A Man and His Cat, Vol. 11

おじさまと猫 [Ojisama to Neko] #11

by Umi Sakurai

In an attempt to heal after the loss of his wife, Mr. Kanda decides to visit his father-in-law—a fellow cat fancier—for the first time in a long while. Though both men adored the late Suzune, will Mr. Kanda find a warm welcome awaiting him despite the ever-present grief both men feel? Throw five kitties into the mix, and warmth and mischief surely lurk around every corner!

Genres: Manga, Slice Of Life, Cats, Contemporary, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Humor

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 11, 2023

About the author

Name (in native language): 桜井海 (SAKURAI Umi)

Pixiv: https://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=2...
Ojisama to Neko Twitter: https://twitter.com/ozisamatoneko

Reviews

[sophie ⚘ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this made me cry

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man and his cat go to visit the man's father-in-law. Sure enough, he's a sad, lonely man who needs cats in his life because those are the only new characters this series is interested in.

Still, it was nice to see a focus on in-law relationships between two men; it's a topic rarely given attention in the books I read.

Having finished this volume, I noticed that I inadvertently skipped the previous one. Since there is rarely anything to spoil as far as overall plot developments go, reading them out of order doesn't seem like it will be a problem in this case.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapter 92. Facing You -- Chapter 93. Protect Daddy -- Chapter 94. Hanamaru Kitty -- Chapter 95. Hanamaru Fukumaru -- Chapter 96. Mewr Daddy -- Chapter 97. Fukumaru's Resolution -- My Hanamaru -- Afterword -- Bonus Strip

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this installment we get to see Kanda's contrasting relationship with his father in law and his own mother. We also get to see Fukumaru in a harness so he can go outside with Kanda and not get lost or worry about having to go to the vet. As always, I need volume 12 asap.

[Gordon Ambos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, dieser Band hat mich komplett gekillt. Die Backstory von Kanda und seiner Frau und der Besuch beim Schwiegervater... ich habe Rotz und Wasser geheult. Diese Reihe ist gleichzeitig mein Untergang und das Beste, was mir je passiert ist.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one huuuuurt.... he has such a sad and beautiful backstory

[Wordsworn · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOSH I love this series, but it's also, in the best and most "true" and "real" way possible

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this might be the most wholesome series that has ever existed? My only complaint is that I wish the volumes were longer because reading this is like the equivalent of a giant hug.

(Also, finding out that Sorako takes after her mother with her love of bugs was adorable. And baby Fuyuki was actually too cute to handle.)

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

TT I got something in my eye.

[Ray Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encanta el rumbo que está tomando este manga porque en este volumen vemos cómo Kanda conoció a su esposa cuando eran niños y cómo ella fue una gran influencia para un niño solitario que se veía abrumado por la presión de ser el mejor en el piano.

El suegro y la esposa son personas de personalidades cálidas que fungieron como un lugar en el que Kanda podía ser él mismo, sin preocupaciones ni exigencias, y aún ahora, tras la muerte de ella, el suegro lo trata como su hijo querido.

Del mismo modo, Fukumaru se lleva con los gatos que tiene el viejito y es muy bello ver cómo con un poco de amor y cariño, las criaturas (sean humanos o animales) bajan sus muros y se dejan querer.

Me parece enternecedor que haya relaciones así de bonitas, donde todos ven por el bienestar del otro y tienden una mano amiga cuando es necesario. Por muy cursi que suene, creo fervientemente que a veces las personas debemos dejar nuestro caparazón para permitir al amor entrar y así sanar.

[Stef A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

We get a flash meeting with Kanda's mom (who I'd assumed was dead, but apparently not - how old even is Kanda? Do we know?), we meet Kanda's father in law and his too many cats (is there no one sensible in this manga? Or do all cat-people love cats to the point of hysteria) and find out more about how Kanda met his wife Suzume.

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was okay, not as good as Vol. 10. Less kitties and more adults, blah. The pianist goes to visit his father-in-law and thinks a lot about how he met his wife when he was a kid. Hopefully more kitties in the next volume!!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kanda geht seinen Schwiegervater mit Fukumaru besuchen :3 es ist mega süß und wir finden heraus, wie er seine Frau getroffne hat, was NOCH SÜSSER IST. Oh und Kandas be***ckte Mutter lernen wir auch wieder kennen und was für eine furchtbare Vergangenheit Kanda hatte.

[Shelby M. (Read and Find Out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall rating: 4 stars

Style/writing: 4 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4 stars
Art: 4 stars

Trigger warnings: Grief

[DianaRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

stfu now we get his backstory on how he met his wife and being accepted into her family with open arms 😭💔

[Kamryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

STOP KANDA’S FATHER IN LAW IS SO CUTE 😭😭

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is always a 10/10. A perfect balance of sad emotional moments and happy fun moments. I love all the cats in this and I love that we get to meet more of Kanda's family.

