Dear reader, I have reached that point in my manga reading where I’ve finished one beloved series while also waiting for the latest English-language volumes of other series to be released. So I went to Google and searched for other series similar to ones I’m reading now, to tide me over! That is how I found the three manga series I’ll be talking about today.
Of course, if you’ve been reading my blog posts for any length of time you’ll know that I love cats! So what better to write about than cat-themed manga? Name a better duo, I’ll wait!
Catnaps, Catnaps Everywhere! by Pandania
Return to the adorable world of PANDANIA in the newest cat comic. A box, a sunbeam, or a comfy lap: there’s plenty of places to find a napping cat!
Necchi is a big, long cat who enjoys napping, lazing around, and finding new ways to get attention from his human. Stretched out in a sunbeam or curled up in a box, Necchi is never picky about where he lounges! This sweet boy never scratches or knocks things over if he’s displeased–he simply extends a paw in refusal. And he always knows when his human needs cuddling.
Enjoy the daily life of Necchi and his human from the master of cat manga, PANDANIA!
Dear reader, I feel like I wasn’t fair to this manga series the first time I read it. I kept expecting it to be like one of my most favorite manga series, Nights With a Cat, where both the cat and humans are very expressive and very realistic both in looks and in actions. While Necchi the cat is realistically drawn and behaves like a normal cat, his human is not realistic in appearance. My main problem could just be I didn’t like the art style of Catnaps. I think it kept me from fully immersing in the story.
But that aside, I still enjoyed reading this volume! The dynamic between Necchi and his human was fun to read. Necchi got into things he shouldn’t, behaved in ways that his human found bizarre, and made him worry as well! The seemingly trivial things he worried over where Necchi was concerned made him very relatable. Which one of us that has pets hasn’t fretted over the smallest thing?
Also, having grown up with a 20+ lb. cat I found Necchi’s big size relatable as well! Every time I see “normal-sized cats” I’m always shocked how small they seem! What do you mean your cat isn’t the size of a small dog? How strange!
Cats With Jobs by Pandania
Ever wondered what it would be like if your cat had to get a job? The cats in this book do every kind of occupation you can imagine, and they do it just the way they like. Feline chefs, dentists, wrestlers, detectives, opera singers and much more await in this hilarious full-color collection by the creator of The Evil Secret Society of Cats, Yokai Cats, and Monster Cats!
Dear reader, I don’t mean to sound dumb, but before reading this manga series, I never realized just how many jobs there are in the world! Granted some of the jobs it mentions, like Santa Claus, aren’t technically jobs, but still, the sheer amount was crazy! Maybe you’re like me and you never really stopped to think about the wide variety of jobs there actually is.
In this manga series, there is a cat world that co-exists with the human world. There are cat-run restaurants, dental offices, TV channels, etc. that humans can patronize and watch, but they mostly cater to cats. In one scene a human woman orders a popsicle from a cat restaurant and it turns out to be churu-flavored! Also, when a human man is watching a cat-run shopping network on TV, the cats are discussing the merits of different scratching posts and cat towers. There is even a matchmaking service for cats looking for human owners! Oftentimes the human owners realize their cat is a famous YouTuber, or that they have a secret nighttime job, like a ninja!
There isn’t much of a plotline with this series, aside from the same two humans – male and female – showing up at different cat-run establishments because they were invited by their cat friends. But that’s how the series is designed. It’s basically a long list of different jobs that cats have! Imagine hiring a cat lawyer, or visiting the same cat barista every morning! What a world that would be.
Cats of the Louvre by Taiyo Matsumoto
A surreal tale of the secret world of the cats of the Louvre, told by Eisner Award winner Taiyo Matsumoto.
The world-renowned Louvre museum in Paris contains more than just the most famous works of art in history. At night, within its darkened galleries, an unseen and surreal world comes alive—a world witnessed only by the small family of cats that lives in the attic. Until now…
Translated by Tekkonkinkreet film director Michael Arias.
The world-renowned Louvre museum in Paris contains more than just the most famous works of art in history. At night, within its darkened galleries, an unseen and surreal world comes alive—a world witnessed only by the small family of cats that lives in the attic. Until now…
Dear reader, I am still in the midst of reading this manga. It’s two volumes in one so it’s quite thick! There is almost an element of magical realism to the story that I wasn’t expecting. At first it left me feeling a mite unsettled, but as I read further into the story I’m getting used to it! In my opinion it draws me further into the story, like Alice falling down the hole into wonderland.
There are other aspects to the story that bring to mind The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was another favorite of mine. If you haven’t read it, I would suggest you do!
I look forward to reading and writing about many more cat-themed mangas in the future! As always, happy reading!
