Nyankees Vol. 6by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 6 Madara shares his backstory and the reasoning behind his actions to Ryuusei and the other cats in Nekonaki.This is a review copy of a series I have not been following, and it is the final volume. Trigger warning: this volume contains animal abuse by a human! This is a story that follows street cats ... by partially portraying them as human thugs. It's an interesting concept, and it's pretty well done. It definitely focuses more on the human imagery, so the cat scenes are more like a parallel. I am a bit frustrated at the lack of females, and even more annoyed that the few times one appears or is talked about, it's in the role of mother -- including offering milk to a young cat new to the group. It's completely unrealistic for a cat colony, but it shows that this manga was completely designed with a male target audience in mind. I do like how the manga-ka translated cat colorations, fur, scars, and other physical cat attributes to human outfits, builds, hairstyles, etc. The main characters are both male calicos (yes, they are real -- I've seen one in person -- though their rarity is more of a factor to both cats and humans in this story than the real world. Also, Madara looks like a Tortoiseshell -- where's his white??). This male calico aspect is played up as a major part of the plot, which seems weird at first, but I appreciate the difference that's explained between how humans view this rare cat and how other cats do because of the humans' reaction. It's strange that the final volume in the series is almost a complete backstory dump. However, it does have a sense of closure through this explanation. The abuse Madara suffered as a kitten is used to shape his outlook and actions, and being that he's a cat and not a human, it makes better sense that there's no redemption or attempt to not be a sadistic liar. Nyankees is an interesting concept overall, but I can't say I enjoyed the abusive, thug aspects, even if, in the end, the street cats realize how positive their outlook on life is. This zen outlook is nice for a closing, but is too late for the story. Written: June 21, 2020
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