Dinosaur Sanctuary

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Itaru Kinoshita, with paleontologist Dr. Shin-ichi Fujiwara serving as research consultant. It began serialization in Shinchosha's '' Monthly Comic Bunch'' magazine in March 2021; in April 2024, its serialization was transferred to ''Comic Bunch Kai''. As of January 2025, seven volumes have been released.

Plot

In a world where dinosaurs were rediscovered in 1946, Suma Suzume works in Enoshima Dinoland, a struggling dinosaur park where she takes care of many dinosaurs and faces many challenges.

Characters

Enoshima Dinoland staff and keepers

;
:A rookie dinokeeper at the Enoshima Dinoland dinosaur park and the main character. Her love of dinosaurs stems from her father, Ichirou, who was a scientist responsible for bringing certain extinct species back through genetics. After a fatal incident ruined her father's career and drove him to suicide, Suma lost her interest in dinosaurs which she regained when she remembered the happiness they brought her when she was growing up. She aspires to be able to bridge the gap between humans and dinosaurs and reignite the dying passion people had with dinosaurs.
;
:An experienced dinokeeper who specializes in the parks theropods. Kaidou worked at Enoshima Dinoland for over 15 years under another dinokeeper Yamaga before a tragic incident involving Ichigo, the park's ''Allosaurus'', resulted in the death of both Yamaga and the dinosaur. Since then, Kaidou became stricter with rules and regulations to prevent any further incidents. Despite his more aloof personality, Kaidou does still love his job and cares for those he works for and with. He is Suma's primary overseer. Prior to being a dinokeeper, Arata was set to inherit his father's construction business, but choose to pursue his dreams and was disowned.
;Karin Kirishima
:The park's ceratopsian keeper. Kirishima worked at another dinosaur park with the ''Triceratops'', Masaru. However, when Masaru broke his horn and lost popularity to the point of selling him to Enoshima Dinoland, Kirishima left to continue working with him. She has a sisterly attitude towards Suma, both working hard to make an interactive display to boost Masaru's popularity.
;Takatoshi Ogino
:Enoshima Dinoland's chief curator and manager. Mild-mannered and gentle, Ogino is determined to keep the park running despite its relatively poor state. He has, however, clashed with Kirishima when his superiors decided to sell Masaru the ''Triceratops'' for more funds, something he was reluctant about. He gladly convinced them otherwise when Kirishima and Suma worked together to make an interactive display, which proved to be successful after an online influencer posted online about it.
;Ami Torikai
:Enoshima Dinoland's accountant and office manager working beneath Ogino. She is usually seen wearing a dinosaur hat, a jumpsuit, and barefooted. She keeps to herself on her laptop, keeping track of the park's finances and online media presence.
;Ren Shiranui
:The veterinarian of the park. He primarily works with his assistant Nakajou. Despite being attractive and caring towards his dinosaur patients, he is distant towards people and can be seen as spiteful, blaming certain health problems dinosaurs have from genetic tampering done in the labs. He also states to hate people who have goals but no way of achieving them, believing Suma to be one such person. He does start warming up to her after she helped with the park's ''Pachycephalosaurus'' after he experiences slight pneumonia.
;Keisuke Igarashi
:The park's stegosaur and pachycephalosaur keeper. He used to work at another dinosaur park that specialized in marine reptiles like mosasaurs and ichthyosaurs called Blue World years prior to the story. He grew attached the park's ''Globidens'' Sophia, but left and joined Enoshima Dinoland. He is boisterous and something of a smooth-talker, easily getting along with Suma due to their mutual love of dinosaurs and parallels in their trainee experiences. He has butted heads with Shiranui due to their clashing personalities, though will work together for the sake of the dinosaurs.
;Shougo Katase
:A keeper who works primarily with the park's ankylosaurs, though certain theropods like the ''Citipati'' pair are under his care. He is relatively new to his position due to his predecessor quitting. He is put under constant pressure, though hides it with a stone face. He is methodical in his work and strict with his rules.
;Harue Katou
:The park's ornithopod keeper. She is motherly and caring. She is also excited to see baby dinosaurs, hoping that the ''Centrosaurus'' will breed and earn the park an award.
;Makabe Kazuya
:The park's plesiosaur keeper. He is shown to be something of a cynic, believing that people are not interested in the educational aspect of the park and only go to see cool dinosaurs.
;Fuzuki Hayashi
:The park's pterosaur keeper. She is a hard person to read and rarely shows expressions. Despite this, Hayashi works hard for the park's aviary and has worked on a number of items and exhibits for the park. She does not necessarily love the animals she works with, but her interest in them shines through and she cares deeply for them
;Hoshino Kurumi
:The park's sauropod keeper.
;Ryuuji Kazama
:A keeper who works for the park's unusual dinosaurs, meaning he takes care of dinosaurs with special needs.

