Title: Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & MuAuthor: Junji Ito
First Published: March 13, 2009
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Pages: 127
Genre: Humor, Memoir, Seinen, Slice of Life
Format: Hardcover
Source: Gift
Rating:
Synopsis:
The representative of Japanese horror comics, Junji Ito = horror manga author J. J, a dog person, was convinced into adopting two cats by his fiancee A-ko: Muu, a foreign cat, and Yun who has an accused face.
Much to the chagrin of J, the cats won't get attached to him.
The difference between fear and comedy is paper thin. Here's a cat comedy from a horror manga author.
Buy the Book: AmazonReview
A little off-beat for the king of Japanese horror, Cat Diary: Yon & Mu is a collection of short and funny anecdotes about Ito’s family and their two cats: Yonsuke and Mu. Decidedly a dog person, Ito comes to adopt two cats when his fiancé Ako moves in with him.
From the drawings I had seen before picking this book up, I had expected this collection to contain some element of horror, but it was nothing of the sort. Everything in this collection was bursting with humor and sweet family memories that many cat owners can relate to. Ito’s clumsy attempts to adjust and gain the affection of his new furry family had me giggling with each story. Ito’s signature horror style dramatizes everyday events, but it was charming and helped to amplify the humor.
Both cats had distinct personalities and habits that made each of them unique and adorable in their own way. It was really cool to see the cat’s personalities drawn and written so well, and it gives the reader an intimate portrait of Ito’s family life. Included in the volume were actual pictures of both cats, as well as Q&A’s with the author and a goodbye letter to Yon, who passed away after the original publication of this manga. I teared up a little bit reading about the loss of Yon after utterly falling in love with him through the comics.
This manga can be enjoyed by both fans of Junji Ito’s work as well as non-fans who just love cats. The volume is light-hearted and fun, and even for a comic that is essentially just about cats – it brings something refreshing and new due to Ito’s horror art style. It was great getting to know one of my favorite manga artists and his family, and in general, I’m a cat person, so this book checked off every box for me.
Quote
“Are you a dog person? Or a cat person?”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About Junji Ito
Junji Ito is a Japanese horror manga artist. He was inspired from a young age by his older sister’s drawing and Kazuo Umezu’s comics and thus took an interest in drawing horror comics himself. Nevertheless, upon graduation, he trained as a dental technician, and until the early 1990s, he juggled his dental career with his increasingly successful hobby — even after being selected as the winner of the prestigious Umezu prize for horror manga.
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