Itou Junji no Neko Nikki: Yon & Muu
Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu

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This is just going to be a short review.

For me, I enjoyed reading this manga very much! A fan of Itou Junji after reading Uzumaki, I began reading his many other works. After hearing that he's not some psycho manga artist, but instead, a gentle cat lover who drew a cat manga about his real life experience with his cats, I know I must go and read that manga!

All the works from Itou junji that I have read was horror or gore related. Only this was so cute and.. normal! Normal in a way that there's no blood or rotting flesh related things appearing inside ... here!

It's so comical at how Itou Junji's drawing style are used in this 'normal' kind of environment. Imagine the horrified faces Itou Junji draws, when the protagonist sees a rotted body or spirals or tomie reviving a thousand times (in Uzumaki, Tomie), being used here, when the protagonist is instead, faced with cute and cuddly cats!

It's just so funny and different from his usual works. This is a must read!

Junji Ito, easily the greatest horror mangaka ever, decided to write an autobiographical diary about taking care of his two cute cats with his wife. It was a radical departure, but Ito's talent shined through, creating a funny, entertaining work.

Despite being a manga about two adorable felines and his wife, Ito uses the same drawing style and presentation as for his horror manga. The wife has pupil-less eyes and a demonic grin. The cats are constantly drawn as creepy, fearsome beings internally plotting among themselves for their owner's demise. Frequently, Ito draws himself as an insane monster. This ... art style and presentation, when contrasted against the stories of taking care of two adventurous felines, is amusing and stays that way throughout the almost 200 pages of the manga. Everyone outside of Ito's household is drawn as a normal, cheerful person, adding to the humor.

The individual chapters detail different episodes of dealing with cats, from their adoption to them curling up on a bed to one escaping and being caught. It's entertaining enough for cat lovers and owners, but one obviously shouldn't expect Ito's usual creativity. It is, after all, a cat diary. Ito was smart enough to end it after 10 chapters, before the cat's antics became repetitive, and the charm of the horror-style presentation faded away.

One aspect I really enjoyed were the color photos of Ito's two real-life cats contained near the end of the manga. After seeing them, I was even more impressed by Ito's fictional depiction of them in the manga. Then again, as a cat lover myself, I know there is a little devil inside even the most innocent of cats!

Junji Ito's Cat Diary is a good, solid manga I would recommend to any fans of his, cat lovers, or anyone looking for a short, fun read.

There are really two major pieces to this manga.

1. It's a humorous look at a man who's forced to learn to become a cat person thanks to his new wife. As a cat guy myself, the behaviors--both by cats and people--ring true to life.

2. It's Junji Ito. He's best known for his horror work like Gyo and Uzumaki, so to see this very different side of him is inherently interesting. And occasionally that creepier side still comes through, either through something his character thinks, or some drawing that looks particularly twisted. Just check out the picture used on this site to represent his character.

If either ... of those pieces pique your interest you might like it. If both do, definitely give it a go. It's 10 fairly short chapters, so it's not a very big commitment to experience.

Today, we’re looking at his cat diary that he wrote when he and his wife first got married. In the manga, he dubbed over their names and called them like J-san, A-ko, Yon, Muu, etc. It actually hardly matters because the focus on the story on how he’s trying to cope living with cats, since he’s a dog person.

What makes this pretty funny is that he’s telling a non-horror story using his signature horror style. It kinda makes things creepier than he intended but once you’re stuck in a style, it’s hard to get out of it.

There are a lot of moments where we can ... relate to – trying to get the cat’s affections, when cats do weird things, when cats run away. The cats themselves definitely have their own personalities and honestly, I think Junji wasn’t entirely serious on doing this manga in the first place. It says what it is right on the tin: a cat diary.

He learns things that people like him would learn about cats and how people are with them. I don’t have much to say about it because it’s really cute and it’s really funny. Within the manga, there’s also some questions some fans would ask him and he’d earnestly answers them!

If you’re a cat fan, you’ll relate to this manga. If you’re a Junji Ito fan, then this is a funny piece of trivia to have in your arsenal. It’s a nice and light read to kill some time but I wouldn’t really want to pick it up over and over again unless I can truly relate to the antics (which I probably won’t since I have cat allergies).

Story:
No real story but a buncha short stories. It's super cute. I don't really know if there's much else, but because it's so comfy and homey I think that gives it credence to be a little better than average. It's about as cozy as Junji Ito can get, or rather, as he WANTS to get. He gives it his flare, of course, by making it somewhat horrific but mostly always comedic. I think that warrants a step up from what most would consider a standard cat blog in manga form.


Art:
Ito's art is tons of fun and I think that's what sells this. It's so beyond ... what one might expect, and it's got so much charm to it. I didn't really think he'd go all out but he did. He made cat loving seem more insane than it is, considering it almost always converts dog lovers (or HAMSTER lovers!)


Character:
The characters of J-kun and A-Ko are so much fun but since it's more about the cats, it's clear that most of the personality was given to them instead. This isn't bad, just don't expect much out of these characters. But, you're not reading this story for deep character drama's, you're reading it because holy crap guys Junji Ito wrote a cat comedic cat manga. How cool is that?


Enjoyment:
Super enjoyable. I laughed, chuckled, and the whole thing was super enjoyable. I wish there was more. I really do. I could read his cat diary for the longest time. It'd be so neat to see him draw horrific yet adorable little cunning kittens as they prowl around his home, but I'm also fine seeing him write other horror stories too.


((If you liked this review, check out my other reviews by going to my profile and clicking the 'reviews' tab. I review virtually all anime and manga I find!))

Junji Ito, better known for his remarkable twisted and weird horror manga, becomes a co-kitty-owner when his fiancée moves in with him, bringing her cat, Yon, along for the ride. Soon afterwards, she adopts a small kitten, Mu, to help keep Yon from being lonely.

The manga was a small collection of hilarious anecdotes of what life is like with a small clan of energetic, curious, and mischievous feline family members. Almost all of the tales can be appreciated by anyone who’s ever been a cat-slave. They were very cute.

The humour and adorability was further amplified by Ito-san’s unique, creepy, and horror-infused illustrations. For example, Yon ... is described and drawn as a “cursed” kitty due to the markings on his back that resemble a skull. This “cursed” nature comes up a couple of times throughout the book in funny ways when Ito-san describes a busy night of working. I laughed quite a bit at those parts because I could relate to it on a personal level. I once mistook my black cat for a gargantuan rat in the middle of the night (yay exhaustion). I had been awake for almost 4 days, studying for midterms.

My favourite aspect of the manga is the message that no matter what kind of person you are–cat person, dog person, etc.–when animals are involved, your passions can usually be swayed, especially where love and cuteness is concerned. 😉

I will provide a small warning for anyone who’s ever lost a pet: the extra story at the end is much sadder than the rest of the manga and may evoke tears. I know that I cried dearly and hugged my cats to my chest for a while.

I highly recommend this to fans of Junji Ito, manga fans, and cat lovers everywhere. There’s something here for you all to enjoy or relate to.

10 hairballs outta 10!!

From the prolific master of body-horror manga, creator of countless classics like Uzumaki and Tomie, Junji Ito brings us a new tale of terror. An anxiety-inducing collection of stories more horrifying than any slug monsters or murderous spirits - that being the induction of one man into the world of cat ownership.

Junji Ito's Cat Diary is an exaggerated autobiography, detailing Ito's experiences with Yon & Mu, two cat's that seemingly influenced the mangaka's fear of the unknown. Each story features Ito going toe-to-toe (toe-to-paw???) with his feline flatmates, recalling horror stories of the most earthly capacity - from scratch-proofing the house, to mastering the technique ... of flailing a cat wand.

Though most readers come to Ito's works for his ability to instill fear, Cat Diary harnesses his often underutilized ability to make us laugh. Ito's beginnings as a mangaka were surprisingly light-hearted (i.e. his mischievous Souichi character becoming a big hit in Japan)
[Note: Souichi makes multiple appearances in the recent Junji Ito Collection anime, but I implore you to not watch that unfortunate train-wreck of a production. Someday we'll get a proper adaption of his works...]

Despite the jovial tone of Cat Diary's, Ito's expertise as a horror writer still lands all of their marks - intense atmosphere, intricate line work, the infamous page-turn panels, everything you know and love about Ito is still present. His ability to create extreme visual anxiety in his characters is plainly influenced from his own mental hurdles, as put on display here. (I pray for Ito-sensei's mental stability!)

Though some fans might be disappointed in the lack of otherworldly design and grotesque creatures, Ito's drawings of his cats are eerily realistic, capturing the constantly-contorting anatomy of his cat's to a painstaking degree. The imagination used in his monstrous creations are top-notch, but the passion put into capturing the mannerisms of his cats is just as impressive.

