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私の可愛い子猫ちゃん [Watashi no Kawaii Koneko-chan] #1
My Cute Little Kitten Vol. 1
By the prolific creator of the beloved yuri manga Girl Friends (also from Seven Seas)! A budding romance between two female roommates is spurred on by the rescue of a rambunctious kitten in this yuri romcom.
Rena and Yuna have been roommates since school, and decided to rent a place together after graduation. They've lived together as friends for five years, but things suddenly change the day Yuna adopts a kitten, even though their apartment doesn't allow pets. When Yuna says she wants to move somewhere that will allow them to keep the kitten, Rena admits her true feelings: she wants to be more than friends. Yuna isn't sure how to reciprocate, but she's game to try!
Rena and Yuna have been roommates since school, and decided to rent a place together after graduation. They've lived together as friends for five years, but things suddenly change the day Yuna adopts a kitten, even though their apartment doesn't allow pets. When Yuna says she wants to move somewhere that will allow them to keep the kitten, Rena admits her true feelings: she wants to be more than friends. Yuna isn't sure how to reciprocate, but she's game to try!
175 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2021
16 people are currently reading
363 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 10, 2024
3.5 Stars
April 30, 2023
When I saw Milk Morinaga had a new yuri manga series with adult main characters, I had to pick it up. And I was not disappointed.
Yuna is a fascinating character. She's deeply insecure and thinks she has to earn affection–she’s more concerned with making Rena happy than examining her own thoughts and desires.
With most manga volumes, I feel like I’ve gotten just a taste of the story—each volume feels more like a chapter. This one covered a lot of ground in just volume one, though, and I’m looking forward to seeing these two stumble through their relationship and learning how to communicate with each other in the next volumes.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
Yuna is a fascinating character. She's deeply insecure and thinks she has to earn affection–she’s more concerned with making Rena happy than examining her own thoughts and desires.
With most manga volumes, I feel like I’ve gotten just a taste of the story—each volume feels more like a chapter. This one covered a lot of ground in just volume one, though, and I’m looking forward to seeing these two stumble through their relationship and learning how to communicate with each other in the next volumes.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
January 30, 2024
What’s a little kitten around between friends? Well, for Rena and Yuna it’s going to force them out of their no-pet apartment and raise the possibility of them not living together for the first time since they met. Which means Rena needs to address her long-standing crush on Yuna too. Yes, things are going to get horny on main, provided the rent is reasonable.
Oof, what the heck happened here? For some quick backstory, I really, really enjoy Milk Morinaga’s work. It’s not a stretch to say that I got back into manga and then fell down the yuri rabbit hole I currently occupy thanks to three series, of which Girlfriends was one.
Morinaga’s work was great at high drama and addressing sexuality and lesbian themes without feeling lascivious. I have read just about all her other English translated stuff and she is consistently a strong performer and has a distinctive voice in yuri.
Which makes this one hurt so freaking bad. This story is so dull most of the time. It just dives right in with the living together and such, but it doesn’t provide near enough reason to care about absolutely anything going on. Her usual madcap antics fit in far better with her school age stories than with grown adults.
And there are hints that this story has a depth to it that we aren’t seeing - especially with Yuna, the mousier of the two, who clearly has some parental trauma that has left her sense of self-worth somewhere in the toilet and is possibly pushing her into this relationship. That’s fascinating, so naturally we get very little of it.
Mostly we’re on the treadmill of the two nearly having sex and then the cat acts up. This happens way more than it should, feeling like it fills in the holes where more interesting stuff could go. It pains me to say this, because I know it’s not always true, but starting earlier in this relationship would have been way better.
The cat is pretty cute, and does lots of cat things, but doesn’t add as much to the story besides a couple of beats. Obviously the title of the series refers to both the actual cat and the way Rena has to look after Yuna, but even this dynamic doesn’t work because Yuna’s problem is her own doubts. She’s actually quite competent at her job and does great work around the house.
Yuna’s side is actually the more interesting of the two, as Rena is mostly obsessed with her crush and whether things will work out, even though Yuna clearly cares about her already. Things do get a bit better towards the end - Rena recognizing that if Yuna loved herself it would improve both their lives is kind of a sad, but believable, wish you’d have for a partner. They also come to a more mutual arrangement that bumps the romance up a tad.
