Helen: Kaede has a pretty typical life: she lives on her own in a small apartment, works part time in a convenience store, and sometimes hangs out with friends while drinking a bit too much. She’s not sure how drunk she got last time or, more importantly, how a blue, blob-shaped dinosaur followed her home either!
Now that this series has received a rather wild anime adaptation (called Gal and Dino) and I’m sure some people are looking to the manga because of that, I’m afraid to inform you that this series isn’t very wild (while I haven’t seen the anime I’ve seen enough screenshots and reviews that I feel confident in making that call).
Obviously there aren’t any sudden, live-action segments in the manga but there’s also none of the manga “equivalent” for that set-up. There’s no sudden genre or art changes to make a gag and frankly the art style is rather boring and tame, like artist Cota Tomimura doesn’t have the energy or time to engage in any kind of experimentation. The story isn’t a 4-koma like I first expected. Although it does have a few bonus 4-koma strips at the end of the volume, frankly I don’t think the story would have played out any differently if the gags had been condensed down into four panels each; if anything, that abbreviation may have helped some of them!
The lack of energy in the art applies to the jokes as well. You would think that there are many different kinds of jokes you could make about a young adult and a dinosaur with roughly the same intelligence as a person suddenly being roommates (or, well, I can anyway) but nearly all of them follow the same formula of dino does something Kaede doesn’t expect, Kaede is surprised, and everything turns out well in the end.
As I understand it, sometimes in the anime Kaede is replaced by another character (a middle-aged man, the exact opposite of a hip, 20 year old lady), without commentary, which doesn’t happen here but certainly would’ve made a great gag. And, as I’m sure most people have guessed, actor Aoi Shouta does not make any appearances wearing the exact same outfit he wore in Pop Team Epic — that’s another instance of the anime’s staff having a lot more fun with the premise than original creator Moriko Mori seems to.
When this series was licensed I joked that the dino’s design reminded me a lot of the design of the character Bloo from the Cartoon Network show Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and, while that show wasn’t one of my favorites, it certainly did comedy (especially wacky comedy) much better than this series does. The comedy already felt like it was being stretched out in this first volume and frankly I can’t imagine where the story will keep going in subsequent volumes.
Helen’s Rating: 2 out of 5
Rai: Instead of Barbie dolls or other girly things, I wanted nothing but dinosaur toys when I was a child. The more ferocious the dinosaur, the better. As a teenager, I reveled in the world of Jurassic Park. My strange affinity for dinosaurs has followed me into adulthood – I just finished making a Dino Garden in Animal Crossing (Don’t ask).
But I digress. The reason I am rambling about my love for dinosaurs is… this is a review for the My Roomie Is a Dino manga! Despite how ridiculous the premise sounded, my dino love demanded that I read this story. If I were to describe the first volume in one word, it would be “simple.” I don’t mean this in a negative way, though.
The manga revolves around Kaede and her roommate who happens to be a dinosaur. He just shows up one day, no questions asked. Right away, Kaede and Dino click. They hang out, go places, and watch movies. The story shows their “normal” everyday lives. I’ve mentioned in other reviews that I love of Slice of Life. Well, Slice of Life with a dinosaur is even better.
A living, breathing dinosaur should seem like a big deal, but everyone around Kaede and Dino don’t challenge the idea. Friends or neighbors might give them a few inquisitive looks before shrugging their shoulders and accepting the odd situation. No philosophical debates, no in-depth scientific research, no trophy hunters. Just two roommates vibing; it doesn’t matter that one is an extinct species, nope. The manga definitely has a bit of surreal humor going on, and I love it.
Like I said, the manga is simple – in both plot and art. In my opinion, My Roomie Is a Dino has the perfect combination of modest SOL elements and comedy. It isn’t so simple that it’s devoid of deep thought, but it’s not overly complicated either. Sometimes series try too hard to be complex, thrilling, or mature which can take away from the overall story. Not this one. You just need to take things at face value and see how they play out.
The manga is hilarious honestly. There’s something inherently funny about a dinosaur that likes to eat ramen or wear a purse on his shoulder. I think a lot of the comedy comes from the contrast. We think of dinosaurs as these vicious, wild creatures that, if still alive, would be beyond our control. Yet, Dino is gentle, tame, and silly, not to mention intelligent. He isn’t some mindless beast. He’s almost like a human except for the fact he can’t speak (and his appearance obviously).
Since Dino can’t talk, he has to use facial expressions and other nonverbal communication to explain his thoughts. Dino’s facial expressions are so funny; they add to his personality. His face is almost always the same, but the slightest change – whether it’s his mouth or eyes – makes all the difference.
I realize that I’m only talking about the dinosaur instead of the human characters. This is partly because Dino is the lovable centerpiece of the story and, well, because of that dinosaur obsession I mentioned earlier. However, the story wouldn’t be the same without Kaede. She’s not an innovative character by any means, but it’s her laidback personality that made the dinosaur roommate thing possible in the first place. She provides dialogue, commentary, and little bit of plot to the story as she helps Dino in various scenarios.
With the crazy state of the world right now, My Roomie Is a Dino was the perfect lighthearted read. It made me laugh and forget about everything for an hour or two. If you want something short, sweet, and funny, check out this manga. It’s really enjoyable, even if you’re not dino-crazed like me.
Rai’s Rating: 4 out of 5