Lasting for seven volumes in Japan, Animal Academy: Hakobune Hakusho
was arguably something of a success. No animation has been released as of yet, but Tokyopop has branded the license for an American release and today we’re looking at the fourth installment which was recently released.

In case you haven’t been following the series it all centers around the life of Neko Fukuta, who has recently enrolled in a school called Morimori Academy. Soon after joining the academy she discovers it’s actually a school for animals that can take the shape of humans. Naturally she pretends to be a cat (check her name, duh) and makes friends with Fune, who is really a cat, Kotaro the fox, Yuuichi the fox, Umeha the raccoon, and so on and so forth. The manga is basically a slice of life kind of ordeal with Neko taking the center stage, making friends, and learning about the way of life at the academy.

In this installment things start out as the group of friends is quite upset by Yuuichi leaving the school. You see, he didn’t realize he was actually a fox. He was so adept at changing into a human form that he naturally always thought he was human. It’s kind of silly in some respects, but a good plot device in others. If anything it helps bring the group of friends closer together.

Despite the drama that goes on with Yuuichi, it seems that for Neko it’s time to reveal her true identity. She drops the “I’m not an animal bomb” and leaves Morimori Academy. It’s not the most dramatic thing in the world, since you just know she’s going to go back, but it’s nice to see her friends from the school accept her regardless of the fact she’s fully human. This leads to some nice interactions between she, Fune, and Kotaro.

What else happens in this installment? Sadly not a lot. The plotlines feel like their dragged out to an excessive degree and by the time the volume is over you’ll feel bewildered by how little occurred. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, and readers that have enjoyed the other installments will appreciate this one, but this is certainly a slow read because of it.

As was the case with the other volumes of Animal Academy: Hakobune Hakusho this one includes some downright charming artwork by Moyamu Fujino. The characters (both human and animal form) are very attractive and for the most part there are some solid backgrounds. The translation of this book is good as well with smooth dialogue that reads easily.

Overall Animal Academy: Hakobune Hakusho volume four is a solid installment for the series, but I do have to say that nothing really happens this time around. Sure Neko reveals her true identity to her friends, but beyond that revelation there’s really nothing else. That’s not necessarily a bad, mind you, though it does leave the series feeling as though it were stuck in neutral. Fans will continue to enjoy this book, though newcomers may want to give the first a glance to see if it’s their cup of tea.

Buy Animal Academy: Hakobune Hakusho Volume 4 from Amazon.com

Animal Academy - Volume 4
Story
Cute and loaded with personality, Animal Academy is a fun series. I can't help but feel that not much happens this time around though.
Artwork/Translation
Fujino's art style is as endearing as always and the translation is solid.

Overall
Fans will want to pick this installment up for sure, but newcomers will want to check out the first volume to see what it's all about.

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Anime Academy Volume 4 is rated Youth Age 10+ for Aggression.

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