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The Treasure of the King and the Cat
One day, a large number of people suddenly disappeared in the royal capital. When young King Castio goes out to investigate this occurrence, he comes across the culprit... but the criminal puts a spell on him! To help him out, the king calls the wizard O'Feuille to his castle, along with Prince Volks and his loyal retainer Nios. Together, they're determined to solve this strange, fluffy mystery full of cats, swords and magic!
224 pages, Paperback
Published May 4, 2021
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140 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
August 21, 2021
This is a cute manga with pretty good art, featuring a couple of fantasy-themed light mysteries. The four major characters are in BL-like situations occasionally, but in general I agree with this review that says that it goes too far in that direction for a general audience, and not far enough for BL fans. Flirting, longing looks, and a single kiss is as far as that goes.
Since this is a single-volume manga, the characters aren't given enough time to grow on the reader, and the setting is the same ol' hastily constructed CastleTownForest we've seen millions of times before. Some of the fantasy elements like half-elves and curses are interesting, but they are basically like situation comedy elements, coming into play in their individual stories (there are two in this book), and nowhere else.
There's also a creepy panel where one of the characters . It was meant to be comedic, and it ended up being the only thing that particularly struck me, because no. You don't do that, to either people or animals.
My partner bought this one because it had a cat on the cover, not knowing its genre, and passed it along to me. It's another "decent, but nothing special" manga, and its being one volume means the characters and fantasy elements won't have any opportunity to develop past the bare bones that we get here.
Nothing to do with the manga specifically, it was published by TokyoPop and I will not purchase anything from them again, so I wouldn't have bought this book in the first place (and it went straight into the used bookstore box after I was done with it). Some of the manga advertised in the back look interesting, but unless I can find them used or in a library, I won't be reading them.
Since this is a single-volume manga, the characters aren't given enough time to grow on the reader, and the setting is the same ol' hastily constructed CastleTownForest we've seen millions of times before. Some of the fantasy elements like half-elves and curses are interesting, but they are basically like situation comedy elements, coming into play in their individual stories (there are two in this book), and nowhere else.
There's also a creepy panel where one of the characters . It was meant to be comedic, and it ended up being the only thing that particularly struck me, because no. You don't do that, to either people or animals.
My partner bought this one because it had a cat on the cover, not knowing its genre, and passed it along to me. It's another "decent, but nothing special" manga, and its being one volume means the characters and fantasy elements won't have any opportunity to develop past the bare bones that we get here.
Nothing to do with the manga specifically, it was published by TokyoPop and I will not purchase anything from them again, so I wouldn't have bought this book in the first place (and it went straight into the used bookstore box after I was done with it). Some of the manga advertised in the back look interesting, but unless I can find them used or in a library, I won't be reading them.
April 28, 2021
4.5 stars.
First of all I want to thank NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for allowing me to read this beautiful manga before it’s published.
I can be very honest and straight forward about this book. I freaking loved it! I love it so much that I am going to check the store next week to see if they have it. So I can reread it again very soon.
This story is cute, fun, magical and full of cats. Everything I love.
The story itself, is not that complicated or original. The concept of the main story is one we see very often. Were there is a boy who needs to save the kingdom by defeating the big bad. I like stories with this concept so I didn’t mind. I really enjoyed it.
Especially since this time people needed to be saved because they were turned into cats. HOW CUTE IS THAT?!
The book however, contains a couple of short stories besides the main one. You start of with a story about a boy who did not know he had magical powers and accidentally put a curse on his mom. Then at the end we have a few short stories of just one or two pages about Volks and O’Feuille our two hero’s. I really enjoyed these as well.
Because the story is not that complicated there was quiet a lot of room for us to get to know the main characters. And I fell in love with them. Volks was my absolute favourite, very blunt and funny. He really said everything that came to his mind, which causes a lot of funny scenes. I even started to like O’Feuille, who in the beginning felt a little weird, but in the end was just a silent guy with a big heart. Also the king and his guard were just funny and likeable characters.
I am a very character driven reader, so when I love the characters of a book I tend to like and enjoy it faster.
The world itself and the magical system just felt really magical and real. It has a medieval feeling to it, one we see quiet often in fantasy books. I felt that especially the magic was interesting and fun to see and learn about. Even though you do not get a lot of information about it. But because it is a manga, you see a lot of the world by the drawings.
The drawings of the manga are cute and I really liked them. I haven’t read a lot of manga’s and I still feel disappointed when I see that everything is black and white. Because I feel that if the drawings were in colour it would even feel more magical while reading it. But I know it’s a manga… So this is just me whining… sorry.
Everything combined for me was just the perfect magical read in between more heavier books. It’s a very quick and easy read, so if you are looking for something fun in between other books. I highly recommend this one.
I loved it and I am rooting for more stories about Volks and O’Feuille.
First of all I want to thank NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for allowing me to read this beautiful manga before it’s published.
I can be very honest and straight forward about this book. I freaking loved it! I love it so much that I am going to check the store next week to see if they have it. So I can reread it again very soon.
This story is cute, fun, magical and full of cats. Everything I love.
The story itself, is not that complicated or original. The concept of the main story is one we see very often. Were there is a boy who needs to save the kingdom by defeating the big bad. I like stories with this concept so I didn’t mind. I really enjoyed it.
Especially since this time people needed to be saved because they were turned into cats. HOW CUTE IS THAT?!
The book however, contains a couple of short stories besides the main one. You start of with a story about a boy who did not know he had magical powers and accidentally put a curse on his mom. Then at the end we have a few short stories of just one or two pages about Volks and O’Feuille our two hero’s. I really enjoyed these as well.
Because the story is not that complicated there was quiet a lot of room for us to get to know the main characters. And I fell in love with them. Volks was my absolute favourite, very blunt and funny. He really said everything that came to his mind, which causes a lot of funny scenes. I even started to like O’Feuille, who in the beginning felt a little weird, but in the end was just a silent guy with a big heart. Also the king and his guard were just funny and likeable characters.
I am a very character driven reader, so when I love the characters of a book I tend to like and enjoy it faster.
The world itself and the magical system just felt really magical and real. It has a medieval feeling to it, one we see quiet often in fantasy books. I felt that especially the magic was interesting and fun to see and learn about. Even though you do not get a lot of information about it. But because it is a manga, you see a lot of the world by the drawings.
The drawings of the manga are cute and I really liked them. I haven’t read a lot of manga’s and I still feel disappointed when I see that everything is black and white. Because I feel that if the drawings were in colour it would even feel more magical while reading it. But I know it’s a manga… So this is just me whining… sorry.
Everything combined for me was just the perfect magical read in between more heavier books. It’s a very quick and easy read, so if you are looking for something fun in between other books. I highly recommend this one.
I loved it and I am rooting for more stories about Volks and O’Feuille.
April 24, 2021
My thanks to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
Ok, when I requested this, I didn't realize it was a BL (boys' love) manga. I thought the artwork on the cover was pretty, the story sounded interesting and it dealt with cats, what's not to love?
I don't mind BL, but it isn't what I prefer to read for myself. However, as the manager at an indie bookstore, I think it is important to read a little bit of everything so I can recommend books to anyone, regardless of whether or not I read for enjoyment what they also read. I like to be well-rounded in my reading, which means sometimes my reviews are not always glowingly positive, because what I read wasn't my particular cup of tea, it's more to educate me on something I might not read much of. This fits that bill.
While the BL was a surprise, it didn't really put me off, it was the storyline that did that and the fact that there were only two female characters in the story and
SPOILER ALERT
one of them was the Big Bad and the other was a shapeshifter.
