Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - A Man and His Cat, Vol. 1

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

A Man and His Cat, Vol. 1 by Umi Sakurai

7 reviews

will_worm's review

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funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Man I wish I was that silly looking cat

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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

As a cat person, this manga absolutely stole my heart 🥺 Fukumaru is the 'ugly' cat at the shelter, so no one adopts him and he keeps getting left behind in favor of cute kittens ... until one day a man comes in to take him home. We get Fukumaru's perspective and see his thoughts about his new home. The story was SO sweet, I couldn't help but get emotional as it was so heartbreaking to see how long Fukumaru was alone and how he still expects his luck to turn around. He's just so full of gratitude for this new life and still has underlying abandonment issues 💔
On the other side, Kanda also seems lonely. He's full of love for his new cat, so I immediately warmed to him. Yet, he also seems to suffer from a great personal loss and is still grieving. This seems like the kind of story where both sides are going to help each other build a happier life!
The only thing that was a bit much is Fukumaru's manner of speech. There are a TON of words replaced with 'meow' etc. and it was too corny for me. I can easily see this manga not working for some people, as the specific kind of humor here isn't for everyone.

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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

So pure!! So sweet!! This was beyond adorable, and I'm so glad I picked it up.

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cait's review

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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crufts's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

After hearing rave reviews about this manga, I was delighted to find a copy in my local library. It's so exciting to see an actual printed manga in real life!

A cat has been sitting in a pet store, unwanted and unadopted, for months. He's not even a kitten anymore. Nobody wants to take him - they always want the other, cuter cats. Will the cat ever find a home? But one day, a middle-aged man walks up and asks to adopt this strange cat! After all, before his wife passed away, she always said she'd love to have a cat. Could this be the start of something wonderful for both the man and the cat...?

With this deceptively simple premise, A Man and His Cat takes us on an adorable, heartbreaking, heartwarming journey: even after a terrible loss, the healing powers of love and care know no bounds.

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ollie_again's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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inamerata's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Collected review for vol. 1-9.

A delightful, heartwarming series about love, music, and, of course, cats.

The premise is simple: when a kindly widower, Fuyuki Kanda, adopts a long-overlooked cat, Fukumaru, they quickly develop a deep and loving bond. This has a ripple effect on Kanda’s life, easing his grief and helping him connect with others again.

Umi Sakurai has a sweet, expressive style that works equally well in silly and serious moments. As the story progresses, she begins to incorporate some longer and dramatic plots that dig into grief and loneliness and jealousy, but these are balanced out by the levity of mini-comics about the daily joys of cats. As a result, even when the characters are international musical stars, their emotions and struggles feel relatable and engaging.

I appreciate how she uses little moments throughout — a trip to the vet, inviting a friend to a concert — to progress the story and show character growth. It is often painful or bittersweet, but leads to new joys that would otherwise be impossible. The cats' unique personalities complement their human counterparts, as well, letting lots of dynamics shine.

I’ve actually teared up reading this more than once, such as

when Fukumaru gets out. Even knowing there would be a happy ending, it was portrayed so realistically, it’s no surprise it was drawn from personal experience.

My complaints with this series are few. Some of the wordplay/cat jokes don’t work as well in translation (e.g., “meowy” instead of “my”), which was distracting and quickly wore thin even as someone who usually enjoys them. The larger plots can jump around in time/location, so it was occasionally hard to keep everything in order. And lastly, this is a very male-centric story, with very few women, all in limited roles. Ms. Sato and Sorako are coming more into focus now, so I am hopeful for some changes going forward, though. :)

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