While I was a bit leery of the premise, this manga managed to exceed all of my (admittedly low) expectations and ended up being a really cute and fun adventure romp.
Although the name "Pochi" is more of a pet name than anything, Kuro never treats Pochi as anything except an equal, even when they couldn't communicate with each other at all. (Kuro's just really, really bad at names, apparently.) In fact, his willingness to refer to her by name, even if it's a name he thought up, actually turned out to make a nice contrast to all the villains who just viewed Pochi as food or a means to an end. Kuro genuinely likes and respects Pochi, and it really comes through with how he treats her. His single-minded determination to get Pochi back home (even with the knowledge that he'll probably never see her again) is super sweet, and I found myself rooting for them almost before I knew it.
Add in a cast of really weirdly delightful creatures, like a frankenstein cat, a talking apple, and a cobra (anti?)hero, and you get a really fun, campy adventure. Even with all the strangeness, the world designs are very cohesive and adds a lot to the overall cheesy fun atmosphere of the manga.
The only negative is that a lot of side characters (particularly the royal family members) seemed to have a lot of backstory planned that was skipped/glossed over, probably due to an impending ax. (Though for all that, the ending didn't feel as rushed as I expected, and I personally enjoyed it.)
I also would have liked it if
Kuro and Pochi actually had an opportunity to have an actual conversation with one another, particularly in the epilogue. Oh, and I wanted to know Pochi's real name too.
Though that's ultimately a small criticism in the grand scheme of things.
TLDR; It isn't high art, but it's a great fun diversion on a rainy day. Definitely recommended if you want a cheesy shounen adventure with a nice little romance on the side.