Yagi the Bookshop Goat

Yagi the Bookshop Goat by Fumi Furukawa
Genres: BL, Fantasy
Intended Age Group: 18+
Publisher: Tokyopop
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4278-6889-3
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Yagi is a rare sort of goat – one who loves reading books just as much as eating them! With his special talent to taste feelings contained upon paper, he’s always dreamed of becoming a bookseller. Unfortunately paper-munching goats aren’t exactly welcome in bookstores, even in a wonderful world where all different animals live in peaceful coexistence.

Eventually, Yagi is able to persuade Ookami, the strict wolf manager, into giving him a job at his bookshop… but can a goat surrounded by books resist his natural instincts? And what about the instincts of the a wolf, who’s been charmed by a sweet and tender goat?

Personal & Info

I hear Tokyopop is releasing some good yaoi/BL stuff, and this is a stand alone manga, so I figure it’s a good one to try. I have The Cat Proposed for the same reason, and I have to say, neither of them are disappointing. Two out of two fairly current Tokyopop BL manga, and I like them both. I’ll have to look into getting more.

Characters

Yagi, obviously, the goat.

Ookami, the wolf, and store manager.

Chita, a cheetah girl who appears to be one of Yagi’s best friends. She works at the bookshop.

Shimafukurou, a Blakiston’s fish owl, and an employee at the bookshop.

Kuma-sensei, an author of children’s books. He stops at the shop frequently.

I adore the character designs in this book. Everyone is so cute. My only disappointment is, I don’t think we ever get to see Chita’s tail, even though she is frequently shown.

Story & Thoughts

The story starts off rather quick. It’s fast paced throughout, but it’s a stand alone story, so that’s to be expected.

The story itself is simple, and I think it progresses seemingly unnaturally fast, or unrealistically in some ways. Basically, it’s the type of story where neither knows how the other feels, so they both decide to do nothing until they know more, but their secret love of the other makes them do things normal friends or coworkers wouldn’t normally do.

There’s nothing surprising about the story, either. There’s a backstory involving Yagi and Ookami, but it’s so blatantly obvious to the reader that there is no mystery. Even Ookami knows, so it seems Yagi is the only one truly in the dark about anything. If I were rating on story alone, the score would likely be lower. However, I think it deserves a four out of five, because it’s so darn cute and funny.

I was smiling and giggling the whole way. The character designs, facial expressions, and their interactions are all amazing. The occasional chibi style parts are great, too. The image on the back cover is a good example. I’d love a bookmark or something with that on it.

There are two erotic scenes in the book. This manga does have censoring, though. Instead of the black bars or blurring, it uses the bright light method. You know, the kind where they place a ball of light at the tip or covering the whole thing. There are some panels where it looks like Yagi doesn’t even have a penis.

About

I went a little overboard this month. This is excessively more books than I usually obtain by the end of the month. I use books as a reward system for myself, and you can see the results. Obviously, I’ve had a productive month.

I didn’t mention it in my first haul, because there were only five books, and they were all new, but I frequently buy used. So if you see a haul with a discolored book, or volumes with stickers or damage, I likely bought it pre-owned.

Manga

Fruits Basket Collector’s Edition, Vol. 9

I’m collecting all of these so I can binge read them all at once. Back in the day, I wasn’t able to read them, so I’m collecting these editions. I’m up to volume nine. Only three left! Yes, I will also be getting Fruits Basket Another once this series is completed.

Headhunted to Another World, Vol. 1 & 2

I research new books all the time. This one sounds like it might be one of the more entertaining isekai, and the first two volumes were at my local bookstore, so I grabbed them to try. This series is not a priority for me, though, so I have no idea when I’ll actually get around to reading it.

Update: Reviews now available for these volumes, one and two.

Flame of Recca, Vol. 7

This is something I discovered in high school. It reminds me strongly of Yu Yu Hakusho, of which I am a huge fan. They seem to use the same story formulas. I haven’t read this series, yet, but I have seen the anime. These appear to be out of print, so I’m slowly obtaining used copies to complete my collection.

Skip Beat! Vol. 45 & 46

These volumes catch me up to current releases. I am still missing a gap (I think volumes 36-42), so I can’t actively read the series yet. It does, however, make it easier for me to keep up with current releases. I’ll be reading and reviewing all volumes of this series eventually.

I’m trying to expand on my yaoi collection, because I have virtually none. According to what people are saying, Tokyopop is doing well with their yaoi and BL releases recently. I also hear this stand alone story is good. While I have not yet read it, I have high hopes. It sounds adorable.

Update: The review is now available.

Tail of the Moon, Vol. 4-6

This is another series I started in high school and have never gotten around to finishing. I’m going to fix that. A couple more volumes and I’ll be about half way to completing the collection.

Otomen, Vol. 1 & 2

This purchase is from my local bookstore, where they occasionally get some pre-owned manga. I’ve read this before, the whole series, and I absolutely loved it. It’s a story where traditional gender roles are flipped around, and it’s absolutely sweet and hilarious. I intend to collect the whole series since I read it before but did not own it.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 2

This series sounds super good. I have the first volume, but have not yet read it. Sometimes it’s better to have two volumes to test a series, so I saw no issue in buying the second volume before reading the first. I have high hopes for this one.

Update: The review for this volume is now available, also see the review for volume one.

The Hero Life of a (Self Proclaimed) “Mediocre” Demon, Vol. 1

This is not high on my list of priorities, but it was at my local bookstore, so now it’s on my shelf. It sounds like it might be funny. I don’t know when I’ll get around to it.

Update: The review for this volume is now available.

Light Novels

The Invincible Shovel, Vol. 1

I see the manga for this everywhere, and I hear it’s a comedy. Typically, the light novels for things are better than the manga, so I made sure to get the light novel, which was surprisingly more difficult to locate.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Under the Faraway Sky

This is volume four of the Fullmetal Alchemist light novel series, yet another series I started in school and did not have the opportunity to finish. The second editions for the six novel series are currently releasing. The final release is around the end of September. I’m getting the second editions despite having a copy of the first edition for volume one, because they changed the spines for the second editions, and volume six only got an English release as second edition. I want mine to match.

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 4

I love this series. Unfortunately, I discovered it a bit late, so I’m about twenty volumes behind the current releases at this point. I’m sure I’ll catch up eventually.

Reviews for this series are already in progress, so feel free to check those out. I’ll include a link to volume one for people who’d like more information.

Update: The review for this volume is now available.

Log Horizon: The Beginning of Another World, Vol. 1

The anime for this is amazing. I’ve only seen the first season or two, but I loved it. I hear the light novel is a little taxing to read with all the descriptions in volume one for introducing mechanics and stuff, but I’d like to judge that for myself.

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest, Vol. 1

This is much thicker than I expected, but that’s not a bad thing. The premise sounds interesting. Instead of a single person or small group sent to another world, it’s a whole class. I hear the recommendation is to read one through seven, then start the prequel. I hope I like it, because this implies I might have a series to last me a while. Long running series are great as long as they don’t get boring, and I love it when books have spin-offs and prequels to expand on the world.

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