Toto! The Wonderful Adventure Vol 1 Review

 

“Do you know how to learn the ways of the world? There’s only one way. Go on an adventure!”

Toto! The Wonderful Adventure is about a boy named Kakashi who dreams of following in his father’s footsteps by leaving his small island home and seeing the world. After a few false starts he finally manages to stow away on board a zeppelin on which he meets his first friend, a puppy, and a rather less friendly gang of bandits.

Volume 1 is a fast-paced story that never loses its sense of fun and excitement. Kakashi’s plucky determination and willingness to face any danger or even die for his dream makes it easy to root for him. He’s very obviously a shounen hero: the kind of boy who wears his heart on his sleeve and stands by his friends until the end. 

If the title makes you think of The Wizard of Oz that’s no coincidence. There are a number of homages to Baum’s book, starting with Kakashi which means scarecrow in Japanese. The dog he befriends is later named Toto… by a girl named Dorothy.

However this is not just a predictable re-telling of The Wizard of Oz. By the end of the volume a plot involving Toto, who is no ordinary dog, and the military is just beginning to unfold. As for Dorothy she’s not quite the same naive Dorothy of the book and movie. Without giving too much away let’s just say that she can probably take care of herself. 

The art is extremely good-looking with a great sense of movement from panel to panel. Del Rey’s release keeps all the sound effects untranslated with their approximate English equivalents written in a small font nearby. The translator’s notes also explain the references to Oz just in case you’ve been living under a rock.

I only have one minor quibble and it’s the name of the bandit gang. Can you imagine going around telling people you’re the dreaded…. Man Chicken Family? If image is everything these guys are screwed.

All in all volume 1 certainly feels like the beginning of a wonderful adventure that is, above all, a lot of fun.