One other weird thing is that Morinaga normally grapples with lesbian issues like coming out and does something interesting with them - she’s normally really good at agonizing drama - but not much so here. The biggest swing is the Japanese real estate market being biased towards families, not partners, which, honestly, interests me even less than our real estate markets (and really ends up being a non-issue).
The art is the same old Morinaga, in a good way. The expressions and the twig-arms are definitely her style and, for me, firmly in the ‘feature, not a bug’ realm. It really grows on you after a while and I’d be disappointed if it went away.
This isn’t a bad book, but it isn’t good either and it can be a slog to get through. I picked away at this over several nights and that’s not usually how I consume any manga I’m reading, frankly. There’s nothing offensive here, but nothing much compelling either.
2.5 stars - I’m wrestling with whether this truly deserves 2.5 instead of 3, but I don’t think it gets crushed under the weight of my expectations. Rather, I think it’s just not especially good and wastes a lot of time rehashing the same beats over and over. I’ll read more, I respect Morinaga’s work that much, at least, but expectations are low.
Oof, what the heck happened here? For some quick backstory, I really, really enjoy Milk Morinaga’s work. It’s not a stretch to say that I got back into manga and then fell down the yuri rabbit hole I currently occupy thanks to three series, of which Girlfriends was one.
Morinaga’s work was great at high drama and addressing sexuality and lesbian themes without feeling lascivious. I have read just about all her other English translated stuff and she is consistently a strong performer and has a distinctive voice in yuri.
Which makes this one hurt so freaking bad. This story is so dull most of the time. It just dives right in with the living together and such, but it doesn’t provide near enough reason to care about absolutely anything going on. Her usual madcap antics fit in far better with her school age stories than with grown adults.
And there are hints that this story has a depth to it that we aren’t seeing - especially with Yuna, the mousier of the two, who clearly has some parental trauma that has left her sense of self-worth somewhere in the toilet and is possibly pushing her into this relationship. That’s fascinating, so naturally we get very little of it.
Mostly we’re on the treadmill of the two nearly having sex and then the cat acts up. This happens way more than it should, feeling like it fills in the holes where more interesting stuff could go. It pains me to say this, because I know it’s not always true, but starting earlier in this relationship would have been way better.
The cat is pretty cute, and does lots of cat things, but doesn’t add as much to the story besides a couple of beats. Obviously the title of the series refers to both the actual cat and the way Rena has to look after Yuna, but even this dynamic doesn’t work because Yuna’s problem is her own doubts. She’s actually quite competent at her job and does great work around the house.
Yuna’s side is actually the more interesting of the two, as Rena is mostly obsessed with her crush and whether things will work out, even though Yuna clearly cares about her already. Things do get a bit better towards the end - Rena recognizing that if Yuna loved herself it would improve both their lives is kind of a sad, but believable, wish you’d have for a partner. They also come to a more mutual arrangement that bumps the romance up a tad.
One other weird thing is that Morinaga normally grapples with lesbian issues like coming out and does something interesting with them - she’s normally really good at agonizing drama - but not much so here. The biggest swing is the Japanese real estate market being biased towards families, not partners, which, honestly, interests me even less than our real estate markets (and really ends up being a non-issue).
The art is the same old Morinaga, in a good way. The expressions and the twig-arms are definitely her style and, for me, firmly in the ‘feature, not a bug’ realm. It really grows on you after a while and I’d be disappointed if it went away.
This isn’t a bad book, but it isn’t good either and it can be a slog to get through. I picked away at this over several nights and that’s not usually how I consume any manga I’m reading, frankly. There’s nothing offensive here, but nothing much compelling either.
2.5 stars - I’m wrestling with whether this truly deserves 2.5 instead of 3, but I don’t think it gets crushed under the weight of my expectations. Rather, I think it’s just not especially good and wastes a lot of time rehashing the same beats over and over. I’ll read more, I respect Morinaga’s work that much, at least, but expectations are low.
March 20, 2023
Not quite as good as Morinaga's usual, but I'm an easy woman to please: it's by Milk Morinaga, and it has a cat.
November 24, 2023
Both the story and the design were ok. Didn’t make an impression strong enough for me to look at the second volume.
