It's not to old, not to new, but right around the middle. It was first published, in English, in 2005.
It was published by Tokyo Pop, my the company rest in peace, and was written and drawn by Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges. So while my first review isn't exactly a "japanese" manga it is still a good one! It is a comedy and fantasy appropriate for all ages but geared mostly towards younger girls.
In this issue we are introduced to the female leads Amanda, a nine year old girl, and Peach, the "so-called" princess of the ferrets. Amanda's mother finally agreed to buy Amanda a pet but when she goes to the pet store she finds every single type of pet boring except for the ferrets! Amanda proceeds to go over to look at and pet the ferrets only for all of them to try and bite her, except for Peach! Deciding on the one ferret that did not bite her Amanda heads home where over the next few days she plays with Peach, gets bit by Peach, introduces her two best friends, Mimi and Kim, to her pet, gets bit by Peach, and finally starts to train Peach not to bite!
But Peach sees things through a different light.
Peach sees herself as the Princess of the Ferrets and the Ferret cage at the pet store. When one day a dreaded monster attacks the Kingdom! This monster is the dreaded Handra, a five headed monster who all ferrets are taught to fear from a young age. Her knights tell Peach to go hide in the castle while they fight the monster so she hurries off to the castle where she becomes so comfortable that she falls asleep. The knights battle the Hydra, Handra, I mean Handra, but the monster will not back down. The Handra captures the princess who is in such a deep sleep she does not noticed that she is captured!
Peach is taken to a new place where she has to constantly battle the Handra and other foes in the arena in order to defend herself. She has had to trade in her gown for armor. She becomes friends with Mr. Fuzzy only to realize she has taken him for granted when they must fight in the arena.
This series shows two different view points, one from Amanda and one from Princess Peach. (I know it sounds like a Mario reference, but it's not, I swear!) Amanda sees it as playing with her new Pet Ferret and taking care of her while Peach sees it as facing and fighting a monster everyday.
Overall it's an okay manga and is good for getting a kid into reading and into comics. Peach's point of view is entertaining while Amanda's gives an eye into the life and problems that children face. The adults in the manga all are a little bizarre in some way while the children seem to be normal everyday Joe's. I preferred reading Peach's part over Amanda's and wished there was more from her perspective. I would have also liked to have seen more of the side characters that are adults because they seemed far more interesting than the children. It's an okay read but I wouldn't rush to search for the next volume. Which would be hard to find anyway since it is no longer in print except for hardcover, but who wants to pay $25 for it?
