While just once I'd love for a volume of this series not to bring me to tears, it's hard to deny how well-done it is. This volume's theme is anxiety and potential loss, and while I'd like to reassure you that all cats end up just fine, it's harrowing to see Moja, LunLun, and Fukumaru struggle with life temporarily on the streets while Mr. Kanda worries himself to a frazzle. No series better captures having a pet and all that comes with that.
This volume plays to a particular pet owner anxiety, with three variations on a story theme. And I cried at the end of each one. Why not five stars? I thought the art wasn't as strong this time around, especially when it came to Kanda and the other human characters. Moments of strong emotion were great, and had exactly the effect they were supposed to, but in calmer moments the wobbly art stuck out more.
In a one-page author's note, Sakurai talks about how she went through something very similar to what the cat owners did in this volume. She also says that her readers sent comments saying they were upset that Fukumaru was hurt during his part of the story. That has to be tough for an author, having a story they want to tell, but potentially not having the freedom to tell it in a way that might slightly ruffle their readers. Either way, everything turned out fine for everyone involved, just as usual, and just as usual brought on thoughts of how real life so often doesn't work out that way. I think that's what brings on the tears as much as anything else.
Fukumaru the cat continues to annoy with his dumb cat puns and sappy misadventures, but I am all in on the emotional journey of Fuyuki Kanda, the man who owns him . . . especially that cliffhanger!
But before that bit of excitement we follow Kanda through some turmoil as he deals with multiple lost cats and comes to some realizations about his place in the lives of those around him.
I'd probably love this series now if it featured dogs instead of cats. But I do have a strong like at least.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Chapter 48. A Happy Time -- Chapter 49. Time to Choose -- Chapter 50. Fukumaru in Trouble -- Chapter 51. I Miss You -- Chapter 52. Don't Mew Lose Heart -- Chapter 53. Lost Kitty Fukumaru -- Chapter 54. Get Through -- The Gorilla and Hibinon -- Bonus Strips -- Chapter 55. A Man and His Sleepy Cat -- Chapter 56. Daddy Gets Furrious -- Afterword -- Where Is Your Home? -- Bonus Strip
Oh my gosh! I totally cried over this one. That was tough. I really enjoyed that Kanda is really starting to open up and that we're getting to see how important he is to his friends and the others in his life. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens in volume six because that was quite a little cliffhanger. That would be really cool if we see what I hope will happen.
If you’ve ever had a pet go missing, you’ll understand the bing outpourings of love and loss and loneliness and relief that fill the pages of this book. Not only Fukumaru, but other lost kitties all finding their homes.
My comfort manga series has made me ugly cry 3 times.
So far, this has been my favorite volume. My biggest fear is Sassy running away and not finding her or finding her really hurt. Reading this volume with Fukumaru missing really pulled at my heart strings and broke it at the same time.
Will patiently waiting for the next volume to be translated.
In this volume, Fukumaru and Mr. Kanda face the situation that every pet owner fears: Fukumaru gets out the door as Mr. Kanda enters, and doesn’t come back. The book breaks into multiple threads at this point. We follow Mr. Kanda and his friends as they search for days for Fukumaru, while another thread is Fukumaru himself, wandering the city, lost and fearful. There are also a couple of other side threads; Moja, who lived in the cage next to Fukumaru at the pet store is on the streets, too, and Moriyama deals with problems with his band. Interspersed with the heavy stories are one page vignettes of life with cats, including one where Fukumaru starts heaving and Kanda tries (fruitlessly) to get a newspaper in front of the cat before he vomits. We’ve all been there! Five stars, despite a few glitches with the art.
I waffled on continuing with this series, but Volume 5 was easily the best of the bunch. Why? Because it focused almost solely on the animals versus the humans and their repetitive story lines.
With a "Homewood Bound" type plot, most of action centers around Fukumaru's escape from home in an effort to help a Maine Coon stray, Moja, he remembers from the pet store. Eventually Moja finds his way home - as does Fukumaru - and even the surly battled-harden neighborhood tomcat, Lunlun, who was convinced his family had replaced him with a kitten.
It's a simple, but incredibly sweet plot about the human and animal bond and what home means.
I particularly loved the advice Fukumaru gave to Lunlun: "No matter how many cats he has...no matter how cute they are...they could never take meowy place." Sentiments like this were littered throughout Sakurai's writing, and it shows that with a tight and introspective focus, she can make this series into something truly special.