Enoshima Dinoland's dinosaurs and other animals

;Yuuki
:The park's ''Giganotosaurus''. Despite being a predatory dinosaur, she's actually pretty skittish and cautious. She is also described as needy and pampered.
;Niko & Vena
:The park's pair of ''Troodon''. They have mated and laid a clutch of eggs, four of which hatch. Niko was the first dinosaur Suma worked hands on with, helping Kaidou and Kirishima when he was suffering from a combination of heat stroke and a blocked throat. The runt of the clutch, Benkei, was placed under Suma's care before he was sent to the Chofu Paleoorganism Research Institute to be cared for and transferred once he is at the right age. The other three remain under their parents' care. Suma visited Benkei at the institute and noted his intelligence while the dinosaur remembered her and came to her at the sound of her voice.
;Masaru
:The park's ''Triceratops''. He belonged to another dinosaur park where he was the star dinosaur, even being the basis for a character in a dinosaur movie. Unfortunately, his popularity was shot when he accidentally broke his left horn after he got it stuck. He became the source of ridicule and mockery afterwards. He was sold to Enoshima Dinoland in hopes of bringing people to the smaller park, though Kirishima believes it was to save face for the bigger park. He was nearly sold to another park when he did not bring the crowds, but through Kirishima and Suma's hard work, they were able to make a display out of Masaru's broken horn, which gained popularity when an influencer talked about it online.
;Roy
:The park's ''Dilophosaurus''. Due to his species being brought back through genetics rather than being part of the lost world most dinosaurs came from, Roy suffers from a number of health problems like gout. Despite this, he still lives a good life at the park.
;Daikichi, Shoukichi, & Umeko
:The park's trio of ''Centrosaurus''. Umeko is the sole female of the group and the reason Daikichi and Shoukichi spar. In one bout, Shoukichi was able to win and pair up with Umeko. This has resulted in Daikichi being moved to another exhibit and hopes of breeding some baby ''Centrosaurus''. Umeko experienced bone cancer and almost had her leg amputated but was able to get alternative treatment that proved effective.
;Hanako
:The park's sole ''Tyrannosaurus''. She briefly appears in a flashback in the first chapter. When she is formally introduced, the park is celebrating her 36th birthday. Because of her age, she does not move around as much and rarely goes on display. Despite this, the birthday celebration was a success and she was able to enjoy a pile of steaks made of hadrosaur meat in front of a crowd.
;Eiger
:The park's ''Spinosaurus''. He is described as being hot-headed, though is a popular attraction at the park. Because of his temperament, he sometimes misses his catches.
;Hachibei
