What do you think?
Rate this book
Pet Shop of Horrors [ペットショップ オブ ホラーズ] #7
Pet Shop of Horrors, Volume 7
"Doom" - Like all cops, Leon Orcot understands that the police put their lives on the line every day, but when Leon's act of hesitation results in the death of his partner, it will be up to Count D to ease the detective's mind. If he can keep from driving him mad in the process, that is. "Donor" - Did you know Count D had a sister? Well, neither did he. And although he's excited by the discovery, there's something sinister about this sibling. While it's not unusual for a sister to give her brother a piece of her heart, D's sister is willing to do it literally. "Duty" - When a mafia don is assassinated, Leon is instructed to catch the murderer before he ignites a mob war. However, this is no ordinary hitman. He's a ruthless assassin utterly lacking in conscience or compassion; a vicious killer whose precision is only matched by his relentlessness; and most disturbing at all, he appears to be only fifteen years old. "Diet" - It seems like everyone wants to be thinner. Regardless of your age, sex or station in life, chances are you'd like to shed a few pounds. Well, the count's here to help. He's come up with a very effective diet plan, tailored specifically to your needs. And, the good news is that you don't have watch what you eat...but you might want to pay attention to what eats you.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 30, 2013
About the author
Matsuri Akino
208 books163 followersMatsuri Akino (秋乃 茉莉 Akino Matsuri), is a Japanese manga artist from Mitaka, Tokyo, now a resident of Yokohama. Her work is a mix of the fantasy, mystery, and horror genres. Her self portrait is usually a kappa, sometimes with braids or an odango hairstyle.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 25, 2025
(1) That's a lovely book cover¬
(2) The short stories don't disappoint! 😉
(2) The short stories don't disappoint! 😉
library-and-up-next
August 19, 2025Library cannot find.
November 29, 2018
The most intense and dark volume so far. The pretty funny cover is very misleading; I like the personal aspects of the chapters, revolving around D and Leon, I’m always happy to see Chris basically living with D at his pet shop while Leon is at work.
The art is consistently gorgeous!
Seven volumes later and I’m no where near tired of reading this manga.
The art is consistently gorgeous!
Seven volumes later and I’m no where near tired of reading this manga.
July 13, 2016
Pet Shop of Horror revolves around a magical pet shop in Chinatown that just happens to sell pet’s that aren’t like your everyday pet. Each volume is divided into a chapters and each chapter tells a single story of an encounter with this pet shop. Some end up happy while others not so much. We have a few main characters Count D who runs the shop of Leon who is the detective who is determined to figure out what Count D is doing in the shop.
In the 7th installment Leon is still determined to catch Count D in something illegal. The story’s in this volume range from Leon dealing with the death of his partner. A surprise visitor that Count D had no idea even existed. A teenager raised to be a killer who has abandonment issues. Last we have a girl who was rejected for being overweight but with some help from Count D she as well as a model will get the body that they want but at what cost.
I’m hooked on Pet Shop of Horrors it’s written as a series of short stories which have a larger story surrounding them. It’s this creepy concept of a pet shop that happens to not sell traditional pets. Each of the pets really fits into the owner life giving them exactly what they needed at that point in their life and some may not end happy ever after. I have to admit I enjoyed the concept it’s unique and fascinating I had a hard time putting it down because I wanted to know what would happen next. I like that each story is different some are sweet while others are tragic and down right scary. It’s an interesting concept with a unique spin that I’m just addicted too. I highly recommend.
In the 7th installment Leon is still determined to catch Count D in something illegal. The story’s in this volume range from Leon dealing with the death of his partner. A surprise visitor that Count D had no idea even existed. A teenager raised to be a killer who has abandonment issues. Last we have a girl who was rejected for being overweight but with some help from Count D she as well as a model will get the body that they want but at what cost.
