The Story of Witches and Cats

Stories about young, cute witches practicing magic and having fun with their powers are a pretty popular subject in Japan. Famous anime such as Ojamajo Doremi, Sally the Witch, Kiki's Delivery Service, and recently, Little Witch Academia and Flying Witch, have capitalized on the idea of cute little girl witches messing with their powers and they've been very successful. Even some cartoons and books here in America have started to take part in this trend. I randomly found this manga, Majo to Neko no Hanashi, or Stories of Witches and Cats, online, and I decided to give it a read, as it looked quite cuteand nice. It pretty much met my expectations and then some, and I have no qualms about recommending this manga to anyone who just wants to read a short, sweet, heartwarming manga about various girls, their cats, and their experiences. The manga is very short, only being one volume long, and each chapter focuses on various girls, how they meet their cat familiars, overcome their insecurities, and come to bond with them. It mostly focuses on a group of four female friends, one girl's grandmother, and one of their teachers. There's no set main character, as the chapters always focus on one individual character each, giving them all a day in the limelight, from happy-go-lucky Suzu trying to cope with the fact that her cat isn't an elegant black one, to quiet, red haired Nina who doesn't like getting angry out of fear that people will hate her for it, and even Suzu's grandmother, Chise, who started off hating magic but eventually finding her calling in life. There's no real conflict in this manga, as every chapter follows a set formula. Unlike most series that use a set formula to use the same narrative over and over again, Witches and Cats uses the formula to flesh out each character, their motivations, their weaknesses, how they deal with the problems they face, and so on, therefore aiding the story and giving the audience a reason to care about the characters. Speaking of the characters, they're all very charming and likeable, and even with the manga's short length, every character is given their fair share of the spotlight and clear development that shows them changing throughout the story. Suzu is your typical cheerful, energetic girl who wants to be like her grandmother and wants a black cat, but her assigned cat is nothing like her grandmother's, and the two often quarreled more often than not, but once they managed to meet each other halfway, they finally start to bond and work together. Kei, one of Suzu's friends, starts off as stoic and practical, and a little too blunt for her own good, but a situation with a cat she summons by accident teaches her to be more sympathetic to people and their problems outside of her own experience. I found all of them sweet and relatable, even with the magical setting, and even the minor characters have their own stories to tell, with multiple sides to them and all feel fresh. I must admit, I'm not that great of a critic when it comes to actual artwork, especially going into detail about things like shading, linework, and chapter layouts. I'm trying to rectify this, but I don't think I've improved all that much. But I'll do the best I can. For the most part, the manga's art style is very simple, with thin linework for both the character designs and the setting. Some of it looks rather crude, and sometimes the way the characters are drawn look like unfinished pencil sketches. At the same time, the author does make certain things detailed, such as food, flowers, window panes, the weaving of a basket, and so on. It's not Witch Hat Atelier level of detailed, but the art style is nice and pleasant to look at, and the character's faces are all very expressive, showing exactly how the characters feel. In terms of flaws, I can really only think of one: It's too damn short! I would absolutely love to read even more of this manga! I want to know more about these characters, the world they live in, the history of witches, and where the cats come from. It does leave quite a bit of questions unanswered, such as what determines which cat is assigned to what witch and the nature of their world, but the story's main focus is simply telling heartwarming tales about young witch girls, their cats, and the lives they live. As far as I'm concerned, that's perfectly fine with me. So far, the manga hasn't been licensed, but if someone like Seven Seas or Yen Press would release this, I'd buy it in an instant! If you're looking for a sweet, short, heartwarming read that's full of magic and charm, Stories of Witches and Cats is definitely a sweet treat to enjoy!

We are taught to equate power with violence and with aggression, but there’s also great power in being yourself in the best way you can. Majo to Neko no Hanashi is essentially that and about that. It's about growing through interactions with other creatures. And about cute little witches, cats, cakes, and flowers – the four things the author obviously loves. Majo to Neko no Hanashi is simply what it wants to be – unabashedly magical, unabashedly feminine, and unabashedly good. It’s one volume of greatness structured as a framed anthology. Most chapters share the pattern – one of the apprentice witch friends gets her catfamiliar, meets her elemental spirit and learns a thing or two about herself. The rest of the chapters touch on the past of older witches and even on lives of some non-witch civilians. The main message of the work is the need of growth: learning about yourself, embracing you strong and weak points, accepting the difference between individuals, and appreciating the insights others bring in your life. The lessons are neither saccharine nor overly didactic. Thanks to the variety of presented characters most readers will likely connect to at least one or two stories. A bit more on the cuteness and differences: all too often moe in manga is creepily sexualized, overly marketed, excessive, and/or makes characters samey. None of this happens in this healthily endearing work. The witches are proper little brats, and their uniforms are adorably practical. They are different in personalities and designs. And what’s especially impressive all the cats strikingly differ too – old and young, big and small, wise and easygoing, intense and timid, black, white, blue, spotted and tabby… One must love cats to make them both so realistic and so full of personality. Cats are simply top notch in Majo to Neko no Hanashi. There’s also a wealth of flowers and a variety of spirits. The author scatters her treasures - little witch girls, cats, flowers, cakes, and jewels - generously and evenly, from the first page to the last. Chapter covers are especially pretty. It looks great, it reads easily. The art is light, lively, loveable. It is very dynamic and has the finish of traditional book illustrations. The linework is delicate and flowy. The faces are rather simple, maybe, and the focus is mostly on characters so you won’t have overdetailed backgrounds... – the only faults I can think of, if I try and reach for negatives. Together with the characters the readers still get to visit many places a young girl playing a witch would dream of: bakeries, herbal shops, perfume shops, gardens, a school campus - all rendered with taste and a with decent amount of fun details. There’s also solid worldbuilding at the background. This fictional world has its own problems and prejudices to live and to deal with, which witch girls do through sweets, songs, aromas, flowers, shiny stones, foreign languages, friendships (of course), and ultimately acceptance – of others and of their own self. Majo to Neko no Hanashi is just so tasty and wholesome, I want to urge everyone to pick it up. It’s beautiful, pure, even a bit helpful. Kind witches, cats, cakes and flowers – don’t we all need more of these things in our lives?