What do you think?
Rate this book
Cat Paradise #5
学園創世 猫天！ 5
すべては桟道阿騎隆が千年かけて仕組んだ壮大な計画だった!己の欲望のため、突き進む桟道に立ちはだかるのは優美と勘助たち!!少女と猫は世界を救えるか!?感動の学園ドラマチックアクション最終巻!!
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2008
1 person is currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Yuji Iwahara
57 books52 followersIWAHARA Yuji
Japanese Name (岩原裕二)
Associated Names:
ИВАХАРА Юдзи
IWAHARA Yuuji
Blood Type: B
Japanese Name (岩原裕二)
Associated Names:
ИВАХАРА Юдзи
IWAHARA Yuuji
Blood Type: B
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 30, 2012
Stuff I Read – Cat Paradise Vol 5
Well it’s over. Surprisingly enough, Cat Paradise wraps in five volumes, That said, the last volume is all sorts of strange, as we are introduced to the true villain of the story, the insane and somehow immortal former love of the priestess who originally stole some of the cat guardian’s power that makes the powers in the manga possible. This man plans to use the spirit beasts to take over the world, basically, and really it seems like the immortality thing just made him go insane. Apparently he wants to make magic return to the world so that he can cut back the human population and rule everything. The thing about these last minute switches isn’t that they are poorly done. It makes sense what happens and it was seeded from fairly early on, but this one seems to have come as a bit of an abrupt departure. And so most of the last volume is concerned with the ritual that he must perform in order to set his plan in motion. That said, the disappointing this is that most of the volume involves a conflict which is beyond that of the cat teams. This is more of a battle between Kaen and the spirit beasts and the insane magic guy.
We do get some more battling early in the volume, before the real villain is revealed, which is nice and shows some good teamwork between the pairs. And we get some battles that go on between the spirit beasts and between them and the villain, but most of the volume is more posturing than anything else. We do get the payoff for most of the plot points introduced through the last four volumes, though. We learn what exactly the true villain has been up to and the role of the teams and the spirit beasts. We get to see the boy who was taken over by Kaen get to act some, which was obviously going to happen. So as far as the story goes, everything gets going toward the final confrontation. That final confrontation, however, plays out exactly as you would expect. The main girl character is taken prisoner, to be sacrificed to complete the ritual, and so it is up to her cat and the other characters to save and free her and at the same time defeat the villain and stop him from returning magic to the world. I guess.
What ends up happening there is that they, of course, succeed in defeating his ambitions but in the process they lose the ability to talk with their cats, and that is kind of the “tragedy” of the series, as it means that the main characters never really get to say what they really want to each other. But the action of the final confrontation is engaging enough, and while it doesn’t really provide anything I wasn’t expecting, it sticks to what works to provide an entertaining story. The visuals at the very least are compelling and interesting. The villain is quite insane and as such his powers and such are twisted and seem to consist largely of barbed wire. An interesting choice, as this also works to have the spirit beasts and the pairs working together. Again, sort of what was expected from the start, as these spirit beasts aren’t exactly evil. But in the end everything is tied up with ribbons.
Which is kind of annoying because it does make it that much more cliché. But this is just a very solid effort in the genre. It doesn’t break any of the rules, but it does present it in a fairly original way, and it does keep it short and sweet. The villain is defeated, the spirit beasts retire to protect their own and give up their want to openly declare war on humans. The pairs can no longer communicate in the same language but you get the sense they still understand each other. Life goes on and everything is happy and the end, basically. It was a nice story and it was a fighting manga featuring cats. So two thumbs up there. And at the end of the series I have to think it did what it was supposed to do, and in a way I really liked. So it is harder to hold its faults against it, because I still thoroughly enjoyed reading the series. So this final volume clocks in at an 8/10.
Well it’s over. Surprisingly enough, Cat Paradise wraps in five volumes, That said, the last volume is all sorts of strange, as we are introduced to the true villain of the story, the insane and somehow immortal former love of the priestess who originally stole some of the cat guardian’s power that makes the powers in the manga possible. This man plans to use the spirit beasts to take over the world, basically, and really it seems like the immortality thing just made him go insane. Apparently he wants to make magic return to the world so that he can cut back the human population and rule everything. The thing about these last minute switches isn’t that they are poorly done. It makes sense what happens and it was seeded from fairly early on, but this one seems to have come as a bit of an abrupt departure. And so most of the last volume is concerned with the ritual that he must perform in order to set his plan in motion. That said, the disappointing this is that most of the volume involves a conflict which is beyond that of the cat teams. This is more of a battle between Kaen and the spirit beasts and the insane magic guy.