SPOILER over
The story, while interesting, had some plot holes that made no sense to me, or maybe I missed something. One example is the necklace the king had on him that did something spoilery, no one seems to know who had it and gave it to him. Considering what it did, one would think that one of the characters would have tried to find the original owner a little harder.
The art was very pretty, so it wasn't hard on the eyes and there were some cute scenes, but that doesn't make up for the very loose story and the lack of female characters who were 100% human and not the
SPOILER ALERT
Big Bad.
End SPOILER
2, this wasn't my cup of tea, but I am glad that I have read it so I can recommend it to our customers who are looking specifically for BL manga, stars.
Ok, when I requested this, I didn't realize it was a BL (boys' love) manga. I thought the artwork on the cover was pretty, the story sounded interesting and it dealt with cats, what's not to love?
I don't mind BL, but it isn't what I prefer to read for myself. However, as the manager at an indie bookstore, I think it is important to read a little bit of everything so I can recommend books to anyone, regardless of whether or not I read for enjoyment what they also read. I like to be well-rounded in my reading, which means sometimes my reviews are not always glowingly positive, because what I read wasn't my particular cup of tea, it's more to educate me on something I might not read much of. This fits that bill.
While the BL was a surprise, it didn't really put me off, it was the storyline that did that and the fact that there were only two female characters in the story and
SPOILER ALERT
one of them was the Big Bad and the other was a shapeshifter.
SPOILER over
The story, while interesting, had some plot holes that made no sense to me, or maybe I missed something. One example is the necklace the king had on him that did something spoilery, no one seems to know who had it and gave it to him. Considering what it did, one would think that one of the characters would have tried to find the original owner a little harder.
The art was very pretty, so it wasn't hard on the eyes and there were some cute scenes, but that doesn't make up for the very loose story and the lack of female characters who were 100% human and not the
SPOILER ALERT
Big Bad.
End SPOILER
2, this wasn't my cup of tea, but I am glad that I have read it so I can recommend it to our customers who are looking specifically for BL manga, stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2023
2.5☆ Review:
I’m a bit disappointed. The plot line was good, but wasn’t fleshed out enough. Lots of things were left unanswered.
The art style was nice and all the cats were cute, but I wish this had either been made into a two/three volume series to expand on the world or it should have had a simpler premise in order to fit into a single volume.
Not bad, just jumbled.
I’m a bit disappointed. The plot line was good, but wasn’t fleshed out enough. Lots of things were left unanswered.
The art style was nice and all the cats were cute, but I wish this had either been made into a two/three volume series to expand on the world or it should have had a simpler premise in order to fit into a single volume.
Not bad, just jumbled.
April 27, 2021
The premise of the book is pretty interesting. Had vibes of Ancient Magus' Bride, but more fluff and cats. Hate to say I wasn't a fan. The first two chapters really introduced an interesting story, but there was so much left unexplained that would have made this a really solid read: the world/country, what exactly the relationship was between some of the main characters (I don't mean romantic, more of what exactly their past history was), and the magic itself. Everything's thrown together very haphazardly and leaves you hanging for a while trying to figure out what exactly is going on.
Also wasn't a fan that literally the only two female characters in the story were villains, and one of them drawn in nearly every frame super sexually. Honestly made me pretty uncomfortable.
Also the amount of crude humor that was, A, poorly delivered, and, B, generic and dull, also made this a bit of a slog. I can take a joke every so often, but do we really need one on nearly every other page?
Character ages were a bit ambiguous, so there's also potentially some weird stuff going on with a potentially underage guy with a 60+ year old guy. If the younger dude is an adult, then it's fine, but it never really stated how old he was, and I just cannot ship a relationship when there is such an age difference, AND one of the characters is underage. Sorry, but that's not OK to me.
So yeah, if you want fluffy fantasy with a ton of cats, crude humor, and some dubious relationship stuff, then go right ahead. Really sad this one wasn't more well-written because it had a ton of potential.
Also wasn't a fan that literally the only two female characters in the story were villains, and one of them drawn in nearly every frame super sexually. Honestly made me pretty uncomfortable.
Also the amount of crude humor that was, A, poorly delivered, and, B, generic and dull, also made this a bit of a slog. I can take a joke every so often, but do we really need one on nearly every other page?
Character ages were a bit ambiguous, so there's also potentially some weird stuff going on with a potentially underage guy with a 60+ year old guy. If the younger dude is an adult, then it's fine, but it never really stated how old he was, and I just cannot ship a relationship when there is such an age difference, AND one of the characters is underage. Sorry, but that's not OK to me.
So yeah, if you want fluffy fantasy with a ton of cats, crude humor, and some dubious relationship stuff, then go right ahead. Really sad this one wasn't more well-written because it had a ton of potential.
May 15, 2022
There was so much potential in this and the first two chapters were great. I was expecting it'd continue with O'Feuille and Volks and their relationship but it came a mystery with a focus on the king of the land instead of them (they are there solving the case but just as a part of the group). There's enough worldbuilding that this could've carried a lot longer story. We hardly get to know the characters and so much is left hanging in the air.
What we got was nice but this could've been so much more that I can't be but a little disappointed.
What we got was nice but this could've been so much more that I can't be but a little disappointed.
April 29, 2021
Some days you just want a sweet little BL-themed mythology-inspired single volume manga. With cute kitties.
July 26, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Instagram | TikTok
Well I don't really know what to say besides that was a slight disappointment. There were so many things about this manga that could have been done well but really nothing hit the spot. It took me days to read it because nothing caught my interest. And honestly, there is no reason that this should be counted as Boys Love.
The art style was gorgeous. Which, most likely was the only reason I kept turning the pages.
The plot was everywhere. There was a weird beginning that just introduced the characters and gave a slight backstory but was really useless to what was the main plot. The actual story that involves Volks, his twin brother Castio, and the wizard half-elf was very sporadic and if anything the story should have followed Volks's brother Castio and guard over Volks and O'Feuille. Which it did anyways. Also, the plot was very predictable and everything was figured out within minutes of reading the manga.
As I stated earlier, this really did not need to be labeled as Boys Love. Yes, Volks has a crush on the wizard O'Feuille and his brother has a crush on his guard. But nothing and I mean nothing comes of any of it. Even in the end O'Feuille was all "He will need to go off on his own soon"....I mean seriously? I don't need the sexy, or raunchy, or spicy. I just wanted something to come of this manga and these couples would have all been cute together but it never happened.
Also, it was slow. Very slow. It felt like it took pages to get to the point of the whole story.
To say the least, as one of my anticipated Tokyopop manga's of 2021, I was very disappointed.
Instagram | TikTok
Well I don't really know what to say besides that was a slight disappointment. There were so many things about this manga that could have been done well but really nothing hit the spot. It took me days to read it because nothing caught my interest. And honestly, there is no reason that this should be counted as Boys Love.
The art style was gorgeous. Which, most likely was the only reason I kept turning the pages.
The plot was everywhere. There was a weird beginning that just introduced the characters and gave a slight backstory but was really useless to what was the main plot. The actual story that involves Volks, his twin brother Castio, and the wizard half-elf was very sporadic and if anything the story should have followed Volks's brother Castio and guard over Volks and O'Feuille. Which it did anyways. Also, the plot was very predictable and everything was figured out within minutes of reading the manga.
