Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi, vol. 1 | Review

Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi, vol. 1

Story & art by Yuri Sonoda

Seven Seas Entertainment, published 8/27/24

Age rating: Ages 10+

2024 has been the year for cat manga, and Seven Seas blessed us with another that will tug at your heart, and dare I say, give us hope that there is some good out there in the world.

Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi follows the adventures of two stray cats as they find ways to survive the streets. When Maruru, a housecat, accidentally gets lost from his home after chasing some sparrows, he encounters Hachi, who has been a stray for all his life. At first, Hachi is very hostile towards the newcomer who has ended up on his territory. Yet, seeing how defenseless Maruru is, and after Maruru saves him from a dire situation, Hachi takes him into his care, helping Maruru search for food and shelter as he learns to adapt to his new life.

Despite this being an all-ages manga, there are moments that will break the reader’s heart. We see the cats struggle in situations that are not fair. In Hachi’s back story, we learn that he was friends with an older cat who is constantly overlooked due to his age. When Hachi sees his friend again, it leads him to make a decision that will warm and destroy your heart at the same time. We see the realities strays face while they live on the streets, such as finding food and shelter, avoiding scenarios that could harm them and avoiding being “catnapped” by animal control volunteers who use traps on the cats in order to control the stray population. Maruru and Hachi receive a sense of hope in the guise of a kind, elderly woman who feeds the strays despite her neighbors telling her not to. She does this because she cares for the cats and we learn another reason why she continues to feed them, and I sobbed for a while after the discovery.

This manga has comical moments, but it is really not for the faint of heart. However, it’s very real and makes you appreciate the fur babies in your life. Perhaps it will encourage you to take in a fur baby of your own if you don’t have one. 

I highly recommend the latter, but I’m a bit biased as a cat mom and grandmeow. 

While this series is definitely going to be a tear-jerker, I recommend reading Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi. It’s an authentic take on the life of a street cat, and makes you appreciate life so much more. I look forward to volume two, as the cats’ lives are going to go through a major change, but I don’t know if my heart can take it.

Filed under: All Ages, Graphic Novels, Manga, Reviews