Book Review: The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today

“The Masterful Cat is Depressed, Again, Today”, written and illustrated by Hitsuzi Yamada, is “sooo cute” as one person meeting the titular cat in the book exclaims. There is more to the story than just cuteness, though. The Masterful Cat, Yuki, is exceptionally intelligent. Rescued as a kitten by its owner, Saku, Yuki quickly realized it will have to do more than purr to keep in the cat food. Saku is a 27 year old mess, trying to make her way in the corporate world. She drinks too much and thinks too much, but doesn’t do too much housework. So the cat starts preparing excellent lunches, cleaning the apartment, shopping, and making sure she gets to work on time. He doesn’t ever speak and what little thinking that he does is very catlike. People seeing him at the store think he is a person in a bear suit –something he just doesn’t get. The wistful fantasy that a cat or any other pet would take care of its owner rather than the other way around is overlaid by another level. The cat is often depressed by its life of housework and only cheers up when its owner acknowledges its work with treats or hugs. The owner is a lonely, single person whose only friend is the cat. This deeper level need not interfere with this charming fantasy. If you are not a regular reader of manga, the only difficulty is the formatting, which asks you to read the panels right to left, and the book from back to front. These minor difficulties I encountered were more than made up by the smiles the book brings as you thumb through the pages. The illustrations in this manga are charming. My favorite page has the Masterful Cat, Yuki-chi, in several different aprons-all of which he hand (paw) stitched himself. I am going to buy a couple of copies to send to other cat lovers in my life. I hope they are as charmed and entertained by this book as I was.