Webtoon brings you a romance webcomic series about two people who are supported by dogs to relieve their hearts, but also get closer to a romantic relationship in Love 4 a Walk. Call me an explorer, I’ve been seeking out for a perfect webtoon to read and review. And by now, I have just seen everything at this point. But you know what? I’m gonna do something that I’ve never done yet, and that is to review a comic about dogs and romance.
I’d seen other comics outside of webtoon that focus on animals, but what I read was almost everyday stuff in real life. Back then, I’ve read and reviewed some of the most heartfelt/humorous animal-loving comics that were humanly possible to make: Cat + Gamer, Bolivar, Jo and Rus, What’s Michael (the cat manga on Dark Horse). I used to love reading those kinds of comics, just for the fact that there are different comics that focus on pets, friendship, and something related to real life at their best.
The webtoon is created by Nuria Sanguino. Her bio is similar to Miriam Bonastre Tur’s, because they both went to Escola Joso in Barcelona to study art together, and Nuria has been making her webcomics since 2020. What is this Escola Joso art school, you ask? It’s a Spanish art training school that is known for studying illustration, comics, and animation. And there are many students including those two who became professionals in art. To put it simply, it’s like the School of Visual Arts and LaGuardia Community College in New York, which both have Fine Arts studies in various styles for creatives, even graphic design. I studied art in those schools years ago, just for the fact that both of them have some connection when it comes to the field of study.
Now I know my friend Miriam very well; her work and her webtoons have always been among my favorites. Hooky, for example, is still one of my all-time favorite webtoons since 2016. But I never heard about Nuria before, because the only thing I heard about her was that when Miriam mentioned her on one of her stories on Instagram and Twitter back then in 2023, when that comic was in canvas, which is a fair spot to be in whenever someone is promoting another comic artist’s work. I have no high expectations or low expectations. She created some comics on canvas, which shows that she’s doing her best so far.
Actually, she’s like every other canvas creator like myself, trying to work hard just to get to the Originals or doing their best to get some audience. And all today’s webcomic series made by everyday indie comic authors deserve their attention for their hard work.
When I popped this Doggy Mommy Princess on my phone. It shows two characters with two dogs, whose drawings of the dogs reminds me of Looney Tunes or Scooby Doo. Funny thing is whenever I see the cover of the webcomic. I can’t help it that I’m seeing two real-looking characters and two cartoony dogs. But I have to explain her art style later.
And I know that her graphic novel of this webtoon is going to be out this November, which is very exciting for fans, and the cover art is amazing, but I’m talking about the webtoon version, which is the one I know and read.
The comic description is like every other person out there who are going through their lives. But suddenly the comic turned into a nuclear bomb because the main character’s boyfriend broke up with her. After all, her dog was destroying everything. Well, it’s a normal romance comic, as normal as your favorite bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich for breakfast. It’s a comforting, normal webtoon about people with dogs in everyday life. You wanna know what the story is about? Check this out.
The story starts at a usual morning setting, where inside of an apartment lives a single woman named Pam and her pet dog named Bob, which is a Dobermann breed, I believe. Who wakes up and takes her dog out for a walk which is really self-explanatory, but no matter how the dog behaves, he’s a menace, and Pam has no knowledge to train her dog. However, looking at Pam’s dog almost reminds me of Clifford the Big Red Dog. When she leaves for work, and whenever her dog is alone, Bob destroys everything. I mean, why did she leave her untrained dog behind alone at her apartment? All she has to do is get him to a doggy day care or a trainer, and there wouldn’t be any unnecessary drama.
But NO, what happened was that some guy who is so-called Pam’s ex-boyfriend, who just got fed up with her dog and broke up with her back then. You want to know what I think about Pam’s ex-boyfriend? I can’t tell you that, you know why?? That man is so full of himself, and he’s really pathetic in the later episodes; it’s embarrassing. Even someone’s prince charming loves having dogs and cats around. Here, all I’m hearing are excuses, because Pam’s relationship with him was so toxic that I thought I was watching SpongeBob and Patrick fighting. (Get used to that) Now, Pam’s neighbor, Tyler, who is good at breeding dogs personally, because he has a small dog, was bothered by Pam because she couldn’t control her dog very well. And it’s very reasonable because she needs help.