I’m hooked on Pet Shop of Horrors it’s written as a series of short stories which have a larger story surrounding them. It’s this creepy concept of a pet shop that happens to not sell traditional pets. Each of the pets really fits into the owner life giving them exactly what they needed at that point in their life and some may not end happy ever after. I have to admit I enjoyed the concept it’s unique and fascinating I had a hard time putting it down because I wanted to know what would happen next. I like that each story is different some are sweet while others are tragic and down right scary. It’s an interesting concept with a unique spin that I’m just addicted too. I highly recommend.
January 12, 2016
Pet Shop of Horrors is a manga by Matsuri Akino. It is set in the heart of Chinatown. Enter Count D's pet shop, a place where you can find a multitude of pets. These pets can range from cats and dogs to the most exotic, but they often will take a form to match a person's deepest desires. The mysterious man running the shop will be willing to sell you these animals, but under contract. These contracts often have three terms, varying with each individual pet. If any of these circumstances are broken, the pet shop is in no way, shape, or form, responsible for the consequences that would result.
This series is certainly a unique read. Each chapter often focuses on a different customer, so the series has an episode like feel to it. In each of these chapters, however, there is a sub plot that always occurs. This subplot is actually part of the main story, so it's suggested that you pay attention to it. Most of these stories can turn out somewhat messy, but are they happy or sad endings? No one can even tell. This story is about human nature itself, with a good amount of environmentalism hidden in there too.
This series is certainly a unique read. Each chapter often focuses on a different customer, so the series has an episode like feel to it. In each of these chapters, however, there is a sub plot that always occurs. This subplot is actually part of the main story, so it's suggested that you pay attention to it. Most of these stories can turn out somewhat messy, but are they happy or sad endings? No one can even tell. This story is about human nature itself, with a good amount of environmentalism hidden in there too.
October 26, 2021
The first two stories were dark and intriguing, the other ones nothing special hence the 4 stars. The extra stories were adorable!
November 5, 2011
Wanted to give it four stars, in the end I couldn't. The first two stories, "Doom" and "Donor", were really good because they were related to the main characters, Count D and Leon. The third story, "Duty", started to drag, it was way, way too wordy. And the last one, "Diet", was boring, really boring and I honestly didn't understand what the point of the story was, the lesson learned - with Eme and Nash kinda, but with the model? No clue. So, three stars it is.
November 15, 2010
Unlike the other books in the series some of the stories felt like they ended ubruptly. I hope that there may be a chance for these stories to continue in future volumes, but am doubtful.
July 16, 2018
And then we're back with another solid, amazing installment.
This one starts off with a Leon-centric story. In the line of duty, his partner is killed by his childhood friend, and Leon can't shake off the feelings of helplessness and anger that he wasn't able to do anything to stop it, but also the guilt that he feels more guilty over his childhood friend's death than his partner's. D, attempting to help (probably), gives Leon an animal. This time, a butterfly. Anyone familiar with the Butterfly Effect will have an idea of how this goes. Leon begins to dream about his past (which, interestingly, the first flashback ends with Leon lamenting that he wasn't able to tell Harry how he felt, which may be a slight nod to the fact that Leon is probably bi), with each flashback having Leon change something. Each time he 'wakes' up, something in his life has changed — his partner isn't dead, he doesn't have a brother, he's not a cop, he's the one in Harry's place. At the end of the story, things revert to how they were, and the reader is told that Harry, rather than shooting Leon, killed himself while Leon watched, unable to do anything.
The next story introduces D's sister, who has no name beyond "daughter" and "little sister." Their father —who you see from the nose down in a flashback with the sister, and whom we already know D has a tense relationship with given the events of Diamande in volume 3 — has raised her to be able to provide D with whatever he may need to keep him alive. When D tells her he doesn't need anything, her entire purpose is shattered and she attacks, only to be killed by the animals in D's defense. This shakes D, who had not known of her existence prior to her arrival (although, in another volume, D makes mention of a sister, so potentially a continuity error, or a mistranslation).
The third story has to do with an assassin who holes up in D's shop while on the run. This particular story shows D appealing to the assassin's humanity and human desires, rather than the animal-like instincts that he's capitalized on in the past.