:The park's ''Pachycephalosaurus''. He was paired with a female named Daisy, though she died before the start of the manga. For a short time, his sleep was interrupted by water splashing down from a clogged gutter, which caused him to drowsily bump his nose to the wall while pacing. This led to a case of pneumonia when his nostrils got reshaped by an infection caused by nasal catarrh. Fortunately, Suma was able to catch it early enough to have Hachibei examined and healed. He continues to sleep in a spot he shared with Daisy.
;Momiji
:The park's ''Stegosaurus''. She used to live in an exhibit of her own, but was swapped with Daikichi while Shoukichi and Umeko were prepped for breeding. She also lives with the ''Camarasaurus'', ''Plateosaurus'', and ''Thescelosaurus''. She gained some online popularity when a picture of her made it look like she was smiling.
;Ayaka, Fuuka, Nia, & Norika
:The park's small herd of ''Pinacosaurus''. Nia is the sole male of the group and the father of five babies, Ayaka being the mother. Each member of the herd are picky about what they eat, so their main keeper, Katase, divides the food evenly to their liking. The babies are transferred to another park.
;Kaka & Kuku
:The park's pair of ''Citipati''. Kuku is the skittish of the two, refusing to go to her crate even with the promise of food. The two currently live with the ''Pinacosaurus'' herd.
;Dekopin, Mango, Parimo, Perry, Polo, Pyou, Spoon, & Tori
:The park's flock of ''Pterodaustro'' that reside in the aviary. Polo was injured by Pyou after trying to steal her food and was treated by Suma. The experience scared Polo to the point of not feeding herself, though Suma helps her recover.
;Unnamed ''Camarasaurus''
:Seen a few times in the story. It is the park sole sauropod. It lives in the biggest exhibit with Shoukichi, Umeko, Momiji, a flock of ''Thescelosaurus'', and a group of ''Plateosaurus''.
;Unnamed ''Protoceratops''
:Seen a couple times in the story. The park has at least two.
;Unnamed ''Deinocheirus''
:Seen a couple times in the story. Only one is seen.
;Unnamed ''Psittacosaurus''
:Seen a couple times in the story. The park has a small herd with hopes of breeding them.
;Unnamed ''Plateosaurus''
:Seen a couple times in the story. One is barely seen, but dialogue indicates there is more.
;Unnamed ''Thescelosaurus''
:Seen a couple times in the story. Three could be seen in certain panels.
; Unnamed ''Edmontosaurus''
:At least one ''Edmontosaurus regalis'' has been seen, though others may call the park home. A group of kids mistook them for ''Parasaurolophus'', but were corrected.
;Unnamed ''Pterodactylus''
:A flock resides in the aviary. At least seven are seen flying around and climbing a cliff while Suma and Hayashi talk.
;Unnamed ''Rhamphorhynchus''
:A small flock live in the aviary. At least three call the park home. They have a saltwater pool that they feed from, eating fish, squid, and shrimp.
;Unnamed ''Ctenochasma''
:A flock live in the aviary. Though Suma works with Hayashi and the pterosaurs, the ''Ctenochasma'' are not visited with focus going to the ''Pterodaustro''.
;'' Halszkaraptor''
:Unseen and unnamed, but confirmed to be a part of the park according to the map.
;'' Futabasaurus''
:Unseen and unnamed, but confirmed to be a part of the park according to the map.