So Pam has no other options but to have him take care of her dog for her because her life is devastated by her dog troubles, and he wrecks everything. Whether he’s a nice person or not, one of her co-workers told her that the guy is a con artist or something. But when Pam turned on the camera, Tyler just kept yelling Tequila while Bob is laying on the sofa.
The funny thing is, when Tyler keeps yelling for Tequila like a madman, he’s referring to his dog, whose name is Tequila, which happens to be a Lhasa Apso or Shih Tzu breed, whatever you prefer. I’m not kidding, I really laughed so much at the fact that he’s calling out his dog rather than looking for liquor. But naming a dog Tequila doesn’t make any sense. And that would make the other dog owners think it strange that he’s looking to drink. And by then she rushes all over to her apartment to see what he’s up to, but Tyler isn’t that bad of a person. In fact, Pam is relieved that Bob calmed himself down because of him.
THE PART I LIKE THE MOST ABOUT EPISODE 3 is where I heard from Tyler, which made me realize something about this webtoon and want to keep reading. And let me tell you, this message makes every man out there look emotional. There, he said, “People can hurt, deceive and abandon you. Dogs don’t have that type of heart and you know that.”
That made me smile even brighter when Tyler said that to Pam. Not only that, it applies to anyone when they’re stressed and frustrated, because life can’t be good enough without a dog or a cat. And hearing that actually makes masculinity more positive, as he cares about his own dog and teaches Pam how to love her own pet as well. As a person, I love animals more than people, especially dogs and cats, which gives me such a good mood whenever I see them. I have a cute male kitten right now, and he’s much more irreplaceable than any other person. And because of my quiet personality, he’s very playful and very sweet, and he’s there for me when I need him the most.
If you read this webtoon in the middle part of episode 3, that message would be burned into your brain. And it’s appropriate, because his message to Pam speaks louder than Nuria’s drawings about the feelings between human beings and animals. Life is unfair, yes, but what you need is something that values life the most, because no man or woman’s stressful and busy lives will ever spare you from that truth. Yeah, you heard me. You have no idea, you hear that stoic message from Tyler, but you haven’t experienced it unless you adopt a pet for yourself. Trust me, you want to; it would make your life more fun raising your furry companion around.
Have you ever read a comic, manga, or a novel where the character gives you a meaningful message just to keep reading? Well, hearing heartfelt and stoic messages is one thing, but imagine if someone were to say something that actually motivates you and helps you realize what it means when you’re facing difficult times.
Take Berserk for example, Griffith gives such a meaningful message of what he defines what friendship is about. He values Guts more than ever as a comrade, fighting together to achieve his dream. Though Griffith implies that friendship is something that he should find a reason to live without depending on others and never hesitate to fight for his dreams. Guts was surprised by the fact that he realized what he thinks about Griffith. As a friend, as his equal of course. Great dark fantasy manga series, but it’s for grown-ups. (Rest in Peace, Kentaro Miura)
What Tyler said to Pam is a strong statement because his message is so based that Pam opened up to him and started getting to know each other and going out with her neighbor and the dogs.
So, do I think this webtoon is boring? Well, no, it isn’t boring. IT’S FUCKING SATISFYING. And I DARE you to read it. Just because the webtoon is good doesn’t mean it’s boring. But THIS ONE just went way, WAY too far. It’s a slice of life full of sensibility that you get to experience how dogs can cure the owners’ poor souls and hearts along the way, let alone a stray cat that it’s begging to be loved. And it’s easy to make friends or fall in love with someone who loves animals, it’s an educational program for all ages to know how to communicate with people who have their cute pets.
Or it’s just another popular romance webtoon, that is favored by the sunshine lady Miriam Bonastre Tur. Not only that she’s her friend, but she loves cute dogs as much as I do. Yeah, and after episode 3, the rest of the comic shows a lot of drama between Tyler, Pam’s friends, and her ex, and etcetera. While going on the beach, the park, and camping. Yeah, something related to real life, but I’m not going to go that far anyway. I’m just giving you a preview of what the story is about.
Let’s talk about the art style and details. Based on what I said before, Nuria’s art style is a bit different from what I’ve seen. I wouldn’t say that this webtoon is more American style and it’s not anime style either. It’s almost like I’m seeing some illustrated fashion magazine or someone who studied fashion design. And keep in mind, back in the day, most artists were simply trying to discover their art style while drawing. No matter how much you practice, it will come naturally and start deciding which art style is good for you.
