Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector's Edition Vol. 1

Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector's Edition #1

by Matsuri Akino

The cult hit classic returns in a beautiful new Collector's Edition with an all-new translation!

In the depths of Chinatown lies a curious pet shop. There, it's said you can find any animal you desire, no matter how fantastical...or dangerous. The city is plagued with strange accidents, and somehow, pets from that shop always seem to be involved. Detective Leon Orcot is determined to pin the blame on Count D, the shop's caretaker. But the beautiful man is just as enigmatic as his pets--and he certainly isn't talking.

Don't miss this all-new translation of the cult classic!

Genres: Manga, Horror, Fantasy, Josei, Comics, Graphic Novels, Supernatural

304 pages, Paperback

Published February 4, 2025

About the author

Matsuri 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.

Reviews

[任煦涵 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a manga series that hits me with the same feelings as Phantom Tales of the Night.. I loved it a lot, I’m so glad they’re reprinting this series.

Also, the quality of the physical copy was on par with danmei. It had the same feeling but backwards.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this volume. I loved each chapter having a mysterious pet horror story. Will continue.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

At long last, I am able to relive Petshop of Horrors and hold it in my hands once more... and in a fancy collector's edition! New translation, enlarged and enhanced art to admire... All that's missing is full color illustrations, but I will take what I can get for this wonderful series.

Pet Shop of Horrors is, as the title suggests, a horror manga centering around a pet shop. Count D sells pets and dreams, and all you have to do is abide by the contract. Otherwise, he's not responsible for what happens. Needless to say, people inevitably break one or more rules, and that's when the fun begins.

Not every story is horrific, and the horror is more psychological than slasher. Some end badly, some end well. All are delightfully weird.

Highly recommend this classic!

[Dan P · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's old is new again! My high school friends and I read this series and traded the volumes back and forth when it was published by Tokyopop during the first American manga boom. Glad to have it back in print and rediscover how fun and creepy and queer it is. No wonder it was in such high demand with the theater kids AND the goth kids

[marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of this volume consists of episodic stories focused on the various customers of the pet shop. While you can tell how each one is going to unfold right from the start, they're still enjoyable. That said, it's not until the story shifts gears to focus on Count D and Orcot that I started feeling invested. They have such a fun dynamic together! Worth a read just for them alone.

[crowsden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is yaoi shipping first, horror vignettes second kinda book. The chapters are pretty hit or miss, but who doesn't love a beautiful reprint of 90s nostalgia, orientalist yaoi from time to time.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what to make of this. I would read more.

[Kaden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pet Shop of Horrors is one of my favourite manga so to find out they were rereleasing it as a collector's edition series with an updated translation I jumped at it.
The first volume is a fantastically compelling introduction to the series, especially to Count D as a character. Count D is still, to this day, one of the best manga characters. He's beautiful, alluring, sinister, unnerving, so many different things, many of which contradict. I adore how it's difficult to pinpoint the sort of person he is, his motives, his ideals.

D's distaste for humanity is displayed pretty quickly in the first volume and it weaves the stories together beautifully. The humanisation of the animals is a genius concept, it not only shows the often terrifying aspects of the natural world in an even more jarring context but it also forces the reader to see certain behaviours from a perspective many don't tend to consider. Pet Shop of Horrors has a brilliantly intelligent way of displaying the consequences of human action, people have the habit of taking animals and nature for granted or used them for vanity's sake and it has historically led to various tragedies and this is something this manga reflects.

I have often described Pet Shop of Horrors as a gothic masterpiece and one of the best horror manga of all time and I honestly stand by that. I will also admir that I've always been weak at the knees for its approach to the homoerticism that gothic media has often contained as well as the magnificently beautiful Count D. It's a delight to be able to own a collector's edition of this work of art.

[Allison Schilling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite being into manga since the very early 2000s, I managed to miss this series the first time around. I first heard about it when Seven Seas announced the Collector’s Edition on Twitter, and I picked it up once I saw it at Barnes and Noble. As a young anime snob, I may have made the mistake of avoiding it back in the day due to the visuals. The art likely isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but now I think the very retro style is charming and I enjoyed this first volume quite a bit.

The first chapter is my favorite of the book; I often find myself wishing the series was more horror oriented like the title implies, but I think the reveal in the first chapter was just what I was looking for and hooked me for the rest of the series.

The mysterious Count D is also a great hook. (I’ll be honest, though: he’s very much the “magical Chinaman” stereotype of old and is not particularly PC for modern times.) He’s beautiful, elusive, funny, charming… he reminds me quite a bit of Yumichika Ayasegawa from Bleach (at least visually), my favorite character. His relationship with streetwise American detective Leon is also delightful to watch. (Unlike the Chinese stereotype, I find Japanese stereotypes of Americans hilarious and Leon’s a perfect example of why. Hard-headed, a little dumb, loves burgers. Perfection.)

Though I wish the story leaned more into the horror elements, the occasional shock is still delightful, and I find myself chomping at the bit for more of D and Leon’s interactions. I’ve been following the releases happily!

