Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Starszy Pan i Kot. Tom 1 by Umi Sakurai

2 reviews

inamerata's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

 Collected review for vol. 1-9. 

A delightful, heartwarming series about love, music, and, of course, cats. 

The premise is simple: when a kindly widower, Fuyuki Kanda, adopts a long-overlooked cat, Fukumaru, they quickly develop a deep and loving bond. This has a ripple effect on Kanda’s life, easing his grief and helping him connect with others again. 

Umi Sakurai has a sweet, expressive style that works equally well in silly and serious moments. As the story progresses, she begins to incorporate some longer and dramatic plots that dig into grief and loneliness and jealousy, but these are balanced out by the levity of mini-comics about the daily joys of cats. As a result, even when the characters are international musical stars, their emotions and struggles feel relatable and engaging. 

I appreciate how she uses little moments throughout — a trip to the vet, inviting a friend to a concert — to progress the story and show character growth. It is often painful or bittersweet, but leads to new joys that would otherwise be impossible. The cats' unique personalities complement their human counterparts, as well, letting lots of dynamics shine.

I’ve actually teared up reading this more than once, such as
when Fukumaru gets out. Even knowing there would be a happy ending, it was portrayed so realistically, it’s no surprise it was drawn from personal experience.
 

My complaints with this series are few. Some of the wordplay/cat jokes don’t work as well in translation (e.g., “meowy” instead of “my”), which was distracting and quickly wore thin even as someone who usually enjoys them. The larger plots can jump around in time/location, so it was occasionally hard to keep everything in order. And lastly, this is a very male-centric story, with very few women, all in limited roles. Ms. Sato and Sorako are coming more into focus now, so I am hopeful for some changes going forward, though. :)
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gracecrandall's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

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