But for me, in Nuria’s case, all I see are two different art styles. It’s much more likely how you do it in the Draw This In Your Style trend on Instagram. Yeah, that DTIYS challenge, if I’m not mistaken. But let’s just say that Nuria draws multiple art styles whenever she creates the characters and the creatures.
Imagine if you draw Scooby Doo in a cartoony art style. And then you draw Shaggy with a mullet in another art style. Just try and look at both of them, and you’ll see what’s so different in your way of drawing. I mean, look at Bob and look at Pam. It’s like they’re from two different kinds of comic series you’re reading. But whenever I look at them, I always think her art style looks different. It’s kinda like how I looked at my old art style to right now, it always looked different.
Of course, there’s these video episodes that Webtoon brought out. But it’s the same thing as watching video reels on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. And this time, the video only lasts less than 5 minutes of an episode. And I have to say, in the spirit of motion comics, the animation of Love 4 a Walk is really impressive. It’s actually more impressive as watching the motion comics of Street Fighter from UDON Entertainment and Watchmen from DC Comics.
Considering that it’s a big upgrade from Webtoon. And the idea of video episodes can be worth watching, but prefer to read instead. You think that Webtoon wants you to watch the video instead of reading, but you have the choice to watch the video or read the comic. Even in Globalcomix, you just read the comic or enable the “panel-to-panel” option to get a better reading experience, plain and simple. The voice acting is kinda bland. And I give it some slack, because the video episodes have just gotten started, and they hadn’t yet perfected the emotional connection and empathy of voice acting. But just try watching Street Fighter, Batman, and Watchmen motion comics or any other official motion comics you can find. And go back to the video episodes, and see how webtoon can learn something from it and improve.
But other than that, everything in this comic is a work of fiction and art; the story is really good, and I do like certain things about it. I like its style and mood. There’s something meaningful and comforting when reading this comic with cute dogs and everything related to real life. I love the characters and creature designs. I love the atmosphere that makes the fans experience the characters’ ships, the rich story lines, and all the above.
But there’s one problem: I’m only there for the dogs, nothing else. After I realized what Tyler said in episode 3, it makes a great deal of sense. Because what I dislike very much is the people. And that’s what I think about them the least. Of course, people can be nice and kind to others as usual. But they can be a total pain in the ass sometimes, and care only for themselves. I mean, it’s not an action, and martial arts manga like Rurouni Kenshin. It’s not a mystery and crime comic like Reckless. It’s a drama and romance comic like this one, Love 4 a Walk. This comic offers a life lesson on how cruel life can be, and sometimes people stab you in the back.
It just happened because Pam’s ex-boyfriend said something that he shouldn’t have: “I can’t take this animal anymore.” “Let’s return it to the shelter and tell them it needs a new home.” What the hell is that? Does a nobody like him call himself Pam’s boyfriend like that? Bob wasn’t the one who broke their relationship; it was he and his foolish arrogance that ultimately led to the breakup.
If he can’t take care of the dog, and if he can’t understand Pam’s feelings. He’s not a man, he’s a MAD DOG. And Pam, this whole “drunk in love” crap; she fell in love with him blindly out of her own weakness. She was a fool to believe that man was good enough for her to go out with. What made me mad was that Pam’s ex-boyfriend is using that breakup as an excuse to run away from his problems. And I really can’t stand excuses, because excuses are the tools for the weak and incompetent.
But when Tyler came into her life, their energy and vibes are very different. Pam didn’t expect anything like that, because everyone has their own problems. Pam’s relationship with Tyler is healthier than her last one. Pam is happy that she met Tyler. The reason is that having both dogs can help both owners to heal and communicate with each other. No more toxic relationships, no bullshit, no excuses.
You know, when I’m reading the whole season all the way through the end, when I’m not drawing. I’m not there to see Pam and Tyler or other people going out together. I’m just there to see Bob and Tequila getting along with each other, which makes me really happy.
So what else is there to say about Love 4 a Walk? ……..Nothing. It’s just an amazing webtoon about a woman who spends her time with her neighbor, her friends, and the dogs. Just like everyone else who spends their precious time hanging out with their pets and friends. It’s good for dog lovers and ship fans. If you want to experience a fun adventure in the dog owner’s everyday life, then this webtoon is for you. And um… You know what, I hope you could wipe your dog’s butt clean and treat them right. So bring some turd bags with you and pick after your dog, you pigs!
Newsdesk