Alphabetical Index of Seven Seas Manga Reviews

Cinderella Closet Volume 1

I didn’t expect to like another “schoolgirl has crush, gets a makeover, learns about life” manga, but the twists in Cinderella Closet volume 1 by Wakana Yanai kept me interested enough to want to read another volume. “Country mouse” Haruka came to Tokyo for university. She had dreams of romance and popularity but finds herself working hard at a cafe and no time to be cute or do anything else but study. A random encounter with an attractive young woman, […]

Read more

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Deluxe Edition Volume 1

With patience, sometimes we get what we wish for. I first encountered Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou in a pirated, scanlated online version back in 2009. I’d only been reading manga for a handful of years at that point, diving in as an escape from superheroes and maudlin autobio — it was give up comics, or find a new enthusiasm. Manga meant more genres, and books featuring young women, and more approaches to storytelling, such as this one. The series, a pastoral […]

Read more

The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again, Today Volume 5

In Hitsuzi Yamada’s The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again, Today volume 5, the cat Yukichi meets Saku’s parents! Which is kind of appropriate, as he’s the perfect boyfriend, except for the whole being-a-human-sized-cat thing. It’s New Year’s, and the parents have pulled out the guilt stops to get Saku to come visit, when all she wanted was a quiet holiday at home. That means plenty of favorite plot points, from a road trip to meeting former classmates to a shrine […]

Read more

Cat Massage Therapy Volume 3

It’s usually around the third volume that I start wondering if a series has legs. The idea behind Cat Massage Therapy by Haru Hisakawa is pretty simple, after all: having cats walk or sleep on you is relaxing. Could this concept support three books? Yes, it turns out. Cat Massage Therapy volume 3 was a pleasure to read, a relaxing escape. The second book introduced some new “cast members” (cats), so this one just lets them do their things. I […]

Read more

I Am a Cat Barista Volume 1

The premise of I Am a Cat Barista by Hiro Maijima is clear from the title, but on its own, that doesn’t capture the charm and comfort of this reassuring series. Every chapter is another story where someone discovers this unusual cat café, “a place only the weariest of souls can find.” The human-sized cat barista doesn’t offer a menu. Instead, he observes and gives them what they most need. An exhausted office worker with a jerk boss who’s too […]

Read more

The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again, Today Volume 3

The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again, Today volume 3 expands on the series premise by showing us what happens when Saku has to spend time away from home. But first, the opening chapter sums up why Saku is so happy with her giant cat — she comes home from a work drinking party, and Yukichi feeds her a meal to help her feel better. He takes off her makeup and gets her clean and dry before putting her into bed […]

Read more

The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again, Today Volume 1

The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again, Today by Hitsuzi Yamada is a weird but strangely attractive fantasy. Saku is an office woman who is terrible at taking care of herself. She lives alone with a cat, Yukichi, who is human-sized, walks on his back feet, and cooks and cleans for her. Yet he’s still entirely a cat, just a very large, housekeeping one. He wakes her up and cleans her up and makes sure she gets to work on time. […]

Read more

I Am a Cat Barista Volume 2

Hiro Maijima’s I Am a Cat Barista volume 2 manages to improve on the first volume through adding another character: a dog patissier. I loved the idea of a magical cafe where a humanoid cat gave you just the treat you needed to make you feel better. With a similar humanoid dog making dessert, the shop got even better! Particularly since the dog likes to get pets from the customers. The first story had a useful lesson, too. A school […]

Read more
1 2 3 4