Japanese manga creator Wataru Nadatani, Harvey Award-nominated for their Cat + Gamer series, introduces Cat + Crazy, for more adorable ailurophiliac adventures. Zack Davisson returns as enjoyably enabling translator for Nadatani's sophomore series.
"Normal high school girl" Yamada Koharu narrates, but the protagonist is fellow classmate Fuji Kensuke, who seems to walk the same morning route as Yamada, although he never heads directly to school. Yamada's curiosity leads her to follow one day: she's convinced he's a peeping tom, but "the evidence doesn't lie." Unable to have a cat of his own due to severe allergies in the family, Fuji obsessively observes and befriends stray cats ever since Tamako, the only kitty who allows human affection, saved then nine-year-old Fuji's life: "I would have died, lost and alone," he confesses to Yamada. When Tamako goes missing, Neko-ya Jin--a mystical, masterful "cat whisperer"--rallies the feline troops to save one of their own. Fuji and Yamada witness the spectacular rescue, prompting Fuji to become Neko-ya's disciple, as long as he can pass the trials and challenges to be "truly worthy to walk the path of cats."
Nadatani--who readily confesses, "This comic is about my favorite thing in the world... cats"--is an empathic, entertaining storyteller. Their black-and-white, finely line-drawn panels often bleed beyond the page, underscoring their excited energy and exaggerated emotions of devotion and determination. While the main characters seem undeniably young, their adoring, tenacious dedication to feline health and happiness is joyfully contagious for readers of all ages. Kitty-inclusive families are sure to discover useful, inspiring insights here. --Terry Hong