, not all that into it this time, despite Kaidou’s hot sweaty body and bedroom eyes. However, if you’ve never seen this trope before and are a big dinosaur fan, don’t let me convince you that it’s not worth trying. I watched way too many episodes of the Aquatrope anime, so I can not pretend that this scenario doesn’t honestly captivate me. It absolutely does, and every manga, even one following a similar script, is going to have its own twists and turns.
And you know what? This one has dinosaurs!
So, do I recommend it? Sure, why not? Just don’t be expecting anything mind-blowing or action-packed. And, you know, that’s fine?
Did I mention that there are dinosaurs?
Source link
