Canis Series
Canis

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What do I see? could this be a great BL manga?

Yes, you are not dreaming! This could very well be the start of an excellent series. Apparently, the author heard the prayers of millions of BL fans and chose to go out of their way to write an interesting story.

It focuses mainly on Satoru, a hatter, and Ryou as the latter came to Japan to die. It starts with their fateful meeting and goes down from there.
The storytelling is one of the best I read in a manga and it definitely makes me want to know more about the characters (and they happen to ... be well written? yes, they are! very human and deep and realistic!).

Even without the romance it could stand on its own like that. I would even rec it to non-BL fans without hesitation, and it means a lot.

The art is just the cherry on top! It might get you a while to adapt if you are used to the typical yaoi anatomy, because it is very peculiar, but this style is very enjoyable and dynamic.

See, fellow BL fan? You can have quality!

This is a true gem, believe me.

The story and the way of showing same-sex relationships was definitely far from typical shounen-ai and is hard to find even in western books or films (that tend to avoid stereotypes and categorization more often). This story contradicts every comment about manga or anime, and especially the shounen-ai genre, lacking depth or meaning or creativeness.

The story is sweet and dramatic at the same time, and although it's rather short it makes you feel like you've known the characters your whole life - all the little details we learn in between, later appear to fit perfectly and really complement the ... careful storytelling. About the story itself, it wasn't overly dramatic, the tension was wisely builded up and perfectly intertwined with comedy parts. What really appealed to me was the ending (no spoilers), the story finished in a good point, leaving a really good impression - it could be felt that the story itself was more important than making another 20 chapters purely for money, as it often happens.

The relationship between the main characters is not rushed and the interactions don't seem forced or fake in any way, if you're someone who isn't a fan of the shounen-ai genre due to the explicit content, I can assure you that you have nothing to fear here - the relationship between the main characters is not sexualized.

What is also worth appreciating is the artstyle, outstanding when compared to most mangas. It's hard to explain what was it about it, but it was definitely memorable and fiting to the story, differing a bit according to the atmosphere.

All in all, I definitely recommend it. I think it may appeal to people that like rather slow-paced stories that show characters who develop and grow - I believe it's also perfect for people who are new to reading manga, but be warned: this story will definitely set the bar high.

This is one of my favorite mangas because of the art and story.

Canis is about the encounter of two individuals from different worlds. One lives as a hat maker and struggles to maintain his store when the other just tries to survive. It's not new that thing of finding a collapsed person on street, but their reasons to do what they do are interesting.

The art makes story flows pretty well with funny moments and a comic look. Their relationship develops slowly and carefully as the character's personalities grow too. I like the fact that fashion industry is relationed to the story and tells some ... truths about it. So far, Canis is realistic and doesn't put sexy scenes [there'll be some in the future, don't worry ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)] in first place.

This was such a sweet and poignant story and the two main characters are so incredibly adorable.

What I loved about it:

1. Nice sense of mystery surrounding Ryou's character at first.
2. Unique setting - hat maker shop - fashion industry.
3. Both men are masculine (no blushing maidens) and neither fall into a typical uke or seme role.
4. The artwork is unique and gorgeous.

This story is very similar to No Touching At All. It's a slice-of-life view of the development of a relationship without the straight vs gay angst. It's wonderful because both characters are (mostly) honest with ... each other and themselves. There's a little bit of a dark, mysterious angle to Ryou's past but not so much that it makes the story dark. It isn't a dark story but neither is it saccharine. It's still ongoing and I've read through chapter 18, which is sort of a resolution stage from the two main characters.

The artwork is very different from what we're used to in Japanese manga. Some people say the eyes look too much like Disney princesses. I think Satoru's eyes resemble those in ACCA. It took some getting used to but it wasn't a turn off. Because the setting involves the fashion industry, there was a strong focus on the clothing, which was drawn beautifully with a wide variety of styles.

There were less than a handful of sex scenes in this part of the story (through chapter 18) and they were drawn in an understated and sweet manner that fit the characters. I love smut as much as the next person but it really wouldn't have fit here. That said, the shower scene in NYC was soooooooooo hot.

I adored these two characters and really hope there will be more chapters for them (story has switched focus to some side characters). I highly recommend this manga.

