Cat + Crazy vol. 3

He’s under the tutelage of Jin “The Cat Whisperer” Nekoya.  He has his own cat, Tiger.  He’s even got a part-time job at a cat cafe.  What’s left for Kensuke to experience in terms of expressing his love for cats?  Why, starting a cat club at his school, of course.  He’ll need at least three people to get approval for it, which means that Koharu is going to be drawn into this whether she wants to be or not.  As for the third, well, Kensuke has his sights set on the school’s resident bad boy, Ichijo Kotaro, whose nasty attitude and scars make it seem like he wouldn’t have any time for this kind of nonsense.  Yet, is it possible that inside this delinquent’s heart burns the soul of a bonafide cat lover?  And even if he does join this new cat club, what kind of trouble is going to follow him into it?

Three volumes in and “Cat + Crazy” continues to delight.  The general nuttiness and silliness of its main characters, with Koharu still stuck playing straight woman to them, is still amusing and Ichijo proves to be a worthy addition here.  Both in terms of personality and his adorable tuxedo cat, Schwarz.  We also get some standout chapters in this volume as we get to see the world from Tiger’s eyes and how his own both endears and exasperates him on a regular basis.  Then there’s the final chapter which is an improbable but successful combination of slapstick with life-or-death stakes.  While I’m not sure if this series is something I could recommend to someone who isn’t already a cat lover, I can certainly say that those who are will find plenty to love here.