As I stated earlier, this really did not need to be labeled as Boys Love. Yes, Volks has a crush on the wizard O'Feuille and his brother has a crush on his guard. But nothing and I mean nothing comes of any of it. Even in the end O'Feuille was all "He will need to go off on his own soon"....I mean seriously? I don't need the sexy, or raunchy, or spicy. I just wanted something to come of this manga and these couples would have all been cute together but it never happened.
Also, it was slow. Very slow. It felt like it took pages to get to the point of the whole story.
To say the least, as one of my anticipated Tokyopop manga's of 2021, I was very disappointed.
April 28, 2021
arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
This was such a fun, hilarious, queer story full of cats and characters who easily made me smile as I was reading.
This is about King Castio after he goes out to investigate people going missing in his city and something peculiar happens to him. We also follow his twin, Prince Volks, his loyal retainer Nios and the wizard O’Feuille.
The relationship between Volks and O’Feuilles was so funny but so heartwarming too. It’s obvious that they really care for each other in their own ways. Volks is way more outgoing and O’Feuille was shy and introverted, despite the fact that they needed the wizard’s magic to help them every time. Their relationship dynamic reminded me a lot of The Witcher and his Bard friend.
King Castio and Nios!!! The angst, the tension, the feelings they are too shy to admit out loud. I’m so sad we’re not getting more volumes because I’d love to see their relationship progress further! We got to see a bit of them growing up together, which was nice to see.
I loved that the issue and curse in this was that everyone got turned into cats. I love cats so this was just completely up my alley! This manga was a fun ride, even with some of its more awkwardly funny moments. The balls jokes... Funny but a bit cringe too.
Nonetheless, this was a blast and I’m happy to have another queer manga to recommend!!
4/5 ⭐️
This was such a fun, hilarious, queer story full of cats and characters who easily made me smile as I was reading.
This is about King Castio after he goes out to investigate people going missing in his city and something peculiar happens to him. We also follow his twin, Prince Volks, his loyal retainer Nios and the wizard O’Feuille.
The relationship between Volks and O’Feuilles was so funny but so heartwarming too. It’s obvious that they really care for each other in their own ways. Volks is way more outgoing and O’Feuille was shy and introverted, despite the fact that they needed the wizard’s magic to help them every time. Their relationship dynamic reminded me a lot of The Witcher and his Bard friend.
King Castio and Nios!!! The angst, the tension, the feelings they are too shy to admit out loud. I’m so sad we’re not getting more volumes because I’d love to see their relationship progress further! We got to see a bit of them growing up together, which was nice to see.
I loved that the issue and curse in this was that everyone got turned into cats. I love cats so this was just completely up my alley! This manga was a fun ride, even with some of its more awkwardly funny moments. The balls jokes... Funny but a bit cringe too.
Nonetheless, this was a blast and I’m happy to have another queer manga to recommend!!
4/5 ⭐️
May 22, 2021
The Treasure of the King and the Cat is a cute and funny manga full of epic fantasy feels and fascinating characters. There's interesting relationship dynamics, such as half-elf wizard O'Feuille and his apprentice Volks, who's also a prince to a kingdom ruled by his twin King Castio. Volks is absolutely taken by O'Feuille and many hilarious moments ensue when Volks tries to charm him or declares his loyalty while O'Feuille tries to play it cool. King Castio also has a royal retainer, Nios, with whom he has been close ever since childhood.
However, there are quite few things left unresolved, including the possibly romantic relationships between O'Feuille and Volks, and Castio and Nios. This is a BL manga, but it feels like its trying to appeal to wider audience by withholding relationship development. It would be much better if the relationships were clearly acknowledged on page instead of heavily hinted at, because now the story feels unfinished. It is still enjoyable and fun, but does not manage to fulfil it potential.
(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)
However, there are quite few things left unresolved, including the possibly romantic relationships between O'Feuille and Volks, and Castio and Nios. This is a BL manga, but it feels like its trying to appeal to wider audience by withholding relationship development. It would be much better if the relationships were clearly acknowledged on page instead of heavily hinted at, because now the story feels unfinished. It is still enjoyable and fun, but does not manage to fulfil it potential.
(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)
April 27, 2021
Rating: 3.5 stars
This manga is so weird and goofy, haha. It's got a strong epic fantasy element, but definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. The art is fun and cute. The comic is divided up into two storylines, the title story and another before it that seems to be completely unrelated aside from having the same pair of main characters.
I feel like this is in a weird place of having too much BL (boy love, or M/M romance) for the folks who don't like that kind of thing, but not enough of it for those that do. There's a bit of a romance subplot trying to happen between O'Feuille and Volks, and also between Castio and Nios, but there's not really any actual plot/storyline dedicated to developing those the romance/relationships - it's more little scraps of fan-service. It seems like by maybe trying to appeal to a broader audience they may have missed the mark with both, but that's just my take. The chemistry between both pairings is really great, and I'd have loved to see more space dedicated to fleshing that out more.
This manga is so weird and goofy, haha. It's got a strong epic fantasy element, but definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. The art is fun and cute. The comic is divided up into two storylines, the title story and another before it that seems to be completely unrelated aside from having the same pair of main characters.
I feel like this is in a weird place of having too much BL (boy love, or M/M romance) for the folks who don't like that kind of thing, but not enough of it for those that do. There's a bit of a romance subplot trying to happen between O'Feuille and Volks, and also between Castio and Nios, but there's not really any actual plot/storyline dedicated to developing those the romance/relationships - it's more little scraps of fan-service. It seems like by maybe trying to appeal to a broader audience they may have missed the mark with both, but that's just my take. The chemistry between both pairings is really great, and I'd have loved to see more space dedicated to fleshing that out more.
May 5, 2021
This manga was very weird, but in a good way. The first story I liked more than the second (although it was shorter), but I really enjoyed it. Not being a big fan of kittens, I loved seeing a lot of them in the second story.
I wanted to see more of the relationship between King Castio and Nios, as well as seeing more kisses between prince Volks and Feuille.
Thanks Netgalley and TokyoPop (LOVE X LOVE) for allowing me to read an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review! :)
I wanted to see more of the relationship between King Castio and Nios, as well as seeing more kisses between prince Volks and Feuille.
Thanks Netgalley and TokyoPop (LOVE X LOVE) for allowing me to read an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review! :)
April 12, 2021
I was excited to see this one in NetGalley because the idea of it was so cute but in the end it fell a little flat for me. The characters are cute, and the story is ok but the end result just ended up being pretty much nothing since the story itself seemed to happen around the characters. Nothing of significance happened, everything was teased romance wise, and in the end was just more cutesy than anything else.
I'd say read this if you just like cute fantasy but don't expect anything romance wise in this.
It's barely shonen-ai.
The art was very pretty though and the idea itself was great in the end it just just didn't do it for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tokyopop for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'd say read this if you just like cute fantasy but don't expect anything romance wise in this.
It's barely shonen-ai.
The art was very pretty though and the idea itself was great in the end it just just didn't do it for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tokyopop for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 16, 2021
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.
This was a short very lowkey BL which is an MM romance basically, there is nothing graphic and was basically a collection of a couple adventures within that world. Follow the same main two characters (or three if you count the magical cat).
I enjoyed it, but did not love it, I would not pick this back up to read it again and I was not in love with the characters, to me there was a lack of character development and world building which affected how much I enjoyed myself while reading this manga.
I found a lot of things sort of inconsequential and boring, events always happened too fast or too slow in my opinion. There wasn't a perfect tempo to it. However it was a fast read and the illustrative style was beautiful.
Overall a meh read. Nothing I will remember fondly, pretty forgettable as far as storyline.