Other dinosaurs and prehistoric animals

;Ichigo
:Enoshima Dinoland's ''Allosaurus''. She was under the care of Kaidou and Yamaga 15 years before the beginning of the story. She was shy and easily frightened. Due to Yamaga ignoring the buddy system and a minor construction incident, Ichigo got frightened and killed Yamaga before trying to escape. Though she got caught by the gate, the pressure injured her ribs and made her sounds of pain scare the crowds. Ichigo was euthanized by a shot to the head, but the incident caused a domino effect that is felt throughout the story.
;Sophia
:Blue World's ''Globidens''. The survivor of a c-section after her mother's untimely death, Sophia was a popular attraction at the park. As she aged, however, her popularity waned. Before working at Enoshima Dinoland, Igarashi was one of Sophia's keepers.
;Unnamed Ichthyosaurs
:Blue World had a tank of unidentified ichthyosaurs. Sophia was placed into their tank as a pup with little risk to either since the ichthyosaurs are primarily fish eaters and Sophia eats mollusks rather than bigger animals.
;Unnamed Plesiosaurs
:Blue World has at least one species of plesiosaur, though the identity of it is unknown. Another species, or possibly the same, was seen at the Chofu Paleoorganism Research Institute.
;''Velociraptor''
: The result of illegal breeding, a ''Velociraptor'' was smuggled into Kamakura from Yokohama before it escaped to a nearby shrine. Due to being captively bred and raised by humans, there was concern about it getting too close to humans and harming someone. Suma and Arata worked with local law enforcement to capture it and bring it to the Chofu Paleoorganism Research Institute.
;''Diplodocus''
:Several could be seen at an Australian dinosaur preserve called Australo National Dino Park. They were placed in the preserve as an experiment and seem to be acclimating well.
;''Lambeosaurus''
:Herds of ''Lambeosaurus'' are seen at the Australo National Dino Park. Sexual dimorphism is seen with males having bigger crests than the females.
;''Chasmosaurus''
:A pair are seen at the Australo National Dino Park, though plenty more may call the preserve home.
;''Styracosaurus''
:Herds of ''Styracosaurus'' are seen at the Australo National Dino Park. They are also subject to poaching as their horns are sold on the black market, much like rhinos. Shiranui used to work at the preserve as a field vet and tried helping an injured ''Styracosaurus'', but though the animal was treated it still had some tranquilizer in its system, leading it to collapse in a body of water and drown. This incident affects Shiranui to this day.
;''Prosaurolophus''
:They could be seen at the Australo National Dino Park when Shiranui and his fellow vets are looking for an injured ''Styracosaurus''. Though unnamed in the story, an afterword by the author confirms most of the dinosaurs in the preserve are from the Dinosaur Park Formation, with this and several other dinosaurs listed.
;Unnamed Pachycephalosaurs
:While Shiranui and his vets are searching for an injured ''Styracosaurus'' at Australo National Dino Park, a pair of unidentified pachycephalosaurs are seen. They may either be ''Stegoceras'' or ''Foraminacephale''.
;''Daspletosaurus''
:They are an inhabitant of Australo National Dino Park. When the injured ''Styracosaurus'' died, an individual is seen scavenging its remains.
;''Apatosaurus''
:They are confirmed to be one of many dinosaurs that live in the modern world, though it is currently unknown if they're from the lost world or revived by genetics. Shiranui notes how a dinosaur park used a bone cancer treatment to save one of their ''Apatosaurus'' and recommends using the same treatment to save Umeko's leg.
;''Hyphalosaurus''
:A tank of these small reptiles is seen at the Chofu Paleoorganism Research Institute. The aquarium seems to be based on ones similar to those that house salamanders.

Publication

Written by Itaru Kinoshita, the series began serialization in Shinchosha's '' Monthly Comic Bunch'' magazine on March 19, 2021. Shin-ichi Fujiwara, a lecturer at the , is serving as the series' research consultant. ''Monthly Comic Bunch'' was discontinued in March 2024. On April 26, 2024, the series resumed its serialization on ''Comic Bunch Kai''. As of January 2025, the series' individual chapters have been collected into seven volumes.

In January 2022, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they licensed the series for English publication.

Volume list

Reception

Danica Davidson of ''Otaku USA'' praised the story, characters, and extra notes from Fujiwara, noting that "''Dinosaur Sanctuary'' does a good job of making inosaurslike animals with personalities, rather than monsters in a monster movie". Jonathan Greenall of ''Comic Book Resources'' praised the tone and art style. Additionally, Greenall felt the series does a good job of describing how to care for animals. J. Caleb Mozzocco of ''School Library Journal'' also praised the artwork and characters. Mozocco felt the plot was " 'Jurassic Park'' but">Jurassic_Park.html" ;"title="'Jurassic Park">'Jurassic Park'' butthe park works like it was supposed to".

The series ranked 20th in the 2023 Next Manga Award in the print manga category.

References

External links

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{{Comic Bunch

Alternate history anime and manga
Dinosaurs in anime and manga
Science fiction anime and manga
Seinen manga
Seven Seas Entertainment titles
Shinchosha manga
Slice of life anime and manga