We do get some more battling early in the volume, before the real villain is revealed, which is nice and shows some good teamwork between the pairs. And we get some battles that go on between the spirit beasts and between them and the villain, but most of the volume is more posturing than anything else. We do get the payoff for most of the plot points introduced through the last four volumes, though. We learn what exactly the true villain has been up to and the role of the teams and the spirit beasts. We get to see the boy who was taken over by Kaen get to act some, which was obviously going to happen. So as far as the story goes, everything gets going toward the final confrontation. That final confrontation, however, plays out exactly as you would expect. The main girl character is taken prisoner, to be sacrificed to complete the ritual, and so it is up to her cat and the other characters to save and free her and at the same time defeat the villain and stop him from returning magic to the world. I guess.
What ends up happening there is that they, of course, succeed in defeating his ambitions but in the process they lose the ability to talk with their cats, and that is kind of the “tragedy” of the series, as it means that the main characters never really get to say what they really want to each other. But the action of the final confrontation is engaging enough, and while it doesn’t really provide anything I wasn’t expecting, it sticks to what works to provide an entertaining story. The visuals at the very least are compelling and interesting. The villain is quite insane and as such his powers and such are twisted and seem to consist largely of barbed wire. An interesting choice, as this also works to have the spirit beasts and the pairs working together. Again, sort of what was expected from the start, as these spirit beasts aren’t exactly evil. But in the end everything is tied up with ribbons.
Which is kind of annoying because it does make it that much more cliché. But this is just a very solid effort in the genre. It doesn’t break any of the rules, but it does present it in a fairly original way, and it does keep it short and sweet. The villain is defeated, the spirit beasts retire to protect their own and give up their want to openly declare war on humans. The pairs can no longer communicate in the same language but you get the sense they still understand each other. Life goes on and everything is happy and the end, basically. It was a nice story and it was a fighting manga featuring cats. So two thumbs up there. And at the end of the series I have to think it did what it was supposed to do, and in a way I really liked. So it is harder to hold its faults against it, because I still thoroughly enjoyed reading the series. So this final volume clocks in at an 8/10.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2018
At long last, I've finished Cat Paradise. It's been a couple years since I read volume 4, but I'm happy to say that the foggy memories were enough to know what was going on in this last volume.
So the exciting conclusion has a bunch of battles, but there's really only one that's of any length or battle-quality. The rest you see the start or end of, so they're not really the full battle anyway.
The final battle is a bit disappointing for the most part, with deus ex machina all over the place. There are a few cool battle moments, but there's also a lot of talking so...
Overall, it was a decent wrap up for the series, I think. I wish I had read it sooner when the rest was still fresh in my mind, but hey, it still worked.
So the exciting conclusion has a bunch of battles, but there's really only one that's of any length or battle-quality. The rest you see the start or end of, so they're not really the full battle anyway.
The final battle is a bit disappointing for the most part, with deus ex machina all over the place. There are a few cool battle moments, but there's also a lot of talking so...
Overall, it was a decent wrap up for the series, I think. I wish I had read it sooner when the rest was still fresh in my mind, but hey, it still worked.
November 7, 2022
If I thought the climax of this series arrived a bit too soon before this point, I really wasn't prepared for what amounts to another final act that's only revealed about halfway through this final volume. (I also wasn't prepared for how keenly uncomfortable things get for a chapter or two, here.) A lot of this could've benefited from more time in the oven, so to speak, because it's just one revelation, twist, and secret scheme after another in this volume, and the only thing you can really do is just throw up your hands and roll with it.
That said, while the conclusion is rushed and messy, it isn't terrible. I can only imagine Iwahara was working under some pretty tight time constraints. Despite that, he does manage to tie up most of the loose ends, deals with the threat in a mostly satisfying way, and even injects a few truly touching moments that are sure to resonate with anyone who's ever had a pet. In the end, Cat Paradise still crosses the finish line, even if it decided to drag everything and the kitchen sink along with it at the last minute. It's not a perfect series, but it's an enjoyable one that deserves more attention.
That said, while the conclusion is rushed and messy, it isn't terrible. I can only imagine Iwahara was working under some pretty tight time constraints. Despite that, he does manage to tie up most of the loose ends, deals with the threat in a mostly satisfying way, and even injects a few truly touching moments that are sure to resonate with anyone who's ever had a pet. In the end, Cat Paradise still crosses the finish line, even if it decided to drag everything and the kitchen sink along with it at the last minute. It's not a perfect series, but it's an enjoyable one that deserves more attention.
October 2, 2019
One of the more satisfying mini series I have read.
This is a series I started back in high school and had to hold off on finishing it since I couldn't get a hold of vol 4 & 5. Several years later, I have finally managed to finish reading it and it was worth the wait.
