From the mangaka behind Cat + Gamer comes a model new cat-focused journey: Cat + Crazy. Will this new collection from writer Darkish Horse be a must-read for feline lovers in every single place? Let’s discover out!

Our story follows excessive schooler Kensuke Fuji, who completely loves cats however can’t have one, as a consequence of his household being extremely allergic. Nonetheless, he fills his days observing the stray cats round city and has turn into fairly educated about all of them. Though he does seem like a creepy stalker, as identified to him by classmate Yamada Koharu, who occurs to mistake him for some form of troublemaker when she spots him perched on a wall with binoculars…

Kensuke enthusiastically explains his each day routine to Yamada and drags her alongside to satisfy Tamako, a stray cat he’s been indebted to since childhood, after she led him residence one night time when he received misplaced within the neighbourhood. She’s additionally the one stray that lets Kensuke pet her, which suggests quite a bit to him given his want for a feline pal.

Sadly, not lengthy afterwards, Tamako goes lacking, and whereas desperately trying to find her, Kensuke runs right into a mysterious man often known as Nekoya Jin. Collectively, they discover Tamako and Nekoya shows unbelievable cat-whispering talents, which Kensuke desperately desires to study, so he begs Nekoya to show him.

(*1*)

Not like Cat + Gamer, which was a bit extra episodic, Cat + Crazy has an ongoing storyline with Kensuke. He loves cats, and now that he’s met Nekoya, he (and we readers) are studying quite a bit about them. Nekoya in a short time tells Kensuke that there’s quite a bit he can’t study by simply finding out strays, and though he understands that Kensuke can’t have a cat at residence, Nekoya permits him to maintain a kitten at his place. That method, Kensuke can study what it means to take care of a cat and likewise observe them in a very totally different atmosphere. I’m positive sooner or later his household will discover out and he’ll should cope with the fallout there, however for now he has his fingers full working round after his new pet!

I do fear that Nekoya is a bit too whimsical. He practices a artwork often known as nekendo, a cat type of martial arts which appears to have given him the flexibility to grasp what the stray cats are saying and another unrealistic talents. That is an in any other case pretty grounded story, so it does really feel a bit of odd at instances when Nekoya rolls right into a scene and solves it together with his expertise.

It could typically really feel like a little bit of an idealistic depiction of stray cats as nicely, each in how they stay and the way Kensuke and Nekoya work together with them. That’s not essentially an issue both, however I typically really feel it’s at odds with the charming story that mangaka Wataru Nadatani is in any other case making an attempt to inform. Maybe it was for the very best {that a} ‘pet’ was in a short time launched for Kensuke, versus him simply following the neighbourhood strays round on a regular basis.

As you’d anticipate from Nadatani, whose earlier cat manga was nominated (twice!) for the Greatest Manga Harvey Award, that is in any other case a stable first quantity. Each the people and cats alike are nicely drawn, and though Nadatani typically places lots of element into fairly small panels, it’s nonetheless straightforward to observe from scene to scene. You may definitely really feel the love Nadatani has for the subject material, that’s for positive.

As talked about, Cat + Crazy involves the West because of Darkish Horse Manga and has been translated by Zack Davisson with lettering by Susie Lee and Studio Cutie. The discharge reads nicely, and the lettering particularly stands out for the big selection and the way nicely it blends in with the remainder of the work. Sadly, no color pages right here, which is a disgrace as the primary few pages seem like they had been revealed in color at some stage (I assume for the journal serialisation).

The collection is already full in Japan with 6 volumes. Right here in English, Darkish Horse at present has Volume 2 scheduled for the top of October with #3 following in April 2026, so a reasonably affordable schedule for this one.

General, if you happen to’re somebody who loved Cat + Gamer or just loves cats, you’ll absolutely additionally take pleasure in Cat + Crazy. Whereas this primary quantity doesn’t really feel as grounded, it’s nonetheless entertaining, and the creator’s love for humanity’s feline companions shines by. With solely 6 volumes, this isn’t going to be the largest dedication in the long term both.

Our assessment copy from Darkish Horse was provided by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Writer Providers)

© Wataru Nadatani / Darkish Horse / SHOGAKUKAN