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Seven Seas is a publisher that has now become the go-to place for cat lovers. There’s hardly a catalog where you won’t find new cat-themed reading material to enjoy. This lineup includes several cat manga. One of them is Cat Man, which takes a very different approach than one might initially expect.
Cat Man was published in Japan from July to December 2020 in libre inc’s pixiv online magazine Kurofune and was created by mangaka Parari. The standalone volume was released in the US market at the end of April 2025.
How Was It?
What if cats weren’t just cute and independent, but also human-like and lived in a world that found them adorable, but never truly respected them? That’s exactly where Cat Man begins — a manga that, at first glance, seems playful but turns out to be a clever, thoughtful, and often unsettling piece of social critique.
At the center is Hachisuke, a shy humanoid cat living in a human-dominated world. He wants to belong, live a normal life, and work in peace. But he constantly encounters both subtle and overt discrimination: he is touched without consent, belittled, reduced to his appearance. People find him “cute,” but this superficiality comes at a cost — the loss of dignity, self-determination, and personal boundaries.
The world of Cat Man is strikingly similar to our own — except that discrimination is mirrored through the relationship between humans and humanoid cats. This narrative device never feels clumsy or forced; instead, it allows us to view familiar social patterns in a new light — how we treat people we perceive as “different.” If one chooses, Hachisuke and his friends can be seen as representing marginalized groups — whether based on gender, skin color, body image, or social role.
Particularly powerful is how sensitively the manga handles the topic of microaggressions. The casual crossing of boundaries, the seemingly “well-meant” behavior that is still intrusive — all of it is captured through everyday scenes without coming across as preachy. The result is a quiet but effective reflection of our own behaviors.
Hachisuke’s circle consists of a small but well-developed group of “cat people,” each of whom has found their own way of dealing with the human world. Makio, a model, consciously plays with the image of the “seductive tomcat” while simultaneously questioning whether that makes him part of the problem. Kurono, a security guard with visible facial injuries, faces rejection because he doesn’t fit the cute stereotype. Nekota, in turn, tries hard to fit in and struggles with deep social insecurity.
The range of characters offers different perspectives on the central theme: How do you deal with being reduced to appearances? When is adaptation a form of self-protection, and when does it become self-denial?
Some human characters also play a role — sometimes as perpetrators, sometimes as allies. Especially well done is the portrayal of people who “don’t mean any harm” but still behave inappropriately and slowly begin to question their behavior. These shades of gray add depth and credibility to the story.
Although the story doesn’t offer a classic resolution and deliberately ends openly, it still conveys a hint of hope.
Cat Man is not a feel-good manga, but it’s also not a depressing read. The tone is gentle, reflective, and sometimes even humorous. It’s precisely this contrast between the cute surface and the profound themes that gives it its appeal. It’s a manga that doesn’t aim to entertain, but to move and provoke thought — and it succeeds in doing exactly that.
Is Cat Man Worth Reading?
Cat Man surprises with an emotionally rich, socially critical story that skillfully moves between slice-of-life, satire, and serious commentary. The artwork is charming and expressive, the characters believable and multi-layered. For those willing to look beneath the surface, this is a smart exploration of everyday discrimination, identity, and the need to simply be accepted.
Cat Man
€13,19
€14,99
A poignant story that exposes the cognitive bias rampant throughout modern society–from the point of view of a man who happens to be a cat!In a world where humans and humanoid cats coexist, shy cat man Hachisuke struggles with being… read more
