좋아하는 우리 집 개가 환생했습니다

One day, office worker 토모키 is approached by a child claiming to be the reincarnation of his childhood pet and best friend, 레오. 토모키 didn't have any human friends growing up, and as an adult is a bit of a loner who finds interacting with others difficult - his inability to stand up for himself means he's constantly taken advantage of at work, leaving him exhausted and melancholy. At first he doesn't believe this boy claiming to know him, but somehow he knows things that only the real 레오 would know...?

While I love a good heartwarming manga with kids, I find it a bit weird when the child exists solely to make the MC's life better - 토모키 was sad, but with 레오's encouragement he's able to set boundaries at work and befriend his colleagues. 레오 acts emotional support for 토모키 (which is weird, because he's a kid and 토모키's an adult), and doesn't really get anything back until the end of the book (a trip to the zoo).

Even once 토모키 comes around to the idea that this boy might really be 레오, he doesn't seem particularly happy, and he doesn't take an interest in 레오's new life (we don't find anything out about 레오's family - aren't they concerned with their child hanging out with some random adult man all the time?). The relationship feels unbalanced, with 레오 improving 토모키's life, and 토모키 at first acting as if he finds 레오 a bother he doesn't want to deal with, then it mellow out to seeming indifference.

The best thing about this story is 레오, who is a total cutie. 토모키 isn't as likeable as he should be, as he doesn't really seem to appreciate that his best friend is back from the dead. I didn't find the relationship between the two very compelling due to 토모키's lack of emotion, and the other characters were flat and uninteresting. It was a nice idea, but wasn't very well executed.

The language is straightforward and uses everyday vocabulary, which makes it an easy read, if nothing else. I wouldn't particularly recommend it unless you're looking for a simple, lighthearted read just to pass the time.