The last story is three customers in one, but the theme is consistent: dieting. It's an interesting story, although I'm not fond of the message in Em's story line (she wanted to lose weight to get her boyfriend back and ultimately became more judgmental when she got skinnier, although she did it through watching what she ate and exercise which was awesome), although the model's story line was haunting. I think I liked the boxer's the best, though.
This one starts off with a Leon-centric story. In the line of duty, his partner is killed by his childhood friend, and Leon can't shake off the feelings of helplessness and anger that he wasn't able to do anything to stop it, but also the guilt that he feels more guilty over his childhood friend's death than his partner's. D, attempting to help (probably), gives Leon an animal. This time, a butterfly. Anyone familiar with the Butterfly Effect will have an idea of how this goes. Leon begins to dream about his past (which, interestingly, the first flashback ends with Leon lamenting that he wasn't able to tell Harry how he felt, which may be a slight nod to the fact that Leon is probably bi), with each flashback having Leon change something. Each time he 'wakes' up, something in his life has changed — his partner isn't dead, he doesn't have a brother, he's not a cop, he's the one in Harry's place. At the end of the story, things revert to how they were, and the reader is told that Harry, rather than shooting Leon, killed himself while Leon watched, unable to do anything.
The next story introduces D's sister, who has no name beyond "daughter" and "little sister." Their father —who you see from the nose down in a flashback with the sister, and whom we already know D has a tense relationship with given the events of Diamande in volume 3 — has raised her to be able to provide D with whatever he may need to keep him alive. When D tells her he doesn't need anything, her entire purpose is shattered and she attacks, only to be killed by the animals in D's defense. This shakes D, who had not known of her existence prior to her arrival (although, in another volume, D makes mention of a sister, so potentially a continuity error, or a mistranslation).
The third story has to do with an assassin who holes up in D's shop while on the run. This particular story shows D appealing to the assassin's humanity and human desires, rather than the animal-like instincts that he's capitalized on in the past.
The last story is three customers in one, but the theme is consistent: dieting. It's an interesting story, although I'm not fond of the message in Em's story line (she wanted to lose weight to get her boyfriend back and ultimately became more judgmental when she got skinnier, although she did it through watching what she ate and exercise which was awesome), although the model's story line was haunting. I think I liked the boxer's the best, though.
January 17, 2020
A tragic reunion with an old friend causes Leon Orcot to regret and rethink some of the choices he’s made during his life. Under Count D’s attentive eye, he gets a chance to relive them. A missing baboon, a heart transplant, and a long-lost sister put not only Leon Orcot, but Count D himself at the mercy of the exotic creatures whose predestined role brings bitter (and not so bitter) results. A mysterious child assassin finds himself wandering into D’s shop, ready to take the Count and Chris hostage, only he gets more than he bargained for, including a second chance. Too many people are trying to lose weight in the final story and turning to Count D for help with varying levels of satisfaction. These are the four stories include in the seventh volume of a series about a mysterious pet shop in Chinatown, its equally mysterious proprietor, and the police officer whose life is becoming increasingly tangled with both.
Once again, D reveals his partiality to Leon when he interferes in a dark fate Leon chose for himself in the first story, a fate he’d normally allow to play out. I didn’t get quite so absorbed in the second story, although it showed a manipulative hand in the shadows behind D himself, one which has interfered in D’s life before. It suggested an adversity or at least a game that’s being played out between father and son in the shadows. The third was perhaps one of the most beautiful stories in the series, showing the vulnerability and seductive menace of the Count, the sweetness of Chris, the knowledge of Jill, along with the lost innocence and anger of a young assassin who mirrors the Count, yet is overshadowed by him. The last story was a return to the classic theme of be careful what you wish for, meeting a pet, and the consequences of that meeting. There was some seriously elegant horror in the final story, juxtaposed with the upbeat themes of learning to help one’s self, linked by the common thread of change. All in all, this was another complex, varied, and strikingly attractive volume in a unique, interesting series, staying true to its overall theme and mood. For these qualities, I give this four stars.
