Rated T for Teen 13+ from Del Rey
The North Branch has books volumes 1 and 2
Volume 1: As you can probably guess from the title, this story has ties to The Wizard of Oz, but it is not just a manga version of that classic book.
Kakashi is a small-town boy with big dreams. He is an orphan; his father was an explorer who left their small island years ago and never returned. Kakashi has one memento--his father's journal which ends "The world is vast. You don't need a reason. Go on an adventure." Kakashi reminds me a bit of Luffy from One Piece--he is unfailingly optimistic and determined to get off of his island.
Kakashi's chance comes in the form of an airship which needs to stop for repairs. When it leaves, Kakashi stows away. In the cargo hold, he meets and befriends a darling little puppy with an intriguing collar. The airship is overtaken by a mafia group who eject the passengers over open water but decide to let Kakashi stay aboard. Kakashi sees a world map for the first time and is stunned at how big the world is. The airship comes under attack by the military and is destroyed but Kakashi, along with his puppy, manage to parachute to safety in a corn field where they meet a young girl named Dorothy.
The puppy, now named Toto, is more than he appears, and is the target of the military search. Kakashi, Dorothy, and Toto, fall into the clutches of the Great Nassau Imperial Army but you know they won't stay captives long.
Translation notes point out some of the various Wizard of Oz references. I caught most of them, but was happy to be told that Kakashi's name also means "scarecrow" in Japanese. I'm sure in upcoming volumes we will encounter the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion as well.
Volume 2: Kakashi and Dorothy manage to get out of the house only to find it surrounded by the army and a large monstrous creature. They are told that the creature is Toto--but Toto is not supernatural, it's the collar that he wears. It is one of 12 powerful accessories--ooh, do we see a quest storyline coming up? Sakura's feathers from Tsubasa; the shards of the Rikon jewel from InuYasha; and now these accessories. Anyway, the army fires upon Toto to Dorothy's dismay, Kakashi goes to comfort him, and, entering another dimension where Toto still appears to be the cute little puppy he is, merges with Toto. Now Toto's collar is on Kakashi's wrist and in times of stress Super-Toto appears at the end of Kakashi's arm.
A new military character is introduced--Corporal Chopin, who seems to have one of the accessories. He turns his wrath on the military leader that bungled the retrieval of the bracelet and Dorothy and Kakashi escape. They make their way to Dego City, also known as Locomotive Town. Unfortunately, they arrive just as the last locomotive is being crushed into scrap metal to make weapons for the army. Kakashi is being such a bumpkin that he attracts attention, but a girl comes up and claims him as her brother. Millica takes them in and tells them what is happening in their town. They also meet Noil, a soldier who has a talent for building locomotives but would rather be an entertainer. And he's got a crush on Millica. When the military tries to capture Kakashi again, Noil has to choose between his duty to the army and his love for Millica.
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