Nishina is a part-timer at the supermarket near Saku and Yukichi and has run into them a few times. One day, she faints from overwork and lack of sleep. When Saku takes her to home to rest, it turns out that Nishina's home is a total mess--almost as bad as Saku's place before she took in Yukichi! Saku can't bear to leave Nishina in these conditions, which means it's time to call in the one and only masterful cat, Yukichi!!
Hitsuzi Yamada (山田 ヒツジ, Yamada, Hitsuzi) is a Japanese cartoonist, best known for the manga series The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today, which debutted in 2018.
Giant cat in apron continues to amuse reviewer. Film at eleven. But amidst Yukichi reaching new heights and maybe looking for love (in Saku’s mind anyway), Saku has grown up a little. Having very little to Kondo in the condo, however, leads to some shocking serialized storytelling…
Yukichi is adorable. He is the ideal aloof-but-caring cat personification (purrsonification?) and I love his personality so much. If he wasn’t Japanese, you just know he’d have that snooty butler accent and I definitely don’t read his lines like that, what are you talking about?
In some ways this is just like the other series volumes, it just happens to be incredibly funny. Saku’s wild mental gymnastics when she thinks of Yukichi getting married (and what that might even look like) are good, but when she later thinks that he might keep growing, well, the endpoint of that had me in stitches.
There’s also the hilarious revelation, along with yet another dollop of funny yuri bait (normally this would drive me nuts, but here it just works), that Saku is an absolute heartbreaker at work, accidentally, to the extent that there’s basically a support group for all her many suitors (across genders). The comedy just clicks so much of the time.
And when it’s not being funny, it’s being quite touching. Saku and Yukichi are such a family unit and I’m glad those flashbacks weren’t quite as brutal on the heartstrings this time because they’re crazy effective at tugging them when they are at their most dramatic.
Instead, we get a lot of Nishina, the grocery store part-timer who has previously nursed a crush on Saku. This volume, however, really dives into her life and her passions, or what would be her passions if they weren’t being trampled.
It’s not the most original story of stifled creativity, but it doesn’t hurt (for my tastes) that it’s got a pretty easy sapphic read to it (not from the direction you expect) and is told quite well. Do you really have to defer your dreams if somebody can do it better than you? And who’s to tell you that you’re not as good anyway?
This is, of course, intermingled with Saku and Yukichi meddling in their own way. Or Saku trying and Yukichi succeeding, as happens. It’s a very tasty meal after the usual extended appetizers of our duo just doing their own thing.
It’s a wonderfully strong volume of a series that has been generally ticking upwards as it goes, or is just hitting me right this time. Either way, it’s got a good heart and a deft touch with the comedy and continues to use its premise in a variety of ways. The art’s gorgeous too.
5 stars - I mean, look, it’s probably 4 stars really, but, again, the amount of joy I get from a big cat in an apron cannot be overstated and toss in some actual long form storytelling about the best side character and some strong gags? It’s positively masterf… really good.
After a few routine chapters with the main character doing all the usual stuff, focus slides to a side character and my drooping ears suddenly perked up again.
Rio Nishina works at the supermarket where Suka and the large cat shop (Nishina thinks he's a man with a very elaborate costume), but she also plays bass in a local musical group. Her busy schedule and concerns about only ever playing someone else's music bring her to the point of mental and physical exhaustion. If only someone would intrude on her life to help her find clarity in her life and cleanliness in her cluttered apartment. Hmmmm . . .
It's a nice change of pace.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Chapters 57-69 [including 62.5]-- Bonus: The Masterful Cat Cooks Rice -- Afterword -- Bonus Story
Sort of annoyed with myself that I didn't review the rest of the books in this series to date! A very lot of character growth has happened that may change my retroactive reviews should I go back to the prior volumes (not that I've been remotely good about reading series books in order here, haha).
So, a big change from prior volumes (...I think) is there are a lot of VERY short "cans" (chapters) in this volume. Like, two- or even one-page stories, like what I felt was particularly jarring when I read the manga for Handyman Saitou in Another World (which STARTS with a one-page gag). Unlike Handyman Saitou, the short chapters work well, but it feels out of place when the stories run... a *little* longer than that, on average (6-ish pages). This volume has an extended "saga" also, about Nishina and her path as a musician... as a prop to hold up a "better" musician. Also, her gross living condition (and Yukichi's compulsion to clean it all up).
I do like that there's some plot development in this. Less excited about the VERY short "cans" (especially the "alternate" rock-paper-scissors where the winner gets to hit someone with a toy mallet and the loser can TRY to use a helmet to protect from the blow, IF they're fast enough), although I'm fine with the epilogue "shorts" to certain chapters (though there are a LOT of those, too, compared to what I remember in prior volumes). I also noticed that the page composition is almost perfectly identical in EVERY (main) PAGE: four perfectly identical rectangular panels dividing the page into fourths (the "shorts" and the occasional "double-sized" panel for story emphasis are exceptions, though the "Bonus" story breaks this convention).
As a side note, I finally realised that Yukichi's name is sort of like naming your pet "Benjamin": Yukichi Fukuzawa is who's on the 10,000-yen bill (approximate to 100 USD bill). Which is an interesting choice since he's money-obsessedconscious! I hadn't looked up the spelling before, so I assumed it had to do with Fukuzawa* having found Yukichi in the snow (yuki) when he was a kitten.
