Honestly, I have to say this is a must-read! The art is stunning and the plot is refreshingly unique—definitely one of my new favorites.
I've been following it for a year now, and so far, it hasn't disappointed me once. Even if the characters aren't your cup of tea (they're decent but not extraordinary), you'll undoubtedly be captivated by the beautiful artwork, which has a similar style to *Darker than Black: Shikkoku no Hana*.
I adore the cats (even though they're not usually my favorite animals) and love the concept of communicating with them—and other animals too! Giving people unique powers through their connection with animals? Genius! It makes me want to adopt a kitten, raise it, and dream about gaining superpowers myself!
Overall, there's nothing truly disappointing about this manga, except maybe the dialogue (it could use some improvement). The conversations feel a bit clichéd at times, but every manga has its flaws.
Give it a try—you won't regret it! Enjoy the ride! <p>
A couple of years ago, on a whim, I picked up this manga because of a buy three, get one free deal at Borders, not expecting much. At that point in my manga-buying journey, I was in a sour mood. Del Rey had discontinued their manga division, which meant the end of Princess Resurrection and Yozakura Quartet being released in the U.S. Kurohime started off promising but eventually turned into a poor imitation of Inuyasha, and I had reached my limit with Bleach. To put it simply, I had grown disillusioned with shonen-style manga and anime for quite some time. They tend to drag on far too long, losing the captivating charm of their initial story arcs. The characters often follow the same templates, lack chemistry, seem to dislike each other yet friendship somehow prevails, and the fighting sequences are typically tedious, filled with drawn-out action that becomes monotonous instead of engaging as they continue. So, what does this lengthy critique of shonen manga have to do with Cat Paradise? It takes many of the issues I've been complaining about since joining this site and delivers a competent, straightforward story that I found myself enjoying much more than anticipated.
STORY (6): I was curious to see how the author would handle a concept involving cats as the primary fighters. It reminded me of a mix between Pokémon and Mai Hime. It's refreshingly simple and doesn't try to overreach or become something it isn't. "There has been an ongoing war between these two factions; will Yumi and Kansuke join the fight?" That's all I ask for! For comparison, take the manga Kamui, another school with exceptionally skilled students involved in a battle with supernatural beings that became overly verbose near the end, resulting in a flat climax. Cat Paradise is well-paced for its 29 volumes, with an intriguing theme of companionship and teamwork, highlighting the strong bonds between the cats and their owners.
ART (7): Initially, I was put off by the sharp, jagged lines on the characters' faces, making them appear too rugged, especially for Yumi. However, after a few chapters, I grew accustomed to the style, and the facial expressions became very expressive. Backgrounds and scenery take a backseat to character designs, so locations never truly stood out to me. A fight might as well have occurred in a parking garage or a Dragonball Z wasteland, given how little I recall.
Moreover, action scenes can be challenging to follow due to heavy lines and solid inking, creating busy and cluttered panels. Thinner penciling could help reduce visual conflicts with speed lines, which sometimes appear as heavy as a character's leg during an attack.
CHARACTERS (6): While Cat Paradise's cast may not be spectacular, groundbreaking, or unforgettable, they offer a balanced selection of shonen archetypes that don't bore me with sheer blandness. I appreciated the individual powers of the cats, which distinguish them from one another and keep most fights dynamic rather than repetitive pugilistic displays typical of the genre.
What detracts from the other main characters outside Yumi and Kansuke is that their personalities and backgrounds are often summarized in a few sentences rather than developed through progressive storytelling. For instance, Kotori and Kaiya clearly like each other, but this is merely stated without further exploration to make me genuinely care about them. Shin is the "by the book" robotic character who briefly shows humanity and learns a lesson in friendship, and that's where it ends. Such parody writing frustrates me as it prevents deeper understanding or unique growth beyond personality presets. I enjoyed watching Gohan mature before my eyes, but I haven't seen another character evolve like that since. Why? Shonen excels at establishing characters but struggles to evolve them without resorting to time jumps.
OVERALL (7): Cat Paradise turned out to be a fairly enjoyable manga. Fun characters, a decent group of antagonists, and plenty of action with good pacing. The art has flaws, but the characters look pretty cool. As a cat lover, it was refreshing to see something original done with cats beyond the usual cat girl trope (thank you, Nyan Koi) and places them in a more significant role.
This is my first review; feel free to leave a comment.
First of all, Nekoten is definitely worth your time if you're free and looking for something lighthearted to relax yourself; however, it is nothing near a masterpiece.
Nekoten is about cats and their owners who have been given the power to protect humans from monsters... and no, this manga is not about school life; it is full of supernatural elements and fighting scenes.
Suitable for people who:
- Love cats
- Like cute drawings
- Enjoy fantasy (monsters & supernatural creatures)
- Appreciate action and fighting scenes (fists, swords, supernatural powers; but don't expect magic chanting or that kind of thing...)
