Cat Paradise by Yuji Iwahara

Title: Cat Paradise
Mangaka: Yuji Iwahara
Age Group: Older Teens
Series is: Completed with 5 volumes
Volume(s) Reviewing: 1
My Rating: 4.5/5

Matabi Academy is known for allowing its students to bring their pet cats. Yumi Hayawa, a new student who's hobby is to make cute outfits for her cat Kansuke, soon realizes her new school is unlike anything she has seen before.

After she and her friend got attacked by a demon, she learns that the founder of Matabi Academy sealed away the great cat demon Kaen a 100 years ago. Now Kaen is back, ready to cause chaos on Earth.

I thought I wouldn't enjoy this series but surprisingly it grabbed my interest pretty quickly. Yumi is one of those clumsy female characters you would find in some mangas but is one that doesn't tick off the readers. The student council of her school plays a huge role also because each of the members are chosen to stop Kaen. Thus far, the first volume only gives insight on one of the members, Kotori. I am assuming that every volume will reveal more about the student council.

One of the most unique aspects of this novel is how the mangaka uses cats as part of the main focus of the story. Those who are "chosen" have the ability to communicate with cats and they have a magical bond to their own pet cat. This bond will enable them to use some sort of magic and that could either be the cat or the owner their self. It may sound a little childish, but the concept is not as bad as you think it is, considering that I'm giving it a 4.5 so far. The mangaka made it work with the plot and fun.

There is a lot of inking so the black and white stands out in the art. Characters such as Yumi and Kotori are drawn with big eyes and has cute demeanour attached to them but it does not scream shojo. Most of the time, the characters are drawn with simple expressions and clothing, keeping everything neat. I think the mangaka did well with the cat drawings and they seem to be accurate to their breed. Overall I like Iwahara's artstyle because it is clean and simple, but nice to look at the same time.

I recommend this manga to cat lovers and those would would like a series about demons in a school location.

Won copy from Tiamat's Manga Reviews.