Kata-kata di halaman awalnya tertulis: "Mengapa tak pernah ada pilihan yang tepat dalam kehidupan...?" Hah, berat banget seperti isi cerita di jilid ini.
Ini termasuk jilid yang nggak disukai sekaligus disukai. Nggak disukai karena Fukumaru hilang. Capek banget. Jadi bisa merasakan bagaimana pemilik kalau kehilangan hewan peliharaannya. Yang suka karena terlihat perkembangan karakter Pak Kanda yang akhirnya berani untuk "bergantung pada orang lain".
Kayaknya bakal ikuti terus manga ini deh. Plis jilidnya jangan panjang-panjang :')
This manga continues to be a nonstop delight. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll read and feel with the heart every single volume. One of my all time favorite series.
This volume was very anxiety inducing and I was stressed the whole time I was reading it, but I am so happy all the kitties are now safe!! We get to see another (very real) aspect of owning pets: they can sometimes become confused and get lost from home. Although this has to be the volume with most tension, as the narrative progresses, it is also one of the most heartwarming ones, especially after Fukumaru, Moja and Lunlun all return home to their families (and I am truly grateful we do get to see Moja and Lunlun go back to their humans and safe space!). There is also drama happening with the humans and this hasn't been resolved in this volume. I do wonder if we will finally get to know more about Moryama and his life outside of work! (Also super excited to see Kanda and Hibino play together!) I cannot wait for the next volume!!
P.S The message Umi Sakurai left on the author's note this time: “I hope all lost pets find their way back to their people.” 🥹🥹
Fukumaru läuft in diesem Band von zu Hause weg, weil er einer entlaufenen Maine Coone helfen mag und natürlich geht alles schief - für Leute, deren Katze entlaufen ist, ist das hier sicher ziemlich tränenreich, es ist nämlich echt traurig, auch wenn es gut ausgeht ;_; generell sind die immer so ein wenig traurig angehaucht, obwohl zwischendrin immer witzige Einseiter bei sind. Aber trotzdem - Kanda, der so am Boden zerstört ist, weil er Fukumaru nicht findet, geht wirklich ans Herz.
»»» A compra: Vi na livraria quando passei pelo escaparate de comics/manga e trouxe por parecer fofinho, mesmo que seja em inglês e que seja o 5.º volume.
»»» A aventura: Um noite, antes do Sr. Kanda chegar a casa, o seu gato Fukumaru vê do outro lado da janela de casa um gato preto e reconhece-o da loja de animais. O gato preto fica confuso e assustado e foge pelo quintal. Fukumaru percebeu que ele não estava bem e que precisava de ajuda, por isso, quando o Sr. Kanda regressa a casa e abre a porta da entrada, ele aproveita e sai de repente para a rua em busca do gato preto para o ajudar. Kanda parte no seu encalço, deseperado à sua procura, mas aí dá-se a troca de destinos. Na busca por Fukumaro, que acabou por se perder quando tentou regressar a casa, Kanda encontra e dá abrigo ao gato preto, que tem muitas saudades do seu pequeno dono e só quer regressar ao seu colo. Por sua vez, Fukumaro fica a conhecer o perigo e as agruras da vida na rua, igualmente saudoso do meu dono Kanda. Todos se aliam a Kanda na procura do acarinhado Fukumaro.
»»» Sentimento final: Ok, um pouco aquém das expetativas. Os gatos são fofos, a história é ternurenta, mas eu não consegui suportar as expressões exageradas de Kanda de cada vez que pensava no seu Fukumaru perdido, pois eram expressões, não de quem perdeu o gato, mas sempre de quem estava a ver alguém a atirar-se para baixo de um comboio ou a perder um braço. Expressões tão exageradas que me incomodaram ao ponto de não ter gostado tanto do manga, o primeiro volume desta série que li e, provavelmente, o último. Dito isto, para quem ama, ama mesmo, gatos, esta será uma boa compra.
»»» Nota final (Capa e outras considerações): --- [Capa] – Capa interessante, com os dois gatos fofos da história. --- [Ilustrações] – É claro que o ilustrador tem talento, mas neste manga o estilo varia demasiado, a mesma personagem tão depressa é desenhada com um traço clássico, como logo a seguir vem num estilo muito abonecado e torna-se um pouco desconcertante.
Diese Reihe ist einfach der Hammer. In den letzten vier Bänden haben wir bereits viel erlebt im Alltag des Katers Fukumaru und seines Herrchens, Herrn Kanda. Wir haben mit den beiden schöne und traurige Momente erlebt. Die gemeinsame Reise mit den beiden ist so schön, dass man den Folgeband kaum abwarten kann.