Once again, D reveals his partiality to Leon when he interferes in a dark fate Leon chose for himself in the first story, a fate he’d normally allow to play out. I didn’t get quite so absorbed in the second story, although it showed a manipulative hand in the shadows behind D himself, one which has interfered in D’s life before. It suggested an adversity or at least a game that’s being played out between father and son in the shadows. The third was perhaps one of the most beautiful stories in the series, showing the vulnerability and seductive menace of the Count, the sweetness of Chris, the knowledge of Jill, along with the lost innocence and anger of a young assassin who mirrors the Count, yet is overshadowed by him. The last story was a return to the classic theme of be careful what you wish for, meeting a pet, and the consequences of that meeting. There was some seriously elegant horror in the final story, juxtaposed with the upbeat themes of learning to help one’s self, linked by the common thread of change. All in all, this was another complex, varied, and strikingly attractive volume in a unique, interesting series, staying true to its overall theme and mood. For these qualities, I give this four stars.
September 13, 2025
Aaaaaand, we are back to the twisted storylines.
Some interesting, and disturbing, ideas in this one (chapter 2: Donor was a weird one), but I think chapter 4: Diet was really good. It was dark, twisted, and had some very compelling characters. I liked Dorothy and the parakeet in this one, but less in the models (at first). The three-fold tale was masterful storytelling and the ending was chilling.
On a completely separate note, Leon's and D's stories are always so compelling. You see glimpses into their pasts, or different sides to them, which really flesh out the characters and make them so much more interesting.
Some interesting, and disturbing, ideas in this one (chapter 2: Donor was a weird one), but I think chapter 4: Diet was really good. It was dark, twisted, and had some very compelling characters. I liked Dorothy and the parakeet in this one, but less in the models (at first). The three-fold tale was masterful storytelling and the ending was chilling.
On a completely separate note, Leon's and D's stories are always so compelling. You see glimpses into their pasts, or different sides to them, which really flesh out the characters and make them so much more interesting.
April 5, 2026
I swear the new translation made the first few volumes so much gayer than the scanlation translation. Read the new collector's edition if you can.
Pet Shop of Horrors Review
5/5 stars
This will be a spoiler free review. Onto the review!
I'm so glad that the library I work at started ordering the new collector’s editions of this series. This is a new favorite manga for me. I had so much fun with it.
This is sort of a supernatural mystery series following two characters. The first is the detective Leon. He's from LA. He’s your typical American cop. And then there’s this gay Chinese pet shop owner who may or may not be involved with the mysteries.
The pet shop owner sells both regular pets as well as exotic pets, and sometimes the owners of the exotic pets don't follow their specific instructions and end up hurt by the pets. The exotic pets are all mythical beings from various parts of the world.
Leon thinks this guy might be involved or responsible for things that keep happening, so he follows this guy around and keeps hanging out at his pet shop.
The best way I can explain this series is that it's basically one of those series where it explores a different theme each chapter. These themes are sometimes a bit heavy, so watch out for some heavier themes at times. For example, there’s one chapter where a trans woman is killed and Leon has to figure out why, and surprisingly literally no one, it has something to do with her being trans. The blatant transphobia that led to the murder is handled with so much respect and love to her and her identity, which I really appreciated seeing, since so few stories take the time to do that.
And this is just one example of how a mystery might go. There are a lot of sensitive topics in this, none of which I felt were trivialized or glossed over. What I really liked about this series is the way it handled talking about all these nuanced themes, and how it balanced that against the character work the mangaka did with Leon and the pet shop owner. There is actually a reason I mentioned that he’s gay earlier besides just being a random fact about him. Leon has to unlearn a lot of unconscious bias in this series, and I really enjoyed seeing that journey. It's not explicitly stated to us what's happening with his character development, which I think is brilliant. It does a lot of showing vs telling, and wow was it done so well.
