Youichi Kamisuki became involved in a murder investigation when his next door neighbor was shot. Then when he looked into a cat's eyes and connected with a girl named Miri who could see the future he learned that this was only the first of many murders. The two work on figuring out who the murderer is while Youchi tries to find out about Miri and meet her in the flesh. All he need to do is figure out a way to change the future so she does not suffer her fated death. And of course solve the murder all while becoming a star in the drama club. An interesting and engaging tale of how the future and love are always in motion.

Thanks Netgalley and Yen Press for the chance to read this title!

This had a really interesting premise- a boy who sees the past, a girl who sees the future, and a killer stalking a theater group. Unfortunately at times it felt more like an outline of an idea than a fully fleshed out story. And then the mystery is solved in a way where the reader doesn’t have the chance to try to solve it along with the characters. It was an interesting setup, but needed more focus.

With the eye-catching cover, title AND premise, I was very intrigued to see what this book is about. Many thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an eARC!

College student Youichi has a special ability: When looking into someone's eyes, he can see their memories. One day in the middle of the covid-lockdown, a woman in his apartment building is shot. On the search for clues about this crime, Youichi looks into the eyes of a cat and sees a different woman in its memories - a woman who speaks to him. Her name is Miri and she has the ability to look into the future. She foresaw that the crime that just happened is only the beginning of an awful murder series and asks Youichi to help her find the culprit. As part of his investigation, he joins the university's drama club and also spends more time with Miri in the cat's memories. Unfortunately, the murder series becomes more and more opaque as the possibility of curses and stories from the theater plays starts to feel more real. At the same time, Youichi is trying to find MIri in the present with the foreboding that everything might end in tragedy.

This short novel is filled with literary references and fascinating theories on art and theater, reality and humanity. At the same time, it tells a dark story about murder, hate and loss. These contradicting aspects make for a very interesting atmosphere. Youichis style of narration feels a little awkward sometimes, thought that might be just a result of translation.

The hook of the story is the murder investigation. However, most scenes are about Youichi befriending the drama club, falling in love with Miri, or about the consequences of his gift. That doesn't mean that the suspense is lacking; the general mood does count down with a constant sense of dread toward an inevitable end. Another interesting aspect is the setting during the time of the Corona pandemic. It has a big influence on the characters and is often mentioned. Since it is still in such recent memory, it was a little strange to read about it, but it is tightly woven into the plot and makes sense, so it was handled well.

The story contains many side characters, which are a bit confusing at times. I managed, most likely because of the way the mysteries get solved. Youichi often figures something out without telling the reader, and then explains in the end. This way, all the twists and revelations are neatly presented without the reader feeling like they missed something. Unfortunately, at other times, the story did get too complex to follow along easily. This happens mostly with the timelines between which Youichi and Miri communicate. Present, past and future keep changing and it is a bit tough to keep up.

In the end, I did greatly enjoy the story. It is a moving peace filled with love for theater and art with an emotional end. There are beautiful illustrations throughout that only enhance the reading experience. I would definitely reccommend this book for fans of complicated love storys, theater and time travel!

I didn’t like the way this downloaded but it was an interesting story! I love cats so whenever there is one in a story, I have to read the book. I’m not a big fan of time travel but I was able to deal with it while reading this book. Not sure if id read this again.

Thank you NetGalley, Taiga and Yen Press for the ARC!

Rating: ✨✨✨

Miri Lives in the Cat's Eyes is a quick read with elements of time travel and a central murder mystery plot. I enjoyed it overall, but I felt that the pacing was a bit slow (especially when explaining theatre productions in great detail) and that some parts of the story were confusing. I was initially worried about the COVID setting, but I thought that this was a nice touch that provided a different perspective on the murder mystery genre. There were also a few lovely illustrations throughout that added to my enjoyment.

This is a really cute concept and I honestly like how the chapters are set up. It really allows for me to concentrate a lot more during parts I wasn’t particularly interested in.

It’s good, but the mystery feels confusing and predictable at the same time. I like the COVID lockdown mentions.

A bit of a mixed bag. But it definitely was one of the more interesting reads in premise and dealt with some surprisingly heavy stuff. It's hard to review this one. I didn't absolutely love it but didn't hate it either. A very decent read.
Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

Thank you NetGalley, Shuzo Oshimi, and Kodansha for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Final Rating 4.0

Simple and to the point, and yet surprisingly powerful, the horror in the manga is less about shock factor and more about the cruelty of humanity in general.

Although a short one-shot, it covers a myriad of topics such as neglect, mental health, sexual assault, and how judgmental, yet off-handed society can be. The thing is, none of these topics seem cheaply done because they are all something that goes on in society today, making the events uncomfortable to read, only because they are all so familiar. This manga is supposed to be a precursor to a movie that I haven’t seen, but I found I didn’t need prior knowledge of the movie to understand this story. Honestly, it made me want to watch the movie to see what happened after.
This manga is quite dark, but I do recommend reading it if you’re okay with dark themes.

Thank you again, NetGalley, Shuzo Oshimi, and Kodansha for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely unique in terms of plot if not a bit confusing. The writing is solid in parts and deals with everything from self harm and grief to murder. I did find it a bit meandering and confused about what genre it wanted to be. One part murder mystery, one part drama club. Which could’ve blended together, but tended to distract from the main story. It reads more like a love letter to the art of drama with the murder plot line sprinkled in. Parts were just references to movies and long acting monologues or descriptions of monologues. And Covid being used as some kind of plot point was a bit weird. It fell apart in the third act for me. If you like time travel and introspective ghosts. You’ll probably like this. (Thanks to Netgalley and Yen Press for the arc)

This was a suspenseful read and a bit confusing at times, but a fun enough read. This is honestly my first time reading a light novel, and I had expected it to be a manga when requesting, but I enjoyed it regardless.

This was not one of my usual book types, so it was a little hard for me to get into, but I did enjoy the story line. Miri was such an interesting character and had a lot of layers with her ability to see into the future. Yochi fell a little bit flat for me but his ability to see into the past was kinda neat. With how he had to look into someone's eyes in order to do it, even after they have passed away. But how if they have tears in their eyes his ability strenghtens. I don't think I would want to be either Yochi or Miri as it would break my heart over and over again to live with what they see. I did enjoy the occasional art mixed into the story to give you a better idea of the characters and what is going on in the story. And the way they had to work together to find out who was killing others. But the end did make me cry a little.

3.25 Stars.
A very light, fast and a fun read with as much as interesting concept, tropes and easy to follow storyline.

Miri Lives in the Cat's Eye was a captivating and charming read! The story was unique, blending mystery and fantasy with a touch of whimsy. The characters were well-developed, and the plot kept me intrigued throughout. It’s a wonderfully imaginative book that I really enjoyed.

This was a very interesting concept, but it definitely got a bit confusing at times. The story is centered around a boy who can see into the past and a girl who can see into the future. There are a string of murders happening and the girl claims he must figure out who the murderer is before more people get injured.

I disliked how excessively Covid was mentioned. To me, it felt like it didn't really have any impact on the story and kept getting thrown in randomly. I also wished that the story would have taken place in other settings instead of usually being with the drama club and its members. While I do understand the importance that held to the story line, I just think it would have been more enticing to add in other suspects or scenarios.

The ending was interesting, but seemed like a bit of a stretch. I don't see how a college student would have had money to do some of the things that the female main character claimed to have done. The relationship between the two was interesting and I'm not sure I could find it believable that they loved each other without ever really meeting. Thank you to Netgalley, Yen Press, and Taiga Shiki for an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion.

Title: Miri Lives in the Cat’s Eye
Where I Read: ARC via @netgalley and @yenpress
Synopsis: The stage is set for a love across time.Youichi Kamisuki is a college student with the uncanny ability to see people’s pasts by gazing into their eyes. After being trapped inside due to the pandemic, his stale, stagnant life takes a turn when his next-door neighbor is murdered. In the chaos, he locks eyes with a stray cat and somehow meets a girl from the past named Miri, who can peer into the future.From across time, Miri warns Youichi that this murder will not be the last. With her help, he sets out to change the fate of his friends. As the two grow close, Youichi finds himself wanting to meet Miri. The only question is…where is she in the present?
.
The RayView: ✨✨✨✨
The HeatRay: 🍬
.
I’ll be honest, I’m not big on the whole time traveling trope. I find it much too complicated for me no matter how well it’s written. I imagine I’d have had an easier time if I had seen it instead but this is indeed a light novel and that’s on me. I enjoyed the mystery aspect to it. It wasn’t too easy or too over complicated which made me curious to continue. It being during the COVID pandemic made it one of the most modern stories I’ve read as of late and honestly it was comforting to read. Sounds strange to say given the devastating time of our lives but seeing and reading about the anxiety, the panic, the changes that the pandemic brought to others filled me with a sense of kinship for my own experiences.

This was absolutely ridiculous, impossible to really explain, and a great freaking time. Did I know what was going on a lot of the time? No. Would I read it again? Absolutely. Kind of wild from start to finish so just hold on for the ride 😌.

The premise is absolutely bananas, and trying to explain it just makes one sound insane. But the meat of the story was compelling. A boy who can reach into the past and a girl who can see the future, colliding across time and space, building an elaborate theater together (and in competition with each other - how very Night Circus of them). We had a whodunnit - complete with explanations of each of the increasingly impractical steps the killer needed to take + a uniquely bizarre setting with the Goddess House. We had COVID being a fundamental part of the story - both in solving the murders and also explaining Youichi’s mental state and how he reacts to each of the people in Drama Club.

Things did get waaaay harder to buy into by the end, when we get the big reveals. But I think overall it was definitely worth the read.