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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 8, by Umi Sakurai

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Kanda’s son and daughter; Hoshinari and Sorako respectively, come to pay their father a visit only Hoshinari hates cats.

If this series has any lesson to take away from it besides the fruitless hope that the world’s problems can be solved by a cute cat, it that being into playing music puts you in the orbit of a lot of assholes. Kanda, Moriyama and now Hoshinari had to deal with some absolute dickheads leading to a bunch of trauma to be unpacked. All the pressure and backstabbing… But I believe in this series’ ability to engage the power of adorable cats to help the humans move on. Although (spoiler) the fake out with the accident was so unnecessary. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 7, by Umi Sakurai

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Another brilliant pianist, Geoffroy, comes to Japan to challenge Kanda and overtake him as the best. On the way to Kanda’s house, Geoffroy finds a box of cold, lonely, abandoned kittens.

Ah, if only all the world’s problems could be solved by a box of adorable kittens…

The characters are becoming better people because the action of bonding with the cats lets down the barriers they’ve built up and it’s really touching and sweet. This volume didn’t hit me in the feels as hard as the others but it’s still good and still worth reading if you want something cute and fun that will make you smile. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 6, by Umi Sakurai

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Kanda is going out more and it invited by Moriyama only to find Moriyama has ditched him. Kanda has to overcome his panic attacks and fear in order to cope.

In this volume, we get to know more about Moriyama a lot more and it’s more of a music manga than a cat one. I’m completely fine with that since Kanda is healing from his past traumas and him adopting a cat was the catalyst for everything going on in is life now. It’s still very cute and Fukumaru has plenty of time to shine so you get your fix of adorable felines. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 5, by Umi Sakurai

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In a change up from previous volumes, this one has more emphasis on the cats. Fukumaru recognizes an old neighbor from the pet shop wandering outside. This cat just runs off, prompting Fukumaru to run out and help him; only to get lost and Kanda rushes to find him.

I’m a wimp, I got misty eyed. I’m almost mad at how easily this volume made me cry but I’m an animal lover. One of my financial goals is to adopt another pet and pets are a big part of my retirement plan. I am a soft touch when it comes to all these feels. It’s also a testament to the art, which allows for all the emotions to come through. Very good volume. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 4, by Umi Sakurai

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A rival of Kanda’s, Hibino, is determined to do whatever it takes to surpass Kanda’s incredible talent for the piano. But Hibino’s flighty mother suddenly decides she doesn’t want to bother with her cat anymore and dumps the cat on him. With no idea what to do, Hibino ends up asking Kanda for help.

Well, I wouldn’t expect a cute story about a guy adoring his pet cat to deal with all these types of human trauma but, here we are. At least it’s handled well, classy even considering this is marketed as a cozy read about an elderly man and his cat. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 3, by Umi Sakurai

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After the time comes for Fukumaru to get neutered, we have a new character enter the cast named Moriyama; a young man who works with Kanda and greatly admires Kanda’s piano skills. Unfortunately, Moriyama is unaware of Kanda’s past and how traumatic it would be for him to attend a piano concert.

I like learning about these characters through the cats. We spend plenty of time with both the human characters and the felines so there’s a good balance. This series is getting a little more dramatic and very touching. 4.5 out of 5. 

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 2, by Umi Sakurai

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Kanda has changed since adopting Fukumaru and the people in his life are starting to notice. He thinks back on his past, his now deceased wife, and how he used to devote so much time to his career, he realizes just how much happier he is having the cat in his life. Kanda smiles more and is opening up to the people around him. And of course, Fukumaru is happy having a nice home despite his own sad past.

This manga is still so sweet and filled with adorable cat moments. If you need slice-of-life manga that is light-hearted and comforting, this is perfect. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Cat + Gamer” Volume 2, by Wataru Nadatani

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In the continuing misadventures of Riko she runs afoul of the typical trap of attaining a new pet: spending way too much on toys.

In this volume, we also meet Riko’s sister, Mai, who is obsessed with social media so Riko gives her cat an account. Riko gets to meet other pet owners and gets to know her cat much better. Manga like these are the ultimate comfort read. Riko is just enjoying her companion and learning about what it’s like to care for a cat on a day to day basis. It’s just wholesome, cute, and fun to read. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Cat + Gamer” Volume 1, by Wataru Nadatani

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Riko Kozakura doesn’t socialize with anyone at work, preferring to take care of her duties and go straight home to game. When a security guard at the office finds a stray kitten, she is compelled to take him home. But she doesn’t know anything about cats so she must level up her pet owner skills.

This is another cute cat slice of life manga with the hook of a gamer for an owner. It’s unique that Riko sees learning about her new friend as leveling up a character like in her RPGs. She clearly cares for him so it’s not her brain disconnecting to her gamer space, it’s leveraging her interests to focus her energy. Just adorable. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews” The Walking Cat: A Cat’s-Eye-View of the Zombie Apocalypse” Vols. 1-3, by Tomo Kitaoka

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This manga follows a white cat Yuki as he tags along with various survivors of a zombie apocalypse.

This has all the emotional ups and downs of a zombie survival story but with a revolving cast of protagonists. It’s not exclusively from Yuki’s perspective but he’s the one that connects the human characters. The people we follow are interesting and using the cat as a way to flow between them is done very well. It may seem silly to think of a person fighting a horde for a cat but if I can suspend disbelief for zombies, I can suspend it for this, too. The art style is excellent, versatile enough to handle both the cutesy and disgusting with just as much detail. If you’re looking for something a little different for your zombie content fix, this is a great read. 4.7 out of 5.

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