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Insert appropriate "give a dog a bone" joke here.
Kuro was just a normal dog who longed to be with a human named Ukyo, so much so that he prayed every night to the moon to allow this to be, even if it meant casting aside his pride of being a dog. Eventually Kuro gets his wish, and not only becomes his beloved Ukyo's pet, but gains the power to speak to him, and even to change his shape into that of a hunky human male. Suffice it to say, Kuro is unable to hide his excitement and quickly escalates things sexually with Ukyo (not that Ukyo puts up that much of a fight), and from that point forward the two slowly begin to learn from each other. Kuro, how to behave as a human in order to be with his lover Ukyo, and Ukyo, dealing with the mixed feelings he has in being together with this studly man who was once (and still is) his pet dog.

Man's Best Friend, part of the Inu Mo Arukeba series is an explicit yaoi manga from the creator of Wild Rock, Kazusa Takashima and is published in English by Blu Manga, the boys' love publishing division of Tokyopop. In addition to the three chapters dedicated to Ukyo and Kuro, there are also two more unrelated stories:

Mata, Natsu ga Kita and Pinpoint Lovers are about Kentaro and Kasumi, who meet each other again after a decade. Kentaro made a promise of waiting for Kasumi to return ten years before, which at the time he thought that Kasumi was a girl.

Kingyo Hime is more similar to Man's Best Friend in that it involves a guy, Keisuke, who rescues a goldfish from some kids, and finds out that the fish transforms into a man to thank him for rescuing him.

Man's Best Friend has absolutely nothing to do with the American horror movie of the same name.


This manga contains examples of:

  • Amusing Injuries: After Ukyo and Kuro get a little too hot and heavy in the park, the next scene shows Ukyo's back absolutely covered in bug bites.
  • Angry Guard Dog: While Kuro is often a big sweetie, he is very protective of Ukyo, as one unfortunate late-night policeman found out.
  • Bestiality Is Depraved: Not the focus of the story as it's supposed to be a semi-romantic tale, but invoked by Ukyo's neighbor who notices the boy is 'way too close' with his dog.
  • Big Friendly Dog: Kuro to Ukyo.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: The policeman who is attacked and has his pants stripped by Kuro, all for yelling at the two for being way too 'friendly' in a public park, since the man was only doing his job.
  • Double Standard: Rape, Male on Male: As much as Kuro loves Ukyo, it's pretty hard to ignore their first 'time together' is when Kuro turns into a human and rapes Ukyo until the latter passes out (and wakes up thinking it was a sexy dream).
    • Later when Kuro jumps a police officer who was yelling at Ukyo, he strips off the policeman's pants all while the poor officer is screaming that he 'doesn't swing that way' assuming Kuro was about to rape him. The whole scene is, of course, played for laughs.
  • Empathic Shapeshifter: Kuro will only shapeshift around Ukyo, and only when he is really happy (or horny).
  • Gay Cowboy: The original cover for Man's Best Friend featured human Kuro naked, wearing a cowboy hat and a six-shooter covering his bits for no other reason than Rule of Sexy.
  • Hulk Speak: The way Kuro speaks.
  • Involuntary Shapeshifter: Kuro will sometimes transform into a (naked) human from just being overexcited. Being that he is a big, happy dog, this happens often.
  • Kids Are Cruel: Ukyo first meets Kuro while the poor dog was being pinned and grabbed by a group of children who Ukyo chases them off fortunately.
  • Longing Look: Kuro has these for Ukyo, especially at the beginning of the story while he's still only a dog.
  • Lunacy: Kuro gains the power to change into a hunky human by praying to the moon every night for the ability to be with Ukyo.
  • Meaningful Name: Kuro is Japanese for 'Black', which is a very fitting name for a big, black-furred dog. Ukyo's name seems to be based on the Japanese word 'Uke', which means submissive or bottomnote  which is also quite fitting given Ukyo's role in his and Kuro's relationship.
  • Morphic Resonance: Even while transformed, Kuro retains his canine ears and tail.
  • My Instincts Are Showing: Kuro still very much acts like a big, happy dog even while he's shifted into a hunky human.
  • Nosy Neighbor: Ukyo's neighbor, who's suspicious of how close he and his dog seem to be.
  • Scenery Censor: Despite the fact whenever Kuro transforms he turns into a fully naked male, there always seems to be something (usually Ukyo or his own tail) covering up his naughty bits.
  • Sexier Alter Ego: There's a reason why most references to Kuro as a human on this page include the term "hunk".
  • Shapeshifting Excludes Clothing: The second time Kuro transforms is after Ukyo gives him his own dog collar ... however hunk Kuro's neck is much thicker than dog Kuro's, so the poor canine nearly chokes to death from asphyxiation.
  • Shapeshifting Squick: No matter how hunky Kuro is while human, it's hard to ignore the fact that Kuro was, and is still, a dog having sex with a human.
  • Talking Animal: Kuro is able to speak even before he could transform into a human when he starts saying Ukyo's name.
  • Teeny Weenie: The policeman in the park who yells at Ukyo gets attacked and his pants stripped off by Kuro, revealing the angry officer has a very small 'weenie'.
  • Unusual Ears: While in hunky mode, Kuro still sports his doggy ears.
  • Urine Trouble: While in human shape, Kuro gets caught while as a human by the neighbor when he's 'watering' Ukyo's backyard.

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