Junju Ito’s Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu
Description
A dog person suddenly living with two cats – what could possibly go wrong?
Junji and his fiancé have just bought a new house, but his enjoyment of all it’s newness is soon forgotten when she brings two cats to live with them (and one that, by all accounts, looks cursed). Junji quickly learns that cats have their own quirks, some rather cute, and some … not so much.
Disclosure
I borrowed this book for free from a friend, it was provided for my personal use. There was no agreement with the author, publisher, or any third party that I would publish a review. The following review is unsolicited, unbiased, and all opinions are my own.
Review – Spoiler Free
This was so fun to read! The stories are based on Junji Ito’s actual experiences, which makes it rather comical, and his horror-manga-style artwork makes it even more so. You can easily see these things actually happening to him, and can empathize with his plight.
I shy away from anything horror and was nervous that the artwork might be a little creepy for me. But, if you’ve lived with cats for any period of time, you quickly realize that his art style here isn’t creepy, so much as it is rather an accurate portrayal of life with a cat. I definitely got a few laughs out of the artwork alone.
I loved that there was a page of actual color pictures of Yon and Mu about halfway through the book. Always cool to see the real-life character (especially cats).
My only gripe was the jumpy feel between chapters. If you don’t read it as one book, but as 10 different stories – 10 different diary entries – the flow makes a lot more sense.
Overall, this was fun, comical, quick read. I would recommend it to all cat lovers for a good laugh.
Quote
“In truth, I’m a dog guy. The dog is man’s best friend, his faithful companion, whose devotion is so moving it can drive a man to tears …”
Junji (Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu, Junji Ito)
Ratings
- Plot – 3
- World Building – 3
- Characters – 4
- Quality of Writing – 3
- Ease of Reading – 3
- Pictures/ Illustrations – 4
- Overall Enjoyment – 3
- Final Rating – 3 (Actual: 3.2) – Liked It
Want to learn more about the numbers I use for rating, and the qualities I’m thinking about when writing a book review? Check out my post How I Rate and Review.