Kemono Kingdom: Zoo by Mochi

Now that Thanksgiving is over, its the long haul to Christmas, which all too quickly turns into New Years and I don't think I'm ready for 2017. Not after how crazy 2016 has been.


Kemono Kingdom: Zoo by Mochi

Art and story (c) Mochi

Genre: Gag, Shojo
Length: 2 Volumes - 16 Chapters and one unrelated one-shot


            I wouldn't call the art wholly original, the faces especially remind of many other manga out there, but it has lots of good detail in most respects. The animals are

recognizable, though they do vary in their levels of realistic accuracy. The people (?) are more generic in appearance but they settle down quickly to their looks, typically they are all slim limbed with narrow faces. The clothing (on both types of residents) are eye catching with lots of detail, to boot. The hair is pretty much angled and simple and nothing much beyond that. Now, that '?' I put in is part of the things that left unanswered questions but don't really matter to the enjoyment of reading the story and are as follows: What category are the animals and the people-animals in, are they seprate from one another? And how do they relate to the more animal looking animals? I don't know if the people are just anamorphic animals or if they just get to be seen as humans because they are the main characters (a la Hateoful Boyfriend) and to make things extra confusing there are very animal looking characters that stand and dress like humans in the mix, too. Considering this is a gag manga I probably shouldn't be questioning such details but there are no clear guidelines to who is what, especially since all their names are just the name of the animal they represent. I know gag manga don't follow any rules, but still, to use a meme I've seen a lot of lately:

           The kingdom has been at peace after many long years of war, but when the Panda King dies and a replacement is set on the throne, unrest begins through out all the Upper Yard. One of the strongest of the troublemakers is Lion and Eagle, a guardian from the West, is sent to settle things. Can the bird take on the big cat and survive?
           So, that description of the plot I just wrote? Don't take it seriously. This is a comedy manga, more specifically, a gag manga, so the plot line is secondary to any sort of

STUFF!

shenanigans and wacky fights obliquely begun at a moments notice. That's not to say there isn't a plot, there definitely is a story thank goodness, but its nothing really amazing. Then again, the fact that it maintains the appearance of one with all the stuff that goes on is actually pretty amazing in its self. Basically animals show up and Eagle and Lion yell at each other, or Kangaroo shows up and makes things worse and pulls things out of/puts things into his pouch. Then in the next chapter another reason is given for more hijinks to happen. Initially I was a little worried I would like this but it quickly picks up after the first chapter and gets into a groove that has you laughing. Whether or not this is an animal kingdom or some sort of zoo park, is also ambiguous, I guess, but that has even less to do with the plot than the differently drawn animals. Its just all about how crazy a group of animals gets when there is in-fighting, rabbits who want to be ninjas, a throne up for usurping, a male kangaroo with his dead wife's pouch sewed on, a BBQ house party at a polar bear's frozen garden, and an owl who gets way too much pleasure from making people uncomfortable. In fact, the plot sort of peters out at the end of the first volume and skates on the thin thread it dangled afterwards for half of the second. Still, I think it strikes an appropriate balance between comedy and plot better than a lot of gag manga I've read. The base line is all over the place, like I said during the art, so you're never sure exactly how the different types of animals mix, but once you pass that hurdle its a clear path. Its a little bit shonen ai, but only if you read into it, so nothing offensive, though some of the jokes are a tiny bit risque but its all for laughs. Reoccurring jokes are there, too, including Kangaroo's pouch and, my personal favorite, Zebra's constant asking if anyone wants to ride on him.Then there is the one shot at the end of volume one that is about a man who is naked except for a long muffler, its so out there it makes Kemono Kingdom look normal. All in all, it worth a read.



4/5 It's just silly, stupid fun. 

✨Such a sparkly Zebra ✨