Dinosaur Sanctuary is a must for all dinosaur enthusiasts.

Dinosaur Sanctuary by Itaru Kinoshita is incredibly thorough as the mangaka also has  paleontologist Dr. Shin-Ichi Fujiwara providing detailed dinosaur facts through each volume. Dinosaur Sanctuary is published by Seven Seas Entertainment.

Author's personal volumes of Dinosaur Sanctuary. Photo by Jessica Tseang

As a fellow lover of dinosaurs and comics historian, it was a delight when I first discovered Dinosaur Sanctuary Vol. 1. Ever since then, Kinoshita-san has never failed to deliver. The story centers around Suzume Suma, the newest dinokeeper of Enoshima Dinoland dinosaur park as she gets to know each dinosaur, staff member, and the history of Enoshima Dinoland. There is the prickly but kind hearted dinokeeper Arata Kaidou, the good looking but cold towards people paleovet Ren Shiranui, Karin Kirishima, the dinokeeper who specialized in ceratopsians and has an older sister relationship with Suzume, the manager Takatoshi Ogino, who is doing his best to keep Enoshima Dinoland afloat and prevent a shut down. Suzume is your typical happy worker, who is still in the learning stages. The human characters of course, have their own dark pasts, that come out over time. But what makes Dinosaur Sanctuary stand out among other dinosaur stories, is that these ancient creatures are not the enemies. They have their own name, personalities, backstories, and the readers will grow attached to them with each page. Having fully fleshed out dinosaur characters is sorely needed against the common: they-are-the-enemy-to-humans stories. It is also refreshing to see detailed thought go into this series as Kinoshita-san consults with Dr. Fujiwara, a real life paleontologist in Japan. Throughout each volume, there will be small chapter breaks that give scientific information on a dinosaur previously seen. It is a great way to enjoy a story , while also learning, all without the textbook feeling of boredom. The series isn't meant for young children, as we do see dinosaur on dinosaur violence, and experience death. The mangaka has recently published a children's dinosaur book that is meant for younger audiences, and it is a wonderful read. I highly recommend picking this series up, whether for yourself or a gift to a dinosaur loving person in your life.