- Don't like horror, violence, and overly emotional content
Not suitable for people who:
- Are looking for something epic or hardcore
- Want mindless comedy or jokes
- Seek very deep, complex stories, character development, and romance
- Prefer blood splashing across the screen o.O
- Don't have spare time for mediocre manga
- Hope for fanservice or ecchi (lol)
Actually, I hope my review will give you enough idea just by reading the summary above (that's what I aim to achieve as an effective review), but if you have plenty of time, feel free to read more ;p
Story – 7.5/10
“Yumi enrolls at Matabi. After the entrance ceremony, a monster suddenly attacks her. Given a mysterious power, Yumi and her cat Kasuke dive into battle (I just copied and pasted the synopsis). After that, together with six other pairs of students and cats, Yumi fights to protect the school and perhaps the world.” ... lol... So you can see, the story setting itself is nothing special... just that instead of humans, we have cats with superpowers lol
Another weak point is the plot seems to overly emphasize fighting scenes (too many monsters to kill and too many cats showing off their powers lol), causing this manga to lack storyline and character development. These two things definitely prevent this manga from becoming a masterpiece.
Good things are, the whole manga isn't that long (5 volumes), the whole storyline is well-planned (all plots are interconnected), straightforward, fast-paced, without excess filler (so sorry if you're looking for hot springs, beach, or pool scenes), neither overly emotional nor violent, consistent (the plot won't fall downhill in the middle or at the end), not overly cliché, and most importantly, the ending isn't messed up or rushed.
Art – 9/10
The drawing is the main strength of Nekoten. The character drawing style is unique and very cute, and you won’t get clones where every character is similar except for their clothes, hairstyle, and color. Each cat and monster is also unique and well-drawn. The fighting scenes are well-drawn and well-conducted, along with suitable special effects. The only weak point that I can find is its backgrounds, which are a bit empty, but not really noticeable.
Character – 8/10
Each character, cat, and even some of the monsters have their unique characteristics or traits. Most of them aren't very deep, but some of them will definitely grow on you.
Well… we can see that the author put quite a lot of effort into character development between characters, between cats and their owners, between monsters and characters, and even between monsters themselves. But given only 5 volumes, there isn't enough space to cover all seven pairs of cats and their owners, not to mention all those monsters and side characters… but I do believe the author could do better if this manga were longer.
Enjoyment – 8/10
Enjoyments mostly come from the characters' interactions and developments. There are times when the comedy will crack a smile on your face (but you won't be rolling on the floor laughing tho…), times when you will feel all cozy in your heart, as well as times when you will feel sorry for the characters (even the monsters). The fighting scene is very entertaining but not overly violent, and the storyline is lighthearted and won't make you feel depressed. However, you won't find any epic moments in this manga tho…
Overall – 8.5/10
Again, this manga is nothing near a masterpiece, but if this manga is your cup of tea, and you're looking for something short (staring at those shounen manga) and lighthearted, try Nekoten.
Hmm… didn't know how my first review ended up so long like this… but thanks if you've read all, and give yourself a clap o_o (thanks too even if you only read the first summary)
Popular Reviews
I've not read it yet but meh.
I've been following it for a year now, and so far, it hasn't disappointed me once. Even if the characters aren't your cup of tea (they're decent but not extraordinary), you'll undoubtedly be captivated by the beautiful artwork, which has a similar style to *Darker than Black: Shikkoku no Hana*.
I adore the cats (even though they're not usually my favorite animals) and love the concept of communicating with them—and other animals too! Giving people unique powers through their connection with animals? Genius! It makes me want to adopt a kitten, raise it, and dream about gaining superpowers myself!
Overall, there's nothing truly disappointing about this manga, except maybe the dialogue (it could use some improvement). The conversations feel a bit clichéd at times, but every manga has its flaws.
Give it a try—you won't regret it! Enjoy the ride! <p>
STORY (6): I was curious to see how the author would handle a concept involving cats as the primary fighters. It reminded me of a mix between Pokémon and Mai Hime. It's refreshingly simple and doesn't try to overreach or become something it isn't. "There has been an ongoing war between these two factions; will Yumi and Kansuke join the fight?" That's all I ask for! For comparison, take the manga Kamui, another school with exceptionally skilled students involved in a battle with supernatural beings that became overly verbose near the end, resulting in a flat climax. Cat Paradise is well-paced for its 29 volumes, with an intriguing theme of companionship and teamwork, highlighting the strong bonds between the cats and their owners.
ART (7): Initially, I was put off by the sharp, jagged lines on the characters' faces, making them appear too rugged, especially for Yumi. However, after a few chapters, I grew accustomed to the style, and the facial expressions became very expressive. Backgrounds and scenery take a backseat to character designs, so locations never truly stood out to me. A fight might as well have occurred in a parking garage or a Dragonball Z wasteland, given how little I recall.
Moreover, action scenes can be challenging to follow due to heavy lines and solid inking, creating busy and cluttered panels. Thinner penciling could help reduce visual conflicts with speed lines, which sometimes appear as heavy as a character's leg during an attack.
CHARACTERS (6): While Cat Paradise's cast may not be spectacular, groundbreaking, or unforgettable, they offer a balanced selection of shonen archetypes that don't bore me with sheer blandness. I appreciated the individual powers of the cats, which distinguish them from one another and keep most fights dynamic rather than repetitive pugilistic displays typical of the genre.
What detracts from the other main characters outside Yumi and Kansuke is that their personalities and backgrounds are often summarized in a few sentences rather than developed through progressive storytelling. For instance, Kotori and Kaiya clearly like each other, but this is merely stated without further exploration to make me genuinely care about them. Shin is the "by the book" robotic character who briefly shows humanity and learns a lesson in friendship, and that's where it ends. Such parody writing frustrates me as it prevents deeper understanding or unique growth beyond personality presets. I enjoyed watching Gohan mature before my eyes, but I haven't seen another character evolve like that since. Why? Shonen excels at establishing characters but struggles to evolve them without resorting to time jumps.
OVERALL (7): Cat Paradise turned out to be a fairly enjoyable manga. Fun characters, a decent group of antagonists, and plenty of action with good pacing. The art has flaws, but the characters look pretty cool. As a cat lover, it was refreshing to see something original done with cats beyond the usual cat girl trope (thank you, Nyan Koi) and places them in a more significant role.
<p>
First of all, Nekoten is definitely worth your time if you're free and looking for something lighthearted to relax yourself; however, it is nothing near a masterpiece.
Nekoten is about cats and their owners who have been given the power to protect humans from monsters... and no, this manga is not about school life; it is full of supernatural elements and fighting scenes.
Suitable for people who:
- Love cats
- Like cute drawings
- Enjoy fantasy (monsters & supernatural creatures)
- Appreciate action and fighting scenes (fists, swords, supernatural powers; but don't expect magic chanting or that kind of thing...)
- Don't like horror, violence, and overly emotional content
Not suitable for people who:
- Are looking for something epic or hardcore
- Want mindless comedy or jokes
- Seek very deep, complex stories, character development, and romance
- Prefer blood splashing across the screen o.O
- Don't have spare time for mediocre manga
- Hope for fanservice or ecchi (lol)
Actually, I hope my review will give you enough idea just by reading the summary above (that's what I aim to achieve as an effective review), but if you have plenty of time, feel free to read more ;p
Story – 7.5/10
“Yumi enrolls at Matabi. After the entrance ceremony, a monster suddenly attacks her. Given a mysterious power, Yumi and her cat Kasuke dive into battle (I just copied and pasted the synopsis). After that, together with six other pairs of students and cats, Yumi fights to protect the school and perhaps the world.” ... lol... So you can see, the story setting itself is nothing special... just that instead of humans, we have cats with superpowers lol
Another weak point is the plot seems to overly emphasize fighting scenes (too many monsters to kill and too many cats showing off their powers lol), causing this manga to lack storyline and character development. These two things definitely prevent this manga from becoming a masterpiece.
Good things are, the whole manga isn't that long (5 volumes), the whole storyline is well-planned (all plots are interconnected), straightforward, fast-paced, without excess filler (so sorry if you're looking for hot springs, beach, or pool scenes), neither overly emotional nor violent, consistent (the plot won't fall downhill in the middle or at the end), not overly cliché, and most importantly, the ending isn't messed up or rushed.
Art – 9/10
The drawing is the main strength of Nekoten. The character drawing style is unique and very cute, and you won’t get clones where every character is similar except for their clothes, hairstyle, and color. Each cat and monster is also unique and well-drawn. The fighting scenes are well-drawn and well-conducted, along with suitable special effects. The only weak point that I can find is its backgrounds, which are a bit empty, but not really noticeable.
Character – 8/10
Each character, cat, and even some of the monsters have their unique characteristics or traits. Most of them aren't very deep, but some of them will definitely grow on you.
Well… we can see that the author put quite a lot of effort into character development between characters, between cats and their owners, between monsters and characters, and even between monsters themselves. But given only 5 volumes, there isn't enough space to cover all seven pairs of cats and their owners, not to mention all those monsters and side characters… but I do believe the author could do better if this manga were longer.
Enjoyment – 8/10
Enjoyments mostly come from the characters' interactions and developments. There are times when the comedy will crack a smile on your face (but you won't be rolling on the floor laughing tho…), times when you will feel all cozy in your heart, as well as times when you will feel sorry for the characters (even the monsters). The fighting scene is very entertaining but not overly violent, and the storyline is lighthearted and won't make you feel depressed. However, you won't find any epic moments in this manga tho…
Overall – 8.5/10
Again, this manga is nothing near a masterpiece, but if this manga is your cup of tea, and you're looking for something short (staring at those shounen manga) and lighthearted, try Nekoten.
Hmm… didn't know how my first review ended up so long like this… but thanks if you've read all, and give yourself a clap o_o (thanks too even if you only read the first summary)