Canis is a really distinct and wonderful read.
It's classy style and the world it builds around the characters is very strong. The art has an unparalleled to it and the artist (ZAKK) clearly understands good direction and scene making. This story gives the two mains a lot of space, as I honestly think that this story is more of a story about a fashion designer getting back to creating fashionable hats and the nature of artists than a romance, although the romance is very prominent and welcomed. It's not too long in dragging out Ryou's past. Amazingly, it puts more emphasis on the themes ... and effect of it. This also comes off as a very down-to-earth story in the sense that it doesn't have anything wildly ridiculous of uncharacteristic of its cast. I enjoyed it a bunch and I'm looking forward to re-reading the main story.

Now on to Canis: the Speaker, the sequel to the main story following the three members in a gang that was related to Ryou. I can't even express how much this story packs a punch to the reader. It strikes an incredible balance of character between the three mains, and is utterly poignant. The story flips the switch in it's attitude from the first story, and it's inclusion of sex and sexual themes is very well played and adds so much depth to the story. In my opinion, it adds so much to the very minor characters from the main story, to a point where I actually like Speaker even more than the main story, although I obviously love the main story.

As of writing this, the team translating it has gotten a notice from Opera and so they've put it's translation on hold, which is very unfortunate. I can't wait to see more from them, because I was on the edge of my seat the whole time through The Speaker (at least, the six chapters out of it.)

Okay so my score might look too high, but this manga truly deserves it.
First, it's a boy's love but has none of the usual stupid clichés yaois often have.
The two main characters are both interesting and don't have that Seme/uke dynamic, and beyond the romance is a dark story involving human trafficking, the mafia and a very interesting polyamorus relationship.
The art is very specific and looks kind of wester, which might not be liked by everyone but I personally find it gorgeous.
The characters a believable and their dynamics are great !
This manga definitely is worth checking out !

I don't often re-read manga, but I found myself thinking about this story again yesterday, and decided to crack it back open. As a bonus, there were three new chapters since the last time I gave it a go!

The first few volumes, containing Dear Mr. Rain and Dear Hatter focus primarily on the relationship between Satoru, a hatter, and Ryou, a young man who came to Japan to die after being involved with a seedy organization in America. The former rescues the latter, and their relationship blossoms beautifully in a unique setting that I'm not used to seeing in Manga. This was enough to make ... it a favorite for me, and this readthrough, I even changed my score from a 9 to a 10.

Now, the latter volumes, 4 and 5 so far, cover a much darker and more explicit prequel about the men Ryou worked for in America. I haven't seen a review discuss these yet, other than a brief mention, so I wanted to review the Dear Speaker series so far. At the start, we are introduced to younger versions of three men we had caught glimpses of throughout the earlier volumes; Harold, Samuel, and Tadanobu. They were raised in an orphanage together, and were forcefully separated when they started discovering the dark secrets behind the disappearances of some of their fellow orphans. So far, this arc details the struggles they each go through as they find their way back to each other over the years, and presumably, how they came to form the organization that Ryou came to join.

While these two stories are very different. I think they contrast each other beautifully. I would recommend stopping at the Dear Mr. Rain and Dear Hatter series if you are not wanting to see abuse, non-con, etc.

Problems with the mafia, love at first sight, an unnecessary female character (in other words, just another generic girl with no personality that serves to fulfill screen time). Maybe I read too many manga, because everything went so exhaustively and predictably that I couldn't finish it. They said the characters have depth... I wonder where?

The idea of ​​stroking the heads of those who are "broken" is indeed an interesting one, but here's a question for you: if you find out that your parents died, no matter how stupid they were, you would just smile and go on with your life? And why would you suddenly ... be fascinated by a stranger you met two days ago at the most? Being attracted is acceptable, but we know that passion and love are different things.

Kutsuna with his life as a craftsman proved to be much more interesting than Ryou, but unfortunately he didn't have any kind of development, or even screen time except - for the most part - thoughts about the protagonist.

Art is indeed cool, but comedy is dull. It boils down to pissed off characters yelling at each other. About the mafia: it's an incredibly generic aspect in bl manga, and the way events were narrated was a little confusing. I also don't like the idea of polyamory, although this in particular is just my taste.