Today's Cerberus
| Today's Cerberus | |
 Cover of the first volume (English release) | |
| 今日のケルベロス (Kyō no Kerberos) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy, Harem,[1] Mythic fiction |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Ato Sakurai |
| Published by | Gangan Comics |
| English publisher | |
| Magazine | Monthly Shōnen Gangan |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | January 22, 2014 – May 11, 2018 |
| Volumes | 10 |
Today's Cerberus (Japanese: 今日のケルベロス, Hepburn: Kyō no Kerberos) is a Shōnen manga series by Ato Sakurai. It has appeared as a serial in the monthly manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan since January, 2014. Yen Press acquired the license for a North American release on April 4, 2015, and has so far released ten volumes.
Plot
Chiaki Mikado was bitten as a child by a mythical creature known as Cerberus which caused him to lose a piece of his soul. Eight years later he finds little joy in life, and is surprised one day when the Cerberus returns offering to help. Chiaki soon discovers that the creature is made up of three very different personalities that share the same body. Kuro really wants to make him happy, Shirogane shows a tsundere side, and Roze is quiet and possibly in love with him.[1] As the story progresses Chiaki learns more about the three who want to help him.
Characters
Humans
- Chiaki Mikado (千秋 ミカド, Mikado Chiaki)
- Fifteen year old Chiaki is the main character of the story. Eight years ago he rescued a three headed dog from some kids who were tormenting it, getting bit in the process and losing a piece of his soul. Now as a high school student he finds himself lacking any fun in life, and is considered strange by his classmates. After being sent a box by his father who is overseas, he opens it up to find the three headed dog in human form who wishes to help him. At first Chiaki wants nothing to do with it, but is touched by Kuro's efforts so he allows the dog to stay by his side.
- Hinata Komone (日向, Hinata)
- Hinata is a local shrine maiden, and is a classmate of Chiaki. She develops a massive crush on him, but is too shy to say how she really feels. She eventually finds out about the Cerberus and Chiaki's soul-less problem, and vows to help him in hopes of getting closer romantically. She is skilled at archery and exorcism.
- Idora Hashiba (イドラ橋場, Hashiba Idora)
- Another one of Chiaki's classmates, Idora is rumored to have legendary toughness. In reality he is a misunderstood withdrawn guy who has studied martial arts for a number of years. He becomes friends with Chiaki as the two have in common being misunderstood, and withdrawn. He had a pet cat named Hako-Maro when he was little who he thought was a male cat, that after dying came back in spirit form to announce that she was in fact a female.
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- Minnie for short, this character first appears in the third volume of the series. As children, Chiaki misunderstandingly made a promise to her that they would get married as adults. He later forgets the promise which makes Minnie upset, but she continues to try and get close to him as she deeply loves him. She sees the Cerberus as romantic rivals.
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Cerberus
Aside from the main human characters, the Cerberus is a unique dog which according to Kuro shares three separate entities. One physical human body is occupied by one of the Cerberus, while the other two lay temporarily sealed inside. The character who inhabits the physical body is there until intentionally or not, an action is taken to draw another Cerberus out from within. Once this happens, the body morphs into this new character while the former takes its place inside. The Cerberus follow a cycle: Kuro -> Shirogane -> Roze -> Kuro, and use a set of headphones to communicate with each other.
- Kuro (クロ, Kuro, lit. "Black")
- Kuro is the first Cerberus, and the first one to meet Chiaki when he opens up the box. She is shown to love bread crusts, and makes it her job to protect Chiaki as well as bring him happiness. When Kuro gets stressed out or over-emotional she is able to bring out the second Cerberus Shirogane. When she is brought back again by Roze, she becomes briefly dazed and unaware of her surroundings.
- Shirogane (白銀, Shirogane, lit. "Silver")
- Shirogane is the second Cerberus, she is shown to be a fighter and refers to Chiaki as a moron for getting into messes so easily. Roze tells her though that he has a soft spot to him which she eventually notices. Shirogane can only bring out the third Cerberus when another person intentionally or unintentionally grabs her tail.
- Roze (ロゼ, Rose, lit. "Rose")
- Roze is the third Cerberus, and confesses to Chiaki that she is the one who bit him out of fear. Since that time she wears a mask to seal up her powers which according to her are immense. After apologizing to him, she takes a romantic interest in Chiaki and vows to also protect him. In order to swap back to Kuro, she must also have her tail grabbed by someone other than herself.
Spirit/Monsters
- Hako-Maro (箱根町, Hakonechō)
- Hako-Maro or Hako was Idora's pet cat when he was little. Hako was given a male's name as Idora's parents thought she was a male cat, so he in turn thought that as well. Half a year after she died she returned to Idora as a Nekomata in the form of a little girl, but was upset at him for referring to her as a male when she was alive. Since Idora was an only child though the two were quite close. She is initially nervous when he becomes friends with Chiaki as she fears he will not need her companionship anymore but is reassured by Kuro that it would never happen. Hako shows much love and caring for Idora, vowing to always remain with him forever. Hako hates when the word "Maro" is added to her name, and being a cat refers to Kuro as a "dumb dog".
