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A review by thebookbin
The Cat Proposed by Dento Hayane
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I just finished The Cat Proposed, a manga given to me on my birthday. I was kind of skeptical because the cover looks silly but I was SO SURPRISED by the contents.
The story follows Shouta, a young overworked career man who is so exhausted he considers jumping in front of the train that comes to pick him up. Instead he stops for a rest inside a Kodan, a place where they tell Japanese stories in a traditional way. The story reminds him of the novel he wrote in high school and makes him feel something other than exhaustion in the first time in years. But then he notices the man telling the story turns into a humanoid cat and he passes out. Shouta is thrust into the world of the Bakeneko, monsters from Japanese mythology. The story is sweet and poignant, they talk about him being overworked, reconnecting with his creativity, and they even deal with his erectile disfunction that he’s had ever since his mental health was destroyed by his banal job.
It does have some kitschy plot points: they get “mated” right away because if they don’t then Kihachi will be punished for letting the secret out but I think it handles them in really interesting ways. Kihachi views it as a contract and he promises to let Shouta out of it as soon as possible, but Shouta who feels like he’s just woken up from a years long sleep, doesn’t want necessarily want to. Also, the gayness is just not a problem. At the beginning Shouta was like “you know I’m a man right?” And Kihachi is like “yeah and? Bakeneko don’t care about gender and isn't this normal for many humans?” It was very it’s not like we’re endangered animals moment and I appreciated it. I also really liked how they showed Kihachi’s fears about any sort of relationship because of his lifespan.
For a collection of short stories, I think this did a fantastic job. For what it is, it’s pretty close to perfect. My only qualms would be that I wanted it to be even more in depth about the serious things, but it’s just a one-shot collection of short stories, not a continuous story, so for what it is I think it utilizes it’s genre to its maximum potential.
5/5 gay cat stars
The story follows Shouta, a young overworked career man who is so exhausted he considers jumping in front of the train that comes to pick him up. Instead he stops for a rest inside a Kodan, a place where they tell Japanese stories in a traditional way. The story reminds him of the novel he wrote in high school and makes him feel something other than exhaustion in the first time in years. But then he notices the man telling the story turns into a humanoid cat and he passes out. Shouta is thrust into the world of the Bakeneko, monsters from Japanese mythology. The story is sweet and poignant, they talk about him being overworked, reconnecting with his creativity, and they even deal with his erectile disfunction that he’s had ever since his mental health was destroyed by his banal job.
It does have some kitschy plot points: they get “mated” right away because if they don’t then Kihachi will be punished for letting the secret out but I think it handles them in really interesting ways. Kihachi views it as a contract and he promises to let Shouta out of it as soon as possible, but Shouta who feels like he’s just woken up from a years long sleep, doesn’t want necessarily want to. Also, the gayness is just not a problem. At the beginning Shouta was like “you know I’m a man right?” And Kihachi is like “yeah and? Bakeneko don’t care about gender and isn't this normal for many humans?” It was very it’s not like we’re endangered animals moment and I appreciated it. I also really liked how they showed Kihachi’s fears about any sort of relationship because of his lifespan.
For a collection of short stories, I think this did a fantastic job. For what it is, it’s pretty close to perfect. My only qualms would be that I wanted it to be even more in depth about the serious things, but it’s just a one-shot collection of short stories, not a continuous story, so for what it is I think it utilizes it’s genre to its maximum potential.
5/5 gay cat stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts