I typically read anything with cat in the title, so this was a must read. Did not know what to gather from the title and honestly it was very different than what I could have expected. Sci-fi happenings in this universe that has a special government employee to tackle them. This story is very slow-paced and slice of life but very interesting and enjoyable.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

When a Cat Faces West, Volume 1 by Yuki Urushibara was a strange, slightly fantastical slice of life manga about a man who works for the city trying to diagnose "flow" issues, or strange events physically changing the city. He's assisted by a 35-year-old woman who got stuck in her 12-yaer-old body thanks to the flow.

This is a pretty serious, episodic volume with not a lot going on. I was kind of hoping it would take a slightly darker turn, or at least a more fantastical turn, but it just felt kind of flat and slow to me. The art was really good as usual, but I will not be continuing this series.

To me, this story had a very unique premise and I liked that it was a story with two adults, but not one hint of romance. They were co-workers (though she was in the body of a 12 year old version of her, so romance would have been gross, so I'm glad it didn't go there), an odd-couple, but they worked well together and had mysteries to solve. Her mystery hasn't been solved yet, but I will keep reading and see what happens when it has been resolved.

I like how cats are vital to the process of what they do. Not keen on the cat roaming about as an outdoor cat, not safe, but the cats in this book seem to have more of an ability to protect themselves then cats in real life.

The artwork was really soft and gentle and the mysteries weren't of the harsh, murder-variety, so I would say it's not too adult for middle reader and up.

I absolutely LOVED this and will most DEFINITELY read the next in the series.

5, enthusiastic, stars!

My thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

From the creator of Mushishi, we have another manga masterpiece that delicately walks the line between science fiction and fantasy. We are introduced to the concept of Flow, when the world is affected by the often overwhelming feeling of humans, causing a warp in the world around it. Hirota, along with his feline partner Shacho, are Flow professionals. Tasked with figuring out the source of the Flow and how to set things rights. Affected by the Flow herself, Chima is recommended by city hall to join the team.
With people's emotions resonating from the source of Flow, Shacho helps seek it out while Chima and Hirota try to put things right. From strange occurrences like rounding all of the sharp edges in town or a never-ending series of worlds in the mirror, they've got their hands full. Beautifully rendered, I can only hope this series makes it's way to print in the US.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
-Characters: 4/5
-Cover: 4/5
-Story: 5/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Scifi
Type: Manga
Worth?: Yes!

First want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review! I really enjoyed this manga. I could honestly see this turning into an anime. The characters, for the most part, are likeable. There is a cat... for those of you who like cats. In all seriousness I am glad I requested to read this one. The mystery behind the Flow is great and I can't wait for the second volume. I can't get enough of these two as well!

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First I would like to thanks Netgalley and Kodansha for send me an arc of this manga in exchange for an honest review. I loved the illustrations in this manga however I didn't feel like there was much of the story going on. Each chapter was a different story which is ok but they struggled to keep my interest. We don't know much about the characters in the first volume but maybe they'll build on that in the second one.

When a Cat Faces West is composed of several short stories, missions led by the three main protagonists. We discover the Flow, a strange phenomenon that occurs when matter falls out of balance and changes form. It manifests often like a break in space-time, but not only. It can be disruptive or delightful, but is always dealt with by the same team : the Flow Disposal department. Their mission ? Protect humans against the sometimes dangerous effect of the Flow and make sure that everything goes back to normal.

I'll tell you. When a Cat Faces West is sometimes weird. Sometimes confusing. But overall it was really interesting. I loved it. I love the three main characters. They form a great team. We discover this strange world through Chima Kondo, a 35-year-old woman stuck in the body of a 12-year-old thanks to the effects of Flow. The story begins with her joining the team, Hirota the boss of the agency and Shacho the cat, who is revealed to be a powerful Flow detector. The different stories are very intriguing, as we discover the many ways the Flow can appear in the heroes ‘world.

Usually I love manga, and I freely give stars because is something that I really enjoy, but I didn’t like this one that much, first the story was a bit weird, but not in the weird and cool like apple children of aeon, but simply weird, and not that explained, all chapters explored a different story and that is alright, the backgrounds are gorgeous, but the characters development are a bit lacking, I mean, so much work on the background and then the characters a bit plain… but maybe this is only me.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC, this is my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha, and Yuki Urushibara for the opportunity to read this manga in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this one, but it was super intriguing! The art almost turned me away, but then I got used to it and even found the simplicity and realism almost cute at times, and the more realistic style add to the effect of Flow occurrences when the artist draws those.

Flow is a strange phenomena that is usually uncontrollably caused by a person often undergoing a time of sadness or conflict. These occurrences alter the current state of reality in small areas for a (generally) short period of time that could be a matter of hours or days, or sometimes weeks. Hirota, manager and owner of Hirota Flow Inc., specializes in determining when flow will return to normal and often uses hints from his cat to determine possible sources for an occurrence. He hires young Chima on a City Hall reference, though Chima is not as young as she may appear, thanks to a Flow incident.

This first volume consists of six short stories each featuring a different Flow incident. It doesn't seem like there is an overarching story, really (maybe finding a way to reverse Chima's Flow result?), but each little short is fun in of itself. The concept is certainly an interesting one, and it was fun to read something so normal, yet so abstract.

It's weird for me to give a manga a 3, but being objective, while this is a new fun idea - a reality where matter fluctuates, causing strange occurrences, or "flow" - nothing really stood out past the concept. It's one that starts slowly, each chapter exploring a new Flow, which is fun, but only lasts so long. You expect the story to start to slowly develop, but since this only lasts 3 volumes, it doesn't look like we'll get much of it. Knowing that, I don't know that I can recommend getting into it.

I also found the backgrounds distracting. A lot of detail and energy went into all of that shading, and I admire it, but it seemed to contrast the simpler style of the characters too much.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this manga to review!

This manga follows Chima, Hirota, and Shacho the Cat; the employees of a Flow Disposal Specialist Unit, as they deal with the consequences of the fluctuations of matter: known as Flow.

This comes from the highly acclaimed mangaka of Mushishi, so you can expect the same quiet extraordinaryness.

It follows an episodic formula reminicent of a monster of the week setup but of course with each passing incident the team has to deal with, the layers of understanding of Flow are peeled back and an insight into the characters are revealed leading to a strengthening of their bonds and a growing attachment from the reader. By the end of this first volume, I defy anyone not to have fallen in love with these characters and this world.

I cannot rate this highly enough - this is MY JAM!!! And I want a physical copy one day Kodansha! Make it happen!

Date finished: 24/5/2022
Publish date: 17th May 2022

Series: If the cat faces west #1

4⭐
📱

Thank you to @Netgalley for approving this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

There's a cat on the cover and in the title. What better reason is there for requesting a book?

This one follows Chima Kondo as she starts a new job working for Hirota and his cat Shacho of Hirota Flow Inc. Hirota and Shacho investigate the flow, which are anomalies that disrupt the space and time continuum. Chima herself got caught up in one of these flow, and through working with Hirtoa and Shacho, tries to understand more about her flow and how to fix it.

I went into this one having no idea what to expect. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It has a slight mystery element to it. I was also drawn in by the cat. I want to know more about Shacho and how he just knows where a flow is and who is connected to it.

This one gave me similar vibes to The Rules duology by F.T. Lukens, as well as Primeval (only without the dinosaurs), which is a show I watched and loved when I was younger.

I would definitely love to continue this series.

A slice of life by the author of Mushishi? With a cat? Sci-fi/fantasy concept? Japanese urban aesthetics? Short stories and overarching story? Yes, please. It is funny because I was talking to someone who believes cats go to places with "weird energy" and like to fix it, just before getting this book ;)
Heartwarming and bittersweet, I recommend this manga.
I enjoyed it so much that I read it a bit too quickly, only pausing to reflect on how much the main character looks like Ginko ;) I would love to pick the next books in the series.

I want to thank NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I really enjoyed reading this manga and I will surely look forward to reading the next volumes. The plot is interesting because I haven't read many manga that deals with scifi concepts like alternate reality or multiverses. The cat is cute too.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this manga to review.

When a Cat Faces West is about the concept of "flow", which essentially cause shifts in the environment and time when it is out of balance. For example, in the story, a high school student feels conflicted about what he should do after he graduates, and this confusion changes a normal 3 lane intersection into 7 lanes. Chima, a 35 year old affected by flow and stuck in her body from when she was 12 years old, along with Hirota and his cat Shacho are the contractors of Hirota Flow Inc and help to restore flow balance whenever an issue occurs.

I thought this manga had a good and unique story. I do not read/watch a lot of content in the supernatural genre, but I enjoyed this story and am curious to see how it develops in further volumes. The characters are interesting and Shacho is a cute cat who seems to be able to detect flow imbalances. This story is written by the same mangaka who wrote Mushishi and I think fans of that series will enjoy this one as well.

3.5/5 Stars

I received this as an ARC through Netgalley. Thank you for allowing me to review this!

This series was illustrated and written by the creator of Mushishi, which I've heard many great things about. I picked this volume up because of that. The main conflict in the story is quite interesting: space-time fluctuations known as "Flow" randomly appear across the world due to strong emotions or other phenomenon. It is the job of Flow experts to find these anomalies and correct them by finding the cause and dealing with it. However, some types of Flow are complete mysteries and can't always be solved. Such a circumstance is the case for Chima Kondo, a 35-year-old office worker whose body regressed to a 12-year-old's. She isn't sure how to reverse it, and the Flow has completely disrupted the life she once had.

When a Cat Faces West has an intriguing enough story, but felt very slow for me. However, "going with the flow" (pun intended) of life, slowing down to look around and enjoy what is around us, is likely a big theme here. I was able to put this manga down and struggle to pick it up several times as I read. This is more of a personal preference problem than a fault of the mangaka's, but others who prefer a faster-paced story might feel the same.

As for the artwork, the art style wasn't for me. It feels quite rough and the faces aren't always that detailed. Sometimes eyes are slightly off balance or perspective. I will say that the backgrounds help tie it together, since the characters don't overpower them. Instead, everything feels as if it fits together quite homogeneously. The atmosphere is mysterious, yet calming and dream-like. I can appreciate it even if it isn't exactly my taste.

The start to a short and neat series.

I was pleasantly surprised by this manga because I didn't expect much. I had read an excerpt of the first chapter when it was released but it didn't attract me more than that. Fortunately, I had the chance to read the whole of volume 1 and it was worth it.
We follow Chima as she starts a new job where she and Hirota have to investigate flows, natural phenomena that cause random havoc. I love this idea of flow, I find it so possible in real life, it would be crazy. I also really enjoyed our characters, who I found very likeable and engaging. Chima herself has been affected by a flow and so there is a certain mystery surrounding her. It's a really intriguing story. I can't wait to read the rest
I would recommend to anyone who likes science fiction or is looking for a mystery
4/5

This story was a fun read. The idea of flow and its affects on people and the world around them was what first intruigued me to this book. The storyline was good but not great. Since this is the first volume estabilishing the world and the way flow works took center stage. We got minimal character development but maybe that will be tackles in the next volume. The job missions were fun especially the mirror within a mirror version of flow. That was my favorite.
For a volume one I'd give it 3 stars. It was good and enjoyable but no entirely great.


Thank you Kodansha and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very sweet, low-to-no-conflict spec-fic manga, with a cute cat to boot! The stories and 'cases' each chapter was based around were so good, and I can't wait to read more in this series.

A really good beginning to a new fantasy manga.

In this first volume we are introduced to ‘The Flow’a kind of time warp that unbalances or changes matter. Streets can appear or disappear, people can be caught up in alternate dimensions, shapes change, people become younger, odd things happen. The effects of the Flow are recognised and it is Hirota’s job to disperse the Flow when it happens. Together with his cat which is a Flow detector and his 35 year old assistant who has the body of a 12 year old because of the Flow, he seeks to disperse the flow, and find ways of recovering normality.

The artwork is good like most manga, but it is the story that wins the day. It is gripping and I want to read volume two now. It is a bit of fantasy, a bit of sci fi but also supernatural and a cat 🐈‍⬛ 🐈 has a leading role in the story.

Definitely a series to follow because it is going to be an excellent one!

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.