So I read this series up till chapter 77 when it first came out then put it on hold due to slow pacing. That was YEARS ago. Now got back to it as of the posting of this review and...
21 unread chapters? Averaging 16 pages each? In a MONTHLY manga series? Hell no wonder I stopped reading it. Okay so there's lot's of decent fight scenes and the story overall is above average; but gorram dat pacing son. I could never understand monthly manga that produces the same number of pages per chapter as a weekly series yet shows no superior art quality or any other reason to explain why it takes a month for the mangaka to produce it. Are these mangakas part-timers? Have some illness that prevents them from working at a faster pace? Just lazy?

I just don't get it. I'll probably put this on hold again once I fully catch up with the current chapter and happily forget it even exists until my current reading list hits a dry spell aga-holy crap did that latest chapter seriously have only 12 pages to it?! Bullshit. Definitely putting this back on hold for another half decade or so.

... Last updated on January 16th, 2015, 6:53am

I cannot say much about the story yet but it is a fun read so far.
First impressions:
- lots of parallel plot lines that will, somehow, connect eventually
- very dark setting, underground world (both metaphorically and literally)
- at times tiny bits of a film-noirish taste to it
...all of which are good ingredients to make some superb gangster movie.

At the same time there are things which just suck. For example, the names are lame beyond believe. Also art, actually more the overstyledness of the characters, is questionable. One could get used to that; it seems to be a very Japanese thing (anime-/mangaesque so to say). A thing that, for me, is a bit harder to get used to, is the pace of the manga. There is really something wrong with the action-per-panel-ratio here. Quite often, it feels like a few panels are missing. This goes beyond "just fast" - at times, it is a pain to follow the story. Seriously, I think this would work much much better as an anime.

Actually the prequel made me read this one. Read the prequel!

Looking through a few of the reviews, I'm a little surprised Dogs has so much negative feedback. Since I've been reading it for about five years at this point, I'll try my hand at a review to point out a few key things:

First: Dogs is not for everyone. Seriously. It tells its story the way it wants to and doesn't really give two craps about how much you can understand. Madness is a key aspect of the story with the main character suffering from fits of mania from time to time, and much of his dark past is given in glimpses of disturbing things he experiences during those fits. Fortunately, he's the only main character who experiences these, so all the other characters and plots are not as hard to follow at all. Unfortunately, a huge chunk of the story has to do with him and his dark past, so most of what you really need to know to understand the main story has a lot to do with his complicated, mania-inducing past. If you're thrown off by his fits, don't worry, you're supposed to be. But key plot points are often presented in pieces, and it's really the reader's job to put them together because Miwa does not do that for you. And his characters aren't spelling things out for anyone when they've pieced it together themselves, so don't expect to take the lazy route there either.

However, with that said comes the second point.

Second: Dogs is NOT inaccessible. It may jump around a lot, take whatever liberty it pleases with storytelling, and in general do whatever it wants, but anyone who cares even a little to try and understand should be perfectly able to do it. It doesn't spell the plot out for you, but it gives you all the tools to do it yourself. Whether or not a reader has to go back a few chapters before remembering that important plot point depends on the reader. The only reason I think I have to do that is because Dogs is a monthly release, and I'll often forget what was happening in the last chapter by the time a new one is released. Sometimes, I get busy and may not read a chapter for longer than that and that makes it worse. Heck, 80% of the time Miwa's opening an entirely new plot with characters we've never seen before, so it gets even more confusing. But anyone reading the story straight through with each chapter back to back should be totally fine. Even just having a better memory than readers like me will probably make all the difference there.

Point being that anyone just casually strolling through looking for an easy read will miss a lot of important things, hit a chapter that makes no sense, and have a huge What Is Going On moment, but anyone who takes the time and doesn't underestimate the details of this story should be able to understand and even enjoy it. It's got an array of really complex characters with complicated pasts, and it all comes down to it all being connected somehow with everyone figuring out just how. We're given entirely different stories, and it's all about watching every different thread come together to form a really complex, but remarkably tightly-woven storyline. It feels like a lot of planning went into Dogs and Miwa hasn't even revealed the tip of the iceberg yet, so that’s really half the fun.

