Recent Reads | Cat + Gamer

     During my glorious birthday adventure, I pillaged Carolyn’s bookshelves and absolutely devoured Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani in two cozy little evenings. I’m immensely grateful she let me read her books with no restrictions, but now I’m sad because there’s a void in my heart (and shelves) in the shape of eight cat-themed manga volumes. I’ll be purchasing myself a set of these bad boys post haste. Spoiler alert: every single one earned a five star rating. 

The series delivers the most decadent low-stakes cozy vibes a girl could possibly ask for. The title says it all: we follow a gamer who suddenly finds herself the owner of a cat. She uses her video game knowledge to “level up” as a cat owner and navigates her way through classic feline misadventures based on video game experiences. Sometimes the simplest premises make the most compelling manga series. The mangaka is very clearly experienced in caring for cats, because some of the arcs are so perfectly nuanced to reflect real cat behavior. It was truly magical for me to step into each scenario as a fellow cat-owner. 

Riko Kozakura may weird out all of her coworkers, but she’s honestly living my dream. She works hard, never has to do overtime, and always successfully carves out time for her hobbies. She may use video game-talk around the Average Joe with absolutely zero awareness of their growing social discomfort, but I never misunderstood her. Kozakura is hilarious and passionate. We stan her. That passion leads her to adopt a cat despite lacking any experience in the venture. What she does have is a lot of video game experience and a cunning sense of adaptability. I love her character design. There’s a distinct difference between professional Kozajura and the gamer girl in comfy clothes at home. I absolutely resonated with her binary nature. I really loved the representation of a woman who enjoys a wide variety of video games. She doesn’t play for money or to entertain men by streaming. (Not that there is anything wrong with the profession, but manga are notorious for fan-service). Kozakura is snuggled up in cozy sweatsuits gaming because she loves to do it. 

I was delighted in the vast array of video game genres included in the series. They were all predominantly spoofs of games that exist in the real world, but they were all presented in adorable tongue-in-cheek ways. Kozukura plays classic MMOS, mobile games, knock-off Minecraft, Animal Crossing, detective games, and active Kinnect-type sports games. I really appreciated that the story didn’t box Korakura into one game genre. We got to immerse ourselves in many types of video games. It really felt nostalgic, and reminded me of games I’ve loved over the years. 

Masubi and Soboro are some of the most honest representations of cats I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. They’re adventurous, sassy, witty, and playful. Yet they each have incredibly distinct personalities. There is simply no way Nadatani does not have at least a couple cats of their own. The story is too honest about the nuances of cat ownership for me to believe otherwise. As cute and quirky as this series is, I don’t think the full effect of the humor and episodic arcs can be fully taken in by anyone but a cat owner. 

I love the pacing of this series. To maintain the low-stakes nature of the plot, the books are incredibly episodic. Kozakura will encounter a new feline phenomena or concern, and use whatever her current video game obsession is to (hilariously) navigate it. Though it is a simple premise for each arc, the hilarious accuracy of cat ownership paired with niche gamer lingo always manages to feel fresh and fun. With only 8 volumes, the series never feels like it has jumped the shark or milked out the premise. The ending does feel a touch abrupt, but I didn’t leave the series frustrated by any means. I would prefer an abrupt ending in such a story than something that fizzles out to nothing. 

This series simply made me want to jump into video games again. I forgot just how vast the world of gaming can be, and I found that I miss some genres that I had grown up playing. I flew right through these manga, and I know I will revisit random sections from time to time for the warmth and joy they provide. I highly recommend these to cat people and gamers alike.