Petshop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino
Somewhere, deep in the heart of Chinatown is an exotic pet store. Lined throughout the maze of the store are animals of various shape and sizes; eyes stare at you from little corners, things scurry from your touch. The owner greets you, a vision of porcelain skin, delicately carved hands, and long flowing silk robes. He greets you kindly and cheerfully, ready to serve tea or a small sweet. His goal is to see that you leave his store with exactly your hearts desire... and that's the problem.
Pet Shop of Horrors is a manga title by Matsuri Akino, published by Tokyopop. The story is not one extending plotline, but rather a nod to the old episodic tales from 1950's horror comics. In each story the setup is the same: a person comes to the shop looking for their hearts desire. The store owner, Count D (no relation to that other pale, dark haired mysterious stranger) chooses the perfect pet for them. The contract drawn up always has some caveats which end in the same way: if the rules of the contract are broken, the shop is not responsible for any accident to pet or owner. And of course, the owner always does.
What prevents this premise from becoming redundant or boring is the way the events turn out, and why each pet is chosen. Most of the buyers are influenced by their heart's desires indeed, desires that are sadly tinged with lesser emotions of greed, sorrow, anger or despair. In one episode, a girl chooses her pet to be a companion to fill the lonely existence she leads as the daughter of a rich mogul. She is more than willing to carry out the first set of instruction, but things become more complicated when she wishes to choose a mate for him. In the same manner that her father treats her, she unconsciously does the same for her pet, causing disaster in the process. There is no heavy-handed moralizing here; each person comes in with the full expectation of taking care of the pet, and to most degrees do, until the pet tugs at the hole in their heart. What brought the pet buyer to the shop in the first place, that loss or pain, is brought to the forefront. When that pain is ignored or buried, the rules of the contract are broken soon afterward with disastrous results. It is only that one owner of rare pure heart and a noble means who gets to keep their special pet without sorrow.
The art itself is very typical shoujo manga style, leaning more toward titles like Earthian by Youn Kouga. The count himself is gorgeous enough to have most women doing his bidding, and made harmless by his utter weakness for sweets and cheerful attitude. The character designs for the pets and the main buyers are beautiful, with lavish detail and creativity. The Balinese dance costume on the first pet is a delightful choice, and the chain and silk wear of the Basilisk is just as good. The panels themselves are light and breezy, even when it slips into scenes of blood and violence: the goal is a gentle touch. There is little shock value in these tales as the artist chooses to leave the horror mostly off scene in the tradition of black and white horror films. It is what you don't see that becomes creepy, as the imagination is much worse than any picture.
If you are interested in classical horror with a deep psychological touch, but don't want to go screaming into the night or sickened by too much gore, Petshop of Horrors is the perfect read. However, be warned: once you step into the pet shop, look deep into your heart to find the tragedy within, before your pet finds it for you.
Love it? Hate it? Buy it.
