"They say wolf is a creature that won't feel lonely even if it's alone."

Warm, touching and full of heart. Something that makes you cry tears of happiness. It's not often you find a gem like that among the forest of generic romance stories which many times feature incapable protagonists, shallow and frustrating relationships and endless cycle of misunderstandings as a plot device, but with this manga I was left with feelings so sanguine it almost hurts. Hereby presenting: Bambi to Dhole.

*A spoiler free review*

"Are wolves scary?"

Bambi to Dhole is the more serious, down-to-earth type of story. It's like a love child of Bitter Virgin and Taiyou no Ie - both worth a read - incorporating many of their key elements: characters who feel like they don't belong, family issues and taboo-worthy secrets with the strong backdrop of romance. There's sadness and hope, likeable and believable characters and tiny amount of candyfloss all woven together beautifully. While not rid of some typical shoujo romance tropes, it's quite self-aware and manages to keep its paws on the ground delivering us something that tastes like real life.

"Who is the wolf now?"

The characters are what really made this story for me. I love gals and guys who act tough and consider themselves misfits without really trusting anyone around them. In here we have the adorable, two-faced Fawn who hides herself behind the perfect girl act and the bit of a bad boy Wolf who shows indifferent face to cope with his life. Together they clash, spark and start to mature from their one-dimensional views of themselves and the people around them.

The main leads had good chemistry and felt realistic down to their thoughts and actions. Their relationship with each other was the hide and their relationship with others the fur of the story. I liked how people were shown in their best, in their worst and in between. Being relatively short, the story didn't have time to fully explore all the relations presented, but I felt that all the characters got a good conclusion.

"They say wolf is a cruel and lonely creature but the truth is that it cares a lot about it's family."

Seemingly generic, Bambi to Dhole somehow manages to tackle expectations. With its good pacing, wistful and beautiful tone and sensible manner to treat its characters and their issues it creates a well-balanced story about love in it's different forms. Accompanied with fitting, simple and fluid art and a good comic timing it's a total sleeper among other shoujo romance stories. Recommendable to everyone in need of something warmhearted, moving and relatable.

Oh, and the last panels are something that would leave even the hungriest wolf satisfied.

TL;DR
Bambi to Dhole is a coherent story distinguishing itself from most shoujo romances and succeeding in its depiction of how different types of relationships can form and change. A nice mix of drama, romance and great character development will leave you blissful and wanting for more.