I really don’t know how to review Nights With A Cat. It’s wholesome, short, and entirely composed of small vignettes that dive into a cat owner’s (or rather the cat owner’s brother’s) life. Narratively, there isn’t much to this simple manga, but ultimately it brings pure joy.
The real standout is Kyuryu Z’s illustrative style and ability to capture the anatomy of a cat so distinctly and authentically in a completely cute style. With overly large eyes, the mangaka is able to capture pure adorableness but by zooming into the eyes and exploring the variations, they’re able to highlight the personality changes present in pupil dilation and eye movement. In fact, even with such a less-than-realistic illustrative style, Kyuryu Z manages to capture the intricacies of cat ownership from weird sitting positions to the death claws that come out of adorable little paws, and the way a cat’s body changes into any shape it wants depending on where it’s resting.
Additionally, this physical production of Kyuryu Z’s comic strips is amazingly beautiful. The cover, though soft has a texture to it that works to carry the weight of the thick pages this lightly colored series is printed on. With greens and yellows and beiges serving as the main color palette of the volume, it’s amazing how alive each vignette feels. While I’ll always be a fan of digital work, it’s beautiful to see a physical printing of art that’s so thoughtfully produced.
Nights With A Cat captures the love and admiration that we have for our pets beautifully. It’s a slice of life that aims to just showcase how mysterious cats are and how they complete their owner’s life. While there is a little bit of narrative in that we know that the main character has just moved in with his sister, we don’t get too much else developed. Well, we get to see who Kyuruga is and get to know his adorable personality. And I can’t wait to get more of this cat story.
Nights With A Cat Volume 1 is available now wherever books are sold both digitally and physically.
Nights With A Cat Volume 1
TL;DR
Nights With A Cat captures the love and admiration that we have for our pets beautifully. It’s a slice of life that aims to just showcase how mysterious cats are and how they complete their owner’s life
