Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten – Manga First Impression

Sorry about putting this here guys. There’s this new site that has been stealing all my content (and content from a lot of other great bloggers) called Anime Sensai. They really suck. But I figure I might as well use the opportunity for some advertising. So if you actually came across this post on Anime Sensai, please know that 1 – they did not write it and 2 – although their bots are doing a pretty good job at stealing posts from all over as soon as they are published, they don’t seem to do to great at lifting al the awesome screencaps I collected or all the extra material bloggers put into their content. So make sure to go visit the source link you see on top of posts and as for this one, just come visit my blog: I Drink and Watch Anime. I post daily and actually have awesome readers to interact with. I’m going t be posting this paragraph on top of my posts for a little while. I hope it doesn’t annoy you guys too much.

I actually started reading Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten online a while ago. I only manage to get through the first chapter before the manga was picked up for international distribution and the digital copies got whipped. I’m sure I could have found it somewhere if I tried but I actually wanted to wait for the official versions.

Turned out that the physical print copy was being released before the digital manga for some reason, and since there are only 4 volumes well…I bought more physical manga, you guys. I’m really struggling with this!

Why I Picked up Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten

It’s Way of the Househusband with a kitten! Of course, I picked it up. Look at this cover! ‘Cmon!

Official Summary

One cold and rainy winter’s day, a tiny kitten named Sabu is abandoned on the side of the road. When Sabu is rescued by Jin, a retired yakuza boss, the poor kitten fears things have gone from bad to worse–and that this would-be savior has murder on his mind! Yet beneath Jin’s scarred hands and scary face lies a sweet man who loves pampering kitties with baths, bottle-feedings, and whatever else his tiny companion needs. Be sure to get your paws on this hilariously adorable tale about an unlikely pet pair!

My First Impression

Ok, this really is literally Way of the Househusband with a kitten.

Review

This may come as a bit of a surprise to you but I would describe Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten as Way of the Househusband with a kitten…

The main character Jin is even this super serious deadpan character that keeps making obscure statements and using weird expressions to make everyday things sound ominous and super illegal. It’s the same idea with the same type of humour and character types. You know what they say if it ain’t broke…

There seems to be a current mini-wave of feel-good yakuza/yankee based stories. Besides the (often mentioned on the blog) Way of the Househusband, there’s also the recent Yakuza’s guide to Babysitting and the surprisingly sweet Zeikin de Katta Hon about a delinquent who ends up working at the library (I plan to review it eventually).

For those of you familiar with Househusband and The Yakuza’s Guide, I would say Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten is somewhere in the middle. In my opinion, it’s not quite as funny as Househusband, there simply aren’t as many jokes per panel and there is a little bit of the story dedicated to something else than comedy. But it is a lot cuter. Because: kitten… However, it’s funnier than Babysitting guide and more of a slapstick comedy overall and in my opinion still cuter. I just really like kittens.

You may be thinking to yourself that Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten sounds a bit redundant. It’s too precise a niche to have so many different tiles all coming out and you might not want to read what is more or less the same story over and over again. I can’t blame you for that. I don’t personally share that impulse, to the contrary when I enjoy a story I tend to seek out similar stuff. I’m the type that would buy a top I like in every colour except not really because I only wear about 3 colours, to begin with… One of those colours is black which isn’t really a colour…

I got distracted. What I’m saying is that there is an argument to be made that Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten is a little too similar to manga and anime that have come out recently to stand out. And you know, I can’t really argue with that on an objective level. On a subjective one though, I can say that I really liked Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten.

There is one element to the story that does make Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten a little different. And that is that Jin has a job. A regular 9 to 5 non-yakuza job. In my opinion that does change the dynamic enough to make it its own thing and it adds a lot of potential to the story.

You see Jin was a respected and successful Yakuza. He was part of a group or syndicate full of animal lovers including his boss. So when he decided to go straight, his boss helped him out by funding a small stray cat and dog café. Yes, this is not realistic and also I don’t care.

The titular kitten in Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten ends up being only one of a whole cast of adorable pets and we get to see Jin navigate all the details and administrative tasks required to run a legitimate business.

The premise and humour type are somewhat limited to be sure but since it is a 4 volume manga, there’s plenty to keep you entertained to the end.

If you have taken my cat manga recommendations before and enjoyed them, then this is another one to add to your list. The digital editions are now available if you want to go that way!