Run! Goro | Shogaku Go-nensei [5th Grade] | Koïchi Iimori

Cover illustration by Kōichi Iimori (1949-2008)
Run! Goro (Shogakukan, serialized in Shogaku Go-nensei from June 1984 to February 1985)
Synopsis : Minoru and his dog Goro adjust to living with Minoru’s uncle after Minoru's father passing. Reaching his uncle was difficult enough and just when they begin to settle in, new challenges arise in the form of a mysterious hunter

Koichi wrote manga that built on the bonds between, mostly young people and their animals but almost always making the animal the most important character.
“His idea was to make the characters feel real, not like talking cartoons, but like animals you could meet in real life”.
One of Iimori's most notable works, My Zoo Diary, was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump. The manga follows a zookeeper called Toshio Nishiyama with accurate portrayal of animal behavior and the challenges faced by the zookeeper and his family (of animals) ...
Another significant work, Race Pigeon 0777, tells the story of a boy and his racing pigeon with attention to the dedication & perseverance of both the boy and his pigeon!