My New Life as a Cat, vol. 1 | Review

My New Life as a Cat, vol. 1
Story & Art by Konomi Wagata
Published 4/11/23, Seven Seas Entertainment
Age rating: Ages 10+

Seven Seas has been knocking it out of the park with cat-themed manga this year, and My New Life as a Cat is no exception.

Nao Kazushiro was living a normal life as a high schooler when he gets into a traffic accident. Waking up after the traumatic experience, Nao discovers that his soul is now in the body of a cat. Shocked over his new existence, as anybody would be, Nao finds himself adopted by Chika, his classmate who he has a crush on.

Of course. 

As he adapts to this new life, Nao begins to learn new things about himself, as well as Chika. For starters, Nao learns that Chika is very ditzy and forgetful at times. For example, in a hilarious and somewhat graphic scene, Nao (newly named Nyao by Chika) is taken to the vet as Chika worries about his health and discovers how cats get their temperature taken (for the record, it’s not done orally *coughs*). Another episode that Nao goes through is when Chika buys Nao a new toy, which is a realistic praying mantis. Let’s just say this also doesn’t go very well for Nao, who ends up scared out of his wits. While the start of each chapter does get repetitive as Nao reminds readers of his predicament (I had an accident, I’m now a cat, we got it, let’s move on), each story is still a funny and hilarious adventure. The artwork looks like your typical shojo (cute, wide-eyed girl and the boy/cat who loves her), and its level of comedy is just a delight. While we enjoy Nao’s new life as a cat (see what I did there ;)), there’s two questions we have to ask ourselves:

Will Nao ever get back to his original body, and be able to be Chika’s boyfriend?

Or…

Do we really want him to, or would we rather just enjoy his new adventures as a cute kitty?

Either way, My New Life as a Cat is a fun delight that readers of all ages will enjoy.

Filed under: All Ages, Manga, Reviews, Young Adult