- Tamamo-no-Mae (玉藻前)
- Tama first appears in the fourth manga volume after Hinata accidentally releases her from her shrine. She then possesses Hinata so she can grant her wish of getting closer to Chiaki as a way of thanking her. Hinata is later able to overpower the possession which confuses Tama who insists on getting them together. Hinata explains to her that possession isn't the right way to truly confess to someone so she follows Hinata around afterwards, becomes her friend, and helps in any way to get them closer together. Tama is usually shown in chibi form but can transform into a busty adult when explaining what feminine appeal looks like.
- error: {{nihongo}}: Japanese or romaji text required (help) aka Rir Rir
- RirRir appears in the second manga volume, and kidnaps Chiaki in order to make him into a meal. Her strength is shown to be with her eyes in the form of hypnosis to anyone who looks into them. She uses this power to have her victims defend her, and fight when needed. Her real identity is the great Norse wolf Fenrir, in the series she has two sisters who unlike her accept Japanese society. She is later bound up by her younger sisters and forced to repent for her actions against Chiaki and his friends. Rir Rir has remained there ever since with a "bad wolf" label on her bound body.
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- These two mythical figures are shown to be the younger sisters of Rir Rir in the series. After binding up their older sister they both make an apology to Chiaki, and Kuro. Jormungand works as a maid, and likes Japanese culture, while Hel (shown to be a little girl) carries her guard dog Garm on her back in the form of a backpack. Hel is queen of their "Northern Hell". While Jormungand appears to be helpful but her true motives remain unclear.
Release
Today's Cerberus was first serialized in the monthly manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan starting on January 22, 2014 through a special edition version of the magazine.[2] When the fourth volume was released, a Drama CD was bundled in with the printed volume.[3] Yen Press initially announced in April, 2015 through a panel at Sakura-Con that it would release Today's Cerberus in a digital format, but later changed this to include printed manga format as well.[4][5] The first English language printed volume was released in October, 2016, ten volumes have been made so far.[6]
| Volume | Japanese[7] | English[8][9] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISBN | Release Date | ISBN | Release Date | |
| 1 | ISBN 4-7575-4201-1 | January 22, 2014 | ISBN 0-31654-545-7 | October 25, 2016 |
| 2 | ISBN 4-7575-4329-8 | June 21, 2014 | ISBN 0-31650-459-9 | January 24, 2017 |
| 3 | ISBN 4-7575-4501-0 | December 22, 2014 | ISBN 0-31643-572-4 | March 21, 2017 |
| 4 | ISBN 4-7575-4611-4 | April 22, 2015 | ISBN 0-31643-573-2 | June 20, 2017 |
| 5 | ISBN 4-7575-4736-6 | September 19, 2015 | ISBN 0-31643-574-0 | September 19, 2017 |
| 6 | ISBN 4-7575-4882-6 | February 22, 2016 | ISBN 0-31643-575-9 | November 14, 2017 |
| 7 | ISBN 4-7575-5057-X | July 22, 2016 | ISBN 0-31641-609-6 | February 20, 2018 |
| 8 | ISBN 4-7575-5183-5 | December 22, 2016 | ISBN | April 24, 2018 |
| 9 | ISBN 4-7575-5372-2 | June 22, 2017 | ISBN | June 26, 2018 |
| 10 | ISBN 4-7575-5519-9 | November 22, 2017 | ISBN | August 21, 2018 |
Reception
The English language adaptation of Kyō no Kerberos has received reviews from various notable sources. Richard Gutierrez from The Fandom Post said that he thought the three girls inhabiting the same body concept was initially promising, but was disappointed on how it ended there with the usual stereotypical themes/traits. Gutierrez cites manga series such as Ranma ½, and Dragon Ball for similarities, but goes on to say that the experience could be new to someone not familiar with the hinted references.[10]
References
- ^ a b Che, Gilson (April 2017). "[Review] Today's Cerberus". Otaku USA. Vol. 10, no. 4. pp. 31–32.
- ^ "今日のケルベロス×ながされて藍蘭島フェアでイラスト募集". Natalie. January 21, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "「今日のケルベロス」4巻＆ドラマCD発売！佐倉綾音、小松未可子ら参加". Natalie. April 22, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "Yen Press Licenses Yowamushi Pedal, Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, 11 More Manga". Anime News Network. April 4, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "Yen Press Licenses Kiniro Mosaic, Scum's Wish, Tohyou Game Manga". Anime News Network. March 25, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "Yen Press Licenses My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected, How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, Baccano!, More". Anime News Network. July 5, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "今日のケルベロス". Gangan Comics. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ "Today's Cerberus". Yen Press. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
- ^ "Today's Cerberus at Amazon". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ Richard Gutierrez (October 30, 2016). "Today's Cerberus Vol. #01 Manga Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
External links
- Official website at Square Enix Template:Ja icon
- Today's Cerberus (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Official website (Yen Press)