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Friday, October 19, 2018

Selah's Manga Mania Review: Chi's Sweet Home Vol. 1 by Konami Kanata

by Konami Kanata (Author, Illustrator)
December 8, 2015
168 pages
12 book series
Genre: Comedy
Manga
Demographic: Seinen
Original run November 22, 2004 – June 23, 2015
Chi is a mischievous newborn kitten who, while on a leisurely stroll with her family, finds herself lost. Separated from the warmth and protection of her mother, feels distraught. Overcome with loneliness she breaks into tears in a large urban park meadow. when she is suddenly rescued by a young boy named Yohei and his mother. The kitty is then quickly and quietly whisked away into the warm and inviting Yamada family apartment...where pets are strictly not permitted.

We’ve established my love of cats, so you pretty much know how this review is going to go. After reading Fukufuku, I happened upon the blurb for Chi’s Sweet Home in the back and…yeah.

Guys. There are FOUR. GIANT. VOLUMES. OF. THIS. FOUR VOLUMES OF KITTY MANGA!!! FOUR VOLUMES OF UNADULTERED CUTENESS!

Actually, there may be more. I may need to yell at my library or get buying.

I know I have a problem. I don’t care. I will fight you if you try to take cats away from me. Let me just have this thing.

Chi is a kitten who often gets into trouble, which leads to her getting separated from her mom. She ends up at a park, distraught, where she’s rescued by a little boy named Yohei and his parents. Problem is, there are no pets allowed at their apartment complex. DUN DUN DUUUUUNNN.
The first volume centers around Chi acclimating to her new home, and the humans trying to decide if they can keep her. I also love the character of Blackie, this round bearish cat who saunters around causing trouble but eventually becomes a friend and mentor to Chi. Volume 2 sees the family moving to a pet-friendly place, and things evolve from there.
The Good: Just everything. Every page, every line, ever little particle. Okay, seriously, Konami Konata has obviously had cats because a lot of this rings very true to life. The mannerisms, the reactions, the adventures – part of what makes it so cute and funny is that it’s just really realistic. I like that in this story, the cat's meows are interpreted into actual commentary, so that vs what the humans interpret the meows as leads to some fun moments.
Chi is indoor/outdoor so you gain a cast of animal characters that make for great sidekicks. Every little thing is a potential adventure, and because the chapters are so short, it’s easy to keep flipping. I was also really surprised at how heartfelt some of this is. Chi never quite forgets her mom and siblings, and there are multiple instances where she gets lost or gets into trouble that had me worried for her because I am a sap like that. The stakes are higher than Fukufuku, but not terribly higher, so it’s a lovely balance. The art is friendly and engaging, and Chi is just adorable in all her moods and mannerisms.
The volumes I’ve read from are a really nice, thick size, too. As an adult, I can get through them pretty fast, but a younger reader will have a lot of time to engage with the story. Plus, it’s cute and simple enough that you can keep going back to it for multiple reads if you need a pick-me-up.

The bad: Not a thing and I will fight anyone who says there is.

The ick: nah, this is geared towards kids and families.

5 trillion adorable kitty sheep-

Okay, fiiiiiine, five sheep. But it deserves 5 trillion.




About the Author:
Selah Janel is a writer who is trying to start doing that again instead of reading manga all the time.





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