A Love Letter For The Marching Puppy is a yuri manga by Tama Tamasaki. It was serialized in Comic Yuri Hime from 2018 to 2020.
It takes place in early 20th century Japan, in an Alternate History in which women serve in the military. Shinobu Iindou, an orphaned girl from the countryside, enlists in a military academy and ends up under the wing of Fujino Kagami, a strict but at-times kind older student. While the two don't get along at first, a bond slowly but surely develops between them.
This series contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Kagami's mother is emotionally abusive to her, regularly belittling her. She blames her for Iindou's mother's death, and tries to separate the two.
- Alternate History: In this setting, women are allowed to serve in the army.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Iindou asks Kagami one in Chapter 24.Iindou: Why are you letting this guilt weigh on you? You said it yourself, we aren't our mothers. Or have you already forgotten?
- The Atoner: Kagami feels responsible for inadvertently causing Iindou's mother's death and looks after her as penance for it.
- Blind Obedience: One of the main precepts of military life, expressed in Article III of the Student Guidelines. Iindou gets a tongue-lashing when she politely asks why Kagami was removed as her model student.
- Blunt "Yes": In Chapter 26, a young Fujino Kagami asks her mother if she's responsible for Chiyo Iindou's death by virtue of Chiyo finding Fujino when the latter wandered onto the training grounds and getting promoted as a result of the newspaper article about her, leading to Chiyo receiving the assignment that resulted in her death. Her mother says yes.
- Broken Pedestal: Iindou loses a great deal of faith in her Honorary Aunt, Kagami's mother, after finding out that the latter was responsible for trying to separate her from Kagami, and may not have been as fond of Iindou's mother as Iindou previously thought.
- Country Mouse: Iindou is from the countryside, and feels a bit out of place in the military academy at first.
- Cruel to Be Kind: When Aisen becomes depressed after learning that the major she admired got married, Hasebe doesn't comfort her, but gives her a Quit Your Whining speech instead. Inaishi calls her out on being so harsh and says that's why no one likes her, but Hasebe stands by her decision.
- Distant Finale: The last few pages of the final chapter take place years after the cadets graduate and enter the military. Iindou is now a Lieutenant and Kagami is a Lieutenant Colonel; Kagami wakes her up, informs her they've been assigned together and the two kiss.
- First-Name Basis: Iindou asks if she can call Aisen by her first name, Miharu. Aisen seems to be fine with that but doesn't reciprocate.
- Hates Their Parent: Kagami has no problem admitting to Iindou that she hates her own mother, especially after her mother apparently pulls strings to remove her as Iindou's model student. Kagami says that in the past, she'd tried to meet her mother halfway, but now, she's fine with their rather cold relationship.
- Holding Hands: Kagami and Iindou briefly engage in this at the end of Chapter 22, showing that even if their senpai/kohai relationship has been severed, they're still close, perhaps closer than before.
- Honorary Aunt: Kagami's mother was apparently an old friend of Iindou's mother who helped Iindou after the latter lost her parents, resulting in Iindou calling her "Auntie."
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: The chapters are titled, "Letters."
- Last-Name Basis: As expected from a military setting, most characters use last names most of the time.
- Mildly Military: Downplayed. The cadets don't get away with anything too outrageous, but discipline is relatively lax by the standards of the time. When Iindou politely asks why Kagami was removed as her model student, she gets a stern rebuke, instead of the much more severe punishment she might expect for questioning orders.
- Military Academy: The series is set in one.
- Quit Your Whining: Hasebe to Aisen after the latter learns that the major she admired is getting married. She grabs Aisen by the shirt and forces her to remember why she started at the academy in the first place.
- Relationship Upgrade: Indou and Kagami kiss at the end of the penultimate chapter. It's unclear how close they end up being considering that this is an Alternate History of Japan in the 20th century and that they still refer to each other by their surnames in the Distant Finale (at least on duty), but it's clear that their relationship has turned romantic.
- Stern Teacher: Suzuka, the school supervisor, is incredibly strict about discipline and comes down hard on Iindou for her mistakes but isn't mean enough to qualify for a Sadist Teacher.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Kagami is rather cold and strict for the most part, but occasionally shows affection to Iindou.
- Take Off Your Clothes: Kagami's first order to the new cadets is to disrobe so she can teach them how to put on the military academy uniform. Iindou is a bit annoyed that Kagami didn't explain herself first.
- That Came Out Wrong: When Iindou and the others first arrive at the academy and meet Kagami, she demands that they take off their clothes... so she can teach them how to put on the uniform. Unusually for this trope, Kagami isn't in the least embarrassed by what she ended up inadvertently implying.
- Tragic Keepsake: Kagami's ribbon came from Iindou's mother, who gave it to her the last time they saw each other.
- Wham Episode: Letter 20 ends with Iindou learning that Kagami will no longer be her model student, which shakes up the status quo and leads to the confrontation with Kagami's mother in the climax of the series.
- Wham Line: At the end of Letter 20, Ooba gives one to Iindou.Ooba: I know this is really sudden, and I suppose you'll be told formally later, but Kagami has been removed from her role as your model student.
- Why Are You Not My Son?: Kagami's mother is rather kind to Iindou, but cold and harsh toward her own daughter.
- Wild Hair: When Indou is living in poverty, her hair is long, unkempt and covers both her eyes.
