Yagi the Bookshop Goat (ARC Review)

Book Title: Yagi the Bookshop Goat
Author: Fumi Furukawa
Release Date: April 12th, 2022
Genres: Manga, Yaoi, Boys Love, Fantasy
My rating: 5/5 Stars

Synopsis:

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…

My Review:

As soon as I saw the listing for Yagi the Bookshop Goat on NetGalley, I knew I had to request it. I was so surprised when I was granted access to it only a day after requesting, but I was also so excited! I devoured the entire thing in one sitting and I do not regret a single moment of it. The story was so sweet, the art style amazing, and the relationship between Yagi and Ookami was so endearing. It was pretty obvious from early on (to the readers anyway; Yagi was adorably oblivious), that Ookami was the boy from his past, so knowing the significance of that added even more layers to each of their interactions.

While on the surface level, this manga might seem pretty simple and straightforward, there was actually some really cool worldbuilding happening. In a way, it reminded me of the movie Zootopia with how the communities were divided between herbivores and carnivores. I think it would be so cool to see more manga set in this world with different characters and relationships. I would read all of them.

The bookshop was a key part of the story, since that’s where Ookami and Yagi work. I loved every scene in the bookshop because it felt so fleshed out and an integral part of their relationship. Books are what connect Yagi and Ookami, so seeing them in that environment was great. Also, I just adored the premise of a goat who loves books and wants more than anything to work in a bookstore, but has trouble with it because he keeps trying to eat the pages. I mean, that’s just adorable. And Yagi was adorable! He was so precious and sweet, and I wanted to give him a big hug. The way he could taste the emotions and feelings behind any piece of paper he ate was so cool! And led to some very interesting situations.

After having been on an anime kick the past couple of weeks, Yagi the Bookshop Goat was just what I was looking for and has totally started a new manga obsession! If you don’t mind a couple of steamy scenes in your manga, I highly recommend this one. It’s so fluffy and cute and easily read in one sitting. I’ve already pre-ordered a physical copy for my shelves because I loved it so much!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Preorder it at: Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes and Noble

Check out my last ARC Review: Fine: A Comic About Gender (ARC Review)