Monster Cats Vol. 1

Monster Cats #1

by Pandania

A full-color comic about humans living with adorably monstrous cats, from the author of Yokai Cats and The Evil Secret Society of Cats.

Is it a banshee, a yeti, a gorgon, or...a cat? Monster Cats are a purrfect new breed of familiar furry friends crossed with freaky fun! If you think life with regular cats can get complicated, wait till you see what it's like for people who live with these charming supernatural pets.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Cats, Humor, Animals, Fiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2024

Reviews

[Igel :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! This manga was so cute! If you like cats and a cute artstyle go and read it.

[Peacegal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The creator of YOKAI CATS does another bang-up job with surreal little vignettes of ordinary people living with extraordinary felines. As far as I'm concerned, the more bizarre the monster is, the better. I particularly liked the Slime Cat, who could morph into a gelatinous blob that takes the shape of his surroundings.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute read, very chill and relaxing. If you like cats and monsters, give it a shot.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* rounded

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Monster Cats Vol. 1 was a fun read about what it's like for normal people to live with monster cats.

Life with cats is always an adventure but what if your cat isn't just a cat? What if your cat lives in a coffin or sleeps in a pond? From vampires to unicorns to gargoyles, Monster Cats are a new breed of furry friend mixed with the supernatural. Monster Cats delves into what life is like for the people who live with these supernatural companions.

Monster Cats Vol. 1 caught my eye in the bookstore one day as I enjoy manga focused around cats. I haven't read the author's other two series about cats but I have heard good things about them so I decided to pick this book up. Featuring twenty different types of monster cats, the premise was a lot of fun as it was similar to slice-of-life manga but it centered on different types of monster cats. My favorite monster cats in this volume were the Dryad (it blooms flowers when happy!) and the Brownies (so many adorable brown kittens). The art style in this series isn't my favorite when it comes to manga but the cats themselves were pretty cute so I didn't mind it too much.

Overall Monster Cats Vol. 1 was a cute read and I'm looking forward to seeing what variety of monster cats the author comes up with for the next volume.

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super simple and cute. A fast read but a few too many characters and short vignettes so I couldn't really connect to any of them.

[Suhasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun!

[HaileyAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Monster Cats. No explanation needed.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Pretty cute!

[Rachel Christoffersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first toe-dip into manga, and I FUCKING LOVED IT! They're monster cats. Is there anything more that needs to be said? Adorable art style. I will definitely read the following volume and look forward to delving into Pandania's other cat manga!

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly the same shtick as Yokai Cats , except with "western" monsters instead of Japanese yokai. Fortunately this is cute and entertaining concept (I keep reading them), and the different sort of supernatural creatures here provide a different flavor of stories. There are also a number of floofy monster cats, which I like.

Some things of note: the yokai cats are (mostly) drawn from Japanese myth and folklore, and so are most of the monsters referenced in this book, but there are a few that seem out of place: slimes and mimics are entirely from gaming (or maybe B-movies for slimes (The Blob)) and the invisible man is sourced from a single book, though the idea of invisibility is much broader. Nothing necessarily wrong with them, just to me they stand out as not quite fitting the pattern.

I also feel the author missed the mark a bit on the mimic and the doppelganger; I think because of video games there is a strong association of mimics with treasure chests, which here just has a cat that lives in a chest, but a mimic is supposed to be a shape-changer that assumes the form of common objects to ambush its prey, which feels like there would be a lot more potential to write stories of a cat that always looks like something else in the house. Likewise, doppelgangers as monsters are shapeshifters that perfectly mimic another creature; the one in this book simply looks identical to another cat, which is kind of dull; it would be more interesting if there were several cats it appeared as, maybe written as a stray cat that would pretend to be family pets.

Lastly, there are two monster cats that are almost identical to yokai cats in concept, though the comics with them feel sufficiently different from the originals. One set is the daidarabocchi and the giant-- hardly surprising since the daidarabocchi is simply a giant (though maybe on a larger scale than most)-- which feel like different stories because of their context: the daidarabocchi lives with a small family in the country and mostly plays with a young boy, while the giant seems to be the mascot of a lumber company, interacting with the boss and workers. The other set is the nekomata and cait sith, which are similar in being bipedal, able to talk and reason like a person, and working at a cafe. But the cafes and the people they interact with are different, and the lore of the nekomata is that it has grown a second tail and developed its abilities by living a long life, giving Shozaemon a distinctive character as a kindly and knowledgeable older gentleman, an aspect entirely lacking in the cait sith.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of comics about mythological cats such as the gargoyle cat, the dryad cat, or the vampire cat and the joys and challenges owners of such kitties would face.

Pandania shares in the back that this is a spin-off of the very popular Yokai Cats featuring cats based on mythological creatures from everywhere else in the world (the yokai cats are all based on Japanese mythological creatures). Even the cats based on mythical creatures that are usually scary, such as nightmares, are cute and not scary in this collection. Like Yokai Cats this is a cute and easy read that is a great read when you are too tired to focus on complex plots, or just need something low in stress and drama.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: Only some cat scratches or play bites.
Ethnic diversity: The mythical creatures are from all over the world. Humans are usually not very clear in the illustrations as to where they are from.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: See note above about scariness level.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

For more bookish opinions, visit my blog: Craft-Cycle

Absolutely adorable! I've really been enjoying the Yokai Cats series and was excited to see this collection of monster cat stories.

Nice variety of monsters including a vampire, a yeti, a mimic, a dryad, a slime, and so much more. Find out what it's like to live with a supernatural cat complete with the woos of shedding, demanding attention, and insisting it sleeps on your face.

As always, Pandania's artwork is adorable.

Another sweet, fun cat series from Pandania. Definitely looking forward to volume 2.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this series is basically the same as the author’s “Yokai Cats” series—but, instead of just featuring cats inspired by Japanese yokai, this series features cats inspired by monsters and creatures from around the world.

As I said about the prior series, this idea is very fun. I think series like this one offer opportunities for younger readers to explore different cultures and lore through each featured cat’s story. It’s a very cute and fun idea.

Definitely recommend for readers who enjoy an easy, laid-back read with some supernatural elements—and LOTS of cats~

[Litwithlove · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Creepy Cat by Cotton Valent, I decided that I need to binge a bunch of monster/supernatural cat comic strips. I am so glad that my library had Monster cats vol 1 and 9 volumes of Yokai cats by the same author, because this is exactly what I am in the mood for. The very first cat, a vampire, was underwhelming so I was worried that the rest of the cats would be uninteresting. That couldn't have been further from the truth. I loved this book and was constantly laughing every other page. I will probably read everything that this author puts out.
Side note, it is rated for ages 10+ but there is no cussing, sex, or violence. I would say that it is definitely a kid friendly read for basically any age that happens to pick it up.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this even more than the series it spun out from, Yokai Cats. Like that one, this is basically just some chill slice of life comics with weird cats. This one I felt was more consistently funny, and the cat concepts felt more clear to me.

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ridiculously adorable and more of the same fun found in Yokai Cats. The monsters this time are "Western" varieties, so I was a bit more familiar with them. Readers of each series will enjoy the other.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't love cats this much to fawn over each and every page of the weird things cats do and all the ways they become dragons, gargoyles, monsters, and puddles.

The layout is adorable with the long panel pages and the shifts in page colors however the subject isn't as cute as maybe dogs, for me personally though I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to my cat-loving friends.

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entry from my manga-loving daughter.

This is a comic collection of cute cats, inspired(?) by monsters. From vampires to yeti to mummies to gargoyles, the author takes a scary subject and makes it quite cute, based on the personalities and behaviors that we see in common household cats.

A quick cute diversion that will generate a smile or two from every page.

[Vail Chester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating lil what-if about common critters from myth & legend if mixed with our favorite feline fluffballs.
In the back, the author mentioned she previously made a similar manga, but more towards the Japanese oogie-boogies, so this Western bent towards the kinds of fantastic beasts chosen is much more appreciated from this dumb ol' American.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Yokai Cats series, so of course I'm going to read this. Follows the same format as the Yokai Cats books with the brightly coloured and the variety of cats. My favourites are Giant cat, Cat-Sith, Bedsheet Ghost, Gargoyle cat and Demon Cat! Can't wait for more of this!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eeeeeee!!! This was so so cute! This was the last book I read in 2024 and I enjoyed it so much! It’s so cute and creative and often included cat traits in such an adorable way! I think every book should be a cat manga

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just a compendium of imaginary cats with funny monsterish attributes. There's absolutely no plot, which is fine if that's what you're looking for. I didn't really find it that funny or that cute really. My kids seem to think it's funny though.

[Emmeline Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so cute. I loved it so much. I’m already planning on buying the rest of Pandania’s books!! ❤️

[Zuuru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cats! :3

[Brian]

Goofy, cute little manga showing how some cats really are (famous) little monsters.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable!

[Ang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle-grade manga! Very delightful, and I will most likely buy the future volumes, read them, and pass them on to my niblings (as I've already done with this volume).

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable :3