A Man and His Cat, Volumes One - Six – Umi Sakurai
Each year I try to read a new genre or format, and once I learned about a Japanese series based on a man living with his adopted cat, I knew manga was the winner for 2022.
The New York Public Library describes manga as “an umbrella term for a wide variety of comic books and graphic novels originally produced and published in Japan…Japanese manga are almost fully in black and white and read from right-to-left rather than left-to-right.”
Umi Sakurai, started “A Man and His Cat” as a webcomic, which quickly grew in popularity and now includes full-length mangas, a television adaptation and video game.
The series follows the lives of Mr. Kanda, a widowed, world-renowned piano player who gave up his professional ambitions after his wife died, and his homely cat, Fukumaru, who spent years at the pet store because he was deemed ugly. They form an immediate bond that helps the other achieve the best version of themselves.
As a whole, I found the series sweet but slight. At times it was repetitive and boring — especially when the human characters were the focus instead of the cats — but Sakurai completely nails the understated joy and endorphin boost of sharing your life with a quirky cat.
After reading six of the 10 volumes, I don’t need to read more. Honestly, I was ready to give up after Volume 2, but kept reading because my library had the others readily available and each only took about 30-minutes to read.
After nearly 1,000-pages read, I can appreciate what Sakurai has done here, but I might be too jaded to accept the story for what it is versus what I want it to be (i.e., a little edgier.)
If focused only on the cats, it would be a solid five-star experience, but as the series goes on the cats take more of a backseat to the music industry drama, which began to feel like a daily soap opera with low-stakes plot tests and overexaggerated emotion. I lost interest in most of Volume 6, and skipped much of it, since 75 percent of it was about the humans and not Fukumaru.
Still, I’m grateful for this introduction to the genre and am open to additional mangas in the future. I’d rate “A Man and His Cat” as solidly average. If interested, below are micro-reviews of the six volumes I read.
Volume One
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: [adapted from the dustjacket] A kitten languishes in a pet shop, unwanted and unloved. Even as his price drops with each passing day, no one spares him a glance unless it's to call him names. Having practically given up on life, the kitty himself is most shocked of all when an older gentleman comes into the store and wants to take him home! Will the man and the cat find what they're looking for…in each other?
My take:
A simple and sweet slice of life story about two lonely souls finding one another that introduces the series’ two main characters, Kanda Fuyuki and Fukumaru. What follows is mostly disparate plot elements that help set up the story - Mr. Kanada is a widower and lonely; Fukumaru is curious, goofy and has trust issues.
Whether due to translation or format some elements felt disjointed. Still, I was charmed by the story and eager to dive into Volume 2. This is largely due to the adorable way Sakurai draws Fukumaru, the relatable cat and human bond interludes (playing, sharing a bed, trying to take a photo, etc.) and the personality she gave him, which reminded me a lot of my cat.
Rating (story): 3/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Formats: eBook (library loan)
Dates read: July 5 – July 7, 2022
Multi-tasking: N/A
Volume Two
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: [adapted from the dustjacket] Now that Fukumaru and Mr. Kanda have found each other, every new day brings with it a series of surprises and delights. As the pair navigate their new life together, time, which had frozen for Mr. Kanda following a personal tragedy, gradually begins to move again.
My take:
If it wasn't for Volume 3 already waiting for me at the library, I would've stopped reading the series here. Essentially this felt the exact same as Volume 1, both in character development and situations presented.
We’re given a small amount of additional background into Kanda’s life and trauma, but the ancillary characters — mainly Kobayashi and Moriyama — felt like they were part of a different story. Most of the novel is rehashing when Fukumaru came to live with Kanda and how they are building life together with mutual respect and admiration.
Is it terrible? No. Are their elements that are cute? Absolutely. But was it satisfying? Not much.
Rating (story): 2/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Formats: eBook (library loan)
Dates read: July 9 – July 10, 2022
Multi-tasking: N/A
Volume Three
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: [adapted from the dustjacket] Their little life together growing ever cozier, Mr. Kanda and Fukumaru continue to take comfort in each other. And with his kitty's help, Mr. Kanda learns to lean on those around him bit by bit. But one day, Fukumaru finds himself being pulled out of the Mr. Kanda's arms at the vet! Fukumaru is in big trouble, and the man and the cat, who both know what it's like to be lonely, are in tears at the thought of being separated.
My take:
Now we’re getting somewhere! In the author’s note, Sakurai shares that publishing is now outside the confines of social media rules, so it’s providing greater opportunity for her to dive into the story and characters — and it showed. This was a huge step forward from Volume 2 in almost every way.