[Rebecca Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Vivian Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of how he met his wife and him traveling to see his father in law really touched me and got me all up in my feels. 3.75

[Rea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catch me crying in my car on my lunch break after reading this

[Megha K · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's almost comical how many bad parents this series is able to fit in

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

How is this series so perfect?!

[DonutKnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the author’s note in this one- it’s much harder to live badly on purpose and everyone is just trying to do their best 🤷‍♀️😅😅🥰

[Sandy Millin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another sweet instalment in the series, this time about Kanda and his father-in-law.

[Caitlyn G · Rating 4 out of 5]

wife backstory 😭😭😭😭

[Harri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet instalment.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is this the most uplifting and heartwarming series ever created? It just might be.

Mr. Kanda is a polite and caring old man who recently lost his beloved wife and he’s been trapped in a state of perpetual grieving ever since. Fukumaru is an oddly shaped cat who lost his mother and siblings and no one seems to want to give him a home. They’re both all alone in the world and they feel abandoned and unloved. They haven’t smiled or felt a sense of purpose in a long time. When they cross paths at a local pet shop one fateful day, the lonely old man adopts the unwanted cat and they quickly begin to fill the painful void in each other’s lives.

Warm and cozy enough to melt the ice off the coldest of hearts. I’m admittedly a sucker when it comes to sappy tearjerker animal stories, so my high rating might be a little biased in that regard. This one definitely punched me in the gut with sheer wholesomeness and made me teary eyed more than once throughout the series.

The protagonist is a very lovable old man with great manners, always dresses in an elegant suit, plays piano and treats everyone around him with fatherly compassion and respect. His bond with his new cat companion really pulls on the heart strings. The first few volumes of the series take the form of very short stories depicting a day from their casual lives together which usually ends on a funny or wholesome moment. It occasionally shows figments of their tragic pasts which ties back to a happy resolution in the present. The later volumes are much more detailed and fleshed out with side characters that support each other in really moving ways through hard times.

The author truly captures the odd behavior, expressions of affection and the funny routines that most cats develop once they get comfortable in your home. The story does a good job portraying how animals deal with abandonment issues and trauma after being neglected and it shows how they can overcome those issues through bonding with a loyal and caring owner little by little. The internal dialogue for the animals is just the icing on the cake.

As someone that’s had very close friendships with pet cats and dogs during difficult times in my life, I couldn’t help but love this series.

My rating: 5/5

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whole heart and soul kind of love for this series!

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS volume, because it's about old men finding happiness again with their cats!

...I like this volume a little less, because Kanda's mother. :(

I mean, tiger parenting has never set well with me, probably because I would have only put up with so much of it before either exploding or imploding. Also, because it honestly would have only made everyone involved miserable in the process.

At least the volume didn't spend a long time on Mother Kanda, ending instead with a heartwarming reunion with Father Hiragi (his father-in-law), even if they had a small heartstring tug when the shop lady asked Kanda how his wife was doing... and he lied and said she was well.

I don't know. I love when this series makes me cry for good reasons. Crying for bad reasons is sad (obviously). I get that it has to happen in order to tell Kanda's story, but... I'm not likely to reread that section very often, I'll say.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teruaki apologises to Kanda's son. But is it enough? (Will he join the band?) Kanda is inspired to visit his father-in-law, whom he hasn't seen for a while. Father-in-law has, naturally, become a cat person in Kanda's absence. Because that's what happens to lonely traumatised men in this series.

And...we meet Kanda's domineering mother. Could she be the Big Bad of the series? Kind of annoying that Kanda's FIL has a dead wife - so many dead wives - and once there's a live wife/mother she turns out to be evil.

I liked that we also got a back story for why Fukumaru was the chosen one. He looks like a mascot that Kanda's wife's mother made for her as a child.

All right, I've officially caught up with the English translations I think! Either I'll have to read these in Japanese, or wait.

[Zibbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kanda’s father-in-law is such a sweetheart! I absolutely adore the dynamic between them—it adds a lot of warmth and depth to the story. This volume finally gives us a glimpse into Kanda’s childhood, and we see how Suzune played such a pivotal role in turning his life around. There’s one scene in particular that really tugged at my heartstrings, so have your tissues ready—you’ll definitely need them.

While I enjoyed parts of this volume, I couldn’t help but feel the dialogue was a bit off at times. It came across as unnatural, which pulled me out of the story and made it harder to stay fully immersed. I really hope Sakurai allows the scenes to breathe a little more in future volumes. There’s so much emotional depth in this manga, and letting those moments simmer would make the impact even stronger.