Stray Cat & Wolf, Vol. 1

野良猫と狼 [Noraneko to Ōkami] #1

by Mitsubachi Miyuki, Alethea Nibley (Translator), Athena Nibley (Translator)

When life gives you lemons and then you wake up in a hot guy’s house… Tamaki Mishina was getting out. Escaping from the tiny village where everyone loathed her for things beyond her control, especially since her dad―her last tie to the town―had recently passed away. That’s why she applied to a high school in Tokyo in the first place. But then she got sent packing from her boardinghouse, woke up in Mr. Playboy Punk Rocker’s apartment, and just kinda stayed there because she didn’t have anywhere else to go. Too bad Rou keeps trying to kick her out because he’s pretty sure she doesn’t understand what it really means to live with a guy…Tamaki Mishina was getting out. Escaping from the tiny village where everyone loathed her for things beyond her control, especially since her dad―her last tie to the town―had recently passed away. That’s why she applied to a high school in Tokyo in the first place. But then she got sent packing from her boardinghouse, woke up in Mr. Playboy Punk Rocker’s apartment, and just kinda stayed there because she didn’t have anywhere else to go. Too bad Rou keeps trying to kick her out because he’s pretty sure she doesn’t understand what it really means to live with a guy…

Genres: Manga, Romance, Shojo, Japanese Literature, Graphic Novels, Young Adult

168 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2020

About the author

Name (in native Japanese): ミユキ蜜蜂

Reviews

[Léa · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'était trop bien (même si ça allait un peu vite pour un premier tome), Tamaki est très touchante, Seri est adorable et LOGAN PURÉE JE T'AIME !!! Il est très sexy caliente, très je m'en foutiste et en même temps très attentionné. Hâte de lire la suite !
C'était un Blind date en librairie en plus avec pour mots clés : Musique, cohabitation et proximité, j'étais obligée de tomber in love en vrai

[Lilith.on.adventure · Rating 5 out of 5]

گوگولی مگولی بود 😂🤏🏻
رابطشونم باحاله

[任煦涵 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheeky brat author wooooo

[MargReadsManga · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD!!! I need more!!

[Emma]

Mais ça pourrait être super si le pelo avait pas 22 ANS et elle 16 puisqu’elle est au LYCÉE par pitié stooop

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 to 4 stars. The art, the tension, and the humor. I love it.

[Unabridged Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

So stinking cute. It really reminds me of the JDrama, Good Morning Call that I watched a few years ago. I will definitely be picking up the other two volumes that are out.

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so so cute. Also pay no mind to the read dates, I reread it like 6 times this year but didn’t know it was on Goodreads until now 🙄

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this mangaka and just about everything she writes—including this series.

In this first volume, we’re introduced to high school student Tamaki Mishina—who has left behind a poor living situation in her old, small-minded town for a new life in Tokyo. Unfortunately, the boarding house she expected to live in while attending her new high school unexpectedly kicked her out. After wandering the streets in search of a place to stay, Mishina finds herself passing out and waking up in a strange apartment—with a Playboy Punk Rocker [aka Rou] to boot. With nowhere else to go, Mishina decides to stay—despite Rou’s many attempts to kick her out. Will romance blossom between these two polar opposites? [Yes, obviously.]

Who doesn’t appreciate a good bad boy x sweetheart romance? If that is your jam, this is definitely the story for you. There’s also a delightful dash of “found family” streaking through this first volume.

Honestly, this series has all of the staples of a Mitsubachi Miyuki story—lackadaisical and charming leading guy, prickly but cute leading lady, distinct height difference between the two, minor conflicts preventing the two from being together, and an eventual mutual understanding about their feelings.

If you enjoy “Cheeky Brat”, I definitely picking up this earlier work from the author~

[cw ˙ᵕ˙ · Rating 4 out of 5]

the pacing in this one was a little odd and i hated that it ended on an “unfinished” note, rather than a cliffhanger or feeling completed in general. i felt like there was a lot of material simply missing. but overall, the characters were silly and it was a cute read! i’m hoping volume 2 has a bit more chemistry though…


“But the cat will throw a fit if I smell different when I get home.”

the fact that rou calls tama a cat is just so ˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗ and the consideration? EEEE

“A high-maintenance girl like you doesn’t need anyone but me to… Never mind. I’m drunk. I’m going to sleep.”

i died laughing at this scene! not only is it heartwarming but it’s H O T to see rou’s jealousy come out a little bit 🫣

overall, it’s a cute light read. it reads like a 2000’s romance manga, so lots of nostalgia ♡
but be warned—there is an age gap as the fmc is a high school student and the mmc seems to be an adult? i’m not sure of his age.
i can’t wait to read volume 2 and hopefully get some more closure as the series continues!

[Susanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tamaki is a high school girl who’s lived in a village where everyone ignores her and there are no other children her age. She has no social skills and no idea how the world works. So when she decides to move to Tokyo on her own to go to school there, she’s like a fish out of water.

She’s rescued by Rou, a young man of 22, who plays in a band. He finds her like a stray cat, skitty but cute and kind of difficult to abandon. Since she has no place to go, she stays with him. The story follows their rather odd friendship and romance.

The beginning was a tad confusing, but once the story got going, it was really good. I wasn’t a fan of the illustrations though. The character expressions were nonexistent and the layout was a bit too messy. The romance isn’t exactly healthy, but I think it’ll be good for them. I would read more.

I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Courtney Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the weirdest manga I have read in a long while. It isn’t an issue of the plot or story, but the general tone and vibe of this series are so odd and slightly off-putting. One of my issues with this is that I saw that this was a recently published series, but it reads like something written in the early 2000s.

The story focuses on Tamaki Mishina, an orphan who was raised in a rural town where everyone treated her as a leper. She had no one to talk to, no kids her age, and even her grandmother refused to interact with her aside from allowing her to live there. When she’s old enough, Tamaki decides to leave town and move to apply to high school in Toyko. After things go terribly wrong, she is found on the street by Rou, a punk rock band member. Rou allows her to stay for a few days, but as she has nowhere else to go, she stays longer, and the relationship between the two grows.

This situation is absolutely unbelievable, but it’s a manga, so that’s easy for me to overlook. That being said, I think Tamaki is about 15, maybe 16, and Rou is clearly several years older and hooking up with one-night stands. This orphaned child is living on the floor of a one-bedroom apartment with a college (or so) aged dude, so if that is an issue for you, I would avoid this series. Of course, a relationship starts between the two, despite a boy in Tamaki’s class having a crush on her and not knowing she’s quasi-dating a member of his favorite band.

I’m not sure why I didn’t like this manga too much. I wish I could pinpoint why, but something about it felt so 2003 in terms of content and art style. Maybe it’s because of the band element, as that fantasy was much more of a thing when I was a teenager, but who knows? Either way, this wasn’t compelling enough for me to pick up volume 2, but others may enjoy it more than I do.


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[Mairead · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this at my bookstore job. The art initially attracted me and the premise reminded me of a Japanese drama. However, I know that the age of consent is different in Japan but I couldn’t help but find this weird. There’s no slowness either and Rou once tries to alienate her from a male classmate… meanwhile he is in his 20s and she’s in high school. Yeah no.

[アレクシア · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it...pedophilia? Their ages aren't specified, but still...He's a working man and she's a schoolgirl.
I bought volume 1 and 2 with my boyfriend thinking the theme sounds nice. The dynamic of a cat-like girl and a guy with the personality of a wolf, we thought it was interesting. Got hit in the face with pedophilia instead...

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the healthiest romance, but what makes it for me is the depiction of the heroine's misophonia. I don't think I've ever seen that in fiction before (or at least not manga), and they nailed the fight-or-flight reaction it can produce.

[ChelseaFace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not know how to feel about this volume quite yet...still thinking about it.
I like the art. I like the idea.
I think it's the characters holding me back for now. I'll try one more volume to see if it's for me.

[Sheepy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been really enjoying cheeky Brat so once.i saw this was Miyuki's work also i decided to jump right it, there are some galring similarities between the two but I have really been enjoying this series almost as much as cheeky Brat.

[Rachel Igo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t care, I loved this so much😂

[Jemailyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5☆

Rou and Tamaki.. 😍

[Kayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already love them 😅

[Lissa Hawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminiscent of Cheeky Brat in the art style (same artist, so makes sense)
Enjoying the characters so far.

[Bas ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

weird af

[beya]

well…..

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not continuing with the series. Too many red flags and a terrible lead male character.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didnt think i was gonna like the story once got goibg it started to get interesting. Wanna read more

[Célia ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

❑ Version : French

🌸 Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Kaitlynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Am not sure I like this, but I will keep reading it. It's looking TOO similar character wise to Namaikizakari. And I KNOW it's by the same author, but that makes it worse.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This won't work for everyone but I love their dynamic. Tama is both naive and strong-willed, and makes such a unique pair with Rou. I love a grump in love.

[Khari · Rating 4 out of 5]

あ！！！もう！！！新し話にハマってる時間ないのに！！！！

何でこんなにかっこいい主人公を作ったんだ！？

あ。なるほど。この作者は大体いつもハマっているよね。

男キャラはかっこいい過ぎからだ！

[Emylia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The age gaps makes me want to remove my own organs.