Finally, we get answers as to why Kanda gave up his career as a professional pianist and Moriyama is given more to work with than being a Kanda-obsessed co-worker and wannabe musician. There's also the introduction of a mysterious new character — a professional competitor of Kanda’s — who it appears will play a significant role in the series moving forward.
If you love to anthropomorphize your pets, then you’ll appreciate Fukumaru’s backstory with his siblings and mother. From a slice of life perspective, anyone that has ever had to put their pet through a medical treatment or has tried to do household chores with a curious kitty, will appreciate how those situations are reflected here.
Still, the majority of the volume feels repetitive to its predecessors. There are a few jokes and situations being revisited ad nauseum, and where it felt quirky and cute before, now it feels there may not be a deep well of ideas. I do plan on reading Volume 4, and that will be the deal breaker for continuing on or giving up.
Rating (story): 3.5/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Formats: eBook (library loan)
Dates read: July 10, 2022
Multi-tasking: N/A
Volume Four
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: [adapted from the dustjacket] Fukumaru might find it hard to imagine, but not everyone is Mr. Kanda's biggest fan! Kanade Hibino, a rival concert pianist, detests Mr. Kanda and his musical genius. But when Kanade has a furry new houseguest forced upon him, he heads to the pet store for supplies and guidance...only to run into none other than his (assumed) nemesis! Will the cats in their lives bring the two men closer together and mend old wounds?
My take:
After a push forward with character development and backstory in the previous volume, Volume 4 is a bit of a regression with Sakurai rehashing plots that are, honestly, tiresome.
The human characters are incomplete and absurdly immature. Maybe this is a hallmark of the genre, but I find the overexaggerated emotion to be a distraction and not endearing. Hibino, Moriyama and Kobayashi all seem primed for a Big Lesson™ brought forward by Kanda, and I don't really care about any of them.
The cat content is the only reason I'm still reading. Once again, Fukumaru steals the show, and I do appreciate that Sakurai builds out his world as well. I liked the addition of Marin, his long-lost litter mate, and the cliff hanger with the Maine Coon. I'll continue with Volume 5 to see how these plots pan out (although I could probably guess already).
Rating (story): 3/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Formats: eBook (library loan)
Dates read: July 17, 2022
Multi-tasking: N/A
Volume Five
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: [adapted from the dustjacket] Fukumaru settles in for an evening of watching the house while Mr. Kanda is out on the town. But when he catches sight of a very familiar furry face on the other side of the window, the beloved kitty loses his cool! Upon Mr. Kanda's return home, a bewildered Fukumaru makes a decision he might forever regret! What should have been a pleasant night quickly turns into a nightmare for both the man and his cat!
My take:
I waffled on continuing with this series, but Volume 5 was easily the best of the bunch. Why? Because it focused almost solely on the animals versus the humans and their repetitive story lines.
With a "Homewood Bound" type plot, most of action centers around Fukumaru's escape from home to help a Maine Coon stray, Moja, he remembers from the pet store. Eventually Moja finds his way home — as does Fukumaru — and even the surly battled-harden neighborhood tomcat, Lunlun, who was convinced his family had replaced him with a kitten gets a happy ending.
It's not groundbreaking, but even the most cold-hearted person will be charmed by how the human and animal bond is represented. I particularly loved the advice Fukumaru gave to Lunlun: "No matter how many cats he has...no matter how cute they are...they could never take meowy place." Sentiments like this were littered throughout Sakurai's writing, and it shows that with a tight and introspective focus, she can make this series into something truly special.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Formats: eBook (library loan)
Dates read: July 22 – July 23, 2022
Multi-tasking: N/A
Volume Six
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: [adapted from the dustjacket] Mr. Kanda knows loneliness all too well. But thanks to a little help from his friends--furry and otherwise--he's come back out of his shell and into the world, where he touches the lives of those around him too. So when Mr. Kanda beholds his fellow music teacher and Fukumaru fanboy Mr. Moriyama standing frozen onstage after having been deserted by his bandmates mid-gig, Mr. Kanda must overcome his own trauma-induced stage fright to help his friend.
My take:
In the afterward, Sakurai mentions that the series is turning into a cat manga and music manga, which might be creatively fulfilling for her, but disappointing for those of us here for the cat content.
This volume primarily centers on the human characters and their music drama. Honestly, I skipped several sections because I could not care less. It is starting to feel like a daily soap opera with mysterious new characters and dramas introduced that are slight variations of a previous volumes' plot. Yawn.
The strength in this series has always been how astutely Sakurai depicts the human and cat connection. The anthropomorphizing and "challenges" are universal. Reading these slice of life sections make you feel like it's completely justified to talk about your cat ad nauseum (note: it always is). Even the tease of a new cat in Volume 7 won't keep me reading on.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Formats: eBook (library loan)
Dates read: August 10, 2022
Multi-tasking: N/A