In Band 5 haben wir ganz schön mit Fukumaru leiden müssen, aber auch mit Herrn Kanda. Da wollte ich die erste Zeit nur heulen. Ich weiß, wie das ist, wenn man seinen geliebten Vierbeiner sucht und sucht und sucht… und nicht findet. Umso glücklicher ist man, wenn man ihn wieder in die Arme schließen kann. Man hofft, dass Kater und Herrchen ihren Weg zueinander zurückfinden.
Gleichzeitig ist es großartig zu sehen, wie sich die bereits bekannten Nebencharaktere aufmachen und die beiden unterstützen. Man hat sie allesamt mittlerweile sehr ins Herz geschlossen. Durch diesen Beistand entwickelt sich Herr Kanda selbst in seinem Alter noch weiter. Das finde ich sehr schön, dass er endlich den Weg aus seinem Schneckenhaus gefunden hat.
Aber Fukumaru selbst entwickelt sich auch und verliert nicht den Glauben an sein Herrchen. Er ist ein toller kleiner Kater mit der Kraft eines Löwen.
Wieder mit viel Gefühl erlebt man die Geschichte um Fukumaru und sein Herrchen. Die Gefühle von Kater und Menschen werden durch das zeichnerische Können der Mangaka richtig gut hervorgehoben. Ich habe diesen Band wieder sehr genossen. Und werde auch weiterhin an der Serie dranbleiben. Ich finde es schön und herzerwärmend, die Geschichten rund um die beiden zu lesen. Gerade auch, weil sich ihr Universum immer weiter erweitert.
Die Freude auf Band 6 ist bereits sehr groß und er kann mir ehrlich gesagt nicht schnell genug erscheinen!
Ich kann gar nicht in Worte fassen, wie sehr mich dieser Manga bzw. diese Reihe berührt und unterhält. Dieser fünfte Band hat einen etwas anderen Vibe als die Vorgänger. Er ist nicht ganz so witzig und mehr emotional. Kanda und Fukumaru sind über weite Teiles des Mangas getrennt. Warum müsst ihr natürlich selbst lesen. Mir gefällt total, dass der Fokus immer auf den Katzen liegt, aber das es eben auch da verschiedene Charaktere gibt ohne das unserem geliebten Fukumaru die Show gestohlen wird. Fukumaru muss in diesem Band sehr stark sein und macht eine richtige Charakterentwicklung durch. Ich liebe es wie die Mangaka das alles bewerkstelligt. Auch Kanda lernt hier wieder einiges, vor allem, dass er nicht allein ist und das er Freunde hat, die ihm beistehen. Es lernt um Hilfe zu bitten und erkennt, dass dies sogar gut tut. Der Zeichenstil war wieder großartig und auch wenn die humorvollen Szenen dieses mal etwas rarer waren, so habe ich mich doch an manchen Stellen wieder kaputtgelacht. Vor allem bei der Papierblatt/Kotzszene. Das kennt glaube ich so gut wie jeder Katzenbesitzer und man muss so schmunzeln, dass es Kanda eben nicht besser ergeht. Ich kann mal wieder den nächsten Band nicht erwarten.
"Deseo de corazón que todos los animales perdidos vuelvan a encontrarse con sus dueños".
En este tomo, Fukumaru se pierde y Kanda recurre a la ayuda de sus amigos para encontrarlo. Una vez más, "El hombre y el gato" trata sobre la conexión entre las personas y los animales y también la de las personas entre sí, y lo importante que es pedir ayuda cuando se necesita. Además, retrata muy bien la angustia que sufren tanto dueños como mascotas cuando estas se pierden.
PD: desde este humilde espacio que me brinda Buenaslecturaspuntocom quiero agradecer públicamente a doña Shiva J.M. (también conocida como: la gata más peligrosa de España, gordi, nena, Chibi, Shivitina, patatita, Justiciera Enmascarada, mapachita, ratita, doña Mimitos, Morrito Blanco, etc. etc. etc.) el hecho de no haberse escapado de casa y haberse quedado echando una siestecita mientras yo me pasaba la mañana dando vueltas a mi barrio llamándola a gritos, más angustiada que un Charmander en Aqualandia.
Oh I truly adore this manga series! Poor little Fukumaru got lost and even though I knew things would have to eventually turn out okay, I was still at the edge of my seat! This was such a sweet volume and I'm sad I will now have to wait until June for the next one lol. Each new volume that comes out just makes me love this series more and more!