The series as a whole kind of reminds me of fantasy role playing games where you get to have a familiar or pet, but with a bit of a twist in how the different pairs of the main cast have different abilities.
There's a little bit of drama and the plot only lasts for a five volume mini series, so you don't really get to explore the other characters a whole lot but you do get to know their core values alright. The bond between the main duo is quite wholesome and the overall artwork for the series is very dynamic. One of my favorite parts for the artwork, though, are the opening pages which are colored pieces by the author, usually containing a two piece spread.
Will definitely be rereading the series in the future and very satisfied that I had purchased the set.
This is a series I started back in high school and had to hold off on finishing it since I couldn't get a hold of vol 4 & 5. Several years later, I have finally managed to finish reading it and it was worth the wait.
The series as a whole kind of reminds me of fantasy role playing games where you get to have a familiar or pet, but with a bit of a twist in how the different pairs of the main cast have different abilities.
There's a little bit of drama and the plot only lasts for a five volume mini series, so you don't really get to explore the other characters a whole lot but you do get to know their core values alright. The bond between the main duo is quite wholesome and the overall artwork for the series is very dynamic. One of my favorite parts for the artwork, though, are the opening pages which are colored pieces by the author, usually containing a two piece spread.
Will definitely be rereading the series in the future and very satisfied that I had purchased the set.
January 20, 2021
After reading some of the reviews for this volume I was a bit worried, but I really enjoyed the wrap up. I might just have to name my next cat, Kansuke. He was AWESOME!
April 26, 2022
Ah. I feel satisfied.
August 15, 2011
Cat Paradise is, obviously, about cats. Cats are everywhere. Cats are talking. It's a cat-thing.
The artwork is perfect for the series, and Yuji Iwahara really has a good sense of showing emotion through posture and facial expressions. While the art is the highlight, the story does falter somewhat throughout the series. There is a severe lack in the overall direction of the story, and I really had no idea where it was going until the very end.
It seems like the series is searching for a place to go, and the final two volumes in the series are rushing to pull the strings together and wrap things up. While full of action and adventure, it still feels like somethings are lost - left behind.
There was not enough depth to the characters, despite lightly delving into the past of some. I get the sense that this series could have taken things a little slower, plot-wise, and worked more on character development just a little bit more. Even some the villains were running out of time, getting themselves jammed into a few pages in the final volumes.
Overall, it is an interesting story. I found the interaction between cats and human characters to be cute, and even amusing at times. The artwork is what really holds it all together, however, and though I may not read the series again in its entirety, I would recommend it to cat-owners, lovers, or appreciators. It has the charm many will enjoy and, perhaps, even a younger me might've enjoyed it just a little bit more.
The artwork is perfect for the series, and Yuji Iwahara really has a good sense of showing emotion through posture and facial expressions. While the art is the highlight, the story does falter somewhat throughout the series. There is a severe lack in the overall direction of the story, and I really had no idea where it was going until the very end.
It seems like the series is searching for a place to go, and the final two volumes in the series are rushing to pull the strings together and wrap things up. While full of action and adventure, it still feels like somethings are lost - left behind.
There was not enough depth to the characters, despite lightly delving into the past of some. I get the sense that this series could have taken things a little slower, plot-wise, and worked more on character development just a little bit more. Even some the villains were running out of time, getting themselves jammed into a few pages in the final volumes.
Overall, it is an interesting story. I found the interaction between cats and human characters to be cute, and even amusing at times. The artwork is what really holds it all together, however, and though I may not read the series again in its entirety, I would recommend it to cat-owners, lovers, or appreciators. It has the charm many will enjoy and, perhaps, even a younger me might've enjoyed it just a little bit more.
October 5, 2014
I liked the series! It was okay, and I finished it in no time ('cause, well duh--there's only like 5 books), yet I was a bit disappointed because it doesn't really show... let's say, what happens next between the characters. I mean, does Akifuji and Yumi get together or what??
Relationships, dahhling...*sigh*
Relationships, dahhling...*sigh*
January 6, 2016
Ottima conclusione di una serie breve ma intensa,nell'ultimo volume si alternano un numero straordinario di colpi di scena e cambi di fronte che porteranno ad una conclusione leggermente amara ma ben fatta.
April 10, 2011
A very deus-ex-machina, yet satisfying, ending to a series that struggled to find focus through most of its run.
December 31, 2011
Disappointed with the ending, which relied on a mishmash of overused cliches. Only the talking cats saved this from getting a thumbs down.
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
February 12, 2014
rate: 2.5 stars
September 30, 2020
Frankly, I was disappointed. The ending was predictable; how we got there was not well explained, but included many fuzzy depictions of shock and awe. Dimension W was far better.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews