The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today Vol 1 Review

I’m feeling spoiled by the plethora of cat manga that’s been coming out lately! While The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today, by Hitsuzi Yamada, is a bit of an unusual entry into the genre, it’s no less adorable.

Synopsis:

Saku is a reliable office worker who really seems to have her life together. Her co-workers admire how she always brings delicious-looking, home-made lunches to work and marvel at how she can seemingly do it all. The truth is quite different, however. Saku is actually a slob who’s completely hopeless in the kitchen. Her lunches are actually made for her by Yukichi, her giant house cat!

Yukichi was rescued off the street by Saku when he was a tiny kitten and his desire to repay Saku was apparently so great, he somehow managed to grow to human levels of size and intelligence. Now he takes care of Saku, handling all the cleaning, cooking and other household chores. Saku isn’t sure what to make of this turn of events – and her neighbours even less so – but her and Yukichi manage to lead a happy life together anyway, even if Yukichi gets frustrated by how late she has to work and how slovenly she is at home.

Aw! Look at that grumpy face!

Review:

Despite being a cat, Yukichi might just be the best house husband ever! He cooks, he sews and makes sure Saku gets up and out of the house on time, despite her whining and flailing around. While Saku’s antics can be vexing, Yukichi seems genuinely happy to look after her. He’s always pleased when she compliments his cooking and works hard to improve so that he can make new and delicious things for her.

What a missed opportunity to make a “Purrfect” pun!

For her part, Saku seems to enjoy being babied and cared for. She does feel a bit self-conscious over the fact that she’s earned a reputation of being a domestic goddess which she most certainly doesn’t deserve, but other than that she’s content to let Yukichi handle the house while she focuses her energies on earning a living for the two of them. The arrangement seems to work well for the pair. So well, in fact, that the title of the manga feels like a misnomer. Yukichi doesn’t strike me as being even a little bit depressed. Maybe “The Masterful Cat is Annoyed Again Today” would have been a more fitting title?

The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again is a very cute manga. I found Saku and Yukichi’s dynamic to be endearing; they clearly care for each other a lot and it’s a lot of fun to watch Yukichi dutifully fuss over the hopeless Saku.

Yukichi might be larger and smarter than the average kitty, but he’s still a cat. He can’t talk and his emotions are conveyed entirely through his hilarious expressions. Seeing this over-sized feline try to do things a normal cat would do, like cuddle up with his owner, was a riot. Other people’s reactions to seeing him wandering around town doing people things was also pretty funny, so I got a lot of good laughs out of this book.

Aw! He wants to cuddle!

Most people who see him seem to think Yukichi is just a man in a cat suit, which has helped to keep his true nature under wraps thus far, but it feels like it’s only a matter of time before someone in Saku’s life discovers the bizarre truth of her living arrangement. In this volume, we see her start to get closer to her boss and he’s already seen signs that there’s something unusual about her cat. If this trend continues, I’m sure Saku will have to jump through a bunch of hoops to try and keep Yukichi a secret, and I’m looking forward to seeing how she manages it.

The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again is a sweet and humorous manga that’s sure to put a smile on the face of any cat lovers out there. Or anyone who’d just like to have a fuzzy helper around the house. I’d recommend checking it out if you’re looking for something fun and fluffy (pun intended).

Final Score: 8 out of 10.

For more information on this manga, visit Seven Seas Entertainment’s website.

What did you think of this manga. Does anyone else want a giant kitty cat? Let me know in the comments!

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Be sure to check out some of my other recent cat manga reviews:

• I Am A Cat: The Manga Edition Review
• Lil’ Leo Review
• Wonder Cat Kyuu-Chan Vol 1-2 Review
• I’m the Catlords’ Manservant Vol 1 Review

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