Definitely recommended for fans of the series, and of cats! Newcomers might be confused by the LARGE HUMAN CAT, but it's *sort* of re-explained each time?
This series is always fun and cute, but once again, as every comedy sometimes does, this one fell a little shorter than the last two for me. I was greatly enjoying the beginning, anything with Uyumu-Sea I find hilarious, and I also REALLY liked the dumb chapter about the delivery guy. I don’t know, it was just so silly and cute. I wasn’t surprised to see Yukichi liking a cleaning show, either- I’d love to see him host his own, haha! But after that, the humor of the volume really wasn’t there as much. It went with a slightly more serious story about a worker at Yukichi’s favorite supermarket, and although I’m never one to hate on a book, even a comedy, for trying to have a heartwarming plot, this one didn’t really feel needed. If they have more character backstories/story arcs, I guess that could be enjoyable, considering I like the topic their stories focus on. I just think hers was very predictable. I did like the art during those parts especially, so there is that. I’m looking forward to picking up the next one-with this series, you never really know what’s coming next!
(This book contains very mild language, some alcohol, and boys and girls having huge crushes on the main character, Saku. However, it is very innocent. I would give this book an age rating of like 10+, but the entire series is 13+, so keep that in mind.)
Ok - so of course anything with Yukichi is adorable, but I didn't like the entire focus on this new person... it felt off somehow and lost the magic of the original cat/owner story... my least favorite installment of this series. I'm not sure if I'll hunt down volume 7, however, I'm definitely going to look up the animated show! I want to hear what Yukichi's voice is cast to sound like! I wonder if it'll be dubbed or not... (impulse purchase -though I wish I had instead bought volume 2, though it wasn't on the shelves at the store, because that is my favorite one in the entire series)!
Adorable light fun; I love how the series has been branching out to the lives of her friends and coworkers. Also, giant cat housekeeper just remains a good gag. I need to make time to check out the anime adaptation that's starting up.
The masterful cat shows what makes him masterful when he and his owner help a friend in need. This volume shows how much Saku has grown since Yukichi entered her life. I'm loving the character growth that is happening right now and I'm excited to see where this will go.
That was fun. Loved the story with Nishina and the cycle continuing. Missed the great side characters, but hopefully they'll be in the next one. We're getting an anime adaptation? I will have to keep an eye out
Always adorable! The look on Yukichi's face when she offered him the tuna. And I am so glad that she is aware that she will die without his assistance. I liked the parallel of the lady from the grocery store having a messy house.
It was very delightful to read a volume where Yukichi is able to help other people's lives. This was a very cute read and the small extra was truly touching and funny.
Depuis plusieurs années, la mode est aux romans feel good japonais avec des chats, vous avez ici leur pendant manga avec cette série où chaque tome nous ravie en nous immergeant dans le quotidien de cette jeune employée bonne à rien à la maison dont le chat s'occupe magiquement de tout !
Sans se renouveler de manière folle, l'autrice sait à chaque fois capturer notre attention et nous faire passer un bon moment, alternant les petites injonctions à faire bouger la jeune femme et les moments cocooning où on accepte sa flemmardise. C'est hyper déculpabilisant et reposant et nous aussi on aimerait notre chat à tout faire.
Dans ce volume, ce fut amusant de découvrir une autre jeune femme tout aussi bordélique que Saku. Le champ des possibles s'élargit et on découvre sa petite vie, bien éloignée de celle de Saku et pourtant avec des similitudes, comme on dit ''tous les chemins mènent à Rome'', ici tous les chemins mènent à Yukichi et ses talents d'homme à tout faire pour nous enlever cette charge de l'ensemble de nos inquiétudes. Alors comme les autres, le portrait de Nishina est assez classique. C'est une jeune femme qui a oublié sa passion, s'effaçant au profit d'une amie, mais qui vient de réaliser que ça ne lui convient et qui souhaite repartir à zéro, ce qui n'est pas facile. C'est le genre de petite histoire simple mais qui peut avoir des échos en nous.
Le reste du volume est consacré à plein de petites histoires mignonnes et drôles du quotidien. Cela va de l'inquiétude de Saku pour le jour où Yukichi trouvera quelqu'un, jusqu'à la passion de ce dernier pour des idols et l'aide que Saku lui apporte dans sa passion, sans oublier leurs premiers temps ensemble et la première fois où il lui a préparé à manger. Beaucoup de petits chapitres courts trop mignons qui ne racontent pas grand-chose mais reposent, donnent le moral et le sourire.
Lecture encore et toujours reposante. Elle ne brille pas par son originalité mais elle est chaleureuse et réconfortante. Le genre de rencontre qu'on aime faire après une journée de travail fatigante et bruyante. L'autrice nous conforte dans l'idée qu'il est bien d'être soi-même et d'assumer qui on est même si ça va à l'encontre de certains idéaux de la société bien pensante. Alors vive le cocooning, la flemmarde et le bien être mental !
I love this weird series about a cat taking care of people. Makes me hope for a giant cat to move in and take care of everything for me.
This one has a great deal about Nishini who works at the market, as well as playing in a band. She is a lot like Saku was before Yukichi took over. Yukichi is slightly bored and glad to have a project.