FukuFuku: Kitten Tales

It is said that there is beauty in simplicity, and I believe that this manga is a testament to that. Created by Konami Kanata of Chi’s Sweet Home, this short but sweet manga takes a look into the life of an old lady and her kitten, Fuku Fuku. The manga also serves as a prequel to Fukufuku Fu-nya~n (1987). This manga is incredibly simply, with the only characters of note being the old lady and Fuku Fuku, and only the former being able to speak. Each chapter presents a self-contained miniature-story of very small scale. With the majority of the manga being set within the old lady’shouse, the chapters typically revolve around things that a real-life kitten might experience in Japan, such as falling asleep under a kotatsu, falling asleep after eating, looking at butterflies, getting brushed, etc. Yet somehow, these activities are presented in such a charming manner through the art and panelling that they manage to be strangely compelling. Unlike some of Konami’s other cat-related manga, this one is not in colour, and is instead presented in the more conventional black and white colouring. This can be seen as a downside if you prefer the pastel style of Konami’s other manga, but personally I don’t think there is much of a difference in charm-factor between this and say, Chi’s Sweet Home, in terms of the art. Overall, I found this manga to be quite enjoyable and charmingly uncomplicated. It’s only two volumes long, so there isn’t much to be lost by giving this cute manga a try.