A comiXologist Recommends (a cat comic)

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu

Junji Ito, creator of famous horror title Uzumaki, pounces on his most mysterious and terrifying topic yet:

Cats.

Cat Diary is a slice of life manga celebrating how cats take over the minds, hearts, and houses of people, turning them into crazed cat fanatics that yearn for the attention and affection of their cat overlords. This particular take is an auto-bio comic from the life of Ito aka J-kun, his wife A-ko, and their two cats; Yon has a cursed face and skull pattern in his fur and Mu is the mostly sweet, wide-eyed Norwegian Forest cat..

The hyperbolic reactions of J-Kun and his delightful(ly creepy) wife make this book. J-kun’s extreme response to the cats and coveting their love made me laugh obnoxiously loud many times. I like to think this is how Ito sees his entire life, and that every story is 100% true. In fact, there are photos of Yon and Mu, proving that no matter how extreme, there must be a great deal of reality in these pages.

Cat Diary is the ideal book to pick up whether you’re a clueless cat newbie or a seasoned feline veteran. Perhaps you don’t have space in your small NYC apartment because where will you put that litter box and you close your bedroom door at night so how would it roam and your roommates are allergic so it’s a moot point anyway…ehem, but you crave knowing exactly the right way to shake flail with a feather wand to “tickle the cat’s soul.” In this book you’ll learn this and more from the perspective of a comedy and horror artist, from the joy of a cat nestled in your bed to touching a fresh hairball.

For more work from Ito, check out Gyo and Fragments of Horror. For more true stories about people who can’t help but love these little bean toed monsters, take a look at Henshin.

Go ahead and turn off of Neko Atsume and read Cat Diary for the true life of a cat owner.

Jen Keith is the Captain of the Digital Editors at comiXology, comic artist, music addict, and has gotten every cat in Neko Atsume, including ones she renamed Butch Catsidy and Iron Chef Morimeowto because they are better puns.