I don't know how to start reviewing this manga without geeking over it. The Cat Proposed is the first Yaoi manga I read and as far as I remember, it would be my first ever manga and oh boy, can I please get more content for these two adorable characters??? I wouldn't hesitate even in the slightest to buy the next installment <3<3

To give a brief overview of this manga, Souta is an overworked salary man who barely has any time to sleep. One day while returning from the office, he decides to watch a traditional Japanese play and during the kodan storytelling, somehow he sees that the person narrating the play (Kihachi) has cat ears. The person confronts Souta and his identity - being a bakeneko - gets revealed and out of nowhere the bakeneko says that him and Souta will have to be mates.

This whole manga was neither too shot nor too long. Although I would say that it seemed like a really short story considering how fast I read it. Souta and Kihachi were one of a kind, developed and mature characters. Souta appears to be that small, timid character who gives in to pressure whenever such situation arises. Through Kihachi directly and indirectly he realizes that he doesn't have to overwork himself, he can decide for himself. Kihachi on the outside appears to be strict and direct but he is really kind and caring and has his own fears to face. Their chemistry was really good and they were always willing to look out for each other.

The most beautiful and lovely thing about this book, apart from the artwork, is how so many things were discussed in this book. Overwork, suicidal thoughts, fear of losing a loved one etc. were few of the themes that this book covered. Most importantly, there was a presence of proper communication between the characters that was pretty amazing. To talk about the portrayal of suicide, the author handled the topic very well. This theme itself can be considered to be central to this manga considering how certain experiences of it is discussed here and there. But at the same time the manga itself isn't dark, it still very well gives off the vibes of a cute, fluffy romance which makes the readers urge for more content. All in all, I totally recommend it!!

**Trigger Warnings: Suicidal ideation, mention of suicidal attempt and workplace harassment.

ARC was given by NetGalley and LOVE x LOVE in exchange for an honest review.

This review is being published before the release date (February 23rd, 2021)


Content/Trigger Warnings: Suicidal ideation and mentions of attempted suicide


“That day… I took a story by the hand.”

It’s very easy for me to fall in love with a manga and The Cat Proposed is no exception! I fell head over heels in love with the manga. Despite the dark themes of this book, I really enjoyed my time reading it. I really wish we would see more of this book or see it turned into a series. I’ve always loved the lore and mythology of the bakeneko of Japanese culture and knowing this manga exists, ugh, it filled my heart with so much warmth and excitement.

“We may be completely different, but I still want you.”

Our story follows Souta Matoi, a company worker, who’s contemplating suicide because nothing has changed, his life seems to be stuck in a terrible loop. Living the same routine day in and day out, overworked by his company, a deep exhaustion has set into his bones and he desperately wants to make a change. Then one fateful night Souta decides to change the routine by going to a kōdan storytelling. And that’s when his whole world begins to change. Starting with meeting Kihachi, the kōdan storyteller.

I really loved the way the author portrayed Souta and Kihachi. Though they seem like absolute polar opposites of one another, the chemistry between them is perfection. Souta is very timid and bashful, has a hard time expressing how they feel, declaring what they want. Whereas Kihachi is the opposite. Not only is Kahachi a bakeneko, but he’s very upfront about what he wants and direct with how things will work between one another. Also, they’re both sensitive beings who care very deeply for others. They’re both the type of people who puts everyone before their needs. And they just balance each other out so well. There’s some really hilarious side characters we get to meet as well. Yamabuki is absolutely hilarious and I enjoyed the little pokes of fun he has with Kihachi. Also, he’s a lover of stories like Kihachi is and somehow, between all their banter, you can tell they’re long-time friends!

“The light in the darkness is twinkling beautifully.”

If you haven’t guessed already, this manga involves Japanese mythology and folklore. Bakeneko appear a lot throughout Japanese history and culture. From works of literature and landmarks all the way to famous legends, bakeneko have played a role in Japan’s mythology and folklore. Most commonly found within the Endo period, but don’t quote me on that since there’s a chance they appeared during the Kamakura period with the nekomata, since they’re so similar. But I really loved how the author took that mythology and knowledge to weave their own tale. I think the author did a fantastic job of bringing to life the world of bakeneko and finding a way to encourage the reader to learn more about this mythology.

While I know it’s a dark turn of things, I want to take a moment to pause and appreciate the way the author wrote about suicide in this book. I think the author did really well at talking about what it means to be suicidal, to have suicidal thoughts, and to feel such a bone deep exhaustion that’s almost suffocating. And on top of that, I love how the author made sure to show how one person can save us from and how important little acts of kindness, endearment can truly make a difference. I thought it was beautifully and respectfully written.

Overall, I just really loved this manga. I truly wish the author would consider turning this into a series because I have no doubt that I would purchase the whole series for my manga collection. I loved it so, so much! I adored the characters, I really wanted to see more of the bakeneko community and their world. There’s so much untapped potential with this one book and honestly, I want more. I’m excited to see what this author will do next and I’m so glad I got to read an arc of this manga early.


The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

A pleasant surprise! This one-shot was charming, sweet, and had a more believable romance than I expected. The dynamic between Souta and Kihachi had tension, but was still a slow-burn considering the short length of the story. If you love MLM stories, you will most likely adore this one. However, there is discussion of suicide and a suicide attempt so make sure you take that into consideration before reading if that is a sensitive topic for you.

I really enjoyed Kihachi. He is a bakeneko, a type of Japanese yokai that takes the shape of a cat. The magical world of the yokai always pulls me in, and I enjoyed the side characters. They assist Souta and Kihachi in their journey to eventual love. There is a sex scene at the end, be warned. However, I found it more gentle and sweet than other MLM stories I have read. Just a great, sweet romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for the ARC.

3.5 stars.
i enjoyed learning about the myths and stories, getting to know the characters. i felt their relationship changed and evolved in a believable way and really liked the ending

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me this, in exchange for an honest review!

Trigger warning: Suicidal thoughts/ suicide attempt

This manga was so cute! It was a fun quick read that had a level of depth that I was honestly not expecting. One of the main characters is navigating the struggles of depression, caused by his job, and feeling completely overworked and hopeless. This story fortunately addresses these struggles, a doesn't push them aside to focus on other parts of the story. It felt sincere. The main characters worked to look after each other, one pulling the other out of the dark, and one allowing the other to embrace their passions, and find companionship. The relationship was adorable to watch unfold and even though the story is odd, that only added to its charm!

~For full transperancy, just want to state that I got a free electronic verison of this manga through NetGalley and the Publishing company in exchange for a honest review~

When I saw the summary for this manga, I asked for this on a whim. It seem fun, quirky and a short read. And it was all three! This manga is only a little over 200 pages and it has some of the cutest characters one can meet.
Note, as this was a surprise for me, there is talk about suicide and sucidal thoughts. Its were minor but it is there so read at your own comfort please!
Souta is an overworked office worker that is seeking relief from the exhaustion that he is fighting against. Stumbling home one night, he slinks into a building to listen to a play before he continued his trek home. There he meets Kihachi, a storyteller with a small secret that unfortunately gets revealed and now...they’re married?
Overall this story is so cute! I will admit, with my two cats curled up in my lap, I was cooing and awwing as how cute Kihachi is towards Souta. I will fully admit that I am a sucker for a person in a relationship is sick and the other is doting and comforting and that is what this manga is full of.
Now, their relationship isn’t all roses. Kihachi is hiding something and Souta is worried that he will end up losing the man that he is starting to fall in love with. I don’t want to go into much more detail as that will spoil about 75% of the manga so that is all I can say.
Moving on, the art is awesome. Its in the typical Toykopop style that I personally love. I love how it is illustrated and the story itself is told very well but also concisely that 200 pages isn’t too long or too short. You aren’t left wondering what else can happen at the end, its like a little present wrapped up with a cute little bow.
I highly suggest this little cute nugget to anyone who loves a cute romance story. Its quirky, I will admit, but its also heartwarming and funny. Its a good little ‘curl up in the corner with a coffee’ and take an hour to themselves manga.
Needless to say, if a second volume comes out...I would buy it in a heartbeat and continue reading the story of this very cute couple.

This book was adorable.

The main character Souta is an overworked office man who lit
erally is killing himself working so hard. He's lonely and happens to stumble into a reading where Kihachi is reading one of his stories. He learns that Kihaci is a bakeneko, a shapeshifter cat who is sometimes a human. What follows is full of pining, confusion, and a marriage that neither of them expects to last but grows stronger by the day.
I really enjoyed the art, just beautiful, and the story was very sweet. This is more shonen-ai than yaoi for those trying to look for more than just suggestive scenes but I really loved it. Highly recommended just great.

Thank you NetGalley and for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was really cute and I enjoyed it. Honestly there's not too much to say, manga is always a little weird and this is no exception. I did enjoy reading about the bakeneko, but the cute love story kept me reading. It's kind of exactly the same as every boys love story out there though which is why it's only a 3 star for me. The art was probably the best thing about it though.

This book is so cute! I finished it in one day. I wish it was a series; I really want to read more about them. In truth, I think this could have been split into two books. I really like how their relationship started and how they ended up, but I feel that them actually falling in love happened very suddenly when it became clear that they could separate.

Still, I'm definitely buying a hardcopy!

This book was fun! It read like a sweet, less-creepy version of Beauty & the Beast, but with cats! I was reading it to see if it would be a good title for our teen manga collection, but I think it would be more fitting for the adult collection. Overall, a really fun and cute title.

This was so damn adorable and moving and I loved reading it. The art style was fantastic, everything was super detailed and the mangaka captured the expressions of the characters perfectly.
The plot was very lighthearted but at the same time very moving, it shows how love and companionship can legit save someone lives and the two characters were damn adorable and I loved both of them with all my heart.
I will definitely be checking out more of this mangaka’s work and I will definitely be returning to this manga for multiple rereads 😊

Review to come to blog/goodreads on Valentine's Day.

I received this book from Netgalley/publisher in exchange of an honest review.

OMG, this was just such a swoony and adorable read and I loved every bit of it. I was already hoping this would be fantastic so I am so happy that it was!

Meet Souta, a man who is totally dead tired and thinking about just ending it all. My heart just broke for him. It is not the first manga character who works too hard, whose work just makes him totally dead inside, but each time I see one of them my heart just cries that these things are apparently so normal in a country. Thankfully, Souta decides not to commit suicide and it is good he didn't because otherwise he wouldn't have met Kihachi and then we wouldn't have this beautiful romance story.

Well OK, at first it is quite awkward between the two. Kihachi isn't all too happy that he was spotted as a Bakaneko and kind of forces Souta to be his mate or be cursed. But we also learn that they have high compatibility, high energy between them. And later we learn even more about Kihachi and why he flipped into his cat mode. Haha, no I won't tell you, you will have to read this book yourself.

Kihachi and Souta are such wonderful characters. Kihachi and his origin story and how he loves to tell stories (and how while being human is still very much a cat). Souta who is trying to find a better balance in life and figuring out that you don't have to work yourself to death to be a good part of society. I loved his new plans for life.

At times I was a bit frustrated with this relationship. We could clearly see that these two have a connection, a spark. But Kihachi keeps treating Souta as a kid, as someone who needs help. Well Souta, well clearly wants something different. He doesn't want to be treated like this. And I could imagine. While caring and being protective is good, especially given how close to death Souta was, Kihachi just went too far and should instead just have given plenty of hugs and maybe some more kisses. Hint, hint. ;)

There is some drama about the above that was well written. Often in romance/Lgbt I am just not a fan of the drama, but it fitted the story and I was proud that our couple got a chance to really really chat. Show their feelings. Get all those cropped up things out.

We also meet several other characters as the story continues. Like granny who is the boss of a ryoukan and who makes sure that bakanekos don't get found out, she does the contracts and some other things. I was instantly charmed by this lady. She seems tough, but she just cares a lot. And then there is the Ryokan cat who was silly and enthusiastic, but also maybe a tad annoying. I did think it was sweet how he was rooting for our couple.

The ending was just the sweetest~ I also love the last chapter which gives us something very sexy. Oh yes!

This book made me laugh, swoon, and even cry at times because I was so invested in the story, in the characters. This couple is one you will root for. One that you will love. Nya! Fantastic art. I would highly recommend it.

This is a single volume manga telling the story of Souta, who is an overworked office worker. He is mentally and physically exhausted and on the night the story begins is contemplating suicide. I was surprised that what looked like a cute “love story” has such a dark beginning. Souta’s depression and health are dealt with for a good part of the story, not in great depth but it isn’t just side-lined after he meets Kihachi.

The Cat Proposed had more emotional conflict then I anticipated as despite the quick “we’re mates now” proposal in the beginning both men had different reasons for being hesitant about committing. As a single volume it does deliver enough story and character development to feel complete, not rushed.

The Cat Proposed was a fun MM manga read. I found the characters and their progressing relationship interesting and believable, and there was emotional growth for both of them over the course of the story. The illustration was pleasing, and the story brought a smile to my face a number of times as it was so cute and sweet. I hadn't come across a bakeneko in a story before either, so that was interesting in and of itself. I would definitely read further works by this author.

This manga style shape shifter love story is very enjoyable with good artwork, as is expected from Tokyopop. Souta is exhausted, unhappy with work and on the verge of suicide. One evening on the spur of the moment he goes to watch a traditional Japanese story teller and there he realises that the storyteller is a bakeneko, a shape shifting cat.

The cat who is called Kihachi tells him they are mates and that they need to get married. They don't need to have conjugal relations, just live in the same house. Souta agrees because there is something about Kihachi that gives him life and strength and that is where this magical romance begins.

It is actually a nice gay romance story with serious undertones of love, humour, survival and magic and as the two men are drawn to each other the reader is drawn into this fairytale like story. I enjoyed the way the book is illustrated and the pace of the story. It was actually quite moving with a nice happy ending.