Overall, Junji Ito's Cat Diary is an excellent blend of horror and wholesome, a light-hearted read that anyone can enjoy. If you've ever been interested in his work, but couldn't stomach some of his creepier projects, this one is the perfect read for you!

How can cats be so terrifying?
Because Junji Ito!
The Master of Horror made a manga about super cute creatures, so he had to make them evil and scary.

There is not much of a story, the whole thing is a slice of life, about Ito moving in with his wife Ako and her cats, Muu and Yon, whose name can be read like “Death” and who has a skull shaped spot. That’s enough for Ito to decide that the cat is not only evil and malevolent, but also out to get him! So it begins a story of horror and tension between the Master of Horror ... himself and the two cute (actually all but cute, in his art) felines, which hasn’t got that many interesting plot points, even though the premise is fine, the story is nothing special, 5/10.

Speaking of art, though, it’s a very different matter, and I’m surely not the one who has discovered that Ito’s unique style is great, even though, for how much I could ever love it, there’s no denying that drawing cute things made scary with it, lets it down a little bit. The cats lose a lot (if not all) their cuteness and become really unsettling at times, but some other times they are not really scary enough to sell the scene well (Mu in particolar, who looks really fluffy). Nevertheless, the art style does miracle on the cats, and also on Ako, who is drawn with blank white eyes and is REALLY creepy, almost everytime she is present. Even though is does a great job at it, monsters and body horror, certainly suit it best, 9/10.

Human characters are fine, nothing spectacular, nothing terrible, they are stereotypes of Ito and Ako’s personality, but the great characterization of the cats bumps it from total mediocrity: they truly are the main characters of the story and it feels like it, they are perfectly normal cats who happen to be evil and inconspicuous (just like normal cats) and never feel fake, it’s just very evident that they are a bit exaggerated by Ito’s iagination (both at the time and when writing), 7/10.

In the end, I found it really enjoyable, even though it isn’t Ito’s regular work, it’s light hearted and funny, and the horror is twisted in an unusual (but often very nice) comedic way, without letting you forget how Ito earned his nickname. The book is also very short, both in chapter length and in chapter amount, so it’s very light and relaxing to read (if only it wasn’t 12€ for only 120 pages…).
The little inserts in between chapters (little Q&A that was published along with the chapters in the original release, with some very funny scenes and facts) also add to the score.
Keeping the price out of the equation, it’s very enjoyable, 8/10.

Overall, a deserved 7/10, it’s not incredible, but it’s something different that any Junji Ito fan should read and could enjoy

This is the first review I've done so I'm sorry if it isn't longer than other reviews on this website. As I write reviews, I'll make them longer each time.

Ito Junji no Neko Nikki: Yon & Mu is the first-ever manga I've read by Junji Ito. I enjoy his art style since you don't typically see that kind of style in other mangaka's works. I also enjoyed the story of having to deal with cats on an everyday basis since I own two cats myself.

For the characters, I'm gonna review the humans and then the cats. The humans, J-kun and A-ko, were fun to ... watch as they dealt with their two cats. I can't really relate to J-kun since he is just learning how to deal with cats but I've had cats ever since I was a baby. I definitely relate to A-ko better though since she already knows how to deal with cats. Now for the cats, Yon and Mu. Yon was way more creepier than Mu and I can see why J-kun was scared of him at first. On the other side, Mu was much more cuter. Mu also reminds me of one of my cats named Honey but Honey is vastly different from Mu since she is always angry, except for when she has just woken up.

My emotions throughout the manga varied a ton of times from being happy to being sad. I did cry like 2 times during it as well

Overall, I really enjoyed this manga and I want to read some of Junji Ito's other works. If you have some spare time to read a quick manga I recommend reading this one.

This manga is about Junji Ito's experience with two cats, that moved in with him and his wife to their new house. The art style is 100% Ito's, and the story is funny and relatable, at least for us cat lovers.

At the beginning Mr J. says he prefers dogs over cats, but soon after knowing the felines he wants to know them better and win their affection. The daily situations they encounter are realistic. It's a simple short story but I enjoyed every chapter.

I felt personally stroked by this manga because my oldest cat passed away a few days ago, and I found this ... story to convey the personality of cats in such a vivid manner. Cats do act weird, and I loved them for it.