Kara Dennison
January 9, 2025 
When you think of romance manga, you likely imagine a lovelorn heroine in her teens. Maybe a shy girl who’s never had a crush, or an outspoken girl who doesn’t need to date but finds herself unexpectedly in love. In Kaori Ozaki’s Dogs and Punching Bags, however, our heroine is in her mid-thirties. And it’s safe to say that her growing closeness with love interest Chimaki isn’t her first romantic experience.
First released in 2022, the two-volume manga goes on sale this month in a single book. We’re taking an early look to meet the characters and unravel the complex romance at the core of this story.
The Story
As Dogs and Punching Bags begins, 34-year-old Nichiko returns to the tiny island where she grew up. Her estranged alcoholic father doesn’t have long left to live and, for reasons that become clear later, she wants to be there. But there’s more to her escape from Tokyo than family commitments—things she would prefer not to talk about with her gregarious neighbors.
One of those neighbors is Chimaki, a cheerful young man in his twenties. He’s friendly, eager to help, and almost puppy-like in his devotion. In fact, he reminds Nichiko of her childhood dog, Hachimaki—right down to a similar mark on their faces. Whether Chimaki really is Hachmaki reincarnated notwithstanding, the two find companionship as they attempt to put their respective pasts behind them.
The Secrets
Under the main romance of Dogs and Punching Bags is a pair of unfortunate secrets weighing down our two leads. As Nichiko’s birthday approaches, she continues to get letters from someone in her life whom she left behind. She’s still on the fence about whether to let this person back in, but news travels fast in a small town. So even though she’s playing things close to the chest, news of her activities back in Tokyo do come back to haunt her.
And speaking of being haunted, Chimaki has ghosts of his own. An innocent mistake from his childhood has cast a pall over his family and left many in town questioning whether he’s a safe person. That one childish mistake explains much of his kindness, as he attempts to pay off his “debt.”
Why It Works
On its surface, Dogs and Punching Bags is a simple love story. But Nichiko and Chimaki’s many problems—both childhood and more current—color how they interact with each other. Only when they’ve both come to terms with what haunts them can they be honest about their feelings for each other. Woven through their story is a secondary teen romance, much simpler and more innocent by comparison.
It’s a story that wraps up nicely in eleven chapters. The characters on this little island are alive with hopes, dreams, and fears. Even the most background of characters are unique and recognizable. Combined with lovely artwork and passionate storytelling, this is a love story you’ll want for keeps on your manga shelf.
