The Winter 2021 Manga Guide

I Am A Cat Barista

What's It About? 

For some people, the daily grind of city life is exhausting. Yet somewhere between busy streets there's a mysterious cat café that can only be found by weary souls. What's on the menu? A delicious cup of coffee, specially brewed for each customer…by a cat barista!'

I Am A Cat Barista is drawn and scripted by Hiro Maijima and Seven Seas Entertainment has released its first volume both physically and digitally for $13.99 and $ 9.99 respectively

---

Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

At Café Hachiware, there's no menu. There are no waiters or other staff – just Hachiware himself, who provides the drink (and maybe dessert) that his customers most need in whatever moment of crisis brought them to his café's door. It's like a sweet version of the shop in xxxHOLiC, one that can only be found if you truly need its healing power. Oh, and Hachiware's a giant humanoid cat. Did I forget to mention that?

I Am A Cat Barista is a charming little book that really has its heart in the right place. We don't know much about Hachiware himself – although the extra chapter where we meet his friend who is also a human-sized cat-man suggests that perhaps he's a bakeneko, a type of cat yokai who gains powers after a long life. Since this more or less agrees with the portrayal of bakeneko in another manga, The Cat Proposed, it seems as likely as anything, and Hachiware's repeated catchphrase, that cats stay by their people, certainly suggests that he may have once lived with a person who loved him very much and he's now paying that love forward. Again, this also seems to hold true of his friend, who runs a more traditional cat café (as opposed to a café run by a cat); not that any of this is necessarily important to this volume. But if it's true, it says a lot about the creator's view of cats and the genuine care that exists between many cats and their people, giving it a boost in the “heartwarming” department.

The title is also, of course, a reference to Natsume Soseki's classic novel I Am a Cat, but as with the potential bakeneko bit, that's just the icing on the cake. The book follows a variety of people as they discover Café Hachiware and tell its owner/barista their troubles, while he dispenses both sage advice and yummy goodies. There's very little change-up in the formula; one woman, who has a particularly toxic workplace, comes in twice, and we meet another on what is clearly not her first visit to the café, because she makes a reference to Hachiware “always” being a certain way. But the formula doesn't actually need any tinkering with, because each person's situation is unique to them, if not unique in general, and there's just a gentle warmth to the entire book. There are a few sad moments (although I fully admit that I am highly susceptible to lost pet tragedies), but this is just a feel-good book overall. And as a bonus, Hiro Majima doesn't make Hachiware look creepy even though he's a giant man-sized cat, complete with toe beans. It's definitely a book for cat lovers, but even if you're a dog person looking for a heartwarming read, I'd recommend giving this a try.

---

Caitlin Moore

Rating:

I'll be honest, the premise of I Am A Cat Barista is kind of terrifying. Much like the first customer-of-the-week, I'd be terrified for my life if I walked into a cafe and a giant anthropomorphic cat was behind the counter… maybe after making sure there wasn't a furry con in town. After making sure this creature was not in fact a human in a fursuit, I'd probably run screaming and not sit down and let him make me coffee.

But fortunately, I am a reader and not a customer, so instead I'll watch as the Master serves up his customers exactly what they need for their problems and dispenses just advice they need to hear. I can see how a series about a cat running a cafe came to be: cats are popular iyashikei subjects, as are bars and cafes run by a wise proprietor who always sees right to the core of an issue. It's a pleasant, relaxing read, and thus it meets its own goal perfectly.

The Master's customers have issues that most of us have probably felt at some point: trapped in a vicious cycle of work-related stress and fatigue, anxious at the prospect of striking up a conversation with a stranger, worried about being their full self with a new romantic partner. They're battered and bruised by a culture that emphasizes overwork and rigid conformity to the point of self-sacrifice. This is where the Master's species comes in: he advises them to do as a cat would. It's often actually pretty good advice too, as he emphasizes the importance of self-care and being true to oneself. It's okay to refuse to go to social events when you don't want to, and you should feel free to share what you love with your partner.

Like a good cat, I Am A Cat Barista is warm and fuzzy, a pleasure to snuggle up with after a hard day instead of doing chores.

---

MrAJCosplay

Rating:

I didn't think that a small collection of shorts revolving around a magical cat café run by probably one of the most casually suave anthropomorphic cats I've ever seen would end up being one of the most wholesome and uplifting things I've ever read this year. Everyone has different hardships going on in their lives at different times, and sometimes we wander aimlessly unsure of what to do or how to feel better. This series carefully demonstrates that sometimes you just need a quiet place to vent while enjoying a nice cup of coffee or juice drink to wash away all the fatigue of frustrating everyday life. While it feels like this simple manga is an excuse for the author to flex about their love of cats, I found it impossible to not get sucked into that love and reverence.

A lot of the advice offered to the unsuspecting patrons of this mythical café may seem simple or even self-explanatory. At least in this first volume, all the messages seem to come down to just looking after yourself and taking proper self-care. However, just because something seems simple to an outsider looking in doesn't necessarily mean that the solution will always present itself as simple when you're in the thick of those frustrating trials and tribulations. In fact, I would argue that keeping such messages simple and easy to digest is the manga's greatest strength. Picking this up to read felt like I myself was visiting the café like the myriad of characters that appear in every chapter. I feel like I was given a momentary reprieve from my busy day-to-day life so I could just sit back and enjoy a simple drink, feeling refreshed enough to take on the next day. If there's even a chance that this will do the same for you then I could not recommend this manga enough!