A Man And His Cat, Vol 1 (Manga Review)

I found A Man and His Cat on a Kindle store browse. I remember there was much social media buzz surrounding this adorable slice-of-life, not only because of the wonderful content, but also because its author, Umi Sakurai, self-published the manga online before it promptly went viral. I rarely read slice-of-life manga, with only Yotsuba&! and Azumanga Daioh being the only examples of the genre I can fall back on, but A Man and His Cat has personally reaffirmed the absolute beauty and charm of the medium, and I will definitely search for more titles in this genre.

The series follows Kanda, a widower who purchases an exotic shorthair from his local shelter and quickly becomes best friends with him. The later named Fukumaru has spent many long, lonesome years in the shelter because exotic shorthairs are … unfortunate looking. Kanda is the first person to choose him straight away, and he enjoys a new life in a home he can call his own, with a human “daddy” who dotes on him every day. Kanda is a quiet, kind-natured man who always notices the depths of beauty lurking behind everyday events, and his fateful choosing of Fukumaru is just one example of his empathetic disposition towards others.

When I first heard about the manga, I had assumed it to be a comedy series, but A Man and His Cat is so much more than that. There is a heartbreaking narrative that runs parallel to the daily hijinks of Fukumaru, shown through brief, delicate flashbacks of Kanda’s departed wife. We only ever see glimpses of her smile, her hands and the things she use to hold, her stooping posture and her excited movements towards the much happier Kanda of the past. These deeply bittersweet memories feed into the main narrative so beautifully, that whenever Kanda’s face lights up with glee over another one of Fukumaru’s crazy cattisms, it is impossible not to frame it within his bereaved circumstances, and a promise to his wife that was never realised when she was alive. Through Fukumaru, Kanda can interact with the memory of his wife, and as he poignantly reminds himself, rekindle the joy of having someone to come home to.

Hmm lemme find myself at this cafe after quarantine…

The story is cleanly narrated. In some chapters, Kanda observes Fukumaru through internal monologues, fretting over his daily care and feeding habits. As a senior-aged man, and one for whom animal care is alien, Kanda often finds himself in comical mishaps with mundane and obvious pet fare, such as the complications of stretchable collars, lidded litter trays, and cats’ aversions to small bodies of water. The point of view will then switch to Fukumaru’s internal voice, filled to the brim with cat puns, where we get to read his perspective on his hopeless owner’s trials. Fukumaru is eternally grateful to Kanda for adopting him, and he grows possessive of him, particularly identifying Kanda’s grand piano as his rival for affection. Everyday cat behaviours cat owners are so accustomed to are explored with observational hilarity, as shown by Kanda’s perseverance to get a good picture of Fukumaru to send to his friend, or Kanda’s long journey to pick out a nice and expensive cat bed, only to return home to find Fukumaru stubbornly perched inside a cardboard box.

We also get to see snippets of Kanda’s life through his day job, and his regular music lessons to a group of primary school children, who note with infant bluntness that their teacher appears so happy because he no longer plays “sad and dusty” songs. His best friend is a dog person, and after insulting Fukumaru, soon becomes enamoured by the stubborn cat’s ability to return a smile to Kanda’s face. It’s just all so beautiful.

I’m currently going through PMS so I wonder if this was the best manga for me to read right now? I definitely had to hold back the tears a few times, especially during those wonderfully drawn panels of Kanda’s smile whenever Fukumaru does something to make him happy. I enjoyed reading this so much.

The artwork is a plus, by the way. Kanda is a DILF if I’ve ever seen one.

Please read this manga.

10/10