At the end of the day, Dogs has a lot to offer if you're willing to put in the effort. I mean, I still read it after a rough day as a great way to chill out, so it's not a chore in any way, shape, or form, but if you're looking for brain-mush material, it's definitely not that either. You either rise to meet his manga or fall off to the wayside, but Miwa doesn’t go out of his way to help you. He just does what he does and you either latch onto it or you don’t. I recommend it to anyone who likes a manga that has a little more to offer though because, for those who do latch on, it’s a great read all the way through.

... Last updated on July 9th, 2012, 10:51pm

I really love that manga! I love the art, it is somehow unusual to what we see in common. Maybe because I've read the prequel before, I didn't find the story messy and the background really don't bother me. In fact, I kinda like the idea of a city underground with lower strata wich are mysterious. The characters are interesting, but some of them are a little bit difficult to really like, since they don't have a lot of expressions.

Despite all of the bad reviews Dogs: Bullets and Carnage receives, I can honestly say that this is really one of my top favorite manga. I've re-read the series six times already and I still can't get over how amazing it really is.

A lot of people say the art is bad and empty, but I think that the simplicity of it is what makes it so beautiful. The roughly drawn lines and empty white spaces really gives off a cold vibe, which perfectly fits for the story. Different plots call for different art styles, whether people think the art is bad, as long as it does the story justice, it works just fine (Beelzebub, or Gintama, for example, both have ugly art, but the art fits perfectly for their stories). The lack of extreme detail makes you focus on everything as a whole and the real beauty of the style is not the pretty people or backgrounds, but the strong expressions on their faces and their body language.

The main problem Dogs has is the massive amount of dialogue, and my best guess is that most of the people saying that the story line is bad is because they skimmed over all the dialogue without reading it word for word. Reading it the first time through, I certainly was confused by the story, but after reading it again and again, I realized that I missed a lot of things because I unconsciously skipped over important dialogue.
One of the many beauties of the story is how everyone's fate seems to be so intertwined. All of them started out on separate paths, but eventually end up meeting together. The characters have depth and personality, all have their own problems to deal with and painful pasts. The story is not about all of the fights or experiments, but about coming into terms with the truth, searching for something to protect, and overcoming the burdens held within each characters' heart.

this manga is one of the longest unread manga that sits idly by in my HDD. simply because the opening chapter isn't so appealing. i mean, the art, even though has specific air about them, fail to deliver 'why this manga is nice for you.' too spaced, too messy.

however, after a single volume, its charm starts to unveil. bits of information that're given by already not-so-frequent dialog bubbles adds up and we can start to guess what is this manga about. also, at that point we realized that that story is meant to be hidden. "nice planning," I thought. but only giving bits so that readers can guess the story themselves is a bit challenging, shooing people who demand clarity from the very beginning.

'An exciting manga and with signature art,' is Dogs. if only the mangaka consistent with his approach (the flashback at 3rd volume is a let down, he gives readers well structured story that ALREADY guessable!) i would give this one higher rating.

There's a possibility it might just be me but I have no idea whats going on in the story, I love the art and some bits are amazing but I just have no idea whats actually happening. I just cant seem to get the plot. But Dogs, was really good.

I love this manga. It's exciting, keeps my interest, and I like the characters. I don't really do reviews, so I will just leave it at that. I have to say though, I'm surprised that many people on here are criticizing the artwork. I think the art is very unique and neat to look at... Sure, there may not be as many details, but that doesn't bother me. I like the style.
Every one is different though. If you haven't read it already, at least give it a try.

It's mysterious, cool, and it has wonderful art. I don't really mind about the backgrounds; I never pay attention anyways.The story isn't straightforward and you have to use your brain a little. It's not very easy to understand, like you could skim it without reading anything and get the point. But it's not too hard to understand, and some old characters reappear, so it's not so that there's fifty new characters every chapter (don't get me wrong; there are new characters at times, but not so that there's so many it's hard to keep track of). Of course, I wholeheartedly recommend this manga. It's not very light and an easy read, though.
(And plus, I love Giovanni. Just because.)

... Last updated on February 26th, 2011, 2:47pm

This manga is simply amazing, I don't understand why some people are complaining so much. The plot is very interesting, maybe is not easy to follow because is complex and intelligent, the art is breathtaking, exquisite and with its own style, the diagramation is different and interesting. I strongly recommend the whole series, you won't be disappointed.