Partway through the series, Leon ends up having to raise his kid brother due to something that happens in his brother’s life that makes it hard for his parents to take care of him. The pet shop owner immediately steps up to help him raise his brother when he's busy with his work as a detective. I thought Leon and the pet shop owner just had a funny quirky dynamic together before this, but as soon as they were raising a kid together, I immediately knew I think we’re supposed to ship them. And ship them I did. I just wish Leon was less of an oblivious idiot lol
I can’t say anything else cause spoilers. But I want to. I wish I knew someone else who has read this. I have so much I need to word vomit about this series. I'm trying to get one of my friends into it. Help. I am obsessed with these two idiots.
So this series is actually a couple different series. The main series is just called Pet Shop of Horrors. Then there are two other series connected to it as well. I recommend reading the Tokyo series second, and then the Ark Adrift series last. That’s how they were written chronologically, and I think that works best. The Tokyo series is still following the same pet shop owner, after the events of the main series. And then Ark Adrift is about someone related to him, set before the main series. I'm unsure if Ark Adrift is still ongoing. The last volume I could find came out in June of 2025, so maybe there will be more? I hope so. It kind of ended weird after volume 3, so I hope there’s more on the way and that’s not the official end of the series.
Once again, I want to reiterate how much I have to say about this that I can't cause spoilers. I need someone else who has read this to word vomit at. I need someone to talk about this with. Someone, anyone, please.
If you haven't read this, do it. I need more people to talk to about this. I literally can't talk about it without spoiling whoever I'm talking to. People please go read this then talk to me. Help. I am obsessed.
I wish they would make a proper anime for this. There was a four episode OVA that got made, but honestly it sucks. The first episode opens with a scene not in the manga at all, in which this random guy we never meet again calls the pet shop owner to complain about something that never comes up again, and proceeds to call him the f slur for seemingly no reason. Why was that necessary to include? It’s rude, it’s not in the manga, and it’s literally a slur. Just no. I sat through the four episodes just to see what an anime might have looked like for this if they’d continued making it, and honestly, I wouldn’t want whoever made the OVA to make the anime. Absolutely the heck not. Slur aside, it kind of sucked.
If in 20 years there is no anime, I will get a bunch of my art friends together to make our own homemade show of it, because I will not stand 20 years of this series not being adapted. Also, I want Keston John to play the pet shop owner. His voice read every line in my head when I read the manga, because I think he would just be perfect to play him. YOU SEE NOW WHY I NEED SOMEONE TO WORD VOMIT ABOUT THIS SERIES AT? help me
Have a nice day/night everyone!
Pet Shop of Horrors Review
5/5 stars
This will be a spoiler free review. Onto the review!
I'm so glad that the library I work at started ordering the new collector’s editions of this series. This is a new favorite manga for me. I had so much fun with it.
This is sort of a supernatural mystery series following two characters. The first is the detective Leon. He's from LA. He’s your typical American cop. And then there’s this gay Chinese pet shop owner who may or may not be involved with the mysteries.
The pet shop owner sells both regular pets as well as exotic pets, and sometimes the owners of the exotic pets don't follow their specific instructions and end up hurt by the pets. The exotic pets are all mythical beings from various parts of the world.
Leon thinks this guy might be involved or responsible for things that keep happening, so he follows this guy around and keeps hanging out at his pet shop.
The best way I can explain this series is that it's basically one of those series where it explores a different theme each chapter. These themes are sometimes a bit heavy, so watch out for some heavier themes at times. For example, there’s one chapter where a trans woman is killed and Leon has to figure out why, and surprisingly literally no one, it has something to do with her being trans. The blatant transphobia that led to the murder is handled with so much respect and love to her and her identity, which I really appreciated seeing, since so few stories take the time to do that.