Copy provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was a very sweet manga about a nearly-suicidal office drone falling in love with a bakeneko (a cat-human yokai). It's also about the redemptive power of storytelling and the pursuit of joy and happiness despite the inevitability of loss. In short, it's very fun and sometimes 'fluffy,' but it's also pretty deep. The art is fairly beautiful as well.

I absolutely loved this manga and thought it was a beautiful story about finding hope and love while struggling with mental health and suicidal thoughts due to overworking and fatigue. I loved Souta and Kihachi's relationship and thought they were so freaking cute! I loved the expressions and reactions of the characters especially when their cat forms came into play 😂 Also that ending was spicyyyyyy and definitely had me blushing 😅 (it's not suuuper R-rated content tho). Overall this is a great story with awesome characters and I highly recommend it 😊

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

The Cat Proposed, by Dento Hayene
★★★★★
256 Pages
Content Warning: suicidal thoughts


The Cat Proposed is a seriously cute, lovely story that has a lot of heart and depth hidden beneath the pretty exterior. When I first saw it, I knew from the cover that I had to read it, then I read the blurb and was captivated. This is a simple, sweet story that is light and charming, with hidden depth. It's about fated mates finding each other, navigating life, love and romance from strangers to lovers, but is also – just as importantly, and just as beautifully – about Kihachi entering Souta's life and healing his broken spirit and empty life with care and affection.

When I began reading, I was intrigued to find that when Souta “sees” a man with cat ears at the play, he actually sees a full human-sized cat figure. I loved that it wasn't just an accidental thing passed off as cosplay, but something he thought was a figment of his imagination, a product of the storytelling.

Souta is an unusual character, because he begins the book so mentally, physically beaten that he's got no will to live, no positive thoughts, and no hope for the future. He's literally so tired – mentally, emotionally, physically, and every other way a person can be – he contemplates suicide. It's brief, casual and he fears a product of his bone-deep fatigue, but is really a sign of deep depression that he's just been too busy and tired to see creeping up on him. I LOVED the way he was portrayed, because in most other media, something like this would magically be resolved by love, and it wouldn't affect other aspects of his life. But, for Souta, he's been on a serious down-fall for so long that he's literally on his way to working himself to death.
Then Kihachi enters his life. A storyteller, who is a bakeneko – a magical being with the ability to become a cat – his story brings Souta to life. It sparks his imagination, captures his heart, and leads him to not only feeling like his life is worth living again, but their meeting sparks a bond that Kihachi says means they are mates.

Thus ensues a romance that is different to most others I've read. It's got a touch of insta-love, but is probably more insta-affection, and these two begin a life together built on the mate bond that becomes something sweet, deep and wholesome. There is a suggestion of 18+ material, but it isn't on page, and I loved that. The story didn't *need* more than a suggestion. I also loved that Souta had some issues around physical intimacy, due to his recent depression and illness. Instead of magically solving it, because he'd met this magical being and fallen in love, he was honest, Kihachi was understanding, and they found a way to work through it together.

The artwork was STUNNING! What you see on the cover is exactly the style and quality that you get inside. It's sweet, a little whimsical, with a lot of traditional Japanese touches, like the blossoms and fan that hint/relate to the traditional storytelling of Kihachi's career.
The pacing was perfect. It begins with Souta, and how he stumbles across Kihachi's storytelling, then progresses into their mate bond and their life together. After we've learned about both characters, through them learning about each other, we're slowly given more information about the bakeneko. I never felt like there were info-dumps or that I was being rushed towards something that didn't make sense. I never felt like I didn't follow the intricate storyline or that I couldn't understand the world of the bakeneko. The storytelling, pacing and worldbuilding were perfectly interwoven.

Overall, this was a stunningly real, wholesome story that captured my heart and won't let go for a while. TokyoPop never disappoints me with their range of the different, the unusual, and the utterly adorable work they produce. I'll be adding this to my paperback list, and adding Dento Hayane to my Watch list, for the future.

It's GAY, and it SLAPS!

As someone with terrible mental health, I related hard to the "casual" suicidal ideation that I often experience. I feel like it's something that I never see in media, but in working mental health, I know that it is not something I am alone in. But also the way the traditional Japanese play that he attends affects him so deeply and also how slow recovery can really be,

The way this romance progresses, let me completely engrossed from beginning to end. It definitely falls into the "Marriage of Convenience" trope. But how we see the relationship develop from both of their points of view is interesting and feels sincere.

If you are looking for wholesome, gay, romance? This will most definitely fill that need.

This was a pretty cute BL manga. Follows a man who falls in love with a “bakeneko,” a Japanese yokai that takes the form of a cat. Wasn’t really exceptional to me so it’s a 2.5 stars.