A Man and His Cat by Umi Sakurai

 

  

Reviewed by Jeanne

 

Since I seemed to be on a roll with magna after Cat + Gamer, I went for the first two volumes of A Man and His Cat by Umi Sakurai.  This one really tugs at the heart strings in a very good way.  A chubby, unattractive kitten waits and waits in the pet shop, seeing all the cute kittens being adopted.  No one seems to want him, and as he grows into a cat it seems he will live out his life in the pet shop. Then one day an older man named Mr. Kanda comes in and, astonishingly, wants to adopt the cat!

Now named Fukumaru, the cat is deeply grateful even though he doesn’t understand why he was chosen.  It turns out that Mr. Kanda is a lonely widower. His late wife loved cats and he had promised her they would get one, but she died before that happened.  The story is told from both the point of view of Fukumaru and Mr. Kanda.  Fukumaru adores his daddy and wants to please him, but sometimes isn’t sure how to do that.  Mr. Kanda is learning about the charm and most especially the comfort of cats.  In fact, he’s turning into something of a cat aficionado, delighting in cat sweaters and such, much to the consternation of some of his friends and co-workers. 

I was surprised at how moving I found these stories to be. Mr. Kanda and Fukumaru are two lonely souls who find hope and love together.  Mr. Kanda is a kind, generous man who is a superb musician, which sometimes causes others to envy him and to offer slights to which he is annoyingly oblivious.  I am so rooting for continued happiness for Mr. Kanda and Fukumaru, and since there are at least four more volumes in the series there should be ample opportunity.

The emotional depth was unexpected, or maybe it’s just that I’m finally getting the hang of reading manga! I became more emotionally invested in these characters, and I am sort of getting used to the art style.  Fukumaru is very much a stylized cartoon cat, his eyes often welling with tears of happiness or concern.  Mr. Kanda seems to be an older man but the art doesn’t really convey that except as a few lines on his face. He appeared to me to be an attractive man, and a couple of reviews mentioned that as well—well, actually those reviews used the words “hot” or “hottie.” I concur.

Also, Mr. Kanda inspires me.  I’d like to be as kind, considerate, and gentle as he is. 

I am certainly going to read more of these!