Shōnen to Inu

Shōnen to Inu
Cover of the 1994 publication of the manga Shōnen to Inu
少年と犬
Genre	Drama
Manga
Written by	Akira Itō
Illustrated by	Yoshihiro Takahashi
Published by	Shueisha, SC Allman
Published	7 December 1994[1]

The cover of the re-issue which often misleads people to think the manga's name is "Ginga no Inutachi". The re-issue is more widely known than the first publication.

Shōnen to Inu (少年と犬) is a Japanese manga written by Akira Itō and illustrated by Yoshihiro Takahashi. The manga was re-issued in 2001 under the name Ginga no Inutachi [Shōnen to Inu] Remix (銀牙の犬たち [少年と犬] リミックス).^[2] It has six different stories about six different dog breeds: Golden Retriever, Shiba Inu, Siberian Husky, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever and Great Pyrenees. All stories are mostly about the relationships between the dogs and a boy or a young man.

Stories

首輪-少年と犬- (Kubiwa -Shōnen to Inu- / Collar -The Boy and the Dog-)

先生の犬 (Sensei no Inu / The Teacher's Dog)

綱-青年と犬- (Rīdo -Seinen to Inu- / Lead -The Man and the Dog-)

炎の犬 (Honō no Inu / The Dog of Flames)

おばあさんの犬 (Obāsan no Inu / The Granny's Dog)

アミーゴ犬 (Amīgo Ken / Amígo Dog)

白い山犬 (Shiroi Yama-inu / The White Mountain Dog)

Characters

Dogs

Adelle (German Shepherd)

Kokichi Takuman's dog. Adelle was to become an Army Dog, but due to his mild temperament and fear of fire, he was given to Kokichi Takuman as a companion dog. Adelle loves Kokichi Takuman dearly and feels pride just being with him along the journey. But ??? is soon found, and Adelle was taken away. Right when Adelle was taken across a bridge, an American plane bombed the town, and the area was filled with flames. Adelle leapt over the burning river, believing that Kokichi and Torakichi were calling for his help, but the flames consumed his body. Adelle had overcome his fear of fire by the love for his master.

Hakuryū

Torakichi's dog (a Japanese breed). Torakichi handed Hakuryū to the Japanese Imperial Army, believing that he would fight courageously in the battlefields of China, but instead was beaten to death to become a coat for the Japanese pilots.

Ryu (Shiba Inu)

Amigo (Great Pyrenees)

Shirubi (Siberian Husky)

Tess (Labrador Retriever)

Raizō (Siberian Husky)

Shiro (Golden Retriever)

Humans

Shūichi Takuma

The "main" character of this series. At first, he is a child who doesn't take care of his dog Shiro, but after the death of Shiro, he takes better care of his second dog Silvy. He works at a construction company. One day during Silvy's walk, he bumps into Rika, who later becomes his wife. To get permission to marry Rika, the two go to Hokkaidō, where Rika's father Yūzou lives. He is harshly rejected by Yūzou, but with the help of Silvy, wins the trust of the stern father and marries Rika. He then quits his job and lives in Hokkaiddō, where he starts his own construction company.

Dr.Satake

Veterinarian of the Satake Animal Hospital, which is near the Takumas' house.

Mr.Kimura

He used to be Shūichi's teacher in Middle School. There used to be a student who was over-stressed by exams and committed suicide. Mr.Kimura thought it was his fault, that he didn't take good care of the student. Feeling extremely guilty, Mr.Kimura quit his job and became a homeless in the Yamashita Park of Yokohama. He lives peacefully with some stray dogs that were thrown away into the park, but eventually dies of a sickness.

Rika

Shūichi's girlfriend, and later wife.

Rika's Father(Yūzou)

He is a stern hunter who lives in Hokkaiddō. People think that he is a cold man because when his wife was dying, he was out in the woods, searching for his lost dog. Yūzou believed that it was better for him to search for his lost dog who can be helped, than to be beside his dying wife who cannot be helped.

Kōkichi Takuma

Shūichi's father.

Kōkichi's Father

He was the chairman of the village. He was disliked by the villagers because he didn't hand Adelle to the Japanese Imperial Army.

Torakichi

Kōkichi's friend.

Tome Takuma

Kōkichi's mother, and Shūichi's grandmother.

Tanaka

Kondō

References

1. Itō, Akira; Yoshihiro Takahashi (1994). Shōnen to Inu. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-858733-2.
2. Itō, Akira; Yoshihiro Takahashi (2001). Ginga no Inutachi [Shōnen to Inu] Remix. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-878323-9.