While this website revels in all things comic book related, there is one thing we never cover: manga. The closest we have ever gotten to discussing is Scott Pilgrim, and that hardly counts. However, there is one thing that we (I) are rather notorious in glorifying on the site in addition to comic books: cats! We just can’t get enough of them and their adorable little faces and mannerisms.
Of course, if there were a situation where the two elements of comic books and cats being combined, and another website tips us (me) off to it, you’ll be sure that we (I) will then go out and find this comic immediately.
And find it we (I) did. Check behind the cut for my thoughts on one of the most adorable things I’ve ever read.
I’ll keep this short and sweet: Chi’s Sweet Home stars a young kitten who gets separated from her mother and family, becoming lost in the wild and scary world. With giant screaming cars and frightening dogs running about, Chi eventually finds herself rescued and adopted by a new family who take care of her. Soon, she forgets about her former life and adapts to the new family, going through various new experiences with wide and bewildered eyes.
Konami Kanata wrote and illustrated Chi in a Japanese magazine before it was ported into a manga and distributed between seven volumes (three of which have been translated into English for American audiences). The story is one-part lolcat and one-part pet ownership wrapped up into an adorable little package. We follow Chi around the house as she attempts to communicate in broken “kitten English”, falling into many of the different routines that all ring true to cat owners. In fact, as much as lolcats ring true to the very existence of these adorably manipulative little creatures, Chi captures the very essence of what a kitten in a new home acts like.
At first, that description might sound odd, or even off putting. A book that starts with a kitten being separated from her family? Spending a good portion of the book learning to forget her mother? Why would we want to read that? However, I instead posit to you that those of you who are pet owners might know what it’s like to take a new pet home. You may not be able to see inside their heads, but that separation is a universal experience that pet owners can share – especially when helping your new pet adapt to the new home environment. This makes for an incredibly real experience, which was the first thing that Chi’s Sweet Home did right.
I never hide my absolute love for cats when it comes to this site or any other medium. When a comic comes out that captures the essence of cats and their adorable nature, you can guarantee I’ll get it as soon as I can and then blast through it in one sitting. Chi is a hilarious and poignant read that reminds me of how my kittens acted when I first brought them home, and in many ways the book reflects on experiences I’ve had and still have. While the obvious cat ownership mentality reaches in and connects with the book, the book also has it’s charm simply as an animal lover. If you simply love the company of a small furry creature in your home, or grew up with a pet, a lot of this will remind you of them in their younger ears. Everything is fresh and new and exciting and confusing in the eyes of innocent little Chi, and the reader is brought along the for the ride of discovery.
There isn’t too much to say about Chi beyond that. Chi is a comic that exists only to make you smile, and it’s the type of comic that you can read and laugh openly and often due to the shenanigans that take place within the pages. If you’re a cat owner or a pet lover in general, or if you have a strange fascination with lolcats, you will assuredly find something to love in Chi’s Sweet Home. It’s not very often that you get something as genuinely sincere and heartfelt a story as that which stars a kitten discovering the world.
If you’re really looking for something without all the tights and spandex and muscled men and women, then perhaps it’s time you step over into the manga section of your favorite store and see what you can do about finding a copy of Chi’s Sweet Home. That is, if you like being happy. If you don’t like being happy, or you just hate cats, tune in next week when we recommend Rise of Arsenal #3!