[Jessica Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in the days of the early 2000’s, BL was hard to come by. In fact, we called it yaoi and it really only came in two categories: self indulgent hot times with little to no plot, or blink and you’d miss it glances between the characters while other things were happening. It didn’t matter what it was, but at the time, I devoured everything I could get my hands on and it led to me finding some truly interesting gems. Manga with truly queer characters was few and far between and actual anime adaptations? You really had to dig! Most of what you could find were short, lower quality and barely longer then a handful of episodes. You were lucky if it had a contained plot - in most cases the anime was simply a ‘best of’ collection, aiming to steer you back to a (hopefully) longer manga series. Petshop of Horrors, Earthian, Tokyo Babylon, Kizuna, all of these series were a tease, hoping you would fall down a rabbit hole and get completely hooked...

Read the full review at Well, Are They? A Queer Review blog:
https://wellarethey.blogspot.com/2025...

[Sebastian Lauterbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming Manga, I like it.

The Manga was published in the 90s and the artwork clearly reflects that. The genre is a strange mix of mystery, supernatural elements and horror. The latter is really gentle though and functions mostly to drive the story forward.

The premise of the Manga is utterly ridiculous and the business practices of the Shop are questionable at best. But the Manga knows this and plays around with concept, as many of these tales end with the punishment of the customer, following a clearly presented lesson. This actually reminds me of Star Trek, even though the gerne's and styles are completely different.

I like the mystery that surrounds the shop and the owner and the subtle overarching story that is brewing in the background with the Detective. There is more to explore here and I'm keen to continue with the next volume(s).

[Sarah AK · Rating 4 out of 5]

The description of this made me think of Gremlins and Little Shop of Horrors, so I knew I simply HAD to read it. Then imagine my surprise (and delight!) when the literal opening lines are pulled right out of Gremlins! YES, PLEASE! Clearly Matsuri Akino appreciates Gremlins as much as I do (though I'm more of a Gremlins 2 girl myself... it is the PINNACLE of batshit insanity). Anyway, I don't really care for this 1995 manga art, but it didn't actually bother me while reading. I was thankfully too distracted by these weird and dark and deep and funny little stories. A pretty solid 3.5 for me, but I'll round up because GREMLINS.

[Bobby Stringini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pet Shop of Horrors is one of my all time favorite manga, and I am so insanely happy to be able to read it again. While the stories generally have a set formula, the way they are told changes enough to keep things interesting. While some stories are outright horror stories, others play more as sweet or funny morality tales. All of them give you a bit of a Twilight Zone style twist. You can also see the story telling becoming stronger as you make your way through the volume.

Seriously, give Pet Shop of Horrors a try. I cannot recommend this series enough.

[Ryofire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, it looks great and reads well! It's nice to come back to this for a reread!

But while this is still a fun story and the art is generally decent, I don't know that I'd stick around for it if I didn't already have fondness for the series on the whole. The writing is a bit choppy and more time is spent on random people than the more interesting relationship, which is D and Leon.

Looking forward to volume 2, though!

[Regina Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Pet Shop of Horrors: Le Passage, this manga reminds me of XXXHolic by Clamp. The shop keeper in particular is reminiscent of Yuko. But, this version of the shop keeper is darker than the shop keeper in Le Passage and Yuko from XXXHolic. The storyline and art are well done, but I really wore at me to know that every single story arc was going to end in some kind of misfortune. I much prefer the less horror based Le Passage.

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was ecstatic to find that they were republishing this manga! It was one of my very first manga and am happy to still own my OG edition! I cannot wait to continue to buy as it comes out.
These are stories that have stuck with my weird little heart for nearly 20 years! 🥰🥰 I'm just so happy!

If you enjoy a proper weirdo of a main character and good horror, this series is for you!

[Laura Naysmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very glad to have see there was a collector’s edition out now. I loved this manga series when it first came out so getting a chance to read them again, legally and without spending a fortune is wonderful. Although, maybe it’s because i bought the kindle version i don’t see what’s so special about this version that makes it “collectors” other than a small section at the back.

[Charlette · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars

I read this series originally back in 2004 when I was in middle school. It's so nostalgic coming back to it. Still love the eerie atmosphere and the sometimes brutal outcomes of some of the stories. Also still love Count D. Excited to continue re-reading this series!

[Rey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insanely happy to reread this again after so many years. I loved it back then and I love it now. If anything I appreciate it even more now for the gem that it is.

[ChelseaFace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly I had no idea what to expect with this. It's like a much more interesting version of xxxholic in my opinion. I loved this! Will be continuing!!🩷🩷🩷

[Say · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE!!!

I can't wait for the other editions. =)

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great thing to have this series back in new edition!

[Lorelei Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this series

I am so glad this is getting re released! Leon and D relationship gives me giggles. I love all the pets, but always follow the rules.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad to have this manga back, and with much, much better translations. It's just as eerie and unsettling as I remember.

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you know how long I’ve been looking for this manga since I first read it a decade ago? Maybe longer?

[Wombo Combo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really strong. Wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did.

[Shep · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this. I love anthologies and I love weird stories so it was perfect. can't wait to get vol 2

[Grayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the different creatures and story's. Plssss tell me the shopkeeper and police officer get together Plssss

[bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can’t wait to read the rest of this amazing series!