It’s another slice of domestic bliss, as Saku and Yukichi navigate their tumultuous relationship amidst the woes of costume parties, potential weddings, and the threat of a creep in the community. Keeping in mind that Yukichi is, yes, a giant cat.
Yukichi remains harried and Saku remains hapless and the former is the put-upon and henpecked keeper of the house while the latter brings home the pay and drinks the beer. That’s the joke. Still.
Even so, the author at least knows the difference between a pair of paw-shaped mittens being funny and how exactly Yukichi comes to have a pair of paw-shaped mittens being really funny and that sort of escalation is what keeps this from feeling utterly tired.
And there’s a lot of heart here. Most cats are affectionate on their own terms and that’s certainly the case with Yukichi. He has no hope that Saku could survive without him, but she’s very, very good to him as well. Their flashbacks to his kitten days are so touching.
So you get a mix of typical cat behaviour (a cat-sized masseuse is exactly as bad an idea as it sounds), crazy househusbanding, and a truly bizarre set of fantasy sequences about marriage. Plus k ots of mishaps and disguises and a really clever twist on the abandoned kitten storyline.
The neighborhood predator section is a bit of a downer, though it does give Saku a much-needed win and shows that she’s not totally helpless (and shows how much pride Yukichi has). It also ties into the grocery store that has been attempting to hire Yukichi in a clever way.
This isn’t a deep book and shouldn’t be treated as such, but that’s no need to dismiss it either. It does what it’s trying to do quite well and that’s be amusing while featuring a giant cat that wears aprons and massive zippers.
3 stars - it’s slight and smaller than most manga, but that also keeps it from getting too stale. A fun story that gives some extra heft to its characters this time around. Another comfort food heavyweight.