Yagi The Bookshop Goat by Fumi Furukawa

Description from NetGalley: In this tranquil world where all animals live in peace, carnivores and herbivores have an agreement to live amicably. Yagi is a goat who loves reading (and eating!) books; his dream is to become a bookstore clerk, but goats who eat paper aren't exactly welcomed at places that sell books! But maybe he can charm Ookami, the scary wolf store manager into giving him a job...

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My Review:

My first impression of this manga was that it was really cute. I love the art style. It's very gentle and not too complicated. I love the setting. It is similar to Zootopia but a lot less danger. The story revolves around Yagi whose dream is to work in a bookshop which is difficult since goats are known to eat paper and books. However, his unique ability to taste flavors behind words catches the eyes of other animals. Mostly you will see the budding relationship between him and Ookami who is a wolf and owns the bookstore that Yagi is employed at.

The storyline is pretty smooth. There are some flashback episodes that I enjoyed, however, they did not flow with the story very well. It was a bit confusing before I realized it was a quick flashback. I feel like a chapter dedicated to the flashbacks would have made the story flow a bit better. Warning, this manga does get a bit ~spicy~. While I do love spice myself, I do feel it was a sudden tone change from the cute lighthearted tone the book had throughout most of its progression. For once, I think it would have been perfect without the spice, but it did not ruin the experience for me. If you like a little bit of extra spice you may enjoy the scene/ However, it is skippable if you only want fluffy cuteness.

Yagi is a classic cinnamon roll character. They are adorable and very innocent. They are also a bit of a crybaby. I do really enjoy cinnamon roll characters. I think they are a bit refreshing. While Yagi can be a bit oblivious when it comes to his own feelings, he can be very observant and consistently strives to do better (when he's not accidently eating the inventory). For a short story, I felt his character was developed nicely.

Ookami is the grumpy character we all know and love that is in contrast with the cinnamon roll. I love this kind of story trope, but it isn't for everyone. While he is a bit of a grump he wasn't mean to Yagi and didn't bully him unnecessarily which I really like. I enjoyed his maturity that you don't see with many grumpy or hot tempered characters.

There weren't many other noticeable characters due to it being a shorter story. They were mainly used to move the plot forward. However, they were developed that if this were turned into a series, I would definitely be interested in them.

Overall, despite the spice scene and the poorly timed flashbacks, this was a very enjoyable quick read that is definitely work your time if you enjoy a really cute romance. It will definitely lift your mood and make your heart gush. If not, then I'm a weirdo and apologize in advance. I was able to enjoy this book for free from NetGalley, however, I am most likely going to purchase it for my own manga collection.

Did you enjoy this manga? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!