March 1, 2023
Okay, so we have a couple of women who have remained roommates after college. Rena has a secret crush on Yuna that comes out when the other brings home a stray kitten. Sure, that sounds odd, but the dominoes do fall in a logical manner. The ostensibly straight Yuna isn't averse to a same-sex relationship but her acceptance is tied to some dark emotional issues around abandonment and rejection that are alluded to, so the consent gets a little murky and the rom-com tone from Rena's perspective is constantly undercut by what's going on in Yuna's head.
I'm curious to find out if this undercurrent is heading toward an explosion or a more internalized epiphany sort of thing.
I'm curious to find out if this undercurrent is heading toward an explosion or a more internalized epiphany sort of thing.
January 6, 2023
This was a very sweet yuri manga about two women whose friendship develops into something more after they rescue a kitten. The kitten is adorable and so are the women. :)
April 29, 2023
Cute concept, cute couple, cute cat. I really like how their relationship has room to grow and has some interesting plots to move things forward. Plus titties! This isn't something I'm compelled to keep reading but it's well done.
April 6, 2023
My Cute Little Kitten was cute and fairly entertaining, but definitely not great. I did enjoy the art, however the story itself is pretty boring so far 🥴
The cat is adorable and I wish we had more fun moments with them, but mostly the cat just interrupts any potential sexy time over and over again--cause y'all know that's just so fun to read 🙃
There were a few moments that I really didn't like, for one the "chubby chaser" comment when Rena is telling Yuna she doesn't care if Yuna has gained weight & she's still attracted to her anyway, was so weird. Like they're both clearly drawn as stick thin women, can we not fat shame 😬 and a lot of the miscommunication drove me nuts (like PLEASE just talk to each other), but I am curious to continue this series to learn more about their backstories--especially Yuna, girl let's unpack that trauma together I am begging you 👀
3/5⭐ 1/3🌶
The cat is adorable and I wish we had more fun moments with them, but mostly the cat just interrupts any potential sexy time over and over again--cause y'all know that's just so fun to read 🙃
There were a few moments that I really didn't like, for one the "chubby chaser" comment when Rena is telling Yuna she doesn't care if Yuna has gained weight & she's still attracted to her anyway, was so weird. Like they're both clearly drawn as stick thin women, can we not fat shame 😬 and a lot of the miscommunication drove me nuts (like PLEASE just talk to each other), but I am curious to continue this series to learn more about their backstories--especially Yuna, girl let's unpack that trauma together I am begging you 👀
3/5⭐ 1/3🌶
May 1, 2022
3.5
while the miscommunication can get tiresome, there's enough humor in this to carry it along. there's some ~relateable~ lesbian content, ranging from serious to silly, which is fun to see in a yuri. my main issue is the uh... misunderstandings? lies? happening between the pair about whether they have actually had sex or not. it's a little icky and I don't blame anyone put off by that. that said, I wish there was more building of the relationship and fun moments between the pair, but hopefully that shows up more the further we get in.
while the miscommunication can get tiresome, there's enough humor in this to carry it along. there's some ~relateable~ lesbian content, ranging from serious to silly, which is fun to see in a yuri. my main issue is the uh... misunderstandings? lies? happening between the pair about whether they have actually had sex or not. it's a little icky and I don't blame anyone put off by that. that said, I wish there was more building of the relationship and fun moments between the pair, but hopefully that shows up more the further we get in.
May 13, 2023
Luettu tammikuussa. Milk Morinaga on yurimangan saralla legenda, ja kenties sen takia tämä erittäin keskeneräisen sarjan ensimmäinen osa on päätetty julkaista englanniksi tässä kohtaa. Onneksi ainakin tämä ensimmäinen osa osoittautui erinomaiseksi! Alkuun asetelma vaikutti aika peruskauralta, mutta mitä lähemmäs loppua pääsin, manga alkoi tuntua erilaiselta. Aikuiset päähenkilöt ja fiksua tunteiden läpikäyntiä.
May 7, 2023
Rena and Yuna have been housemates since they attended design school. Yuna spontaneously takes in a kitten, and as Chibi gradually becomes part of the household, they eventually decide to adopt her. The rest of the book is about the two of them trying to find a decent apartment that also accepts pets, and negotiating the first stages of their relationship, that transforms from friends to lovers over the course of the volume.
