One of the biggest problems facing our earth – one that not only concerns its current inhabitants, but those as yet unborn because of its vast global implications – is one that is more dire than simple questions of war and peace and the distribution of spoils, it is the question of trash – how to make less of it, and how to get rid of what we do produce in the most efficient and least harmful process possible, before we completely pollute our environment. Our world has only so much space in it, and as we are discovering, it can be filled up, especially with products which once discarded serve no useful purpose and merely serve to take up space. Therefore farsighted nations have rallied to the alarums that have been sounded by concerned ecologists, and people all over the world are turning to more eco-friendly materials, as well as re-using things, rather than simply throwing them away. Japan, with a dense population constrained by the limited area of its islands, enacted the Container and Packaging Recycling Law in 1997, which mandates the collection and recycling of plastic, paper, PET bottles, aluminum and glass containers (PET being a common abbreviation for Polyethylene terephthalate, the bottles frequently used for the containment of such liquids as water, juices, carbonated soft drinks, beer, household detergents, etc.) Consumers and businesses alike must follow carefully established procedures for disposing of these materials, and while the recycling of steel cans is not regulated, since 2006 about 99% of Japanese municipalities have begun collecting and recycling them. But a more important task than simply recycling materials now is to educate the current generation, as well as their future progeny, on the importance of making recycling an integral part of their everyday lives, something that will create lasting habits of conservation that will remain with them and be instilled in each ensuing generation.
Noburu Yamada is a typical nine year old Japanese school boy who lives with his parents and younger brother. One day he happens upon a plastic bottle in the park and recycles it. Nobody is more surprised than he is when the bottle returns as a robot named PET! PET has some rather amazing talents – he can combine with other robots, he can transform, and he can utilize a slew of PET gadgets, his purpose being to save Noburu trouble. At least in theory. But life does not always work that way, as Noboru discovers, PET having a penchant for not being as helpful as he thinks he is.
Highlights
As Volume 4 of Kenji Sonishi's Leave it to Pet begins, Noburu and two of his friends are on their way to school, when they run into trouble in the form of a wasps' nest – and Noburu reluctantly calls for PET. The robot arrives, burrowing up from under the ground, for some reason, and he seems to be taller than usual, having grabbed the wrong size bottle that morning. Bravely PET confronts the wasps, only to be overrun by them. The swollen-faced PET then calls for honey, for he has a plan! In another chapter Noburu and his younger brother Hikaru are alone in the house and hungry, so they hunt for something to eat, discovering some monster snacks. But to their horror, the snacks are too spicy, and they put out a call to PET to save the day! Later, Noburu and his friend Hirota decide to practice on the bars together, in preparation for a physical fitness test. But all the bars at the school are taken, as they are not the only ones with this idea, and the park is also unavailable for the same reason. They call for PET to help them, but when L'il Bagz, one of the plastic recycled heroes, arrives, they learn that PET and Alu are both ill back at the recycling center, both having gotten a virus, and Plaz is taking care of them. Unfortunately, L'il Bagz seems to be even more clueless then the two boys are, and in order for him to help them, they must help him first! In another chapter we are introduced to Experimental Recycled Bottle Robot No. 002, also known as Vitabot. And in yet another, when Noburu spots a girl from his class with flowers in her hand, he asks her what's up, and is horrified to learn that she has just purchased carnations for Mother's Day! Thinking quickly, he and Hirota attempt to think of something to get their mothers, having completely forgotten the occasion, but financial constraints and an unwillingness to repeat the efforts of previous years have them hamstrung. Can PET save the day? And what sort of "useful" suggestions will he come up with, and will any of them be worthwhile?
Overall
Leave it to Pet is a VizKids offering, and judging from the age of the protagonists, it is meant to appeal to children of roughly that same age – nine years old or so. However, I have my doubts as to whether that age group will be entertained by this book even so (or inspired to recycle, which is the underlying message, after all), for it is rather simplistic and childish in its plots, or lack thereof, even for children. Youngsters of today are far more sophisticated then they were when I was that age, and even then I don't think I would have been interested in a thinly disguised attempt to interest me in recycling. Perhaps six or seven year olds might be a better target audience. I realize the stories are intended for children, but that doesn't mean they can't be entertaining – Alice in Wonderland is a children's book, and I still love it. And Doctor Seuss is never boring. That being said, I'm just not sure how well children will relate to this recycled bottle robot, who isn't much of a robot, and doesn't really possess any endearing qualities. The artwork too is simplistic, and merely adequate. Noburu and his family seem rather simple themselves, finding difficulty in navigating some of the more trivial situations in their lives, and seeing no problem in calling upon a clueless robot for help. In one chapter they take a vacation together, and in an effort to save money find themselves staying in a rustic hotel whose provided parking is a ways down the street, and whose amenities include smelly furniture and a tv that doesn't work. When a bored Noburu wants to play a game he has brought with him, he realizes he has inadvertently left his bag in the car, so he and his father go to retrieve it, meeting PET along the day, who manages to scare the tar out of them. The hapless robot then proceeds to help them get more lost then they already are, even though the vehicle in question is only some 250 metres away from the rustic hotel. Makes you wonder how these people manage to function in their daily lives, but I suppose that isn't a question the typical reader would ask. While there's nothing really wrong with Leave it to Pet, I can't honestly say there's anything memorable about it either, and there are better written, better drawn manga out there for kids to get their feet wet in in order to introduce them to the genre.
Comicsonline gives Leave it to Pet, Volume 4, 2.5 out of 5 recycled robots.
