My Girlfriend is a T-Rex, Volume 1: 05/07/20

My Girlfriend is a T-Rex, Volume 1 by Sanzo is the first of a two volume manga series. The title is the basic gist of the plot. Dinosaurs rather than evolving into birds, have taken on human characteristics to blend in. A T-Rex girl hooks up with the human narrator and hilarity ensues.

The manga is a four panel variety, with some carry over between gags. I think you have to be in the right mindset to find this book consistently funny.

I frankly, wanted more. The T-rex girlfriend cycles from violent, to excessively stupid, to tragic. Behind the gags there is a world where these dino-people are struggling to survive because of specism. The girlfriend is homeless. She pretends she likes to be naked when the truth is she can't afford new clothes. The boyfriend meanwhile doesn't seem to really love or even like the girl — but she's a dinosaur, so exotic and cool.

This book could be a humorous examination of the struggles immigrants face in Japan. Instead, it's a tone-deaf stereotype driven book. For me, only about a quarter to a third of the jokes actually work for me.

Three stars

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