Rena and Yuna's relationship is very similar to the main couple's in Whisper Me a Love Song, down to Rena's telling Yuna that their conceptions of love are different. Rena actively desires sex with Yuna; Yuna enjoys it, but doesn't initiate their sexual encounters. Rena is tall and has long hair; Yuna is shorter and has short hair. I do wonder if this dynamic is common to yuri manga, but haven't read enough of it to say for sure. There's a mild feeling of its being m/f coded, with Rena having a job out in the world, and Yuna staying at home most of the time, feeling jealous about Rena's interactions with other women, and so forth.
I like how "Chibi" (a temporary name for the cat, who hasn't been given a permanent one yet) is depicted. The artist obviously has an appreciation for cats, and even includes some trivia about cats through Rena's dialogue, since Rena's mother is/was a compulsive cat foster. Chibi is the engine that drives a lot of the plot points, including some of Yuna's internal crises about her relationship.
I liked this. The art is very cute, both the cat and the human characters. But I felt the leads' relationship was somewhat lacking in spark. Less codependence and more longing on Yuna's part (it doesn't necessarily have to be sexual longing) would make it more palatable and convincing.
Rena and Yuna's relationship is very similar to the main couple's in Whisper Me a Love Song, down to Rena's telling Yuna that their conceptions of love are different. Rena actively desires sex with Yuna; Yuna enjoys it, but doesn't initiate their sexual encounters. Rena is tall and has long hair; Yuna is shorter and has short hair. I do wonder if this dynamic is common to yuri manga, but haven't read enough of it to say for sure. There's a mild feeling of its being m/f coded, with Rena having a job out in the world, and Yuna staying at home most of the time, feeling jealous about Rena's interactions with other women, and so forth.
I like how "Chibi" (a temporary name for the cat, who hasn't been given a permanent one yet) is depicted. The artist obviously has an appreciation for cats, and even includes some trivia about cats through Rena's dialogue, since Rena's mother is/was a compulsive cat foster. Chibi is the engine that drives a lot of the plot points, including some of Yuna's internal crises about her relationship.
I liked this. The art is very cute, both the cat and the human characters. But I felt the leads' relationship was somewhat lacking in spark. Less codependence and more longing on Yuna's part (it doesn't necessarily have to be sexual longing) would make it more palatable and convincing.
January 15, 2026
I had fun reading my first work by Morinaga-sensei, I have a couple more titles by them lined up so I'm excited to see how it goes!!
I thought that this was a strong 3. I love romance stories between working adults so much!! Especially when it involves practical daily life things, like rooming together, cooking, going to work, and raising a pet. I also found the art style to be very charming. It reminds me of the Arina Tanemura art book I treasured as a kid, with characters who are just so stylish and cute, with big dewy eyes and long fashion-illustration-style legs. So chic!
As for the plot... it was nice, but I feel like it was lacking SOMETHING. Maybe that's me being unfair, but I feel like I needed something more from this to really grab me on an emotional level. Sometimes, I was also rubbed the wrong way by Yuna's character -- I don't know if I fully bought into her as a character, and found it harder to understand her on the same level as Rena.
I thought the book as a whole was cute though. Mature, sexy, and domestic -- just a sweet little time.
I thought that this was a strong 3. I love romance stories between working adults so much!! Especially when it involves practical daily life things, like rooming together, cooking, going to work, and raising a pet. I also found the art style to be very charming. It reminds me of the Arina Tanemura art book I treasured as a kid, with characters who are just so stylish and cute, with big dewy eyes and long fashion-illustration-style legs. So chic!
As for the plot... it was nice, but I feel like it was lacking SOMETHING. Maybe that's me being unfair, but I feel like I needed something more from this to really grab me on an emotional level. Sometimes, I was also rubbed the wrong way by Yuna's character -- I don't know if I fully bought into her as a character, and found it harder to understand her on the same level as Rena.
I thought the book as a whole was cute though. Mature, sexy, and domestic -- just a sweet little time.
June 11, 2023
I looked at this book and gave it a 99% chance it was about lesbians.
Hey, guess what.
