Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Ela e o Gato by Makoto Shinkai, Naruki Nagakawa

40 reviews

genstrong's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

A very easy and fast read. I enjoyed most of the book but felt that the ending was contrived. I had been expecting something deeper and more philosophical given that the character of Jon (the all-knowing philosopher) was meant to grant wishing but it ended up being rushed, simplistic and not that moving. I also felt there was something strange about how the cats in particular talked about gender, and I then I realised the writers are both male and it made complete sense. I hadn’t looked up the writers before starting the book but saw their bios at the end. Gender is treated as a “binary is natural” concept and even the scene with sexual assault seemed unrealistic, like how a man would imagine the scene to go rather than giving visceral “lived experience” vibes. Overall, it was ok but not recommendation-worthy.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Grief, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, and Grief

lesejaguar's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Bought the book for the cover and got disappointed.
I really liked the way the stories were intertwined with each other and the changing of perspective between cat and human. 
But overall the characters felt a bit flat to me. And there is a real male gaze problem which turned me off the book so much.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, and Grief

symmetra's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I was expecting something lighthearted with low stakes, narrated by cats. That's not what this is. There are some of the funny moments of being inside a cat's head I wanted, but humans sharing their perspectives took away from feeling like the cats got to know their owner - I felt like they knew because I knew. The treatment of mental health conditions and other heavy topics felt poorly handled.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Grief

fadingmoths's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective relaxing sad 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Dementia

serendipity421's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship

Minor: Sexual assault, Torture, and Sexual harassment

sunny_pipes's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This one is hard for me to rate, based on a few passages that gave me the ick. I still love the stories, but they're not flawless.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

There are a lot of heavy topics handled. Loneliness, anxiety/panic disorder, sexual assult, inappropriate boss behaviour, and a lot of mentions of death in varying degrees (mostly animal). Do not pick up if mentions of such triggers you! For me the topics were handled alright, so do with that as you may.

oceanwriter's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-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

Within pages, this book captured my head. Both cozy and emotional, any cat lover will appreciate at least something about this book.

The story follows Miyu, Reina, Aoi, Shino, and their cats. Each cat/human duo is told in their own short story with sections told from the humans' perspectives as well as the cats'. The four stories connect wonderfully together. 

'Slumber and Sky' was my favorite story in the collection though it's perhaps the most emotional. Aoi's grief is presented so vividly. Watching Cookie try to bring her out of her funk was so heartwarming. 

The only thing that would have made this book more enjoyable would have been choosing a different book to read while traveling so I could have had my cats by my side as I read it!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Mental illness

emminkirjakasa's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

A cute story about cats and their owners. Loved the way the stories were intertwined. The book was so simple and ordinary, showing just how beautiful life can be at its simplest.

// 

Suloinen tarina kissoista ja niiden omistajista. Rakastin tapaa joilla tarinat kietoutui yhteen. Kirja oli niin yksinkertainen ja tavallinen, ja se osoitti kuinka kaunista elämä voi olla yksinkertaisimmillaan.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Mental illness

Moderate: Death and Sexual assault

Minor: Dementia

icarusandthesun's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

charming, however a tad underwhelming.

it's definitely one of the prettiest hardbacks i own now, and i was really excited for it with makoto shinkai (the filmmaker of your name and weathering with you) having been involved and all.
but something was missing. i could go ahead, say it was boring and call it a day, but that wouldn't do it justice at all.
i suppose it was missing the sort of excitement that comes with uniqueness. because though it was a very heartfelt book with unique characters, it didn't feel very ... new? earth-shattering?

everything about the book was just fine, yk. but 'fine' books usually aren't the ones that stick with you for a long time.

very wholesome, forgettable, and wise in a very conventional type of way.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death and Grief

Minor: Mental illness, Terminal illness, and Sexual harassment