MANGA REVIEW | "With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun" - Vol. 3
Cuteness and comedy go hand-in-hand when you share your house with pets. My dog Lucy knows how to not only look adorable, but can also bring laughter with her pig-like snorting and crazy happy face. This aspect of pets is shown with great glee via Hidekichi Matsumoto’s manga With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun, whose third volume demonstrates how Inu and Neko can be silly in their own ways.
One of the things both Inu and Neko can do is be quite the troublemakers for the author. From stealing food to leaving poop for her to clean up, the pets keep their owner on her toes almost every time. However, they have their ways to show affection, be it sitting on her lap or comforting her when having a rough day. With the good and bad, Matsumoto manages to capture the relatable and funny antics of her canine and feline cohorts.
Of course, while there are a lot of funny moments, it also knows when to touch on certain realizations. A chat with her mother has Matsumoto realize that Inu will not always be the jumpy and perky pup that he is. He’ll one day grow old, need assistance for even the simplest things, and sadly depart this world when his time comes. It’s a moment that let’s Matsumoto cherish every moment she has with Inu, with even his bad days bringing some sort of sunshine.
Fortunately, the laughter returns when she realizes that Neko hasn’t changed at all since aged one, and may never grow out of his bratty ways. Until his time is up, Neko will keep on stealing food, tricking Matsumoto into letting her out of her cage, be a jerk at the vet, and knock things off of the table if it displeases him. It’s a sharp contrast to Inu’s attitude, whose happy-go-lucky attitude goes head-to-head with Neko acting as if he’s constantly saying “Sod off!” to everything around him.
Volume Three of With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun shows why it’s such a joy to read. Fun for all ages to enjoy, Matsumoto’s little stories about her pets are heartfelt, endearing, and laugh-out-loud silly. Pet owners will no doubt find a lot to relate to the author’s day-in-the-life stories, while those without a companion in their life, well...they may be on the fence on whether or not to get a pet depending on which animal they might want.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Tomo Tran of Kodansha Manga