猫ラメン！
I saw the cover of this manga and knew that I would pick it up. If you have known me for any amount of time, you may know that I have a half-serious dream running a ramen stand/manga cafe/wifi hotspot one day (it used to be in Japan, but someone pointed out that the idea is awesome anywhere, so I have pulled back my ambitions a bit)!
Anyhow, I went looking for the elusive Emma #4 (no one around here has it in stock), and saw Taisho standing there, laughing, drawing me in.
I am so hungry for ramen, now.
I will be honest, despite the premise, I didn’t have high expectations. I like to think this is a sign of maturity on my part, but it may be that I am merely jaded after being burned so many times.
However, it surprised me, I really enjoyed it. The format switches between 4-koma and wider format for the special stories. I am amazed at how creators tell stories in that format.
While be slice of life, you can tell that Kenji Sonishi has given a lot of thought to different aspects of running a ramen shop, as well as the inherent absurdity of being a cat chef. And then there are the tangents that don’t have much to do with ramen at all, which tickle me endlessly. There is one gag having to do with beards…
If you like cats, or Azumanga Daioh, you will probably like this, as well. 