The romance is a bit middling, like... they got together (and slept together) really fast (w/in the first volume), so it's like, there's not a lot more reasonable ground to tread? I was actually surprised it's going for more than the one volume, but I guess I could stand to be surprised, sure.
It has a few cute moments with the cat, at least! HOORAY, someone who got the memo about cow milk being bad for cats!
Hey, guess what.
The romance is a bit middling, like... they got together (and slept together) really fast (w/in the first volume), so it's like, there's not a lot more reasonable ground to tread? I was actually surprised it's going for more than the one volume, but I guess I could stand to be surprised, sure.
It has a few cute moments with the cat, at least! HOORAY, someone who got the memo about cow milk being bad for cats!
January 20, 2024
The title is great, the art is good, the characters are lovable, the writing is…. Average. Unfortunately, the writing is what makes this just another manga title in the endless sea of manga. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there are poignant moments of love and sweetness, but it falls flat compared to other manga (I.e. Our Teachers are Dating).
This is the second attempt to fall in love with the works of milk Morinaga (first was Syrup anthology #1). I won’t be following this manga any further.
This is the second attempt to fall in love with the works of milk Morinaga (first was Syrup anthology #1). I won’t be following this manga any further.
May 6, 2025
This is an adorable Yuri manga. I'm kind of sad I have finished it already, thankfully it has more volumes. Now to acquire the rest of the series to continue enjoying the mishaps and development of the relationship of the characters.
It starts as long term friends rescuing and adopting a mischievous kitten and how their relationship develops into lovers as a result of the kitten adoptions. It is quite funny and relaxing reading about the development of their relationship as they navigate owning a pet, their careers and telling others about their love.
It starts as long term friends rescuing and adopting a mischievous kitten and how their relationship develops into lovers as a result of the kitten adoptions. It is quite funny and relaxing reading about the development of their relationship as they navigate owning a pet, their careers and telling others about their love.
October 12, 2023
3 stars. I liked the artwork. It’s very cute and the plot is a nice simple slice of life but the characters themselves left a lot to be desired. I didn’t connect with them and the romance just comes out of nowhere no build up. I’ll read volume two when it comes out but as it is this first one was just okay.
January 1, 2023
Cute, there's a good cat, and I enjoy that the inciting incident is them realizing that they're both in love, but now they've got to figure out how to make that work, like, how do they find a good apartment together, and what's going to happen with their jobs?
January 21, 2023
This probably deserves four stars based on the way I have rated things in the past. The artwork was good. It was a cute quick read. I wish there was more to it but it’s just a good little something to buzz through
March 13, 2023
This Manga was just an adorable relationship. The way they both over thought their feelings never self sabotaged their relationship. I would read volume 2 if there was one, but it feels like a good closing, but I want to see where their relationship heads.
April 10, 2023
I like that this story wasted little time getting to the point and focusing on the relationship. The kitten acts as the catalyst for moving our MCs to acknowledge and address their feelings. Lots of sweet moments in this volume. This has potential to be a pretty solid slice of life story.
April 6, 2025
3.5/5 stars
This was cute but a little spicier than I'm used to. I like the two protagonists and hope it works out for them. I'm glad they didn't drag out the will they won't they of it all. I'm definitely gonna read the next volume.
This was cute but a little spicier than I'm used to. I like the two protagonists and hope it works out for them. I'm glad they didn't drag out the will they won't they of it all. I'm definitely gonna read the next volume.
December 17, 2022
cured my depression
December 21, 2022
Lesbians and cats
December 28, 2022
Milk Morinaga’s manga are always so cute and adorable and sweet! I love the friends to lovers, and Chibi the kitten is too dang adorable!
January 25, 2023
For my full thoughts on this series, check out this video!
https://youtu.be/kpL7fNE7R5I
https://youtu.be/kpL7fNE7R5I
February 5, 2023
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
April 10, 2023
This is more about the love story than the cat, but I love YURI! So I loved this one!
April 23, 2023
An adorable rom-com
Very cute and I love the characters. Funny and something that tugs at your heart strings! I’m ready for book 2!
Very cute and I love the characters. Funny and something that tugs at your heart strings! I’m ready for book 2!
June 5, 2023
This was fine, if only slightly dipping towards boring at times.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews