My Roommate Is a Cat

My Roommate Is a Cat (同居人はひざ、時々、頭のうえ.) is a Japanese manga series written by Minatsuki and illustrated by Asu Futatsuya, serialized online via Flex Comix's Comic Polaris website since June 2015. It has been collected in twelve tankōbon volumes. An anime television series adaptation by Zero-G aired from January to March 2019.

Plot

One day, a socially awkward and eccentric writer, Subaru Mikazuki, takes in a stray cat, which he later names Haru, by chance. Not only does this give him the idea for his next book, but it serving as the push he needs to get out of his funk, and stop isolating himself, causing him to interact with others more, and deal with the feelings he has from the death of his parents. The story is shown from the perspectives of Subaru and Haru.

Characters

• Subaru Mikazuki (朏 素晴)
• A 23-year-old introverted mystery writer, who adopts Haru by chance. While he initially remains distant, they gradually bond with each other. Part of the story is shown from his point of view. Initially before the death of his parents he was always reluctant to visit crowded places, but after Haru entered his life, he understood the real value of love and started to interact with people better.

• Haru (陽 (ハル))
• A stray Tuxedo cat, adopted by Subaru. Her life prior to being adopted was rough; she was trained by Miz Tora to survive in this harsh world and she took care of her four younger siblings and struggled to feed herself and them. She and Subaru rarely understand each other, but their misunderstandings lead to a common goal. Part of the story is shown from her point of view. She initially believes that her name is a sign for food as that's the name of the girl who once gave her food.

• Atsushi Kawase (河瀬 篤)
• Subaru's editor at the publishing company. He tries hard to get Subaru to get out of the house, but often to no avail. He is fond of cats, especially Haru, and frequently visits the two.

• Nana Ōkami (押守 なな)
• Clerk at Sunny's Pet Store with a fondness for cats. She helps Subaru learn to care for Haru. Has two cats. One cat is Haru's younger brother.

• Hiroto Yasaka (矢坂 大翔)
• Subaru's childhood friend. He often visits unannounced to drop off food for his friend, since Subaru doesn't cook and rarely has any food in the refrigerator.

• Yūgo Ōkami (押守 優伍)
• Nana's younger brother, a 2nd-year high school student, and a fan of Subaru's novels. He visits his elder sister Nana and also loves cats.

• Hachi (はち)
• Nana's Tuxedo Cat and Haru's brother.

• Roku (ろく)
• Nana's 3-year-old cat.

• Tarō (タロウ)
• A happy and friendly Golden Retriever who lives next door to Subaru and Haru.

• Nagisa Yasaka (矢坂 渚)
• Hiroto's 17-year-old sister who has a crush on Subaru.

• Tora-nee-san (トラ姉さん)
• Female Tiger Cat who taught Haru and her siblings to survive on the street.
• Haru Akimoto (秋元 春)
• [6]
• Narumi's classmate and Haru's namesake. Her family runs a chūka restaurant.

• Natsuko Akimoto (夏子 秋元)
• Haru's mother.

• Kuro (クロ)
• A stray black cat who was friends with Tora.

• Hayato Yasaka (矢坂 隼翔)
• Narumi's twin brother.

• Narumi Yasaka (矢坂 鳴海)
• Hayato's twin sister.

• Misora Yasaka (矢坂 海空)
• Hiroto's 3-year-old sister.

• Sonoko Tanabe (田辺 苑子)
• Subaru's neighbor and Taro's owner.

• Kazuhiro Mikazuki (朏 和宏) & Saho Mikazuki (朏 佐保)
• Subaru's parents who were killed in a tour bus collision before the story begins.

Media

Reception

Anime News Network had five editors review the first episode of the anime:[16] James Beckett found the first half with Subaru the weakest part, but praised the second half when moving from the cat's perspective; Theron Martin praised the "technical merits" of the premiere for showcasing a "more balanced and natural portrayal" of the cat and its point of view; Paul Jensen was critical of Subaru's introduction and a lack of "emotional drama" in his arc, but was hopeful of his growing development in the series and his adventures being retold from the cat's perspective, calling it "an enjoyable slice of life story" that will grab viewers outside of its core audience; Rebecca Silverman wrote that: "I'm not sure it will be able to sustain itself, but if a pet's ever made a difference in your life, this is worth checking out." The fifth reviewer, Nick Creamer, felt that Subaru's story contained "superfluous" interactions with other people, "insubstantial" humor and "purely functional" animation but gave praise to the cat's retelling of the events, concluding that: "In the end, My Roommate is a Cat is too lukewarm in its comedy and limited in its aesthetics to really grab me, but still offers a fairly reasonable premiere. If you're a big fan of all things cat, maybe give this one a try."[16]

Silverman reviewed the complete anime series in 2020 and gave it an A− grade.[17] While finding the flashbacks "a bit heavy-handed" when depicting both characters' lives before they met, she praised the accurate portrayal of cat behavior and the respectful exploration of both Subaru and Haru's anxiety problems, concluding that: "My Roommate is a Cat is definitely a cat person show, but it's also one for anybody who's anxious or understands the comfort of having an animal to make the world less scary. It has its heavy moments, but that just means that when things get lighter, we can really feel like maybe it'll all be okay."[17] Stig Høgset, writing for THEM Anime Reviews, also praised the series for capturing "general kitty behavior" that's similar to Sketchbook ~full color's~ and utilizing a "restrained tone" when portraying its human and animal cast throughout the episodes, concluding that: "[T]here is a certain delightfulness to the antics of the characters in this show, including the animals, and that's why you should give My Roommate is a Cat a go."[18] The series was nominated for Best Comedy at the 4th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, but lost to Kaguya-sama: Love Is War.[19][20]

External links