The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store #1

Tsuchika Nishimura's charming manga opens with a cover that sets the tone perfectly: a poised, uniformed concierge stands with quiet professionalism before an enormous, hat-wearing mammoth-like creature, while animal shoppers — a rabbit with a boutique bag and a small bear in a varsity jacket — mill about the ornate tiled promenade below. The contrast between the human employee's composed demeanor and her delightfully oversized clientele immediately signals a world where impeccable service meets the wonderfully unexpected. If the idea of a department store catering to fantastical creatures sounds like your kind of slice-of-life manga, volume one is a genuinely warm place to start.