Neko Ane.

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tl;dr: A story about a cat that becomes human centered around family bonds that while not a masterpiece still manages to elicit a decent level of feelings. 

This manga starts out with a really lighthearted tone to the point that it kind of feels like a gag manga. As it goes on it gets quite a bit more melancholic, especially in regards to portions that deal with the past and those that looked towards the future. Intermixed with all that though there’s still a decent amount of happier and more lighthearted events, which work well for the most part even if the tone does seem a bit random ... at times. Through all this, there’s some light character and relationship development and a few smaller overarching plot threads, but for the most part its focused on just a bunch of amusing and heartwarming moments generally centered around showing off family bonds. There is a larger overarching thread that pops up a bit too early I think and then somewhat ignored in a somewhat awkward fashion until in the end it pops up again and build up to a nakige type ending. The writing on all this I would say was decent enough, though ultimately it did end up glossing over some of the side characters such as Hayase. Still, overall, I would say it was ultimately reasonably satisfying. The art was okay, but I actually felt like it was better towards the beginning towards the end as it felt like as it went on the artist began playing things too safe and simple. 

I wasn't particularly impressed with the first two volumes of this manga. I don't particularly care for ecchi, and the chapters in these volumes all had scenes of Anzu either being naked, almost naked, or getting into some sort of sexually charged 'misunderstanding' with Ginnosuke. I don't really find much humor in ecchi, so those two volumes almost put me off the series. Things start to turn around in the third volume, which sees another character introduced, the existing characters get better developed, the ecchi content disappears, and Anzu's clothes stop emphasizing her chest. The story also begins to build in ... drama and complexity, doing a much better job of drawing you in and making you feel connected to the characters.

The switch in tone for the manga really helped to turn it into an enjoyable story. All of the story line were wrapped up by the end (although I was left wanting a little more with some of them). The art, while not perfect, seems well-suited to the story. The characters are also well done, and their development feels natural and earned.