Pochi

Pochi (ポチ) is a one-volume manga by Miho Obana. It has also been released in Spain by Planeta DeAgostini, bundled as an extra with Obana's other work Mizu no Yakata.

Plot synopsis
The story revolves around junior high schoolers Sayaka and Tomo. Sayaka is under extreme pressure at home, and Tomo is secretly living an alternate life as 'Pochi', his mom's pet dog. They become friends after an accidental meeting, and although they lead very different lives, they quickly become each other's main support.

Characters

 * Sayaka Kanou:9th grader and the 'Queen of Stress' at her school. This is not a big surprise: Not only is she the class representative, she also takes care of her little sister, attends cram school every night, and studies for 3 to 4 hours a day to make it to a prestigious high school. She secretly dreams of going to a regular high school, but her father wouldn't allow it.
 * Tomo Aruga (Pochi):The 'Number One Stress free Person' at school. Outgoing and carefree, but he's actually carrying a secret about his homelife. His dad is terminally ill, and his mother is mentally ill: she believes he is a dog and raises Tomo as her pet. She calls him 'Pochi' and takes him on daily riverside walks - on a leash. His grandmother is also living with them, and takes care of him (like a normal human) when his mother is asleep.
 * Ayaka Kanou:Sayaka's little sister, a very cute kindergartener.
 * Yuuko Aruga:Tomo's mother. After their daughter died, Yuuko and her husband bought a puppy called 'Pochi', which they believed was the reincarnation of their deceased daughter. While Yuuko was pregnant with Tomo, Pochi died. This devastated her so much that she lost consciousness, and Tomo was delivered through a C-section. when she woke up, she believed that her newborn baby was Pochi, and raised Tomo as a dog ever since. It was upon the death of her husband that she finally awoke and recognized Tomo as her human son.

Volume

 * 1) ISBN 4-08-856504-5 published on November 19, 2003