This manga is probably the widest read of those I've tried to introduce to friends. :) Seemed the most acceptable to both guys and gals, though some thought it was a bit too weird-ish. We've had debates on Count D, the main character, and whether he's ultimately good or evil. There seems to be some morals somewhere but you get a bit lost on whether it's kangaroo court or real justice.

The episodic nature of this series makes it easy to start just about any volume, as long as you get the basic idea that Count D sells strange pets that have special/strange/eerie/supernatural/dangerous qualities. These pets may also take on human form in some people's perceptions as well. They can be beautiful, scary and powerful. Some are animals from myths, such as the kirin.

The first stories are actually a different format from the latter stories, especially when it gets to the new "Tokyo" series. The stories range from "huh? What was that about?" to "oh, that was cool". Some are quite intriguing and the pets' qualities are usually surprising, shocking or horrifying. There are some stories which seem to have some morals as well, or lessons to be learnt. The underlying story of Count D and his dad, and grandad and where they come from, who/what they are (and their motivations), is given an ending too as the story wraps up in the original series, but somehow it wasn't as satisfying as I was hoping it would be.

Anime and Tokyo Series

Four of the original stories were made into an anime, which weren't bad overall. And after the first 14 volumes were completed, the artist started another set based on the same Count D but set in Chinatown, Tokyo instead of Chinatown, USA. I guess it was just so popular that she decided to go back to the same formula.

My Rating:
Story: B (it ranges actually)
Art: C, the art is not that great and "clean" and there are no bishis. :)
Recommended? Interesting premise and some stories are better than others. Easy to pick up at any volume and perhaps reading a few volumes would give a better idea of the series than jus one or two stories.