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A review by foxo_cube
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
"The Cat Who Saved Books" is sweet and simple, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
It's a book about loving books, and about loving books in their entirety - it urges the reader strongly to remember the importance of taking the time to read and enjoy books. Maybe it could come off as heavy-handed, but, as someone who grew up reading everything and came from a family who also read everything, it resonated with me, at the very least. Rintaro's outrage that someone could see no worth in re-reading a book particularly spoke to me!
The characters could be more fleshed out, but they're likeable. Tiger's an adorable mentor figure. The friendship and flirtation between Rintaro and Sayo is sweet and progresses fairly naturally. Rintaro's rediscovery of his will to live is really nice to follow, and I kind of like that he's happy to be a weird little hikikomori - he just goes from being a depressed one to a happy one. It's also a nice touch that his grief doesn't seem to lessen so much as it morphs from a sad wallowing into a positive motivator. Although, like I said, the book is simple, it feels like a lot of what's there is very deliberately and carefully put together.
I feel as though the story would lend itself well to animation, both due to its structure and its labyrinths each having their uncanny little quirks. I can hope!
It's a book about loving books, and about loving books in their entirety - it urges the reader strongly to remember the importance of taking the time to read and enjoy books. Maybe it could come off as heavy-handed, but, as someone who grew up reading everything and came from a family who also read everything, it resonated with me, at the very least. Rintaro's outrage that someone could see no worth in re-reading a book particularly spoke to me!
The characters could be more fleshed out, but they're likeable. Tiger's an adorable mentor figure. The friendship and flirtation between Rintaro and Sayo is sweet and progresses fairly naturally. Rintaro's rediscovery of his will to live is really nice to follow, and I kind of like that he's happy to be a weird little hikikomori - he just goes from being a depressed one to a happy one. It's also a nice touch that his grief doesn't seem to lessen so much as it morphs from a sad wallowing into a positive motivator. Although, like I said, the book is simple, it feels like a lot of what's there is very deliberately and carefully put together.
I feel as though the story would lend itself well to animation, both due to its structure and its labyrinths each having their uncanny little quirks. I can hope!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent