Book Review: Cat + Gamer
By Vanessa Warner
This series is a collaboration between ALA’s Gaming Round Table and the Graphic Novel and Comics Round Table (GNCRT.) GNCRT members have written comics recommendations for crossover media related to gaming that GameRT members might enjoy and use in their praxis. You can find more information about the GNCRT here.
- Creators: Story and Art by Wataru Nadatani
- Translation by Zack Davisson
- Lettering and Retouch by Susie Lee and Studio Cutie
- Publisher: Dark Horse Manga
- Publication Date: Original Publication Date – 2019; English Translation Date: 2022
- ISBN: 978-1-50672-741-7
Riko Kozakura is a 29 year old trading company worker. She gets her work done promptly at 5 o’clock everyday so she doesn’t have to stay overtime. However, she doesn’t use her free time for activities like partying or socializing. Riko’s routine is set — she works so she can eat and play games. That’s right: Riko is a gamer, dedicated to completing mini-quests and leveling up! Until one day, her work’s security guard finds an abandoned kitten in the parking lot, and, without truly understanding why, Riko decides to adopt it.
Clueless about caring for a cat, Riko applies her gaming skills in order to help her new kitten level up. With the help of a patient pet store employee, Riko gradually learns to care for her kitten, whom she eventually names Musubi. At the same time, little Musubi is trying to understand his new owner and her gaming ways.
Cat + Gamer is a slice-of-life manga full of gentle moments. The pace is slow, but charming. Any reader who owns cats will relate to the many challenges Riko faces with Musubi, from buying expensive cat toys when the cardboard box will suffice to getting the phone camera ready to take a cute picture right as Musubi decides to move. For gamers with cats, scenes that are all-too familiar include Musubi sitting on the game console way too close to the power button and swatting at enemies on the tv screen. However, any reader who appreciates cuteness and humor will find something to enjoy in Cat + Gamer.