Daydreamy Iroha is too shy and anxious to talk to her high school classmates, so she finds solace in confiding in upperclassman Sou, who is always encouraging and supportive. With such a great friend by her side, Iroha just may have found a dream come true!

Iroha avoids the awkwardness she feels around her classmates by sitting outside and talking to Sou, the handsome boy she met at the library. However, one day, a boy from her class discovers the secret she's been keeping from everyone. Has Iroha found her perfect match in Sou, or just an illusory love?

Taika’s Reason has a story and art by Paru Itagaki. English translation is done by Tomo Kimura and lettering by Susan Daigle-Leach, with an adaptation by Annette Roman. Published by Viz Media (July 21, 2026). Rated T+.

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Paru Itagaki is at it again with another story about anthropomorphic animals to convey distinct questions about how messed up humanity can really be. This time it's from the perspective of a girl and her dog who covered up a murder! In typical Paru style, this is definitely a story that lets the distinctness of its world-building take center stage. This is a world where, as a response to Japan's declining birth rates, humanity allows pets to be humanized, which already carries scary implications. However, there are big questions here distinguishing the lines between how an animal sees the world versus how a human might. When you give a pet or an intelligent dog the ability to live out their life as a human, can they properly understand what that means?

Some animals want to be treated like humans, while others are content to serve masters in human bodies. Can they even comprehend the horrible atrocities that they could potentially commit? There is this underlying tension here with regards to the main character Ao and her now humanoid dog Taika, who feels like a ticking time bomb every chapter. There's a compelling murder mystery to accompany that difficult emotional investment, and, much like Paru's other works, I was hooked. Her distinct cartoony style works well as a great source of comedy, but there's also some striking imagery that legitimately scared me. The commentary is a bit more on the nose here compared to some of our other works, but I am invested in the drama of the two leads and how they'll get out of the horrific circumstance that led to the story's inciting incident. If you liked Paru's other works, then this is definitely in line with what she is probably best known for at this point. But if you've never been exposed to her stories before, then I think this actually functions as a strong jumping-off point, considering that the premise is also very easy to digest in how direct it is.