Kozakura is getting on great with her tuxedo kitten Musubi - so great that she decides to mix it up by getting another kitten! Enter: Soboro. The most cute kitten ever. A munchkin cat (the breed has stubby legs which only makes her cuter) - how will Musubi react to another kitten in the house?
I know what some of you are thinking: it’s finally happened, he’s lost his mind, burbling on about manga kittens. Maybe I have. I hope losing my mind would be quite so seamless and pleasant! But I do think Cat + Gamer is a great series regardless, though I may be somewhat biased because I love cats.
The last couple books have basically been more of the same stuff from the first book: Kozakura and Musubi get to know each other, Kozakura learns how to be a cat owner, Musubi does cute kitten stuff. So, like any sitcom that’s starting to feel stale, things are kept fresh by the introduction of a new character. And sitcoms do this because, if the character is great, the series becomes exciting again - which is exactly what Soboro does.
The new dynamic is Musubi and Soboro (another food name) getting to know each other, rather than Musubi and Kozakura. Soboro is cute and playful while Musubi is shy and reserved and it’s fun to see the two interact.
I got my parents a pair of kittens for Christmas last year and I’ve been getting to know them each time I visit (they grow so fast!) and this manga reminds me of the universality of kitten behaviour and how accurately Wataru Nadatani captures it in his series. Soboro being jealous of Musubi’s food and trying to muscle in on her dish, kittens biting your legs while you sleep at night, and so on.
Nadatani’s approach to the series changes in this book as well. Up to now it’s been told from Kozakura’s perspective with Musubi “talking” in the short backups. For the first time, there’s a silent chapter in this book focused on what life is like at home when Kozakura’s at work, almost like a transformation sequence, and then there are entire chapters where the kittens “talk” to each other and the perspective is theirs. And, like Soboro’s introduction, it’s another successful change in the series to keep it interesting for the reader.
It’s a minor complaint but I feel like Kozakura is very underdeveloped as a character, especially as we’re four books in at this point and she’s still the same person without any real goals. Nadatani tries to give her more of a story by the end by having her be slightly out of shape and going on a fitness journey but, like the social media thing in the first couple books, it doesn’t feel like much and only underlines the shallow feeling of the series. I’m not asking for anything too dramatic but something to show us another side to her character to make her feel like a real person.
It’s definitely not a deep manga, but then it’s not trying to be either - the charm of Cat + Gamer is its simplicity in concept and the enjoyment of having feline friends. The fourth volume develops the series more than the last couple of books so it’s worth sticking with the series if you feel the second and third books were repetitive. I really liked it and I look forward to
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