And this is just one example of how a mystery might go. There are a lot of sensitive topics in this, none of which I felt were trivialized or glossed over. What I really liked about this series is the way it handled talking about all these nuanced themes, and how it balanced that against the character work the mangaka did with Leon and the pet shop owner. There is actually a reason I mentioned that he’s gay earlier besides just being a random fact about him. Leon has to unlearn a lot of unconscious bias in this series, and I really enjoyed seeing that journey. It's not explicitly stated to us what's happening with his character development, which I think is brilliant. It does a lot of showing vs telling, and wow was it done so well.
Partway through the series, Leon ends up having to raise his kid brother due to something that happens in his brother’s life that makes it hard for his parents to take care of him. The pet shop owner immediately steps up to help him raise his brother when he's busy with his work as a detective. I thought Leon and the pet shop owner just had a funny quirky dynamic together before this, but as soon as they were raising a kid together, I immediately knew I think we’re supposed to ship them. And ship them I did. I just wish Leon was less of an oblivious idiot lol
I can’t say anything else cause spoilers. But I want to. I wish I knew someone else who has read this. I have so much I need to word vomit about this series. I'm trying to get one of my friends into it. Help. I am obsessed with these two idiots.
So this series is actually a couple different series. The main series is just called Pet Shop of Horrors. Then there are two other series connected to it as well. I recommend reading the Tokyo series second, and then the Ark Adrift series last. That’s how they were written chronologically, and I think that works best. The Tokyo series is still following the same pet shop owner, after the events of the main series. And then Ark Adrift is about someone related to him, set before the main series. I'm unsure if Ark Adrift is still ongoing. The last volume I could find came out in June of 2025, so maybe there will be more? I hope so. It kind of ended weird after volume 3, so I hope there’s more on the way and that’s not the official end of the series.
Once again, I want to reiterate how much I have to say about this that I can't cause spoilers. I need someone else who has read this to word vomit at. I need someone to talk about this with. Someone, anyone, please.
If you haven't read this, do it. I need more people to talk to about this. I literally can't talk about it without spoiling whoever I'm talking to. People please go read this then talk to me. Help. I am obsessed.
I wish they would make a proper anime for this. There was a four episode OVA that got made, but honestly it sucks. The first episode opens with a scene not in the manga at all, in which this random guy we never meet again calls the pet shop owner to complain about something that never comes up again, and proceeds to call him the f slur for seemingly no reason. Why was that necessary to include? It’s rude, it’s not in the manga, and it’s literally a slur. Just no. I sat through the four episodes just to see what an anime might have looked like for this if they’d continued making it, and honestly, I wouldn’t want whoever made the OVA to make the anime. Absolutely the heck not. Slur aside, it kind of sucked.
If in 20 years there is no anime, I will get a bunch of my art friends together to make our own homemade show of it, because I will not stand 20 years of this series not being adapted. Also, I want Keston John to play the pet shop owner. His voice read every line in my head when I read the manga, because I think he would just be perfect to play him. YOU SEE NOW WHY I NEED SOMEONE TO WORD VOMIT ABOUT THIS SERIES AT? help me
Have a nice day/night everyone!
March 2, 2018
LOVE this series!
January 6, 2020
Wow! Great volume!
June 15, 2020
Creepy, unsettling and a ton of fun. Exactly the reason I pick up this manga, although it’s becoming super hard to find.
January 28, 2024
La reflexión sobre el hambre y las dietas de los humanos fue muy interesante,nunca lo había pensado así.
November 16, 2024
Uno de mis volúmenes favoritos con diferencia.
June 8, 2025
#2025
August 23, 2019
The book is definitely great.
September 23, 2016
Pet Shop of Horrors can be a hit more miss, but this one was definitely a hit. Time travel with Leon, family secrets with Count D (more backstory! Kind of!), and some good old fashioned Pet Shop stories as well.
September 18, 2020
Yeah, the "that didn't age well" is pretty strong with this volume. Especially the chapters "Donor" and "Diet".
January 25, 2016
Decided to pick up one of these again. Unfortunately, the exotic pets seem almost like an after-thought in this selection of stories.
March 9, 2014
Must buy the rest of these books now, if I can still find them.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews