Research consultant: Shin-ichi Fujiwara
Translated by John Neal
198 pages
Published 2021 (English translation published 2023)
Read September 5
Rating: 4 out of 5
Volumes one and two of the Dinosaur Sanctuary manga were among my favorite pieces of dinosaur fiction. They balanced a straightforward tale of zookeepers caring for prehistoric animals in a struggling wildlife park with a light helping of interpersonal drama. It’s a simple, winsome combination in a field all too often burdened with alien parasites and magic kung-fu. Truly, this is all dinosaur fiction ever needed to give me, and it so rarely meets even this minimum standard. Not even Jurassic World — ostensibly a movie about an operational dinosaur zoo — bothered to give us anything like this, to its shame.
Volume 3 offers few surprises and little variation on the formula. Which isn’t really a bad thing with a story this dialed-in on what I would like to see. New characters — specialist dino-keepers in different enclosures — keep things fresh as Suzume-chan rotates through their departments during this next stage of her training.
For the most part, Kinoshita emphasizes the dinosaurs and the caretaking aspects of life at Enoshima Dinoland. The little human dramas mostly recede out of sight. Admittedly, the main characters are little more than archetypes, so perhaps it’s best to let the dinosaurs — and the fantastic art — take over. That said, the side story “Dinosaur Fans Forever!” is a sweet, moving little interlude, possibly the best self-contained story arc so far in Sanctuary.
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