By Akira Toriyama
Published by Viz
Rating: All Ages

COWA! is Toriyama’s storybook-like tale of a cute half-were-koala, half-vampire and his best friend, a ghost named Jose Rodrigez, as they save Monster Ridge from the Monster Flu with the help of a retired sumo wrestling human. Behind the extremely cute artwork is a masterfully crafted story which strikes a careful balance between what kids want to read about (monsters, fighting, farts, flying) and what parents want kids to read about (doing the right thing, getting in trouble for lying, etc.).

Paifu transforms into a super-strong monster koala when he sees any cross-shaped object and turns back into a vampire when he sees anything round. The transformations in the book are few, but brilliantly timed. Paifu acts like a typical kid, prone to trouble-making and bossing around the less-strong-willed Jose. I found the first few stand-alone chapters cute, but I was bored by Paifu and Jose’s relationship, which is like a less extreme version of Mac and Blue from Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. Why does one kid always have to be the jerk?

Fortunately, the main story arc of the volume picks up and the jerk/scaredy-cat relationship falls to the wayside. Paifu and Jose must team up with ex-sumo Mr. Maruyama, formerly known as “The Volcano” on an epic road trip to get the cure for the deadly Monster Flu, which threatens to wipe out the entire town.

The story unfolds halfway between a folktale and the Hero’s Journey. Some bystanders Paifu helps along the way become allies later and, in the end, Paifu must face the witch alone. But nevermind my highbrow literary reading, Paifu and his friends are kids through and through. Despite the high stakes, the little monsters argue over who gets to sit in the front seat on the road trip. In another scene, staying safe from a [bad] monster hinges on Paifu’s ability to learn to whistle. I was particularly impressed, since I could totally imagine kids whistling to keep monsters away after reading this book.

Mr. Maruyama quickly becomes a pseudo-father/hero figure, beating up bad guys and monsters (who sometimes look very similar to Dragonball characters). Some of the bad guys are introduced and disposed of very quickly, as if they were created only to generate fight scenes. I haven’t read Dr. Slump, but COWA! seems more like Dr. Slump than Dragonball Z.

This story is so very, very cute, but I wonder if strict American parents would be annoyed by the fist fights and (surprisingly frequent) gun-pointing. I would let a kid read this, but for the record, I don’t have any kids.

The character designs are deceptively simple (Jose only looks easy to draw!) and the storybook layout of the panels is easy to follow. A few color pages begin each chapter, but beyond the first 15 pages everything is in black and white.

Don’t pass this up! At only one volume, it’s just the right length. Who wouldn’t want to read about a were-koala? (Apparently not Carlo Santos!)

COWA! is avaiable now.