Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Japan's most beloved masterpiece brought to life with manga English readers can now enjoy I Am a Cat as a graphic novel for the first time. Read right to left, this popular story--the most read novel in Japan--has been skillfully adapted by Tyrol Kobata.
Set in early 20th century Tokyo, Soseki Natsume's comic masterpiece satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle-class Japanese society during the Meiji era. With biting wit and sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a world-weary stray cat who comments on the follies and foibles of the people around him.
Originally written as a short story, then serialized in eleven parts, the novel was published in three volumes between 1905-07, becoming an instant success and making Soseki the most popular writer in Japan.
Synopsis
- I Am a Cat is a classic of Japanese literature by the greatest Japanese writer of the modern era
- Soseki's most popular novel--an early surrealist work which has inspired all Japanese writers like Murakami who came later
- This is the first manga edition of this popular novel to be published in English
- Graphic editions of literature are growing in popularity and often used as textbooks in schools
- This manga version is abridged, however it covers the entire cycle of stories told in the novel
- Opens right-to-left, the authentic Japanese way
Synopsis
Japan's beloved literary masterpiece brought to life in manga form Soseki Natsume's comic masterpiece, I Am a Cat, satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle-class Japanese society in early 20th century Tokyo. Written with biting wit and sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a rather cynical stray kitten. He finds his way into the home of an English teacher, where his running commentary on the follies and foibles of the people around him has been making readers laugh for more than a century.
This is the very first manga edition in English of this classic piece of Japanese literature. The story lends itself well to a graphic novel format, allowing readers to pick up on the more subtle cues of the expressive cat, while also being immersed in the world of his perceptive narration. It is true to classic manga form, and is read back to front.
The cast of characters includes:
- Kushami--His master, who is not good at his job and quite stupid
- The Kenedas--A conceited couple with a spoiled daughter
- Meitei--Kushami's friend who is fond of jokes and tall tales
- A group of local cats including lovely Mikeko, and violent Kuro
Beautifully illustrated by Japanese artist Chiroru Kobato, this edition provides a visual, entertaining look at a unique period in Japan's history--filled with cultural and societal changes, rapid modernization and a feeling of limitless possibility--through the eyes of an unlikely narrator.