Toto!: The Wonderful Adventure

Toto!: The Wonderful Adventure
First volume cover
トト! The Wonderful Adventure
Genre	Adventure, fantasy[1]
Manga
Written by	Yuko Osada
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	NA: Del Rey Manga
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	December 8, 2004 – October 26, 2005
Volumes	5 (List of volumes)

Toto!: The Wonderful Adventure (トト! The Wonderful Adventure) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuko Osada. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from December 2004 to October 2005, with its chapters collected in five tankōbon volumes. It is the story of a young rambunctious teenage boy named Kakashi exploring his world with his friends. The series was licensed for English release in North America by Del Rey Manga.

Plot

Kakashi is a young islander who has always dreamed of leaving his island and exploring the world; A world radically changed because of the world war from 50 years ago. His father, a famous world traveler leaves him alone at home in their Light House. After a brief period of time, Kakashi receives his father's journal which prompts him to travel the world like his father, whom many people say is dead.

He is so determined to leave his little island home behind, that he stows away on board a marvelous zeppelin. Unknown to him, this zeppelin just happens to be loaded with treasure and is hijacked by a gang of ruthless criminals known as the Man Chicken Family.^[2] There he meets a small puppy which harbors magical powers. Kakashi befriends the puppy despite it being unknown to him. After being discovered by the gang that has hijacked the Zeppelin, he befriends their leader.

He arrives in the main continent of "Oz", where he begins his travels after the Zeppelin is shot down by the Nassau Imperial Army. After crashing in a field, he and his small puppy meet a teenage girl named Dorothy. She immediately falls in love with the puppy and names him ToTo. Almost immediately, they are confronted by Imperial troops whom Dorothy is able to dispatch with her unique "Tornado" martial arts moves. The three agree to travel together to Emerald City where Dorothy is heading to visit her parents during her time off from school. Kakashi, ToTo and Dorothy begin their wonderful adventure but are faced with various foes that quest for the strange dog collar that ToTo is wearing.

A Nassau officer in disguise of an old man, dupes the trio into letting their guard down and he, in turn, snatches ToTo. With Kakashi and Dorothy in danger and ToTo feeling threatened, ToTo's full power is openly revealed as he turns into a gigantic magic dragon which proceeds to defeat the soldiers. Their adventures continue as they continue to Emerald City where they meet an ex-Imperial Soldier turned performer named Noil.^[3] They proceed on down the transcontinental railroad line named "Yellow Brick Road".

Characters

• Kakashi: a young teenage boy, who after receiving his father's journal, sets out to see the world.
• ToTo: a little dog, which the Nassau Imperial Army were using to experiment with one of the "Artifacts", he is later discovered by Kakashi and freed.
• Dorothy: a lonely student from Kansas Academy, who is a skilled martial artist.
• Noil: an ex-Nassau soldier turned showman... but has stage fright.
• Alice: a gangster leader, who joins Kakashi after he and his friends help fight the evil Rabbit Gang.

Publication

Written and illustrated by Yuko Osada, Toto!: The Wonderful Adventure was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from December 8, 2004, to October 26, 2005.^[4][5] Kodansha collected its chapters in five tankōbon volumes, released from April 15 to November 17, 2005.^[6][7]

The series was licensed for English release in North America by Del Rey Manga.^[8] The five volumes were released from May 15, 2008, to March 2009.^[9][10]

Volume list

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	April 15, 2005[6]	978-4-06-363519-5	May 13, 2008[9]	978-0-345-50147-9
2	April 15, 2005[11]	978-4-06-363520-1	July 22, 2008[12]	978-0-345-50555-2
3	July 15, 2005[13]	978-4-06-363558-4	November 25, 2008[14]	978-0-345-50662-7
4	September 16, 2005[15]	978-4-06-363578-2	February 24, 2009[16]	978-0-345-50663-4
5	November 17, 2005[7]	978-4-06-363599-7	May 19, 2009[10]	978-0-345-50664-1

Reception

The manga's American release was favorably reviewed by Deb Aoki of About Entertainment.^[17]

See also

• Legends of the Dark King, another manga series by Yuko Osada
• Shiori Experience, another manga series by Yuko Osada

References

1. "Toto!: The Wonderful Adventure! Vol. 1 (Advance Review)". activeAnime. May 7, 2008. Archived from the original on February 5, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2020. It has a roaring twenties flair at times mixed with fantasy elements and industrial mechanics. Toto is a pure adventure with appealing characters and a wholly original take on a well known premise.
2. "Toto!: The Wonderful Adventure, Volume 1". Barnes & Noble.com. New York, NY, USA: Barnes & Noble, Inc. Archived from the original on December 12, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
3. Ellingwood, Holly (December 30, 2008). "Toto! The Wonderful Adventure Vol. 3". Active Anime. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
4. 今週の週刊少年マガジン☆第2・3合併号☆ (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on December 15, 2004. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
5. 週刊少年マガジン2005年46. Media Arts Databse (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
6. "トト! The Wonderful Adventure (1)" [ToTo! The Wonderful Adventure (1)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
7. "トト! The Wonderful Adventure (5)" [ToTo! The Wonderful Adventure (5)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
8. "Media Blasters, Del Rey Announce New Manga Licenses". Anime News Network. October 8, 2007. Retrieved October 8, 2007.
9. "Toto! 1". Random House, Inc. Archived from the original on December 13, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
10. "Toto! 5". Random House, Inc. Archived from the original on December 13, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
11. "トト! The Wonderful Adventure (2)" [ToTo! The Wonderful Adventure (2)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
12. "Toto! 2". Random House, Inc. Archived from the original on December 13, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
13. "トト! The Wonderful Adventure (3)" [ToTo! The Wonderful Adventure (3)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
14. "Toto! 3". Random House, Inc. Archived from the original on December 13, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
15. "トト! The Wonderful Adventure (4)" [ToTo! The Wonderful Adventure (4)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
16. "Toto! 4". Random House, Inc. Archived from the original on December 13, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
17. Aoki, Deb (May 12, 2008). "Toto! The Wonderful Adventure Volume 1". About.com. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2021.

External links

• Shonen Magazine ToTo! website (in Japanese)
• Active Anime's review of Volume Three of ToTo!
• Toto!: The Wonderful Adventure (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia