A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch Vol. 1

A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch #1

by Hiro Kashiwaba

In her youth, Jeanne was a powerful witch who vanquished the evil Demon King and saved the world--but over time, the people she rescued have forgotten her. Now she is a lonely old woman living in a secluded forest...until she accidentally summons a cat from Earth to her home! The former city kitty is now gigantic and must acclimate to this new world. Can a cat from another world soothe the loneliness of the forgotten witch?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Cats, Comics, Animals, Magic

168 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 2, 2024

Reviews

[Faeryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really tugged my heartstrings.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

This story has some sweetness but definitely a sad undertone. It’s a nice change of pace to have an older protagonist in general and I really like Jeanne. My only complaint is that I was a little confused on the timing of some of the events in the story but I’m definitely looking forward to picking up the second volume.

[Maia · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this isekai manga, a cat from Earth is summoned into a fantasy world by an older witch with a tragic backstory. The witch is annoyed that the "guardian beast" she summoned seems very lazy and doesn't follow orders, while the cat is confused about its new surrounding and dislikes the food it's being offered. Through book one, pieces of their respective histories are revealed, and they begin to trust each other. The art is very cute and the story is very silly; I'm not sure how deep the cat and witch's relationship can really become if they are never able to verbally communicate. (Also, I found it a little unbelievable that the cat did not try to eat the witch since she is the size of a mouse in comparison, but I realize I need to suspend my disbelief). I will probably continue on with the series to see what happens next.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was adorable and emotionally damaging. I'm excited for the next volume but I'm sure it's going to hurt.

[Steph ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Very fun palette cleanser. Excited to continue the series.

[MargReadsManga · Rating 5 out of 5]

So wholesome and heartwarming! I think fans of The Giant Spider & Me would love this series. I’m so excited for the next volume!!

[Dora · Rating 4 out of 5]

A giant isekai cat and an old grumpy witch? Sign me the fuck up!

Gosh this made me think how much of menace my cat would be if she were this kind of giant size... and she already thibk of herself as a dragon as it is lol
I didn't expect for the story to be so sad though, broke my heart the way they were both treated in the past 🥺

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard to resist this eye-catching, adorable cover illustration. WITCH is a manga about two very different characters who grudgingly become friends in a parallel universe. The illustrations were quite good, and the ways in which the gigantic kitty interacts with her tiny human surroundings made for some good sight gags.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai ADORÉ !!!!! Vivement la suite !

[Sarah Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute intro to manga for me!

[Tim Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you don't get what you want, but it is what you need.

[Camille Hallot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très bon début de manga et chat TRÈS mignon

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded. This was super cute and I am definitely going to continue the series!

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This manga is an interesting mix of melancholy fantasy, isekai, and cat manga. Similar to other cat manga, the main character is a cat who has recently been picked up (summoned) by their new human (the other main character). In this case, that human is an old witch named Jeanne, who has a sad backstory as the powerful with who once saved the world but is now forgotten and forsaken, treated as an outcast by the neighboring village.

Similar to other isekai, the isekai-ed (transported from our world) protagonist ends up standing out in this new fantasy world - because he's a giant cat. And because it seems like this world doesn't have cats at all. Note, this is not a person reincarnated as a cat. This is a cat.

Jeanne and the cat grow accustomed to each other over the course of this volume. It's quite funny to see Jeanne struggle with understanding typical cat behavior. It's also heartwarming to see how Jeanne and the cat begin to fit into the holes in each other's hearts, especially as both characters' back stories are revealed. Jeanne's past is tragic, and the forlorn existence she lives is also quite sad.

I'm interested in seeing how the story unfolds in future volumes. Will this turn into just cat-doing-cat-things episodes, or will there be an overarching story to follow?

[Jed Sorokin-Altmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadder than I had anticipated from the cover. I caution one should be in the right headspace for a darker, sad book.

[BillyDingle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!!

This is a manga about a huuuggeee cat (normal sized in our world) and a very grumpy old witch living in solitude in her tree house. I was a bit skeptical going into this as I don't usually enjoy the grumpy mc trope, but as I kept reading (much like a lot of the manga I've read recently) it really grew on me, and the grumpiness of our fmc (and even the cat lowkey) started to make a lot of sense and by the end I was able to fully sympathize with both characters. I also like how much our mc's bonded as much as they did, rather than waiting like 4 or 5 volumes to give us their backstories and have them warm up up to each other, we get to see that in the first installment. Which I feel like is a really good choice and made me enjoy it even more. So what started out as a skeptical start and a predicted 3 star rating, actually ended up being a wholesome read with a really good plot, fleshed out characters, and really nice artwork

[Elise Belleville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très fun petit manga et en réalité plus profond que ce à quoi je m'attendais !!!

[Hannah Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be the most adorable thing I’ve ever read. Already ordered the next three volumes.

[Annasarah Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness. I’m in love with this series. It’s wholesome and gave me happy feels. I can not wait until the next volume comes out. 🥰

[☽ Jess ☕️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce manga m'a bouleversé !
J'aime les chats plus que de raison et l'histoire de celui-ci m'a rappelé celle du chat que j'ai adopté. J'en ai été que plus touchée.

Bien sûr, il y a aussi de l'humour, mais je retiens surtout la naissance d'un lien particulier entre deux êtres que la vie n'a pas épargnés.

Beau et incroyablement touchant !

[Kana Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une histoire très touchante qui porte tout son sens 🩷

[Cassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cat looks just like my baby Scout and I absolutely did cry.

[Kara Barnhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Equal parts cute and dark

[Skye (Skye's Scribblings) · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/24 A playful but somewhat contemplative story of a "retired" heroine with some interesting twists. Definitely up for another volume.

[Genesee Rickel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you prefer to cozy up with a more familiar creature than a Frankenstein-botanical one, try the manga A Cat From Our World and the Forgotten Witch, Vol. 1, written and illustrated by award-winning Japanese artist Hiro Kashiwaba, translated by Kathryn Henzler. While Kashiwaba’s work was created with teens and young adults in mind, the themes of regret, loneliness and new friendship are appealing to all. Set in a magical, parallel universe, an elderly retired witch who once saved the world summons a Guardian Beast, Torata, a huge, cuddly housecat. The witch, Mistress Jeanne, is unfamiliar with cats and their antics. Much hilarity ensues as these two beings from different worlds get to know one another. Kashiwaba uses realistic and detailed line work throughout the book, aside from the slightly cartoonish Torata, and her panels effectively propel the story both forward and backward, through flashbacks. As poignant moments in these characters’ histories are revealed on the page through emotive gestures and expressions, our attachment to Mistress Jeanne and Torata – and their connection -- grows. Mistress Jeanne summoned Torata in a time of desperate need, and their unlikely friendship and bittersweet histories provide real humor and heart.

[Cat Bergman · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars*

What starts as a really sweet cosy fantasy about cats and witches quickly becomes more about loneliness, sadness, loss, grief, and the incredible difference it makes when someone who cares and loves you come into your life. This is sweet, wholesome and a cosy fantasy but it’s also a sad, realistic, dark fantasy about the cruelties some people and animals experience. Invested in the story and characters and intrigued about the demons, the demon kings, the dragon and Hero. Definitely will be continuing.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch is a bit of a mouthful for a title but it's basically a mostly cozy story of a witch, Jeanne, who helped save a fantasy world and has since been ignored and forgotten. In an attempt to protect herself as someone who lives alone in the forest, she ends up accidentally summoning a cat from modern day Japan to be her protector and the two have to learn to live together.

This is one of those stories that makes me confront the fact that I just don't like most cozy stories and I particularly don't like cozy stories having to do with cats. I have a cat, I love my cat but most of these stories just feel too twee to me. Like the entire thing is supposed to be the reader drooling over how cute and silly the cat is and I just...I guess I'm too cold-hearted to care. There were moments in here that amused me, like the witch trying to feed the cat the usual thing that she feeds her magical beasts and him being grossed out by it. And them learning to care about each other. And this did make me think rather a lot of the first episode of Frieren. But mostly this just makes me feel like I did with Legends and Lattes, where it's fine but I don't get the hype.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, with a cat and a witch named Jeanne, this was pretty much a must read for me. It had more sad moments than I expected; I didn't find it as light a read as I had thought. I'm still getting the hang of reading manga, constantly reading dialog out of order. Lovely art. . . but as I said, more sad than I had expected.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the feels. All of them.

This is one of those manga that can't decide if it wants to make you laugh at ridiculous "giant cat" shenanigans or cry because tragic backstories. The tone ebbs and flows smoothly, so it never feels jarring.

Also, at long last, a cat gets to isekai just like the humans lol

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this 5 stars. I love how Torata can be such a cat with attitude but you can tell how much he loved his previous owner and how much he wants to please Jeanne. And Jeanne needs a friend. I suspect they are both going to be on a journey of healing where they help each other.