Cat + Crazy Volume 2 Review

Over the summer, Dark Horse delighted cat fans when they debuted Volume 1 of Cat + Crazy. And now we’re back with Volume 2, but will it still prove a must-read for cat lovers? Let’s take a closer look!

As we reunite with Kensuke Fuji, we find he’s still enjoying his everyday life with his kitten, Tiger. Since Kensuke can’t keep a cat at home, Tiger lives at Nekoya’s place, and Kensuke is still diligently training in the way of ‘nekendo’, the cat-like martial arts that Nekoya is a master of. However, Kensuke’s classmate Yamada has realised that the cosy everyday life she and Kensuke share with Nekoya is really strange! After all, they know very little about Nekoya apart from the fact he’s so beloved by cats (which Yamada thinks is strange in itself). So, she decides to tail him one weekend.

Yamada discovers that Nekoya works for The World Cat Guardian Foundation (otherwise known as TWCGF), which is dedicated to protecting our kitty friends. There’s a bunch of cat lore dropped here, all of which astounds Yamada, but at least explains many of Nekoya’s particular oddities. And with that out of the way, we barrel straight into a crisis when neighbourhood stray Tamako suddenly goes missing!

If Nekoya wasn’t eccentric enough of a character for you, the Tamako storyline leads us to meet Yoneko, an affluent lady running the ‘Cat Residence’, a paradise for all stray cats. This is where Tamako has been taken and where Kensuke is forced to consider if this would be a better life for her than out on the streets, like she’s used to.

When I reviewed the first volume of Cat + Crazy, I didn’t expect there to be this much depth to the story, particularly when it came to Nekoya and TWCGF, but also how mangaka Wataru Nadatani manages to keep it all relevant for Kensuke as our protagonist. As time goes on, Kensuke is realising he still has an awful lot to learn about cats, and Nekoya ensures that he ends up in situations that help him gain that knowledge.

Aside from the fact that this series can be a little too fantastical at times, my biggest gripes are still with the idealistic view of stray cats. This is particularly prevalent in Tamako’s storyline. I think there is a reasonable discussion to be had around how a cat that’s lived the majority of their life as a stray would feel too confined by a standard household environment. However, Cat + Crazy is at odds with itself when trying to depict this serious tone while also being set in a world with things like TWCGF and someone with the ability to home every single stray the way Yoneko is attempting.

Outside of that concern, this is still an enjoyable read for cat lovers, just like Volume 1. All of the cats are drawn realistically, but in a manner that’s also suitably cute. And their adventures with Kensuke and the rest of the cast are also plenty entertaining. And with this instalment in particular, I feel like Nadatani has set the expectations of the reader for the volumes to come. In other words, if the whimsical side is too much for you, then now is the time to bounce!

Cat + Crazy Volume 2 comes to the West thanks to Dark Horse Manga and continues to be translated by Zack Davisson with lettering by Susie Lee and Studio Cutie. Like the first book, this one reads well. Sadly, no extras to speak of, but that’s also in line with the release of the previous volume. Volume 3 of the series is currently scheduled for a release in April, with #4 following in August.

Overall, Cat + Crazy remains an interesting cat manga series. While I have some quibbles with one particular theme the series keeps approaching, it’s otherwise an entertaining read that’s sure to delight readers.

Our review copy from Dark Horse was supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).