3/5 stars
Bookarina
This was a short very lowkey BL which is an MM romance basically, there is nothing graphic and was basically a collection of a couple adventures within that world. Follow the same main two characters (or three if you count the magical cat).
I enjoyed it, but did not love it, I would not pick this back up to read it again and I was not in love with the characters, to me there was a lack of character development and world building which affected how much I enjoyed myself while reading this manga.
I found a lot of things sort of inconsequential and boring, events always happened too fast or too slow in my opinion. There wasn't a perfect tempo to it. However it was a fast read and the illustrative style was beautiful.
Overall a meh read. Nothing I will remember fondly, pretty forgettable as far as storyline.
3/5 stars
Bookarina
September 25, 2021
In the mangaka’s postscript they mention that some people may view this story as half-assed, and I am definitely within that group of people. It was underwhelming to me because it felt like every aspect of it wasn’t realized to its full potential. In other words, half-assed.
The manga starts off with two chapters that felt like a side story. You get introduced to the wizard O’Feuille and Volks, a human who lives with him. They help a boy who was unaware of his magical abilities save his mom from a curse. I found these first two chapters super boring and unnecessary.
Starting in chapter three a bigger plot starts to unfold when we get to the capital city and are introduced to the king, his retainer, and his steward. Citizens are disappearing in the capital and no one knows what is going on. The prince tries to go find answers by himself but gets cursed in the process. Now on top of finding the missing people they also have to find out how to lift the curse from the king. Luckily, O’Feuille and Volks arrive to lend a helping hand.
This part of the manga felt like the mangaka had actually put thought into it and didn’t throw everything together last minute. That’s probably why this mystery plot was the best part of the story. Despite that, it still felt rushed. Instead of spending the first two chapters with O’Feuille and Volks I think those chapters would’ve been better served extending the main story.
This is a fantasy world, but the worldbuilding was the worst. I could never get a clear picture of it. When the mangaka would bring something up about the world they never expanded on it leaving me with many questions that never got any answers.
The characters are unmemorable. They are just so two dimensional, both literally and figuratively. O’Feuille is an elusive half-elf who sucks at feelings, Volks’ main personality trait seems to be liking O’Feuille, King Castio is eager to prove himself, and Nios’ main personality trait seems to be liking Castio. I never grew attached to any of them due to how boring and bland they were.
Even though two characters seem to only be there to support the characters they like, the romance felt tertiary. It didn’t extend much past Volks proclaiming his love for O’Feuille only to constantly be denied, and Nios and Castio both silently yearning for each other without doing anything about it. The romance felt so shoved in that I honestly wish it would’ve just been left out, which is something I never thought I would say in my life. I needed more from the romances, at least a satisfying resolution, because what we got is disappointing.
There isn’t much to say about the art style. It wasn’t bad by any means, but like the rest of the story it also wasn’t anything special. The cats were cute which was half the reason I picked up this manga in the first place, so that was good.
With how short both plots were, how the romance felt like a last minute addition, and how there were so many questions I had that didn’t get answered it never felt like I got the full story. It felt like I had the beginnings of one. That shouldn’t be how I feel reading a standalone manga though. It’s not like it was the worst read — it was an average manga, one I don’t see myself ever recommending.
The manga starts off with two chapters that felt like a side story. You get introduced to the wizard O’Feuille and Volks, a human who lives with him. They help a boy who was unaware of his magical abilities save his mom from a curse. I found these first two chapters super boring and unnecessary.
Starting in chapter three a bigger plot starts to unfold when we get to the capital city and are introduced to the king, his retainer, and his steward. Citizens are disappearing in the capital and no one knows what is going on. The prince tries to go find answers by himself but gets cursed in the process. Now on top of finding the missing people they also have to find out how to lift the curse from the king. Luckily, O’Feuille and Volks arrive to lend a helping hand.
This part of the manga felt like the mangaka had actually put thought into it and didn’t throw everything together last minute. That’s probably why this mystery plot was the best part of the story. Despite that, it still felt rushed. Instead of spending the first two chapters with O’Feuille and Volks I think those chapters would’ve been better served extending the main story.
This is a fantasy world, but the worldbuilding was the worst. I could never get a clear picture of it. When the mangaka would bring something up about the world they never expanded on it leaving me with many questions that never got any answers.
The characters are unmemorable. They are just so two dimensional, both literally and figuratively. O’Feuille is an elusive half-elf who sucks at feelings, Volks’ main personality trait seems to be liking O’Feuille, King Castio is eager to prove himself, and Nios’ main personality trait seems to be liking Castio. I never grew attached to any of them due to how boring and bland they were.
Even though two characters seem to only be there to support the characters they like, the romance felt tertiary. It didn’t extend much past Volks proclaiming his love for O’Feuille only to constantly be denied, and Nios and Castio both silently yearning for each other without doing anything about it. The romance felt so shoved in that I honestly wish it would’ve just been left out, which is something I never thought I would say in my life. I needed more from the romances, at least a satisfying resolution, because what we got is disappointing.
There isn’t much to say about the art style. It wasn’t bad by any means, but like the rest of the story it also wasn’t anything special. The cats were cute which was half the reason I picked up this manga in the first place, so that was good.
With how short both plots were, how the romance felt like a last minute addition, and how there were so many questions I had that didn’t get answered it never felt like I got the full story. It felt like I had the beginnings of one. That shouldn’t be how I feel reading a standalone manga though. It’s not like it was the worst read — it was an average manga, one I don’t see myself ever recommending.
February 22, 2022
1 star feels harsh, but this was honestly kind of unreadable. I really should've stuck with listening to the negative reviews, but after reading and enjoying A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation, Volume 1, I thought it'd be nice to try a similar fantasy world where the relationships aren't ambiguous.
And there are elements I liked with the two romances, particularly the king and his knight, but this story was just...a mess.
The author's note says: "if I'm ever accused of the whole thing being a little half-assed, all I can do is nod and agree with a hearty 'absolutely'!"
Self-awareness is good, I guess, but...if you're aware your own story is this jumbled-together, why wouldn't you try to fix it before publication? Maybe it was just too much to try to rework before hitting some deadline, but goodness was this a disappointment from start to finish.
It's also really, really disjointed and so hard to understand what's going on most of the time. The first two chapters are about a half-elf wizard, O'Feuille, and his assistant, Volks, who's very in love with him and possibly (?) in an actual relationship with him (?). There's definitely some affection there - the bit with the flower in the hourglass was sweet - but their relationship is mostly Volks being a head over heels idiot and O'Feuille pushing him away.
The actual storyline here sets up some worldbuilding where the humans in the kingdom are deeply prejudiced against half-elves, but it's...really hard to understand why. What about full elves? Do they exist? Was there some sort of ancient conflict between humans and elves that led to all this bad blood? When did this plague happen and...nevermind, it's honestly impossible to unwind the narrative.
The rest of the book is pretty unrelated, because other than O'Feuille not wanting to show his half-elf face too much in the kingdom, the conflict is instead about some woman who somehow gets her hand on some thousand-year-old cursed object that turns its wearer into a man-eating lion and allows that lionperson to turn other people into cats and I just...
What the FRICK was going on in basically ALL OF THIS.
This is where the king/knight romance was kind of trying to bear roots, but they only had a few nice interactions - I liked the flashback bits - while the rest of the relationship was just nodded at with lots of dirty jokes that really weren't very funny.
Love the idea of a fantasy world with twin princes who fall in love with, respectively, their loyal knight and the kingdom's wizard. But uh. This needed a lot more work and I was barely able to slog through all the pages. Will definitely not read it again.
And there are elements I liked with the two romances, particularly the king and his knight, but this story was just...a mess.
The author's note says: "if I'm ever accused of the whole thing being a little half-assed, all I can do is nod and agree with a hearty 'absolutely'!"
Self-awareness is good, I guess, but...if you're aware your own story is this jumbled-together, why wouldn't you try to fix it before publication? Maybe it was just too much to try to rework before hitting some deadline, but goodness was this a disappointment from start to finish.
It's also really, really disjointed and so hard to understand what's going on most of the time. The first two chapters are about a half-elf wizard, O'Feuille, and his assistant, Volks, who's very in love with him and possibly (?) in an actual relationship with him (?). There's definitely some affection there - the bit with the flower in the hourglass was sweet - but their relationship is mostly Volks being a head over heels idiot and O'Feuille pushing him away.
The actual storyline here sets up some worldbuilding where the humans in the kingdom are deeply prejudiced against half-elves, but it's...really hard to understand why. What about full elves? Do they exist? Was there some sort of ancient conflict between humans and elves that led to all this bad blood? When did this plague happen and...nevermind, it's honestly impossible to unwind the narrative.
The rest of the book is pretty unrelated, because other than O'Feuille not wanting to show his half-elf face too much in the kingdom, the conflict is instead about some woman who somehow gets her hand on some thousand-year-old cursed object that turns its wearer into a man-eating lion and allows that lionperson to turn other people into cats and I just...
What the FRICK was going on in basically ALL OF THIS.
This is where the king/knight romance was kind of trying to bear roots, but they only had a few nice interactions - I liked the flashback bits - while the rest of the relationship was just nodded at with lots of dirty jokes that really weren't very funny.
Love the idea of a fantasy world with twin princes who fall in love with, respectively, their loyal knight and the kingdom's wizard. But uh. This needed a lot more work and I was barely able to slog through all the pages. Will definitely not read it again.
July 11, 2021
Unless you need cute cat drawings in your life, don't bother
It took me a minute to realize why this manga was so dissatisfying. As Hirohiko Araki puts it, successful manga focus on the authentic feelings of the main characters; the characters inner development, and the emotional growth that goes along with it, drive or are more important than the plot. Albeit the plot has its own importance, it’s not the essence of manga. In “The Treasure of the King and the Cat,” it’s all about plot. Meanwhile, the figures are cardboard cutouts attached to popsicle sticks being waved in the air spouting random bits of dialogue. In the best manga, even the ones that are super tropey, when I’m done I feel I’ve got to know someone.
That so doesn’t happen in this one.
There’s a handful of cute scenes, some groan-worthy jokes, and that’s about all in this comedy/fantasy BL wannabe.
The comedy is lame, and we’re told more of the plot than we actually experience. What we do experience is hackneyed and cliched, with little to hold your attention. Some dialogue sentences are so long and obtuse that you’re cross-eyed and bleary before you reach a period. The world-building seems to be improvised at every turn, resulting in a huge, impossible to follow magic system that is nothing but a convoluted mess. In the afterward, the mangaka admits this manga is “half-assed” and she’s right.
In short, this manga is a Big Yawn Fest.
As for the art: There’s a tedious overuse of a medium gray screen-tone (about a #6-7 on a 10 level gray scale) that ends up competing with the ample white space left on most pages by the artist. It would have worked much better had the artist skillfully contrasted a greater range of blacks, grays and whites since the eye is more attuned to decoding contrasting values. Of course, this points to a lack of compositional skill, too, as you can have a good composition go bad from the poor placement of values. But in You’s case, on a number of pages, the underlying compositional design lacks a dominant motif, a visual organizing principle. Typically, an artist composes a design or layout using visual tensions as dynamic elements in an overarching visual hierarchy. Instead, in this manga these tensions end up being a cacophony of lines, textures, and values all of which try to call attention to themselves rather than contributing to a greater unity.
Bottom line? No need to bother with this book unless you really like cute cat drawings.
It took me a minute to realize why this manga was so dissatisfying. As Hirohiko Araki puts it, successful manga focus on the authentic feelings of the main characters; the characters inner development, and the emotional growth that goes along with it, drive or are more important than the plot. Albeit the plot has its own importance, it’s not the essence of manga. In “The Treasure of the King and the Cat,” it’s all about plot. Meanwhile, the figures are cardboard cutouts attached to popsicle sticks being waved in the air spouting random bits of dialogue. In the best manga, even the ones that are super tropey, when I’m done I feel I’ve got to know someone.
That so doesn’t happen in this one.
There’s a handful of cute scenes, some groan-worthy jokes, and that’s about all in this comedy/fantasy BL wannabe.
The comedy is lame, and we’re told more of the plot than we actually experience. What we do experience is hackneyed and cliched, with little to hold your attention. Some dialogue sentences are so long and obtuse that you’re cross-eyed and bleary before you reach a period. The world-building seems to be improvised at every turn, resulting in a huge, impossible to follow magic system that is nothing but a convoluted mess. In the afterward, the mangaka admits this manga is “half-assed” and she’s right.
In short, this manga is a Big Yawn Fest.
As for the art: There’s a tedious overuse of a medium gray screen-tone (about a #6-7 on a 10 level gray scale) that ends up competing with the ample white space left on most pages by the artist. It would have worked much better had the artist skillfully contrasted a greater range of blacks, grays and whites since the eye is more attuned to decoding contrasting values. Of course, this points to a lack of compositional skill, too, as you can have a good composition go bad from the poor placement of values. But in You’s case, on a number of pages, the underlying compositional design lacks a dominant motif, a visual organizing principle. Typically, an artist composes a design or layout using visual tensions as dynamic elements in an overarching visual hierarchy. Instead, in this manga these tensions end up being a cacophony of lines, textures, and values all of which try to call attention to themselves rather than contributing to a greater unity.
Bottom line? No need to bother with this book unless you really like cute cat drawings.
November 22, 2021
A cuddly and fluffy manga filled with hilarious characters solving a mystery.
It’s not wrong to say that the manga can be divided into 3 sections. The Wizard of Borderlands, gives us a look inside O’Feuille and (Prince) Volks life at the borderlands. O’Feuille is a half-elf wizard who stays away from others so as not to cause calamity on them and is quite expressionless. He may be weird at first but he’s just a shy person with a big heart. However, Volks brings out the emotions in him and stays with him. Volks is the absolute opposite of O’Feuille. He’s blunt, funny and carefree which causes a lot of bickering between the two, but within their countless bickering you can see just how much both care and understand each other.
The second story is the main title feature, mirroring the name of the manga followed by five short stories that complement it. It’s a mystery-driven story based on a magical system that was thoroughly explained and developed. There is a lot of detail and information regarding the magic system and how it works. The characters however don’t get a lot of description, since it’s not a complicated story with a complicated cast. This makes it easier to get to know the main characters and I honestly loved them all; they’re all so innocent.
The art in the manga is very detailed and each panel is filled with wonderful pictures. The story has a medieval feel to it so the backgrounds are all descriptive and reflective of that theme. There are also a lot of speech bubbles in some panels, so read this slowly to get the full feel of the manga!
This was a fun and enjoyable manga however I wish we got to see more of O’Feuille and Volks relationship. I also felt quite sad when it was mentioned a few times that Volks would leave or that he was human because it felt like there was a foreseeable separation. Also, I would have liked if we got the character descriptions or at least a story on the backgrounds and personalities rather than them being integrated into the mystery. It was a lot to take in alongside the magical system and mystery. Overall, I think this is a great read for a relaxing and free day and especially if you like cats!
Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf
It’s not wrong to say that the manga can be divided into 3 sections. The Wizard of Borderlands, gives us a look inside O’Feuille and (Prince) Volks life at the borderlands. O’Feuille is a half-elf wizard who stays away from others so as not to cause calamity on them and is quite expressionless. He may be weird at first but he’s just a shy person with a big heart. However, Volks brings out the emotions in him and stays with him. Volks is the absolute opposite of O’Feuille. He’s blunt, funny and carefree which causes a lot of bickering between the two, but within their countless bickering you can see just how much both care and understand each other.
The second story is the main title feature, mirroring the name of the manga followed by five short stories that complement it. It’s a mystery-driven story based on a magical system that was thoroughly explained and developed. There is a lot of detail and information regarding the magic system and how it works. The characters however don’t get a lot of description, since it’s not a complicated story with a complicated cast. This makes it easier to get to know the main characters and I honestly loved them all; they’re all so innocent.
The art in the manga is very detailed and each panel is filled with wonderful pictures. The story has a medieval feel to it so the backgrounds are all descriptive and reflective of that theme. There are also a lot of speech bubbles in some panels, so read this slowly to get the full feel of the manga!
This was a fun and enjoyable manga however I wish we got to see more of O’Feuille and Volks relationship. I also felt quite sad when it was mentioned a few times that Volks would leave or that he was human because it felt like there was a foreseeable separation. Also, I would have liked if we got the character descriptions or at least a story on the backgrounds and personalities rather than them being integrated into the mystery. It was a lot to take in alongside the magical system and mystery. Overall, I think this is a great read for a relaxing and free day and especially if you like cats!
Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf
October 23, 2021
I only had to finish the first two chapters of this adorable boys’ love fantasy collection before I was able to describe it to a friend as: Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving Castle but gay
The Treasure of the King and the Cat is two interconnected stories and a series of shorts set in the magical kingdom of Astelia. “Wizard of the Borderlands” follows the story of the half-elf wizard O’Feuille and his oblivious, enamored, freckled partner Volks, as well as the wizard’s albino raven familiar Alvas and the cait sith friend of Volks, Mia.
“The Treasure of the King and the Cat” moves the action from the borderlands to the royal city, where people have been going missing at an alarming rate. King Castio Luchlups (wild anime surname) sneaks out of the castle to investigate where he’s attacked, although he somehow doesn’t fall to the same fate as his subjects. He’s aided by his childhood friend and confidant, the handsome Lord Nios Eric. (Eric?! Of the noble House Eric?!)
The most glaring issue I had with an otherwise adorable collection is that, despite being classified as boys’ love and despite being rated “Teen age 13+”, The Treasure of the King and the Cat is a relatively chaste title. It’s perhaps boys’ love in a very literal sense; these are boys who love each other. Volks is entirely devoted to O’Feuille, very clearly in eternal, dumbass puppy dog love, ditto King Castio and his devoted protector Lord Nios. But aside from a few raunchy jokes (almost exclusively from resident himbo Volks), a couple of cheek kisses and a few instances of what I would classify as an “accidental” magical nudity fetish, the boys’ love element takes a backseat to the action.
Check out my full review on my boys' love blog: https://michaellyonswrites.wordpress....
The Treasure of the King and the Cat is two interconnected stories and a series of shorts set in the magical kingdom of Astelia. “Wizard of the Borderlands” follows the story of the half-elf wizard O’Feuille and his oblivious, enamored, freckled partner Volks, as well as the wizard’s albino raven familiar Alvas and the cait sith friend of Volks, Mia.
“The Treasure of the King and the Cat” moves the action from the borderlands to the royal city, where people have been going missing at an alarming rate. King Castio Luchlups (wild anime surname) sneaks out of the castle to investigate where he’s attacked, although he somehow doesn’t fall to the same fate as his subjects. He’s aided by his childhood friend and confidant, the handsome Lord Nios Eric. (Eric?! Of the noble House Eric?!)
The most glaring issue I had with an otherwise adorable collection is that, despite being classified as boys’ love and despite being rated “Teen age 13+”, The Treasure of the King and the Cat is a relatively chaste title. It’s perhaps boys’ love in a very literal sense; these are boys who love each other. Volks is entirely devoted to O’Feuille, very clearly in eternal, dumbass puppy dog love, ditto King Castio and his devoted protector Lord Nios. But aside from a few raunchy jokes (almost exclusively from resident himbo Volks), a couple of cheek kisses and a few instances of what I would classify as an “accidental” magical nudity fetish, the boys’ love element takes a backseat to the action.
Check out my full review on my boys' love blog: https://michaellyonswrites.wordpress....
June 15, 2023
Is it the treasure of the king-and-cat, they are the same entity? Treasure that is both the king's and cat's? Or is the cat simply in the presence of the treasure of the king? I never figured this out.
But for a one-volume story, there sure is a LOT going on, most of it BL* 🙄
Like, I guess it's cute? but they didn't really set up or resolve much in the story for me to comment on it, it was just over and the entire thing IMMEDIATELY left my brain. Really couldn't tell you what happens other than two twins, only one of whom is publicly revealed, are BOTH gay for their (one) master and (the other) subordinate. Also a cat somewhere who can take human form. Oh, ok, it was about LOTS of people becoming cats, and forgetting they did, and also the one twin inappropriately touches the other when said other is in cat form.
Yeah, I don't know.
One day I'll learn better than to just get books with "Cat" titles, but not today...
*Boy Love, as specifically distinct from gay romance in that the characters feel SPECIFICALLY like they were created for and are acting like fetish material rather than as representations of actual gay people... not QUITE to the level of "geishas are prostitutes" offense, but certainly questionable from an objective POV (what exactly was the story ABOUT beyond the BL shenanigans, I literally can't remember, who was behind the cattening and how it got resolved, buh???)
["just look it up again" I don't always review immediately, just when I have some down time, so it's already in a donations library]
But for a one-volume story, there sure is a LOT going on, most of it BL* 🙄
Like, I guess it's cute? but they didn't really set up or resolve much in the story for me to comment on it, it was just over and the entire thing IMMEDIATELY left my brain. Really couldn't tell you what happens other than two twins, only one of whom is publicly revealed, are BOTH gay for their (one) master and (the other) subordinate. Also a cat somewhere who can take human form. Oh, ok, it was about LOTS of people becoming cats, and forgetting they did, and also the one twin inappropriately touches the other when said other is in cat form.
Yeah, I don't know.
One day I'll learn better than to just get books with "Cat" titles, but not today...
*Boy Love, as specifically distinct from gay romance in that the characters feel SPECIFICALLY like they were created for and are acting like fetish material rather than as representations of actual gay people... not QUITE to the level of "geishas are prostitutes" offense, but certainly questionable from an objective POV (what exactly was the story ABOUT beyond the BL shenanigans, I literally can't remember, who was behind the cattening and how it got resolved, buh???)
["just look it up again" I don't always review immediately, just when I have some down time, so it's already in a donations library]
May 12, 2021
First of all, thank netgalley for providing me with a copy of the treasure of the king and the cat, that said, I clarify that despite the fact that a copy was provided, my review will be 100% honest.
This manga tells us about two brothers who have had to be separated, one is raised next to a sorcerer elf O'feuille, the little one that he raises is Prince Volks, who ends up acquiring a quite peculiar personality. On the other hand, the other brother, Prince Castio, grows up in the castle, acquiring the role of ruler and counting on the support of Nios. One day in the kingdom of Castio people begin to disappear so the king goes out to investigate and ends up being turned into a cat, so he must receive the support of his brother and the sorcerer.
Although that is the premise of the manga, it actually starts with a random chapter where we are introduced to the two characters mentioned first. Something that happened to me while reading the story is that although I liked and loved the drawing, I felt that everything was very abrupt and that it really did not have an end. that I remain open for something else, however it is only a volume of about 220 pages approx.
The story promised a lot, but in my opinion it was not fully developed, I left everything unfinished and did not develop the relationship of the characters, it is supposed to be bl and no, I am not asking that the characters be having sex all the time, but I would not have complained if they had developed a little more in relationships, since everything remains as in the nebula.
for this reason for me it deserves a 3.5 out of 5 stars and that is that although it is a good story it could be better
This manga tells us about two brothers who have had to be separated, one is raised next to a sorcerer elf O'feuille, the little one that he raises is Prince Volks, who ends up acquiring a quite peculiar personality. On the other hand, the other brother, Prince Castio, grows up in the castle, acquiring the role of ruler and counting on the support of Nios. One day in the kingdom of Castio people begin to disappear so the king goes out to investigate and ends up being turned into a cat, so he must receive the support of his brother and the sorcerer.
Although that is the premise of the manga, it actually starts with a random chapter where we are introduced to the two characters mentioned first. Something that happened to me while reading the story is that although I liked and loved the drawing, I felt that everything was very abrupt and that it really did not have an end. that I remain open for something else, however it is only a volume of about 220 pages approx.
The story promised a lot, but in my opinion it was not fully developed, I left everything unfinished and did not develop the relationship of the characters, it is supposed to be bl and no, I am not asking that the characters be having sex all the time, but I would not have complained if they had developed a little more in relationships, since everything remains as in the nebula.
for this reason for me it deserves a 3.5 out of 5 stars and that is that although it is a good story it could be better
May 5, 2023
I wish there was more and I feel like a whole series can be made out of this. But as a standalone series it's just a bit too soft to leave a strong impact. A sweet and enjoyable read tho.
The book starts with a sweet one-off adventure introducing us to the main leads of Volks and O'Fuielle. I find the two to be quite a cute pairing. However, the author does do the tired BL trope of "the older guy raised the younger one" which I'm not a fan of. The first story is a fun story that shows off the impressive artistry Kajika has for magic. They tend to use screentones and light greys and whites to show off magic which gives it this otherworldy feel to it which is nice.
We then go into the The Treasure of the King. I found this to a similarly sweet and relaxed story. Although I am less of a fan of its ending.
The art is nice. These sort of BL manga typically have smaller staff which shows in some panels as Kajika likely had to decide what to devote time and manpower to. But the art as a whole is a pleasing and simple style with lots of greytones.
Do be warned this is more of a shonen-ai than a BL. They are two main pairs Volks x O'Fuielle and Castio x Nio. Both have the "older guy raises the younger guy" trope but it isn't played up much so its easy to look past. Their relationships are not the forefront of the story. This is rather a chill and wonder-packed adventures with BL moments from its (very queer) cast. The couples are cute however with Volks and O'Fuielle have this.
The book starts with a sweet one-off adventure introducing us to the main leads of Volks and O'Fuielle. I find the two to be quite a cute pairing. However, the author does do the tired BL trope of "the older guy raised the younger one" which I'm not a fan of. The first story is a fun story that shows off the impressive artistry Kajika has for magic. They tend to use screentones and light greys and whites to show off magic which gives it this otherworldy feel to it which is nice.
We then go into the The Treasure of the King. I found this to a similarly sweet and relaxed story. Although I am less of a fan of its ending.
The art is nice. These sort of BL manga typically have smaller staff which shows in some panels as Kajika likely had to decide what to devote time and manpower to. But the art as a whole is a pleasing and simple style with lots of greytones.
Do be warned this is more of a shonen-ai than a BL. They are two main pairs Volks x O'Fuielle and Castio x Nio. Both have the "older guy raises the younger guy" trope but it isn't played up much so its easy to look past. Their relationships are not the forefront of the story. This is rather a chill and wonder-packed adventures with BL moments from its (very queer) cast. The couples are cute however with Volks and O'Fuielle have this.
May 3, 2021
I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
One of my soft spots is gentle fantasy, and in my opinion, manga is one of if not the best mediums for telling those kinds of stories! This charming story follows a few episodes taking place in the same soft fantasy world as a tsundere half-elf wizard named O'Feuille and his assistant-lover Volks solve problems in the kingdom where they live. The art style was perfect for this story, and I loved all of the characters and their relationships!
There are two main stories followed by a few cute side stories, the main two concerning a boy named Oliver and his cursed mother, and the next concerning people in the kingdom disappearing. The two seemed a bit disjointed, but when you think of the main characters being O'Feuille and Volks and not Oliver or the King, they connect much better.
I wish this was a series because I could read about Volks' shenanigans forever, and I would love to know more about the kingdom and the half-elves. Due to length and the story shift, some things from the first main story seemed to be unexplored, which is why this is more of a 4.5 rounded up. The humor was on point, the story was compelling, and all of the characters were fleshed out, with their own backstories.
Overall, this was an adorable read, and I would highly recommend it to others who love soft fantasy, mlm stories, and cats!
One of my soft spots is gentle fantasy, and in my opinion, manga is one of if not the best mediums for telling those kinds of stories! This charming story follows a few episodes taking place in the same soft fantasy world as a tsundere half-elf wizard named O'Feuille and his assistant-lover Volks solve problems in the kingdom where they live. The art style was perfect for this story, and I loved all of the characters and their relationships!
There are two main stories followed by a few cute side stories, the main two concerning a boy named Oliver and his cursed mother, and the next concerning people in the kingdom disappearing. The two seemed a bit disjointed, but when you think of the main characters being O'Feuille and Volks and not Oliver or the King, they connect much better.
I wish this was a series because I could read about Volks' shenanigans forever, and I would love to know more about the kingdom and the half-elves. Due to length and the story shift, some things from the first main story seemed to be unexplored, which is why this is more of a 4.5 rounded up. The humor was on point, the story was compelling, and all of the characters were fleshed out, with their own backstories.
Overall, this was an adorable read, and I would highly recommend it to others who love soft fantasy, mlm stories, and cats!
April 9, 2021
Thanks Netgalley and TokyoPop LOVE x LOVE for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Treasure of the King and the Cat by You Kajika is full of fluffiness, adventures and cats! With its beautiful illustrations, this is a perfect read if you're looking for a fast and light fantasy story.
The story was about a kingdom where citizens suddenly disappeared in the capital. The king sought the help of the wizard O'Feuille, together with his retainer Nios. The plot itself was simple, and the conflicts were not dramatic, which I really liked. There were lots of adorable characters, especially the magical creatures.
There was a little bit of romance, a BL to be exact, which was a great surprise since when I read the synopsis, I wasn't expecting it. I enjoyed reading BL stories, so this made me like the manga more. I really liked the chemistry of the couples. The only minor issue that I had was I only learned a little about the characters. Maybe, they would be fleshed out more on the other installments.
Overall, this is a feel-good manga. I would love to see more character developments, as well as quirky adventures from our protagonists. I really would love to read the next volumes!
4/5 stars!
The Treasure of the King and the Cat by You Kajika is full of fluffiness, adventures and cats! With its beautiful illustrations, this is a perfect read if you're looking for a fast and light fantasy story.
The story was about a kingdom where citizens suddenly disappeared in the capital. The king sought the help of the wizard O'Feuille, together with his retainer Nios. The plot itself was simple, and the conflicts were not dramatic, which I really liked. There were lots of adorable characters, especially the magical creatures.
There was a little bit of romance, a BL to be exact, which was a great surprise since when I read the synopsis, I wasn't expecting it. I enjoyed reading BL stories, so this made me like the manga more. I really liked the chemistry of the couples. The only minor issue that I had was I only learned a little about the characters. Maybe, they would be fleshed out more on the other installments.
Overall, this is a feel-good manga. I would love to see more character developments, as well as quirky adventures from our protagonists. I really would love to read the next volumes!
4/5 stars!
May 26, 2021
The Treasure of the King and the Cat is actually more fantasy than boys' love, which is interesting actually. Still, cats are overrated. In this mythical land people disappear and it seems that there are more cats due to it. Pretty boy King Castio starts to investigate this together with a wizard and his servant only to find out that there's truly a culprit who wants everyone to turn into cats and a mysterious mask is the one to do it. I didn't really understand the whole cat scenario and it didn't help that we keep seeing cat butts and one of the characters jiggling the cat's balls. The whole thing would've needed more pages to work out better and there was no need for the boys' love either. The plot was interesting though, same as the setting. Thus the potential was there.
The art works out nicely, it's nothing miraculous, but OK. One book just isn't enough for a story like this and that's sad, since I would've liked to know more about the characters and the world. Fantasy as a genre is hard like that especially since this isn't isekai, but a sword and magic kind of fantasy. Still, refreshing as a boys' love manga.
The art works out nicely, it's nothing miraculous, but OK. One book just isn't enough for a story like this and that's sad, since I would've liked to know more about the characters and the world. Fantasy as a genre is hard like that especially since this isn't isekai, but a sword and magic kind of fantasy. Still, refreshing as a boys' love manga.
February 6, 2023
A light, cute-toned, but ultimately forgettable BL manga in a typical fantasy setting that won't satisfy readers who love worldbuilding, with not enough time to flesh out any person or story to character-driven readers' satisfaction (I didn't clue in until the last few pages that two of these guys were supposed to be brothers--why did they grow up separately? We don't know, or maybe it was hidden in one passing sentence I didn't absorb), and a major overly-convenient plot device (where did that necklace come from and why isn't anyone asking?) that will frustrate plot-driven readers. Both of the heavily-implied-but-never-overtly-requited romances had an uncomfortable (to me) feeling of getting romantic with someone who's been your childhood caregiving figure (yeek), rather than a peer (okay, cute). Some of the Japanese humor doesn't translate well to Western audiences, coming across as creepy (leave those balls alone!). There are only two human female characters, a mother and a villain, and they are very flat characters.
I wouldn't really recommend this one; there are much better options for both fantasy and BL manga.
I wouldn't really recommend this one; there are much better options for both fantasy and BL manga.
August 30, 2024
So, this is a wholesome little, queer fantasy romance—with a minor dash of mystery thrown in.
Ostensibly, this story revolves around a series of mysterious disappearances in the royal capital. Cats seem to turn up wherever people have gone missing. But, no other clues materialize. The reclusive and powerful wizard O’Feuille is called to assist with the investigation once it’s deemed that magic must be involved. He brings along his lovable and loquacious companion Volks—who just so happens to be one of the nation’s princes. Shenanigans ensue.
This is okay.
I didn’t dislike this story—but, I did find it to be a little boring. This is a super cozy fantasy with a very thin plot—meaning nothing much really happens. It’s not even an overtly romantic story, in my opinion. If anything, this is a slice-of-life with some fantasy and light queer romance elements.
Would I recommend it? Yes—I guess. With the caveat that not much happens. It’s cute and wholesome at points. There’s nothing overtly wrong with it. But, if you are a reader who prefers a dynamic or plot-driven story, this may be one you skip~
Ostensibly, this story revolves around a series of mysterious disappearances in the royal capital. Cats seem to turn up wherever people have gone missing. But, no other clues materialize. The reclusive and powerful wizard O’Feuille is called to assist with the investigation once it’s deemed that magic must be involved. He brings along his lovable and loquacious companion Volks—who just so happens to be one of the nation’s princes. Shenanigans ensue.
This is okay.
I didn’t dislike this story—but, I did find it to be a little boring. This is a super cozy fantasy with a very thin plot—meaning nothing much really happens. It’s not even an overtly romantic story, in my opinion. If anything, this is a slice-of-life with some fantasy and light queer romance elements.
Would I recommend it? Yes—I guess. With the caveat that not much happens. It’s cute and wholesome at points. There’s nothing overtly wrong with it. But, if you are a reader who prefers a dynamic or plot-driven story, this may be one you skip~
May 7, 2021
Simply Ask a Cat
The Treasure of the King and the Cat has potential and an interesting premise. Twin princes Volks and Castio each have a mini adventure helping those in need. Volks, with the help of his companion O’Feuille, help a young boy save his mother. They later join Castio in order to find the treasure of the cat king. Together, this story’s plot is a bit weak and hard to follow. Quite a bit of backstory missing, and it does not lead to a bigger plot. There are many enjoyable moments in this manga. Volks and O’Feuille have an endearing relationship, with a twinge of tragedy. Nios is also a kind friend to Castio. The relationships are light, and will probably be disappointing to those looking for yaoi. This is a fun short read, that has some lovely art.
The Treasure of the King and the Cat has potential and an interesting premise. Twin princes Volks and Castio each have a mini adventure helping those in need. Volks, with the help of his companion O’Feuille, help a young boy save his mother. They later join Castio in order to find the treasure of the cat king. Together, this story’s plot is a bit weak and hard to follow. Quite a bit of backstory missing, and it does not lead to a bigger plot. There are many enjoyable moments in this manga. Volks and O’Feuille have an endearing relationship, with a twinge of tragedy. Nios is also a kind friend to Castio. The relationships are light, and will probably be disappointing to those looking for yaoi. This is a fun short read, that has some lovely art.
May 10, 2021
I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I honestly enjoyed the little prologue story more than the actual story? I just wanted to spend more time on Volks and O'Feuille and their relationship and history, and just the cute banter between them. They were really sweet and their relationship was my favorite thing in this story. I don't know that the whole thing with Castio and Nios and the cats really did much for me. The cat story was strange and hard to understand, and I needed more of Castio and Nios to really enjoy their relationship. I died over the little matter of Volks and Castio being twins! I needed more on that! I just really wish we could have spent more time getting to know the characters.
I honestly enjoyed the little prologue story more than the actual story? I just wanted to spend more time on Volks and O'Feuille and their relationship and history, and just the cute banter between them. They were really sweet and their relationship was my favorite thing in this story. I don't know that the whole thing with Castio and Nios and the cats really did much for me. The cat story was strange and hard to understand, and I needed more of Castio and Nios to really enjoy their relationship. I died over the little matter of Volks and Castio being twins! I needed more on that! I just really wish we could have spent more time getting to know the characters.
December 22, 2021
There isn’t very much romance, there’s just occasional flirting. It feels like there is a previous volume to this one. From what was hinted at I think twin princes were born to a human king and half elf wife, the wife was hiding her heritage but one of the sons started showing magic in childhood, she was outed as being half elf and ousted or assassinated. Someone tried assassinating the magical twin, he survived, the king faked his sons death, asked his friend the wizard to look after his magic son and teach him how to control his magic. The wizard changed the magic sons appearance so no one would recognize him and the world thinks he died, then he grows up and loses his magic. All the cats were cute. I don’t like implied romance between the wizard and Volks, the wizard raised him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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